Been reading the thread about under-rated deer calibre and it got me thinking about the other side of the question... what's the most over-rated deer calibre?
I'll put my cards on the table right away and say that I am firmly of the view that modest power and gentle recoil are the way to go for deer. I've taken hundreds of deer with modest calibres like the .243 and the 6.5 x 55 - they are easy to shoot, consistently accurate because they don't induce flinching, and more than adequate to put down any deer with decent shot placement.
I know in advance I'm going to get flamed for this - but my vote for the most over-rated deer calibre is the 7mm Remington Magnum.
Why? Because it doesn't give more than a marginal improvement in ballistics over a hand-loaded 7x57, or a .280 - a chronograph would make most 7mm Mag owners weep. What marginal improvement it does give comes at a disproportionate expense in extra powder, recoil and muzzle blast. And most 7mm Mag owners I know would be a lot more accurate with a .243. One guy was recently bragging to me about his 7mm Mag having the trajectory of a laser beam, but he couldn't put 3 shots into a 10" circle at 100 yards...
Anyhow, that's my vote, interested to know what others think!
I'll put my cards on the table right away and say that I am firmly of the view that modest power and gentle recoil are the way to go for deer. I've taken hundreds of deer with modest calibres like the .243 and the 6.5 x 55 - they are easy to shoot, consistently accurate because they don't induce flinching, and more than adequate to put down any deer with decent shot placement.
I know in advance I'm going to get flamed for this - but my vote for the most over-rated deer calibre is the 7mm Remington Magnum.
Why? Because it doesn't give more than a marginal improvement in ballistics over a hand-loaded 7x57, or a .280 - a chronograph would make most 7mm Mag owners weep. What marginal improvement it does give comes at a disproportionate expense in extra powder, recoil and muzzle blast. And most 7mm Mag owners I know would be a lot more accurate with a .243. One guy was recently bragging to me about his 7mm Mag having the trajectory of a laser beam, but he couldn't put 3 shots into a 10" circle at 100 yards...
Anyhow, that's my vote, interested to know what others think!