i'm thinking of getting one of these for deer hunting and target practice,but I don't know which caliber is best for both,power and price wise.the options are:.22 Hornet, .223, .22-250, .243, .25-06, .270 Winchester, 7mm-08 Remington, .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, .45/70 Gov't, .300 Win Mag and .50 cal BP,any ideas?
Thompson Centerfire
- Thread starter ninjatoth
- Start date
I hunt and Target shoot with a 308. Its is a really great cartridge. Its very accurate, recoil is not too bad and it will do anything the larger rounds will do just about as well within limitations. I have killed a lot of Deer with the 308 and a few Elk. I don't think any of them were mad about being shot with that cartridge or felt that I should have used a larger gun.
I mostly Handgun hunt now but I still go out with my 308 when I know I will have a long shot(over 200 yds).
I mostly Handgun hunt now but I still go out with my 308 when I know I will have a long shot(over 200 yds).
azsixshooter
New member
Are you allowed to use a centerfire rifle for the part of Michigan that you are planning to deer hunt? I moved to AZ from MI 12 years ago, but there used to be a "shotgun zone" that was roughly the lower 2/3 of the LP. You might be above that in Sanford or you might be planning on hunting up north, but I don't think MI will allow you to use any .22 cal rifle to hunt deer with.
The .243 Winchester would probably be a fine choice for you to start with if it is your first rifle. The ammo is common and affordable, the recoil is manageable and the round is plenty powerful for deer and lots of other things. Some out west even use .243 on elk, though that isn't recommended for the majority of hunters. Great round for pronghorn though if you ever decide to chase the speedgoats.
The .243 Winchester would probably be a fine choice for you to start with if it is your first rifle. The ammo is common and affordable, the recoil is manageable and the round is plenty powerful for deer and lots of other things. Some out west even use .243 on elk, though that isn't recommended for the majority of hunters. Great round for pronghorn though if you ever decide to chase the speedgoats.
T/C
Are you planning on getting a handgun (general handgun forum) or a rifle; the mention of .300 Win mag and .50 BP makes me think rifle?
T/C Contender or T/C Encore? Most of the heavier calibers are available in the Encore.
As noted by Sam06, the .308 is a good choice. I have an Encore pistol with a 15" .308 barrel. A nice choice for deer.
A lighter set up that I like to carry is the T/C Contender with a 10" .30-30 barrel. Very accurate and more than adequate for deer - though I do not hunt beyond 75 yards or so with it.
Pete
Are you planning on getting a handgun (general handgun forum) or a rifle; the mention of .300 Win mag and .50 BP makes me think rifle?
T/C Contender or T/C Encore? Most of the heavier calibers are available in the Encore.
As noted by Sam06, the .308 is a good choice. I have an Encore pistol with a 15" .308 barrel. A nice choice for deer.
A lighter set up that I like to carry is the T/C Contender with a 10" .30-30 barrel. Very accurate and more than adequate for deer - though I do not hunt beyond 75 yards or so with it.
Pete
skydiver3346
New member
T/C: Best barrel for Deer and target?
I would definitely choose the .308 barrel.
You will have a very good target caliber bullet and one that does more than adequate job for deer hunting. That is what I have on my T/C Encore (.308 and .50 Muzzleloader brl).
The .308 cartridge is very accurate, especially at longer ranges. Good choice in my opinion.
I would definitely choose the .308 barrel.
You will have a very good target caliber bullet and one that does more than adequate job for deer hunting. That is what I have on my T/C Encore (.308 and .50 Muzzleloader brl).
The .308 cartridge is very accurate, especially at longer ranges. Good choice in my opinion.
I like the TCs. Fun to play with. 30-30 is great but in a pistol I think the 30 Herrit is much better. It seems to shoot better in my gun anyway then the 30-30, using the same cast bullets.
I'm looking for a 45 ACP barrel. I wont one in 16 inch or so (for the TC not the Encore) and a Rifle stock. ( I know this is a pistol form). Not so much for hunting just plinking. Yes there are better pistol rounds for a TC but I dont want a better round, I have better rounds, I want a 45 ACP just because I want a 45 ACP.
Anyway states are differant. one should check with their state to see what min. cal is required. In Wyoming its the 243/6 Min. (the law says 23 + cal but I dont know of any .23 cal rounds out there).
I'm looking for a 45 ACP barrel. I wont one in 16 inch or so (for the TC not the Encore) and a Rifle stock. ( I know this is a pistol form). Not so much for hunting just plinking. Yes there are better pistol rounds for a TC but I dont want a better round, I have better rounds, I want a 45 ACP just because I want a 45 ACP.
Anyway states are differant. one should check with their state to see what min. cal is required. In Wyoming its the 243/6 Min. (the law says 23 + cal but I dont know of any .23 cal rounds out there).
You should forget you ever saw those first three barrels. Hunting deer with a 22 caliber is just plain stupid. The bullets aren't designed for that kind of game. A bunch of injured animals are lost every year because some bubba just had to take a 22-250 hunting.
Save those things for prairie rats and birds.
I've got an Encore with three 15" barrels. They're 22-250, 308, and 460 S&W.
The 22-250 is a hoot to shoot but don't take it out for anything larger than a coyote.
My 308 is a fun middle of the road barrel. It's got a little kick to it but you can load it with anything from 110 grain plinkers to 200 grain hammers. The higher weight loads do tend to kick a bit.
The 460 is a BEAST. It's punishing without a Pachmayr grip or muzzle brake. However, it launches 200 gr factory loads around 2500 fps. That puts the 308 to shame. Heavy bullets like the 350 grain lead will still move over 2000 fps. That's an awesome cartridge to take bowling for bambi.
As to that 45 SCP barrel, contact Bullberry RIGHT NOW! They've been running a sale on drop cuts. They have to hack the end off long barrels to make short ones and they've been trying hard to sell all the off cuts. You can get a NICE barrel on the cheap. I believe that goes for all chamberings and lengths below 14 inches.
www.bullberry.com
Encore
Length Blued Std Price Blued SALE Stainless Std Price Stainless SALE
8" & Under $329. . . . . . . $179 . . . . $359 . . . . . . . . . $209
8+" to 10" $329 . . . . . . . $199 . . . . $359 . . . . . . . . . $229
10+" to 12" $329 . . . . . . $229 . . . . $359 . . . . . . . . . $259
12+" to 14" $379 . . . . . . $289 . . . . $409 . . . . . . . . . $319
Save those things for prairie rats and birds.
I've got an Encore with three 15" barrels. They're 22-250, 308, and 460 S&W.
The 22-250 is a hoot to shoot but don't take it out for anything larger than a coyote.
My 308 is a fun middle of the road barrel. It's got a little kick to it but you can load it with anything from 110 grain plinkers to 200 grain hammers. The higher weight loads do tend to kick a bit.
The 460 is a BEAST. It's punishing without a Pachmayr grip or muzzle brake. However, it launches 200 gr factory loads around 2500 fps. That puts the 308 to shame. Heavy bullets like the 350 grain lead will still move over 2000 fps. That's an awesome cartridge to take bowling for bambi.
As to that 45 SCP barrel, contact Bullberry RIGHT NOW! They've been running a sale on drop cuts. They have to hack the end off long barrels to make short ones and they've been trying hard to sell all the off cuts. You can get a NICE barrel on the cheap. I believe that goes for all chamberings and lengths below 14 inches.
www.bullberry.com
Encore
Length Blued Std Price Blued SALE Stainless Std Price Stainless SALE
8" & Under $329. . . . . . . $179 . . . . $359 . . . . . . . . . $209
8+" to 10" $329 . . . . . . . $199 . . . . $359 . . . . . . . . . $229
10+" to 12" $329 . . . . . . $229 . . . . $359 . . . . . . . . . $259
12+" to 14" $379 . . . . . . $289 . . . . $409 . . . . . . . . . $319
mikejonestkd
New member
IMO the .243, .260, and 7mm-08 are in their element in the encore - plently powerful enough for deer and still manageable to shoot often without having a sore hand after a day at the range.
In the contender the 7mm waters and .30-30 are nice choices.
too bad the .460 runs out of steam so quickly...the 150 gr ballistic tips out of my encore have more retained energy at 300 yards than a .460 at 100 yards...still, for shorter ranges throwing a big chunk of .460 caliber lead does a nice job on deer.
In the contender the 7mm waters and .30-30 are nice choices.
too bad the .460 runs out of steam so quickly...the 150 gr ballistic tips out of my encore have more retained energy at 300 yards than a .460 at 100 yards...still, for shorter ranges throwing a big chunk of .460 caliber lead does a nice job on deer.
The 460 will bleed off speed faster than the slimmer diameter calibers due to aerodynamic drag. However, how far is realistic? With a 150 yard zero, the 460 will have a point blank hold out to 200 yards. That means put the crosshairs on the sewwt spot and pull the trigger. The bullet will not deviate more than 4 inches up or down from the muzzle to 250 yards.
At the 100 yards, the 200 grain bullet is still pushing around 2000 ft/lbs of energy and will dig a hole a minimum of .452" daimeter.
Try loading some 335 grain leads. You can zip 'em along at 2100 fps. That gives you over 3200 ft/lbs of energy. The bullets carry a nice fat frontal area and high expansion. Heavy bone is no problem for something like that. You're looking at more than enough power to take any game on the north american continent.
I do know of people taking Encores in 460 to Africa on safaris. They have no problem dispatching game with medium pressure 250 grain loads.
The fun thing is that you can fill the case with Trail Bos and have a lightweight plinker for ridding the countryside of feral bowling pins and empty soda bottles. I just picked up 500 lead 250 grain bullets for $60 for that purpose. Fairly cheap plinkers.
Here's what it did with a revolver. Now, add a few inches of barrel and remove the pressure robbing cylinder gap.
At the 100 yards, the 200 grain bullet is still pushing around 2000 ft/lbs of energy and will dig a hole a minimum of .452" daimeter.
Try loading some 335 grain leads. You can zip 'em along at 2100 fps. That gives you over 3200 ft/lbs of energy. The bullets carry a nice fat frontal area and high expansion. Heavy bone is no problem for something like that. You're looking at more than enough power to take any game on the north american continent.
I do know of people taking Encores in 460 to Africa on safaris. They have no problem dispatching game with medium pressure 250 grain loads.
The fun thing is that you can fill the case with Trail Bos and have a lightweight plinker for ridding the countryside of feral bowling pins and empty soda bottles. I just picked up 500 lead 250 grain bullets for $60 for that purpose. Fairly cheap plinkers.
Here's what it did with a revolver. Now, add a few inches of barrel and remove the pressure robbing cylinder gap.
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Easy - 7mm-08. Best combination of effectiveness on hunting sized game and low recoil. It also has an added benefit. It is one of the most efficient rifle calibers commercially made. It generates something like 95% of terminal velocity in the first 16" of barrel length That makes it the ideal caliber for a long handgun.