calibers for deer hunting?

[waterfowler]

id go with 30-30

 

[Mallard76]

ammo

Another vote on both the .308 and .30-06.

 

[David Turley]

a 270 win doesnt cost much more if any than a 243 and is a much better deer cartidge

 

[cubesmoothie]

7.62x39 works as well as 30/30 and is cheaper. Only thing, is a lot of x39 guns dont come with < 5 round mags you might need to invest in one of them. Most places have a legal limit on the amount of bullets you can put in the magazine while deer hunting, here it is 5. 7.62x54Russian is a great choice and the guns are very cheap to buy. A .223 bolt gun or legally magazined semi could be a solid deer rifle if you know what you're doing, and if it's legal to use that caliber. MO, TN, KY, AR, i know allow the .223.

 

[imacanuk]

So .243 ammo is too expensive for you. Guess what: Hunting WILL burn a hole in your pocket. And your vacation time. And many of your weekends. If you don't want to spend money, then I'd recommend a different hobby. I think the cheapest way to do it would be a mosin with cheap ammo [make sure it is soft tipped and not FMJ]. But just realize that deer meat, for most people, is more expensive than buying beef. The rifle, the ammo, the scope, the truck, the gas , the cammo, the good boots, the binocs, the decent knife, the presents for the wife to appologize for always being gone, etc...