Most overrated deer calibre?

30-30

It was the only choice worth anything...
about 100 years ago.

It has the well-earned reputation of killing more deer than any other caliber...
When there were more deer per square mile and NO LIMITS and the antlerless kill was a free-for-all.

The rifles chambered for it are cheap...
So there were more of them.


Three generations have told stories of magical shots at exaggerated ranges.
Definitely the most overated
 
The most dissapointing deer calibre I can think of is the .243. To me it is neither a brilliant varminter nor deer rifle and so, like a lot of compromises does neither particularly well.

Don't get me wrong- this round will perform in skilled hands, but it is not the ideal that it was touted a when it was introduced, infact I think the 6mm Remington that it killed off was a better round.
 
Too similar

Lawyer Daggit--Agree w/you re the .243 being a compromise and needing skilled hands. As to its killing off the 6mm Rem: They were almost identical, and one of 'em was not going to survive. The one that did was the one that got the better press and advertising. Not to say that the 6mmRem was in any way inferior.

I believe the exact same thing will occur between the .300RSAUM and the .300WSM. They are almost identical, and it will be a publicity contest between the 2 as to which survives, not a contest of which is the better round by a gnat-whisker.
 
daggert

I've been hunting just about anything the USA has to offer for about 50 yrs now and i've seen a pack of rifles and calibers come and go. Believe me when I tell you press has nothing to do with it. We, as hunters sportsmen and women, and shooters are generally a pretty astute bunch of people. You can pull the wool over the eyes of some of us but the cream always raises to the top. Thats why the old standards like the 06 and 270 are still alive and kicking. They work. There is some of the new stock out there that will stick around for awhile but if it does'nt work say good bye. good bye 244 rem,220 swift,6mm,7x57 and the like. The press did'nt kill em (EXCEPT MAYBE THE SWIFT) The shooting public did by not buying rifles chambered for them.
Want a great deer rifle? Try the 257 Roberts sometime if you can find a DECENT rifle built for it. Want an overrated caliber for the AVERAGE shooter? Buy a belted boomer and see what they can hit with it. The 243 win is a great caliber for young shooters or those of light stature because they shoot it so well not because it shoots through oak trees and kills deer in the next coutny. It is extremely accurate as a varmiter and will be here for a long time to come
My Two Cents Trapper
 
You all crack me up saying the 30-30 is over rated.I guess it depends on where you are.When I take my old Marlin out,the older folks never notice and the younger ones tell me I need to get a 30-06 or one of the latest screamin' magnums.
 
Smokey Joe have you used a 7x57- one chambering full loads- not the light loads sold in the US? because so loaded it is the ballistic twin of the .270.

It is a calibre that predates the .270 and lead to the development of the 30-06.

IMHO it is an exceptional calibre and one I will never be without.
 
7x57...hmmm...

Lawyer Daggit--Cain't say as I've ever shot or even seen a 7x57. Would be happy to try one, but as I'm currently involved with load development in .357 magnum, .45ACP (the newest ctg. for me), 8x57mmJS, .300WSM, .243Win, 7.62x39, and .30-'06, my plate is kinda full for a brand-new rifle/cartridge @ the moment. Oh, forgot .50 cal. blackpowder.

While we're at it, I'd love to try one of Wildalaska's pet 6.5mm Swedes. But there again, I ain't gonna have one myself any time soon.

Come to think about it, at the range, I will gleefully shoot anybody's anything, just for the experience of it. :)

And of course, if I woke up and found a 7x57 in bed with me, I wouldn't kick it out...

Let's face it: I'm a hopeless case. Will be trying new guns/loads as long as I'm on the green side of the sod.
 
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LawyerDaggett

Agreed. The .243 has been left behind for that reason. :rolleyes:

However, a lady I knew about a "hundred years ago" (an excellent shot) placed 4 rounds of .243 in the heart lung zone (about and 8-10" group) in a running mule deer at about 100 yds. It ran at least 200 yds after the first hit. :confused:

I think maybe skill doesn't help the .243 very much. :D
 
The most over rated has to be Weatherby's 300 MAG. Marketed as super fast and powerful yet a real elk wounder. I've personally guided a number of clients who could not shoot very well with their new Weatherby rifle. I'm certain Weatherby rifles have their place in the world of big game hunting. But not in the hands of an inexperianced and recoil-shy elk hunter!!
Jack
 
Pointer:
The clients were simply responding to Weatherby's marketing. I still feel it is the Weatherby cartridge that is over rated. Most of these easterners would kill their elk a lot faster with a 7mm-08 and Nosler Partitions. Good kill shots are made with accurate placement of the bullet(s).
Jack
 
The most Over Rated deer calibre would have to be the.....

Who honestly cares? It's the same as asking "which is better...semi or revolver"

From 100 yds zero with a Rem 7400 30-06 2" grps./with a Winchester 94 30-30 the same/with a Remington .270 the same/with a .243 the same

I zero them all at 100 yds because of my tree stand locales. I've never posted out farther than that on any shots. Maybe 1 out of 20 deer have made it more than 10yds from impact. This is well over 100 deer and 30 seasons.

I also killed a deer from 40yds out with my .357mag one day, when the .270 had a feed jam.

So I don't think any reasonable calibre is underrated or overrated, just the shooter
 
There's probably not much point in my chiming in since everything seems to have already been said on the subject. But, I guess I was just born talkative.
The thing is, most of the talk seems to imply that deer hunting, ergo deer calibers, is a single, monolithic subject. It's my impression that eastern deer hunting is different than piney woods deer hunting, western plains deer hunting, and mountain deer hunting - and that's just in the US. There are deer to hunt all over the world. The 30-30 Win appears to be nearly ideal for eastern deer hunting, but would be about as useful as a Snicker's bar in south Texas. Magnum rifles would be similarly out of place in thick woods or on smallish deer. My feeling is you should research the type of hunting you plan to do, obtain a reasonable caliber and gun for the task, and then practice until you are really deadly in any foreseeable conditions; and if you are not sure of your ability to put the critter down quickly - let it slide. By the way, I think I have at least one of every caliber (good and bad) mentioned. I'm pretty sure any of them would do the job within their limitations. If it works for you and your style of hunting, then it's not overrated. My pick for overrated: the 25-20; good plinker, but a lousey deer cartridge.
 
I think we need to define what we mean by 'recoil' I once shot two near identical Brownings- one with BOSS and the other without it.

I think what we call recoil involves three things:

RECOIL- the rearward and upward push of the fired gun
NOISE- the 'bang'
BLAST the amount of blast- flame coming out of the muzzle.

I do not respond much to recoil but I do not noise and blast- consequently I did not like the gun fitted with the boss as the one without it.
 
Some people will use the term "felt recoil" to differentiate between the practical considerations of recoil including muzzle blast, muzzle flash, stock design, etc. as opposed the the scientific/mathematically calculable motion of the firearm due to firing it.
 
all overrated...

I hate to be out in the woods...and hear someone banging away with a 30-06 where even a shotgun would be more practical... I like 30-30 because I'm usually in a situation of shooting the deer in a range between 25 & 75 yds...

I have 5 rifles:

375 H&H(rarely ever used - but I had to have one...It stays on the wall. )

308 Win(occassional - open country - for 75 - 300 yds)

243 Win(frequent - pleasant to shoot - for 75 - 200yds)

30-30(most frequently used - most practical in the woods for whitetail & hogs)

.22(rarely used - used it when I used to do more squirrel hunting..)
 
This isn't Goldilocks and the 3 bears.

Most overrated deer calibre?
Click to expand...

What type of deer hunting?

Western US (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming etc.) where wind and terrain make a 200 yard shot feel close?

Midwest Cedar swamps? Where you can't see the sky, much less anything more than 30yards away.

Somewhere in between?

I have several radically different firearms (30-30, .243, 7mm-08, 7mm Rem Mag, 12 ga, .357 max, 40 S&W, .50 cal muzzleloader) that I use for deer when appropriate.

Over-rated? Under-rated? Just right? This isn't Goldilocks and the 3 bears, firearms are tools and its up to the hunter to use the appropriate one for the job. Its also up to the hunter to know how to use the firearm.

For me, I would choose my 7mm rem mag if I could only choose one. I'd remount the 4.5x14 scope with removable mounts and have my 1x4 ready to go on it for swamp hunting. I already use different loads, depending on where I'm hunting (is that fair?) so I can be anywhere from a lightly loaded 7mm-08 up to near factory specs for a 7mm Weatherby.

I agree that some people Over-rate their favorite (30-06, .308, or 7mm), thats their problem.

I agree that some peope Under-rate the (30-06, .308, or 7mm), thats their loss.


AJ
 
IMHO, the 243 Win. is easily the most overrated deer caliber of all time. May be ok for open country, but the blood trails it leaves/doesn't leave are pitiful. There are hundreds of better rounds for deer hunting. Just my 2 cents worth.....
 
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