What is the minimum rifle you would use?

[RickE]

Count me in on the .243 tally. But a good Marlin 336 with Leverlution (sp?) ammo is ideal for deer. The new ammo makes the 30/30 a 200 yard performer.

[T-Ray]

The first deer I ever took was with a .223. However, I won't ever go w/ anything smaller than a .243. The reason i took it was b/c it was an extremely nice rifle w/ an even nicer scope on it, and I didn't own a deer rifle yet. It went down right where it stood w/ a neck shot, but like i said, i won't ever do it again. I can't tell you how much i felt undergunned, even though I know there's been tons of deer illegally killed w/ .22's

[38superhero]

.243

[mwmjones]

300 SHort mag either Winchester WSM or Remington SAUM

[mwmjones]

I hunt with the 300 Ultra Mag but have set up ny children in the 300 Short mag either Winchester WSM or Remington SAUM

[Cowboyup]

I own a 530 acre farm and I carry a mini 14 ranch rifle in the truck 90% of the time. I use it to shoot coyotes, dogs messing with my cattle and I have shot and killed 8 deer with this gun with the furthest shot being 140 yds. I use a remington 55 grain soft point bullet. The furthest a deer has gone after being shot is about 50 yds with a behind the shoulder shot. (Not to bad in my book) The .223 is plenty good enough for most deer with a halfway well placed shot. Just my 2 cents.

[skydiver3346]

My questions is why would you do that in the first place? Are you trying to prove something here? Not fair to your game you are hunting, (if it is deer). Too many bad things can happen when using such a small caliber bullet for deer hunting. My minimum choice would be a .243 for deer instead of .223. Just my opinion folks.

[cole k]

Quote; fisherman66, October 1, 2009, 11:12 AM
“Depends on the hunter and his/her shot selection. I wouldn't recommend a new hunter try a broadside shot with a .223 and many states have restrictions in place to prevent wounding. That said, I know several hunters who use a .223 and do it successfully. They are excellent shots and use neck shots exclusively.

I'd prefer to have a .25 caliber or bigger.”


I agree, only excellent shots should use a .223. They should also limit their shots to the neck or head.
I use a .257 Roberts or bigger.

[Grainraiser]

No doubt a .223 will kill a deer but it is not the right round for whitetail. A .243 is the minimum round that should be used for whitetails IMHO. I want a bolt action .223 because it makes a excellent yote round. I would never take it to hunt Texas whitetails. Coues or blacktails would be great animals to use a .223 round on but it is not for whitetails. I have a .243 that my son uses to hunt. It is a perfect gun for a 12 year old but I suspect he will be shooting something a little larger when he gets older. If someone ask me to go deer hunting with them a .223 and .22lr would not get the call even though I know both would kill a buck in ideal circumstances. Use the right tool for the job.

[semi_problomatic]

Well really, I'd use the best rifle for the job. 45-70's a pretty big round, but I wouldn't try killing an elk with it at 500 yards. And a .50 cal is a huge round. But you wouldn't see me using that on the Natchez Trace in Mississippi... might go through a couple trailers and kill a few extra critters. Not to mention the deer would already be dressed, skinned and grilled for me. Personally I think the 5.56 round is garbage and will always opt for something along the lines of a 7.62.

[Huffmanite]

Personally, I've not hunted deer since the late 60's and I used a 30-06 then. But I do enjoy shooting my rifles at a local range about once a week. Just before this past deer season began, a very elderly man came to our rifle range and began shooting his old scoped savage 22 Hornet at a target 50 yards downrange. Guy was checking his scope to make sure it was still zeroed. We had a brief conversation while shooting next to each other. Much to my surprise the Old timer told me he had hunted white tail deer with his 22 hornet rifle for over 35 years. Said, where he hunted the shots he took were seldom over 60 yards away and that he always shot a deer in the head or neck. He couldn't remember how many deer he shot with the Hornet, but that he'd always got at least one each deer season he'd hunted with it. I asked him if ever hit any deer with it that ran away wounded and he'd not found it. Yep, he said, one time just as I was pulling the trigger, another nearby hunter had shot at something spooking the deer in his sights, causing him to miss his neck shot. Knew I still hit him, but he took off running and I never did find him.

[David Turley]

ive been using a 270 win for years drops them in their tracks everytime

[waterfowler]

Its all about shot placement

[imacanuk]

Here in Alberta, and in many States as well, you're not allowed to use a .223 for deer. Our regs say the caliber must be .23 or greater. I think the problem with .223 is finding a good bullet. Most are made for varmints. A heavy .223 bullet with proper construction would work in the right hands. In the right hands, it could be used on Moose! [shoot just behind the ear. Shot placement is everything!] But that doesn't make it a moose caliber, and I don't think it is the best choice for deer. I think my BOTTOM end for deer is a .243, but I wouldn't prefer it. I'd feel comfortable with a .257 roberts though.

[crghss]

The one that is legal and your most comfortable with.

[themusgrat]

Definitely don't go lower than the .223. I'd go with a .270 or larger. But as already said, the main thing is to know the rifle you're shooting and its limitations. Once you know that, you can take most any rifle. But the bigger you choose, the more shots you'll be able to take. And after a point, the bigger you choose, the more meat you might ruin. So probably nothing bigger than a .30 caliber.

[DiscoRacing]

.223 IS legal here... and since my longest shooting distance here... that isnt covered in brush is 50yds... ive been thinking about using it next year... usually tho... i use .06 or .308

[Brian Pfleuger]

Under IDEAL conditions, I would take a shot on a deer with my 204Ruger, and it would be legal in NY too (assuming I'm in a rifle area). The law specifies "center-fire rifle", no other restrictions.


As for my minimum choice under actual hunting conditions, I'd say 243 or equivalent.

My real choice would be something in the 7mm range, preferably 7mm-08.

[Dearhunter61]

The 6.5X55 Swede is the PERFECT round for me for my deer hunting. It mixes the perfect mix of Kenetic energy/knockdown power along with recoil that I can most definately manage that allows me to make the best shots possible. I have been blessed in that the last 6 deer I have shot with it have all been heart shots. The confidence I have gained using it can not be underestimated.

Now to the exact question posed here. I think .22 cal certainly can adequately kill deer when used by people that are good shots. I have personally taken a couple of deer with my 22-250 and would not be hesitant to use it out to 150 yards. That being said it is not a caliber I prefer as stated above. I personally would not take my .223 deer hunting simply because I would not want to limit myself to only a neck shot and that is the only shot I would take with it on a deer.

[HiBC]

I think the Colorado minimum specs make sense.The OP is in Colorado.

Along with bullet construction and placement is the self dicipline to let the big monster walk away if things aren't just right.

Lets not forget Colorado allows .40 roundballs for deer and .50 roundballs for elk muzzleloader season.

And,back in their day,the 25-20,the 32-20,the 25-35,the 32-40,and the like,along with the handgun/carbine rounds like the 38-40,the 44-40,etc took a lot of big game.Folks did not know enough ballistics to know their 44-40 was not a bison rifle so they just killed the bison.

Handgun hunters use .357's.,45ACP's,10mm's,44spls,45 colts to take deer.

I wouldn't mind having something like a mini-mauser in 6.5 BenchRest

I think the Grendel and SPC are workable,though I have no experience with them.

I think a 100 gr + 25 or 6.5 bullet at 2400 fps or so would be fine for 150 yd precise placement.

I'd feel just fine with a 10 inch twist .250 Savage

[HKFan9]

Here in PA we cant use AR's or any semi's for that matter. Personally I use a .243, or .270 depending on where I'm hunting. I've seen many deer taken successfully with a .22-250 however and wouldn't be scared of using one the slightest.

[Gunplummer]

People on the east coast hunt differently than you guys do. Most of the coal mountains are straight up and down, and your average shot is in thick stuff at 60 yards. I still take out the old Savage .22 Hi-Power and don't have a problem. If that Gun Writer that made the .270 famous had lived on the east coast, you would have never heard of it. .22 center fires are good enough at close range.

[sdbirddog]

I use a rem. 788 in 22-250 as my deer gun sometimes and it works great! But i also use a mini 14 and 25-06 somtimes to all depends on what i feel like.

[nathaniel]

This deer was shot with an Armlight .223.

My brothers use 223's and 22-250's with jacketed hollow points every year for deer hunting. This past year I used my Puma 357 magnum and I shot my deer at 250 yards with open sights. Like many people have said before its all the shooter not the calibers used.

[hickstick_10]

deer size is relative in my book, as far as 223 being suitable.

On Vancouver Island, of the coast of BC, They have these deer that are about the size of a golden retriever, and a mans big game hunting gun there could EASILY be a .223. I doubt those deer weight more then 60-70 lbs.

Go east a tick over to Saskatchewan, and there are bucks there that mooch off the wheat fields that I would really REALLY have second thoughts about going after with a .243, there quite sizable deer.

So depends on the size of the deer, I'd say.