What is the minimum rifle you would use? - Page 6

Osageshooter · March 16, 2010, 04:32 PM

We all know shot placement is the most important thing. Good shot placement and knowing the limitations of your cartridge make the 22 LR a great choice. It is in fact the choice of poachers everywhere. I have always found this kind of thought process around this question to be flawed. If you are talking about the minimum caliber that can cleanly take a deer with a reasonable shot out to 300 yeards, I guess the 257 Roberts might be it. I don't own one. I have seen deer hit with 243s, factory 100 grain bullets, with poor results. I like my 260.

TX Hunter · March 29, 2010, 09:02 PM

Looking at my Deer Sized Game Arsenal I dont have any Rifles under .30 Calliber.
I use .22 Rimfire for Small Game, though.

danbnimble · April 4, 2010, 01:56 AM

In Minnesota every once in a while I come across some pretty big whitetails, 150+lbs. It's not unusual to see a couple two hundred pounders in a season and the odd one usually makes the papers up here 300 lbs plus.
I prefer bigger than smaller but I guess my bottom would be .243. That's my thoughts.
I shoot a .338 for just about everything Deer and bigger. Little harsh on the shoulder meat but their ain't no tracking or suffering.

TXGunNut · April 4, 2010, 11:04 AM

In parts of TX the .243 could be the ultimate deer rifle and a skilled hunter could get by with a .22 centerfire. Only problem (?) is the hogs. I doubt there's a county without them and they could make an appearance on any lease in the state. I prefer big, slow chunks of lead for hogs and they work just fine for any shot I'll take at a deer. My personal threshold is .45 Colt or .30-30 in a Trapper but my next trip (two weeks!) I'll be packing a .35 Rem T/C Contender backed up by a Blackhawk in .45 Colt. Alternate will be my trusty .45-70 Guide Gun with a stainless M77 Ruger .30-06 in the case for wet weather or longer shots.

N.H. Yankee · April 24, 2010, 07:41 AM

40+ years of hunting deer in N.H. I have yet to see anyone hunting with or even in the woods with an AR15. Perhaps they are talking southeast like Florida, but I have yet to see anyone hunting in New England with an AR15. I overheard a guy claim he deer hunts with one in a gun shop and he received a few strange looks.

Deer in N.H. can run almost 300lbs FIELD DRESSED and in rare cases over 300, so using a 223 isn't recommended. Then you have the ethical kill situation, is the 223 really enough to quickly and humanely put down a deer? I can see coyotes, but even those have run in excess of 50lbs here in N.H. because they are not true coyotes but a mix of wolf and coyote which was proved through DNA testing.

TheNatureBoy · April 24, 2010, 10:16 AM

There might be some people here on the east coast that hunt with AR's but I don't know any of them. I don't even know a single hunter who even owns one. As far as the minimum rifle I would use is concerned I'd go with a .243.

Art Eatman · April 24, 2010, 12:30 PM

Lots of deer in the southern US which will dress out under 100 pounds. In some areas it's genetic; in others it's from too high a population. I personally saw a ten-point, 15-inch-spread buck standing by a highway, one night, that didn't look like it would dress out over maybe 80 pounds.

Like a lot of hunting, it's situational. I'd use a .223 if I expected small deer. No qualms. But if I'm in "real" deer country, I'd darned sure use more gun.

riverwalker76 · April 24, 2010, 12:35 PM

I personally know of 1 - 920 pound bull ELK that was taken with a .223 in Perry Co, KY this past season.

One shot, and he dropped to his knees!

Heart, head, or lung shots & the proper bullet weight / expansion will take down any large game in the US.

Don't get me wrong .... the .223 has a 200 yd. HUNTING limit, and anything over that should be taken with a .30 cal or above.

Gunplummer · April 24, 2010, 11:29 PM

I hunt West Virgina and sometimes take the AR out. It works and I see other guys with them. A few years back the 7.62x39 was the whipping boy for under powered cartridges, and before that it was the .243. Before that the 30-30.......

jimbob86 · April 24, 2010, 11:53 PM

...... deer CAN be on the big side, and shots can be long .....

A .223 might do the job, but with the deer of a lifetime standing broadside in the middle of a hayfield, you'll never wish you had a .223 instead of your .270 WIN or '06..... somebody once said "Use enough gun."

Minimum for me would be .243/6mm with premium bullets.....

Gunplummer · April 25, 2010, 12:17 AM

Last year I did use a .244 Rem in PA. and got one. It worked fine but I would not want to be too far off from my aim point. One year I found a large dead buck on the 4th day in W.V., and the weather had gone up in the low 70's by the third day. I didn't want to roll it around because of the flys, but it had a perfect hole through the base of the main beam and it looked to be about .264-.284 diameter. I have a picture of it but am new to computers and do not know enough to load it on here. An expanding bullet will go through wood or antler like a drill at close range. Point is, someone went John Wayne on it and never recovered the deer. Bigger is better means nothing on a missplaced shot.

Art Eatman · April 25, 2010, 09:44 AM

We're pretty much running in circles now, at six pages. I know this will come up again, so let's end it for now.

April 4, 2010, 01:56 AM	#128
danbnimble Junior Member Join Date: March 26, 2010 Location: frostbite falls Minnesota...bullwinkle's just down the road a piece Posts: 5	.243 In Minnesota every once in a while I come across some pretty big whitetails, 150+lbs. It's not unusual to see a couple two hundred pounders in a season and the odd one usually makes the papers up here 300 lbs plus. I prefer bigger than smaller but I guess my bottom would be .243. That's my thoughts. I shoot a .338 for just about everything Deer and bigger. Little harsh on the shoulder meat but their ain't no tracking or suffering.

April 4, 2010, 11:04 AM	#129
TXGunNut Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2010 Location: If you have to ask... Posts: 2,860	In parts of TX the .243 could be the ultimate deer rifle and a skilled hunter could get by with a .22 centerfire. Only problem (?) is the hogs. I doubt there's a county without them and they could make an appearance on any lease in the state. I prefer big, slow chunks of lead for hogs and they work just fine for any shot I'll take at a deer. My personal threshold is .45 Colt or .30-30 in a Trapper but my next trip (two weeks!) I'll be packing a .35 Rem T/C Contender backed up by a Blackhawk in .45 Colt. Alternate will be my trusty .45-70 Guide Gun with a stainless M77 Ruger .30-06 in the case for wet weather or longer shots. __________________ Life Member NRA, TSRA Smokeless powder is a passing fad! -Steve Garbe I hate rude behavior in a man. I won't tolerate it. -Woodrow F. Call Lonesome Dove My favorite recipes start out with a handful of used wheelweights.

April 24, 2010, 07:41 AM	#130
N.H. Yankee Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2004 Location: Rural N.H. Posts: 1,586	40+ years of hunting deer in N.H. I have yet to see anyone hunting with or even in the woods with an AR15. Perhaps they are talking southeast like Florida, but I have yet to see anyone hunting in New England with an AR15. I overheard a guy claim he deer hunts with one in a gun shop and he received a few strange looks. Deer in N.H. can run almost 300lbs FIELD DRESSED and in rare cases over 300, so using a 223 isn't recommended. Then you have the ethical kill situation, is the 223 really enough to quickly and humanely put down a deer? I can see coyotes, but even those have run in excess of 50lbs here in N.H. because they are not true coyotes but a mix of wolf and coyote which was proved through DNA testing. __________________ The real danger to America is not abroad but within.. Having an open mind is a good thing, but not so open that your brains fall out! Save America, abort liberalism.

April 24, 2010, 12:35 PM	#133
riverwalker76 Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 993	I personally know of 1 - 920 pound bull ELK that was taken with a .223 in Perry Co, KY this past season. One shot, and he dropped to his knees! Heart, head, or lung shots & the proper bullet weight / expansion will take down any large game in the US. Don't get me wrong .... the .223 has a 200 yd. HUNTING limit, and anything over that should be taken with a .30 cal or above. __________________ *Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto* - “You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass.”

April 24, 2010, 11:53 PM	#135
jimbob86 Junior member Join Date: October 4, 2007 Location: All the way to NEBRASKA Posts: 8,722	Where I hunt..... ...... deer CAN be on the big side, and shots can be long ..... A .223 might do the job, but with the deer of a lifetime standing broadside in the middle of a hayfield, you'll never wish you had a .223 instead of your .270 WIN or '06..... somebody once said "Use enough gun." Minimum for me would be .243/6mm with premium bullets.....

March 16, 2010, 04:32 PM	#126
Osageshooter Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2009 Location: Overland Park, Kansas Posts: 179	We all know shot placement is the most important thing. Good shot placement and knowing the limitations of your cartridge make the 22 LR a great choice. It is in fact the choice of poachers everywhere. I have always found this kind of thought process around this question to be flawed. If you are talking about the minimum caliber that can cleanly take a deer with a reasonable shot out to 300 yeards, I guess the 257 Roberts might be it. I don't own one. I have seen deer hit with 243s, factory 100 grain bullets, with poor results. I like my 260.

March 29, 2010, 09:02 PM	#127
TX Hunter Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2010 Location: East Texas USA Posts: 1,805	Looking at my Deer Sized Game Arsenal I dont have any Rifles under .30 Calliber. I use .22 Rimfire for Small Game, though.

April 24, 2010, 10:16 AM	#131
TheNatureBoy Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2007 Posts: 1,204	There might be some people here on the east coast that hunt with AR's but I don't know any of them. I don't even know a single hunter who even owns one. As far as the minimum rifle I would use is concerned I'd go with a .243.

April 24, 2010, 12:30 PM	#132
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Lots of deer in the southern US which will dress out under 100 pounds. In some areas it's genetic; in others it's from too high a population. I personally saw a ten-point, 15-inch-spread buck standing by a highway, one night, that didn't look like it would dress out over maybe 80 pounds. Like a lot of hunting, it's situational. I'd use a .223 if I expected small deer. No qualms. But if I'm in "real" deer country, I'd darned sure use more gun.

April 24, 2010, 11:29 PM	#134
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	I hunt West Virgina and sometimes take the AR out. It works and I see other guys with them. A few years back the 7.62x39 was the whipping boy for under powered cartridges, and before that it was the .243. Before that the 30-30.......

April 25, 2010, 12:17 AM	#136
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	Last year I did use a .244 Rem in PA. and got one. It worked fine but I would not want to be too far off from my aim point. One year I found a large dead buck on the 4th day in W.V., and the weather had gone up in the low 70's by the third day. I didn't want to roll it around because of the flys, but it had a perfect hole through the base of the main beam and it looked to be about .264-.284 diameter. I have a picture of it but am new to computers and do not know enough to load it on here. An expanding bullet will go through wood or antler like a drill at close range. Point is, someone went John Wayne on it and never recovered the deer. Bigger is better means nothing on a missplaced shot. Last edited by Gunplummer; April 25, 2010 at 12:20 AM. Reason: missing word

April 25, 2010, 09:44 AM	#137
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	We're pretty much running in circles now, at six pages. I know this will come up again, so let's end it for now.