What is the minimum rifle you would use?

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These have been used on doe only, and for head/neck shots exclusively, but all have worked perfectly with immediate drops/kills during some of our hunts on Texas whitetails this year:

204 Ruger
22 Hornet
223 Rem

Most were shot at 50-100yds.

For anything like body/vitals shots the calibers used have been larger like a 308, 6.5x55, or similar.

Like many others, I prefer more power for anything bigger than the 80-120lb doe. Usually a 6.5x55 or 308.
 
I've seen the results of too many bad hits with 243's,
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Most folks I know who can't shoot well don't shoot better as the recoil increases. If they can't place a bullet with a .243, they need to spend more time shooting and learning their own limitations as well as the limitations of the cartridge. A bigger gun to compansate for poor shooting is generally a bad idea.

A more powerful cartridge CAN give a shooter more effective range, but it can't be utilized very well if the shooter can't hit where they need to.

;)

Daryl
 
Well, I am not The Great White Hunter, but I will share these observations:

1. Florida deer are different than Michigan deer. The size of the animal dictates the minimum acceptable caliber. Ergo, general statements such as ".223 is inadequte/unethical for deer" are useless unless quoted in a certain context.

2. Shot placement is everything. Do a search and you will find plenty of examples of people who buy a .300 WinMag and cannot shoot it accurately.
I remember talking to a guy behind the counter at Sportsman's Warehouse who claimed to have harvested a deer with a Ruger .22LR MkIII Hunter and a 100 yard head shot. (FWIW, I think he was full of it, and told him as much :) but I could be wrong.)
 
Minimum round for deer

I think .243 is the smallest round that is ethical. Sure a .22 cal. will work but stuff happens. The animal deserves at least a quick and painless as possible death.
 
.243/6mm is dead minimum in ANY Cartridge, IMHO.

Sure, headshots with 22 Rimfire (or even Centerfire) have killed thousands upon thousands of deer, but 1... it's illegal. 2... Unless You're extremely Proficient, You're taking an UNnecessary chance of wounding that Game Animal. Like Fisherman66 stated, an animals movements present an even greater "challenge" and increase the risk if/when using not-well-suited cartridges. I'd turn to that if/when it's the only option and ENTIRELY necessary. I'm not that hungry yet.

.243" is dead minimum. .257" is much better. But even with .243" Cartridges, shot placement and bullet selection are critical, and You've definitely GOT to know what You're doing. Shot Placement is #1 in Killing Power using any cartridge, but smaller calibers increase that demand.

I'll stick with My .270 Winchester. :D
 
Some won't admit their own inabilities, and blame it on their gun, but it's the shooter that's responsible for the failure by failing to recognize the limitations of their own inabilities and those of their firearm/weapon of choice.
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Well said Daryl.

In Kentucky, any .22 centerfire is legal for deer. While I've never hunted with either a .223 or a 22-250, I'd stick with a min .243. Not that a .223 or a 22-250 can't take a deer, but I owe it to the deer to make as clean a kill as possible. A larger round allows for me to recover if I make a mistake and don't hit the deer with a perfect shot.

As Daryl said, know yourself and know your gun. Make your shots within the limits of both.
 
I don't see why you wouldn't use a larger cartridge than something in 22 caliber. A more powerful round will be a quicker killer sometimes. And, if you can't miss the meat you sure don't need to be using something where shot placement is paramount.
 
The 5.65 round was developed to take out a man (about the same size as your average deer) @ 200 yds. during a firefight where accuracy is secondary.
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Deer about 10 times tougher than humans.

I would use my 22-250 with the right bullet IF I HAD TO. But then I'm used to much smaller targets. A deer would be a chip shot compared to a 250 yard bedded fox. I know my capabilities and that of the gun. Would I ever recommend it? Not on your life. If I was planning on a lifetime of deer hunting I'd buy a bigger gun. If it was a one time deal, I'd borrow a bigger gun.

I have no idea why someone going deer hunting would not choose a bigger caliber. It's not like they didn't know they were going. "IF" a hunter can only afford 1 rifle and needs it to be dual role (varmint/deer) than a .243 would be my minimum. But most hunters have multiple guns, no reason not to own a better caliber, .25 cal min. As a matter of fact, there are many .25's that would make a great dual role gun too.

LK
 
As a matter of fact, there are many .25's that would make a great dual role gun too.
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.25/06 comes to mind...

The smallest caliber I have used on deer is .243 Win. It was a NEF single-shot and it was my first centerfire rifle. Since then, I've used the typical .308 and it's derived cartridges (.260 Rem & 7mm-08), the .30/06 Spfd and it's derived cartridges (.25/06 Rem & .270 Win), as well as your generic magnums (7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag, and .338 Win Mag). None of the deer, hogs, or elk I've killed have died any quicker from one cartridge to the next. Shot placement and bullet construction are the most important factors, followed by the shooting skill of the hunter, followed by caliber IMO.

I've seen german shepards that are bigger than the blacktails up here, so I guess a .223 would do the job alright on them. I'll stick to the larger calibers for their bigger cousins to the south however.
 
Really I don't feel the .22 caliber center fire rifle is too small if the proper bullet is selected and used within the limitations of that caliber and if it is legal in the State you hunt. I feel that at a minimum a Premium bullet such as Barnes TSX or Nosler Partition should be used.........
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I agree. I wouldn't hesitate to whack a whitetail with a .223, but it'd have to be stuffed with a super bullet that would hold together on the trip through the animal. Back in the day, bullet failure was the main problem even in larger calibers which is why you went up to a larger caliber.

A neighbor lady up the road from me has knocked over several caribou with a .223 @ 200+ yards. Those puny L 48 whitetails aren't wearing more armor.
 
I think the main reason most of these threads pop up...

Is because of the many people familiar with the .223 from either military service or due to their purchase of an m-16 like rifle for plinking and now they want to apply it to hunting.

Therefore, they are (for the most part) inexperienced hunters - who don't know the anatomy and have little experience with firearms on animals.

I mean, as a novice, why limit yourself to the smallest capable caliber for any hunt?

Would you use 15lbs test to catch your first marlin? A wrist rocket to shoot squirrels? Sure, some people can do it...but it greatly hampers your chances at success.

If you only had one rifle, and it were legal, then go for it. But, if you can afford a real sporting rifle in a traditional chambering then you probably enhance your chance of success regardless of which state you hunt.
 
hi
i usually use my 6,5x55 se for smal deers called roe deer, i have used 222 remington too in the past and even 8x57. i like to use 6,5, because i feel comfortable with it. plenty of killing power with no recoil.
best regards
daniel
 
I wouldn't be comfortable with a newbie reading some of these posts that say a rimfire is adequate.
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If you're referring to what I said I didn't say it was adequate, I said it could be done. I don't condone it in any way. Personally I wont use anything less than a 7x57 or 30-30 but prefer the 30-06 in a cartridge rifle.
 
What I have is a AR15 chambered in Rem. 6.8SPC, in which I use SSA 110gr Prohunter's or 115gr Matchking's. That said, it would be my minimum for deer. It's also a excellent round for hog's too.;)
 
It's all about shot placement. I have never seen anything killed by a really good miss. OK, that's not literally true, I have seen goats killed by the muzzle blast of a 16" naval gun mounted on a rail car. My point is probably well over half the deer killed in Texas every year are killed by .223 and mostly out of AR-15 style rifles so it isn't the gun's fault if your deer gets away. Blaming your gun for poor marksmanship is like blaming your pencil for misspelled words.
 
If you're referring to what I said I didn't say it was adequate, I said it could be done. I don't condone it in any way. Personally I wont use anything less than a 7x57 or 30-30 but prefer the 30-06 in a cartridge rifle.
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I don't disagree with your post. I just think there should be a line between doable and appropriate. You aren't the only one that mentioned 22lr in passing. I wouldn't be surprised if 22lr has shot more deer than all other cartridges combined (probably in combination with a spotlight). I just don't know if all novices can read between the lines.
 
I agree, L Kill,

Quarter Bore cartridges are very Dual Purpose, and just about every cartrigde I know of that uses a .257" bullet is suitable to deer, just some are obviously better at extended range than others...

250 Savage...257 Roberts...25-06 Remington...All fantastic hunting cartridges. Even more so these days with advancements in Bullet Construction.

I hold my .270 Win. very dear...'nother Dual Purpose. :cool:

Coyote (given the chance), Hog, Deer, Elk, Moose...That's Bullet Selection and Construction. Shot placement is my job.

Here's a link for one of my favorite bullets... Norma Oryx.
http://user.tninet.se/~scj351g/handloading/expansion.html
 
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