- Thread starter wease7
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“different”….ever consider a black powder Muzzle Loader? Cheap, fun, more challenging, extended open season and in some regions you can hunt in areas closed to CF.
I mean....pretty much anything will knock down white tail at 150 and in.
Just pick what kind of "different" you want. You can do different like a 8.6blk running 250gr @ 2kfps or you can do different like a 6arc gas gun.
Just pick what kind of "different" you want. You can do different like a 8.6blk running 250gr @ 2kfps or you can do different like a 6arc gas gun.
Yes I have considered muzzle loader, but, I want the option for a quick second shot if needed. In my area of MI the last several years we can use any legal firearm during the muzzle loader season. This may be a better option with a $500-$600 budget.
I hear you, I don't want a caliber that will be so fast and blow right through it and it runs 50 yards before it piles up.
150 yards and in without the bullet going right through and it running off and piling in swamp/thick shit
.45-70 comes to mind, just because it’s a bigass bullet and is a popular chambering, but there’s a ton of options.
.450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM, .35 Whelen, etc, etc.
.223.
.243 is probably the perfect all around deer gun. Same with 22-250. If you can't drop them inside 150 with either you have no business going into the woods shooting anything.
Add a fair few thousand to your price and buy a double rifle, 450-400, 500-416, 375 flanged...
Or I suppose there are still some smaller caliber double rifles out there, 45-70 would work, they'll still cost you a few grand or so though.
You could do this with a shotgun as well.
Then there are pistol caliber carbines and such, like lever action 44 mags, 460 S&W, 500 S&W, 357 mag and so on.
10 Trillion different options here and even with a bigger caliber, say something like what I hunt with, a 458 lott. If you loaded that with the Barnes 300gr TSX that is made for the 4570, has the much bigger hollow point, 2800-3000 fps, shouldn't have to worry about that bullet carrying on into outer space.
Also shouldn't have to worry about tracking the deer, it'll blow the soul out of the thing.
Can you hunt with a handgun? Something like the 10" 500 S&W with a red dot and a good hollow point like the swift a frame would do well.
Again, 460 S&W, 44 mag, 454 casull...
Just drowning in options, double rifle would be a fun one, but not many have that type of coin to throw around, I wish I did.
Or I suppose there are still some smaller caliber double rifles out there, 45-70 would work, they'll still cost you a few grand or so though.
You could do this with a shotgun as well.
Then there are pistol caliber carbines and such, like lever action 44 mags, 460 S&W, 500 S&W, 357 mag and so on.
10 Trillion different options here and even with a bigger caliber, say something like what I hunt with, a 458 lott. If you loaded that with the Barnes 300gr TSX that is made for the 4570, has the much bigger hollow point, 2800-3000 fps, shouldn't have to worry about that bullet carrying on into outer space.
Also shouldn't have to worry about tracking the deer, it'll blow the soul out of the thing.
Can you hunt with a handgun? Something like the 10" 500 S&W with a red dot and a good hollow point like the swift a frame would do well.
Again, 460 S&W, 44 mag, 454 casull...
Just drowning in options, double rifle would be a fun one, but not many have that type of coin to throw around, I wish I did.
I've had exceptional success using tipped match bullets in the vitals. This season we dropped two trophy elk; one with a 7mm PRC w/ 180gr ELD-M @ 50yds and another with 6.5 Creedmoor w/ 147gr ELD-M @ 130yds. One ran down a short hillside and laid down dead, the other died where we shot him. The tipped match bullets do wonders when they fragment in the vitals.
I've seen so many folks using way to much of a caliber and over scoping it. I don't hunt any longer but most any short action caliber will do the trick. Bullet selection also, no need to choose heavy bonded bullets for whitetail. I always laugh at the caliber queers--"aint nuttin better than treehundit wynmaag" .300 bO, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 spc, 7-08, .308, 30-06(had to, haha) and 12 ga buck and slug, all worked for me and not one died any quicker than the other and nothing went further than 20 yards.
Dude, at 150 and in, you would be fine with an old Marlin 30-30 with a good quality LPVO on top, and some Hornady LeverEvolution ammo. I'm being dead-serious. You could even get by at 100 with a Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag or .357 Mag.
Here's my little Marlin 1894 SS 20" .44 Mag with a cheap Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8x24, shooting factory Hornady LeverEvolution ammo at 100 yards...
Here's my little Marlin 1894 SS 20" .44 Mag with a cheap Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8x24, shooting factory Hornady LeverEvolution ammo at 100 yards...
8.6blk shouldn't pencil through them. Maybe consider that.
The easier question is what can't I use at 150yds?
Seriously anything will work. Pick something you can shoot enough to be comfortable with and practice a lot. Put the bullet where it needs to go and the deer will die. The 243win/6cm are about as ideal as your going find. If you are stepping down a little, I have my boys shooting a 6.5grendel and 300 Blackout. Between those two i like the grendel more. I use a 6.5CM as my small hunting rifle. However the 6mm arc or 6br or 6xc or 6gt or 6mm . . . . Would work just fine as well.
Shot placement matters more then velocity and bullet size for DRT deer (within reason).
Narrow down a budget, action type, factory ammo or handloads?
Seriously anything will work. Pick something you can shoot enough to be comfortable with and practice a lot. Put the bullet where it needs to go and the deer will die. The 243win/6cm are about as ideal as your going find. If you are stepping down a little, I have my boys shooting a 6.5grendel and 300 Blackout. Between those two i like the grendel more. I use a 6.5CM as my small hunting rifle. However the 6mm arc or 6br or 6xc or 6gt or 6mm . . . . Would work just fine as well.
Shot placement matters more then velocity and bullet size for DRT deer (within reason).
Narrow down a budget, action type, factory ammo or handloads?
This is the first thing that came to my mind. ‘06 is a great Whitetail cartridge from 0-500+. I don’t know why you would need anything different at 150(?) But if you just had to, for the sake of change…
…this is the way I’d go. I saw a ton of deer slain over the years by the ubiquitous Winchester 1894 truck guns in .30-30. Another cool option would be a .45-70 lever gun.
But at the end of the day, I’ve got a solid .30-06 bolt gun that will outperform either one at a wider variety of ranges, so again, why?
I get the impression that you're looking for a round that's less than a full-bore 30-06 but has more knock-down power than a .243 Win. Have you considered a reduced-recoil load like Hornady's Custom Lite 125Gr SST for you 30-06? At 150 yards and in, it should provide all the power you need to cleanly take whitetails with a noticeable reduction in the drama at your shoulder. OTOH, if you're looking for an excuse to get a new gun then by all means go get one! A 7mm-08 shooting lighter bullets will be very civilized, very effective on deer and still have a lot of versatility.
Are you shooting factory ammo or reloading your own ammo? If shooting factory ammo see what calibers are readily available locally to you and were you hunt. No point buying say a 6.8 SPC II (my preferred hog round) if you can't find ammo for it easily. I went back and forth about between a .350 Legend and a .450 Bushmaster for this years deer season. I ended up with the .350 Legend mainly because I can walk into either of the hunting shops in my area and grab ammo pretty easily when ever I want. The .450 is a little harder to find and the cost per box was much higher. YMMV.As others have said .30-30, .308, pretty much any 6.5/.243, 6mm, 6.8 SPC, .45-70. You have many options to choose from.
If you want the bullet to NOT exit, and the deer NOT run 50 yards.... cartridge and caliber are secondary to bullet construction and shot placement.
I hunt deer and hogs close to property lines and a Swamp. Your choices for anchoring them are either turning off the electricity or breaking the drive shift.
Disruption of the Central Nervous System between the brain and a high shoulder shot will drop them. The bullet exiting or not will be a moot point. Shot placement is numero uno. After that... whatever chubs your nub.
Or choose a solid like the Barnes TTSX and take out a shoulder on the way to or from the heart/lungs. I've seen deer with a broken shoulder and a hole in the heart still run a little, but it wasn't fast or far, so follow up shots weren't a problem before going out of sight.
If you are shooting for a double lung shot only.... not even a 50BMG will keep em from running until the fuel can no longer power the engine.
I apologize if this wasn't what you were looking for.
Please keep the thread updated with your decision and don't forget to include pics. It's nice to get results from all of the internet experts' suggestions.
I hunt deer and hogs close to property lines and a Swamp. Your choices for anchoring them are either turning off the electricity or breaking the drive shift.
Disruption of the Central Nervous System between the brain and a high shoulder shot will drop them. The bullet exiting or not will be a moot point. Shot placement is numero uno. After that... whatever chubs your nub.
Or choose a solid like the Barnes TTSX and take out a shoulder on the way to or from the heart/lungs. I've seen deer with a broken shoulder and a hole in the heart still run a little, but it wasn't fast or far, so follow up shots weren't a problem before going out of sight.
If you are shooting for a double lung shot only.... not even a 50BMG will keep em from running until the fuel can no longer power the engine.
I apologize if this wasn't what you were looking for.
Please keep the thread updated with your decision and don't forget to include pics. It's nice to get results from all of the internet experts' suggestions.
Tikka T3x Lite 7mm-08 Rem SS SYN 22.4" Barrel Rifle JRTXB352
Tikka T3x Lite 7mm-08 Rem SS SYN 22.4" Barrel Rifle JRTXB352 | Only at EuroOptic.com!
Would be an extremely effective and pleasure to shoot. Pop some Talley one piece mounts and a decent scope and you are gtg
Shot placement, bullet construction. Tag the spine with any of several dozen decent cartridges and bullets, and your game will go nowhere. At < 150, you're still in .223 territory.
Either pick something you're attracted to, or refine what you want. Your criteria is as general right now as "looking for a car to get to work in".
At 350 and in I'm still a big fan of the .308. Recently I've switched to the 6.5 Grendel and 6.8 SPC for 200 and in hunting. One of my main factors was that a collapsible AR carbine stock is extremely easy to get behind with varying layers of winter clothing. I've killed enough pigs at 150 - 200 to have complete confidence in those cartridges too.
My Gendel buck this year. Took a 123gr SST to the spine and went 0 steps.
Nice buck. Those 123 SSTs will do it if placed correctly. Only thing I hate about them is they tend to grenade if they hit bone. I’ve had to throw a good bit of shoulder away on several deer shot with my Grendel.
375 raptor
Ditto this. I noted your concern over not losing a deer to the swamp. I have used a Tikka T3 Lite in .30-06 for many many years. And I hunt a lot on the wooded flood plain right on the edge of the river marsh. The .06 makes sure they don’t get in where I have to go mudding or swimming. Even with a not so good angle on a moving deer. Put a 2-2.5x base mag by 10-15x upper end scope on it and you will be good to go from touching them with the barrel to your comfort level on distance.
I did an approx 100 yard shot with a 30-06 this year on a largish 6 pt. Just behind the shoulder. Rolled it right up. I have had the occasional runner, but they don’t go 50 yards and most don’t go 20.
Not sure why you want to leave that caliber, but there are good suggestions above. Shotgun (versatile) and 30-30 lever would be suitable choices. Still have to hit them right. Muzzle loader is a solution too-very fun.
Not sure why you want to leave that caliber, but there are good suggestions above. Shotgun (versatile) and 30-30 lever would be suitable choices. Still have to hit them right. Muzzle loader is a solution too-very fun.
I limited my kids to about 150 until they got big enough to shoot larger calibers well. They killed their first 35 or so deer with .223 and 6.5 grendels. Good bullet...always shoot shoulder or high shoulder and you wil never have a problem seeing it fall over. As long as you hit shoulder almost anything I have ever used opens up and piles them up whether its 20 yds or 150 yds. If your main goal is killing deer with something different that a LA '06 inside 150 yds why would you be "not a fan of the .243" ????
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