King of deer calibers?

K

Kachok

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So most of us experienced hunters know by now that there is no "magic" caliber that smites everything on the planet like the wrath of God, ballistic wounding is a mechanism that is very measurable. So I decided to do a comparison for myself and figured I would post my findings here. All loads are max load per Nosler #7 trajectories are w/200yd zero. This is not a comparison of ideals, no ultra heavy VLDs or A-Max were used, I used the same weights I use in my own hunting rifles with well respected hunting bullet designs to keep this as true to life as possible. I put 500 yards at the standard for this since that is my personal limit and to be honest I have never needed a shot any longer then that in 22 years of hunting.
Cartridge Bullet Charge Speed Recoil Impulse Recoil Velocity Recoil Energy 500 yard energy 500 yard trajectory
243 Winchester 90gr SRII 44.5gr 3240fps 2.28 lbs/sec 9.18 fps 10.48 ft/lbs 934 ft/lbs -34"
25-06 Rem 120gr BTSP 57.5gr 3175fps 2.97 lbs/sec 11.94 fps 17.72 ft/lbs 1361 ft/lbs -33.7"
6.5 Creedmore 123gr SST 44.5gr 3001fps 2.63 lbs/sec 10.56 fps 13.88 ft/lbs 1251 ft/lbs -37.4"
270 Winchester 130gr SST 54gr 3158fps 3.02 lbs/sec 12.15 fps 18.36 ft/lbs 1374 ft/lbs -34.7"
7mm-08 Rem 140gr BT 47.5gr 2953fps 2.89 lbs/sec 11.62 fps 16.8 ft/lbs 1323 ft'lbs -39.5"
308 Win 168gr BT 51.5gr 2910fps 3.31 lbs/sec 13.33 fps 22.09 ft/lbs 1544 ft/lbs -40.7"
30-06 SPR 168gr BT 63gr 3002fps 3.64 lbs/sec 14.63 fps 26.61 ft/lbs 1660 ft/lbs -37.9"

I just included one cartridge for each for simplicity purposes except for the 30 caliber, because simply put you cannot have a comparison without including both the 308 and 30-06. I excluded magnum cartridges and anything over 30 caliber because with the exception of magnums they do not stack up outside woods range.
Observations. With the exception of the 243 all cartridges listed carry serious deer killing punch out to 500 yards and beyond, the 308 performed better then I thought though that is an unusually fast load in my personal experience handloading the 308. I have long been a fan of the 6.5mm bullets but the Creedmore was a shocker, combine the external ballistics of a 6.5mm with the efficiency of the Creedmore case and you have a world class cartridge IMHO, not knocking the 260 or my personal favorite the 6.5x55 but if I had any kind of scoring system in place I would call the Creedmore a top contender if recoil is taken into account. Difference in BC was a bit less then I imagined, all bullets listed came in between .460 and .510 with the exception of the 243 since only VLDs and A-Max run in that territory. 26.61lbs of recoil! I did not think my 06 was kicking that hard, this is as much recoil as I can take without it effecting my accuracy.
 
If you are looking for a literal answer, it's .30-06.

The nice thing about the larger calibers is that (all other things being equal :) your success rate with a marginal longer shot is likely better.
 
I used to think so, but I found that inside normal ranges the 06 can be a bit much for southern deer, I would likely feel different if I hunted up north where bucks grow considerably larger. My favorites around here are the 7mm-08 and 6.5x55 they do the job as well as anything without blowing whole shoulders out up close. I have also found 30 calibers a bit more inconsistent in terms of terminal performance vs 270s and 6.5s, sometimes they do not readily expand fully on smaller deer, no hard math there just an odd observation. I do own and regularly use two 30-06s, I keep them loaded with 150gr TTSX and 180gr Interlock RN for mixed hunts where I might come across a 300+lbs boar and my 6.5x55 might not kill in as quickly as a 30 cal, never had any expansion issues against a boar sheild.
 
.270 Winchester

150 grain ABLR @ 2850-3000FPS can pretty much put anything in North America down, out to 800 yards, if the shooter is capable.

Judging by the recoil, you used a pretty light rifle weight for the recoil calculations.
 
My interpretation of your data is this: the .25-06 and .270 are the "kings" of deer hunting. I chose the .270 many years ago, have always used my own handloads, and have NEVER regretted my choice.

I have used a .300 Win Mag for elk hunting - I wish I had purchased a custom .270 or taken my Rem 700 .270 with a Brown Precision stock on those hunts. Glass bedded but before pillar bedding was well known.

My .270 would easily have taken both of my 5 x 5 elk, and would have been much easier to carry in the mountains.
 
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I thought the 270 had much more recoil than the 7-08, I own guns in both and went from the 270 to the 08 because of recoil, and the 008 seems to shoot much better... Every animal I have taken with the 7-08 has been clean, they drop just as fast vs an 06 and they damage is much less...
 
I notice recoil when I'm target shooting but when shooting a deer, I pay very little attention to it. I'm a big Jack O'Connor fan so the .270 is my choice. If we go by rifle sales and what we see when we're out hunting, hate to say it but its .30-06 hands down.
 
It's only numbers.

For open plains the 270 Winchester is one of the very best. But a light lever-action 30-30 may be an even better choice in the kind of woods where you will not get a shot much beyond a hundred yards.
 
If you go by what caliber has killed the most deer, it's probably the .30-30...

Deer aren't armor plated and in most cases the .30-06 is over kill not that's stopped me from hunting black tail deer with my '06. I can't see hunting deer with a magnum round but if that floats your boat, go for it...

Tony
 
Long range fads and everything aside, if you are just thinking the "King" of the deer calibers 30/06 has to shine. I prefer some other calibers for my hunting and I'm sure a lot of other guys do to, but the 30/06 has been the standard for many years.
 
Not that it is king, but 6.5mm projectiles are my new focus, like .260 Remington, and 6.5x55. It will take any deer around as well as larger game, and is ideal for the reloader with good bullet selection. The combination of flat shooting, lower felt recoil, and accuracy make it superior to .30 caliber alternatives in my book.
 
While the 30-06 has likely downed more deer then any other on this list I am not focusing on history, popularity, or personal preferences, this is simply letting the ballistics and recoil speak for themselves in an attempt to find the most ideal cartridge/caliber.
 
The size of white tail and mule deer very in size in various areas within the U.S. Also the ideal cartridge used for woods hunting and hunting in wide open areas could be different. I have taken deer with a 22-250 Rem, 243 Win, 257 Roberts, 25-06 Rem, 264 Win Mag, 270 Win, and 308 Norma Mag rifles. The old rule of thumb , that is a bullet that has still has 1,000 ft/lb of energy at the distance the deer is shot is the King. The old Savage 99 300 Savage shooting a 150 Gr bullet could well be the old King for hunting in the woods where a long shot would be 150 yards but it would be limited for open country hunting. There is not one single cartridge that is King for all the different hunting conditions and deer sizes in the U.S. But there are a number of different cartridges that will get the job done within an area hunted.
 
We hunt whitetail deer here in Wisconsin. The "good-old" .30-06 worked best for me with 150 gr. bullets. Close second is the .308.
 
While ballistics from a manual can be used as a guide to go by for a rough estimate, your not going to get the complete picture of the ballistics for your load without a chronograph. A person should also be aware of the ballistics of a round and how that round is used. Case in point would be the .30/30, ballistics are not all that great, but the round is not used to shoot an animal or target at long ranges(200yds, 300yds) its used for short yardage hunting and it is a marvelous round when used within it's limitations. It put a lot of meals on the table for many years.

Recoil can be measured, but what I think is to much for me, the next guy I talk to shoots a .416 Rigby and doesn't mind it at all. Perceived recoil is more of a persuader to some than actual recoil.

I enjoy a good debate about anything firearms related. I'm a big Jack O'Connor fan, but I also thank the shooting gods for Elmer Keith. As long as we are discussing the hobby we all love and enjoy, there is a person out there reading and learning.
 
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