Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Your favorite deer caliber and rifle?

Mine is 284, was a 7 mag. I use the 284 in a 99.

Killed my first and biggest whitetail with a pre'64 Winchester M/88 .308, that was in 1974. In the years since I've been using pre'64 M/70's, a Featherweight in .30-06 and a Super Grade rebored to .35 Whelen.

Binelli R1 in .30-06

I can't decide...it keeps changing.

Cooper or Sako 25-06

In 1990 I bought a Remington mountain rifle in 7mm-08. Wasn't looking for a rifle, caliber was a ? to me, but it was beautiful so I bought it. Between myself and my kids, some nephews, a sister, we've taken close to 70 animals with it. Majority whitetails with some mulies, antelope thrown in. Wore a 4x Leupold for years till my wife bought me the last model of vx2 that was gloss.(she didn't know what else to buy me).
So I guess its this one by default. I actually have a Winchester classic featherweight in the same caliber that I like(?) better but after all these years the Winchester looks new, the Remington is gray with all jeweling worn off.

Ruger, Remington or Savage (I have all 3) 7mm-08

i have use plenty different cartridges and rifles ,finally for the the last some 20 years a custom Ruger # 1 chambered in a 257 Weatherby mag. its fast and knocks good bucks down fast too with my handloads 100 grain bullet at 3800 FPS.

.35 Rem and 7mm RM

Rifles..... I like a variety.

Toss up between my 06 m70 or a Mauser 7x57

Ithaca model 66, 20 gauge smoothbore with peep sight.
I hunt the thick stuff on the ground with shots well under 50 yards.

Whatever I'm using, I pretty much like all of them!

Well, after last week i think it'll be a 1 of 5 '74 Shiloh Sharps 20 twist Montana Roughrider 45-70, Bill Bagwell got Kirk at Shiloh to tool up and build five 20 twist rifles for he and four of his buddies, Bill's kind Wife was nice enough to sell me his rifle last Saturday, i already have 516gr paper patch test loads ready to go, waiting on the ice to clear out, it's a really special rifle to me.

In the late '70s I had been reading P. O. Ackley's books, and I had a Kalispell gunsmith, Les Bauska, rechamber my only centerfire rifle, a .30-06, to .30 Gibbs for my primary elk rifle. I had a FFL at that time, and I bought a Mauser Mark X barreled action in .25-06 and another Mark X short action and had Les re-chamber the .25-06 to a .257 Ackley Improved and had him make a tapered octagon barrel chambered in .22-250 for the short action.

I then bought two semi-inleted stocks in Fancy walnut and finished the .257 Ackley for my deer and antelope rifle, and the .22-250 for a varmint rifle. Until recently I had a Leupold M8 6X scope on my .257 and I've had a Weaver 10x scope on my .22-250.

Over the years, I've probably used my .257 Ackley more than any of my other rifles. I've used it for a variety of critters from prairie dogs to elk. As my primary deer and antelope rifle, I've shot dozens each of deer and antelope, I shot my 4 mountain sheep with it, including a Dall ram on a Canadian hunt where I also shot a Mountain caribou and a Wolverine with it, and on one early season wilderness Montana Unlimited sheep hunt I couldn't pass up on one of my best 6x6 bull elk.

I have an array to chose from but in recent years a Remington 722 in 300 Savage has become my favorite not only because of the cartridge but love the way the rifle fits.

Steep timber country, the BRNO 22F in 8x57. Germans used to call them Forster Jagdgwehr or something (foresters rifle?) Light bullets 170 to 185 at medium velocity. But the Swede's are never a bad choice either.

Ruger #1 laminate in 7mm STW

It used to be the 30-06, then I became really fond of the .257 Roberts. Still like both. Now it is the 300 H&H. While I suck at elk hunting where I do most of my deer hunting elk are possible. Also, I just seem to shoot this rifle better than other in field positions.

Tough to claim a favorite. I really like 20-22" barreled rifles in 7mm-08 and .308, which I why have have several. Make it balance well, shoot well, give it a SS tube and a good trigger, and I'm probably good with it.

I carry this one a fair bit and kill things with it each season. It also rides on my Mule with me a fair bit. Hawkeye Predator in .308win. Fairly heavy, but balanced and very easy to shoot well. 150 NAB/NBT/E-Tip at 2,880fps or so (same powder charge and die settings)




I also spend a good bit of time with this one. I have a lot of good memories with it, as it is actually my daughter's and she does not begrudge me putting some miles on it, even when she's not around. 700 SS 7mm-08, chopped at 20". 120TTSX at 2,970-ish.

My Remington 700 Classic in 7X57 if I had to pick one but my Ruger 1B in 3006 is a close second...my Winchester 70 Featherweight in 257 Roberts has killed more deer than all my rifles but I gifted to my nephews son this year.