Accurate Calibers

Dance&Sting · by **Dance&Sting** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 6:16 am

Hey. I made up my decision and Im going with a Tikka T3. I was just wondering which caliber is the most accurate from 200+ yards for deer/mule hunting. Any help'd be great. Im going to try and grab it sometimes this week. Thanks for everything!

-.308 Win.

-.300 WSM

-.300 Win mag.

-.338 Win.

-6.5x55 Swed.

DocHolladay · by **DocHolladay** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 9:24 am

I would say put all of those on a piece of paper and draw it from a hat. Those are all good calibers and I think accuracy is based on you, the gun, and the scope. I personally would go with the .300 Win. Mag or .300 WSM. If you were wanting the .338, I'd look into the .325 WSM. It almost has the same ballistics as a .270, just a little faster and harder hitting with a bigger grained bullet.

jbarsness · by **jbarsness** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 11:27 am

I shoot a 300 Win Mag and i have to say its been great. I have shot a lot of deer at both close range as well as far out there.

cynic · by **cynic** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 5:31 am

IT would be the 308 or 300 win mag for me.

Mat243 · by **Mat243** » Fri Dec 02, 2005 8:11 pm

Any of the above would probably work well, but I would go for 30cal or bigger. Plus, U.S. made 6.5 ammo is pretty weak. It drops of quick after 300 yards.

Hornadykiller139 · by **Hornadykiller139** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 4:19 pm

Remington 7mm-08

cynic · by **cynic** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 4:37 pm

Hornadykiller139 wrote:Remington 7mm-08

That wasn't the choice but I love both of my 7-08's. It is a great all around cartridge.

BEAR · by **BEAR** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 11:45 am

Just some personal thoughts:

Deer are very easy to kill; so at the ranges you suggest ACCURACY is more important than power. Accuracy is very dependent upon the shooter, you individually. While I've killed many deer with the 338 as one of my long range deer rifles, it is not for everyone. It isn't about being macho or a wimp; it is soley about individual comfort level in shooting. Lots of people sasy "well I don't feel the recoil in a hunting situation" laugh, laugh, laugh.

If a person feels recoil at the bench or range shooting they will NOT develop the shooting skills with that rifle to consistently make long range shots on deer. So they might not "feel" the recoil in a hunting situation, but they also will not shoot as well.

If you would have asked me the question 15 years ago I'd have said 270 Winchester. That is what it was designed for, flat shooting. But today flat shooting is not a consideration. If you are shooting 300+ yards you MUST have a rangefinder and once you know the exact range you look up the drop on the table taped to your rifle stock. If the drop is 16 inches or 24 inches it doesn't matter.

All that said: most long range shooting accuracy is with the 308 so that would top my list. If the 308 is a little heavy the 7-08 is its equal. The 284 winchester in a long action or the 290 Remington are good deer/mulie cartridges.

The 7 mag and 300 mag are good medium recoiling long range rifles especially with the 26 inch barrels. If you are young enough to carry a 12 pound rifle, some of the Ultra mags can really work we; beyond 400 yds but this starts to be more shooting than hunting. For 400-500 yard southern bean fields I use the 338 which doesn’t shoot as hard or flat as the others, but I’ve found it to be an inherently accurate cartridge.

BEAR

jbarsness · by **jbarsness** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 12:11 pm

Bear that is a very good point.

FghtinIrshNvrDie · by **FghtinIrshNvrDie** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 4:42 pm

whew... boy. You all must live somewhere crazy, cause there aren't any shots here over about 150 yards. That's crazy talkin about 300+ yard shots... inconceivable.

Ryan

progers · by **progers** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 9:20 pm

FghtinIrshNvrDie wrote:whew... boy. You all must live somewhere crazy, cause there aren't any shots here over about 150 yards. That's crazy talkin about 300+ yard shots... inconceivable.

Ryan

Wow! Yall don't have highlines, pipelines, pastures, etc? Kinda hard to believe, Bro!?! :roll:

deerhunter10pointer · by **deerhunter10pointer** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 9:47 pm

300+ yrds anit crazy..... It anit uncommon to have shots at 500 plus here. Well I shot my mule deer this year at 465yrds with one shot. He walk maybe 5 feet than killed over. Not impossible.very real. :twisted:

progers · by **progers** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 12:34 am

Yea, and Doc has a Daisy Pump that can drop a cat in its tracks at 800 yards. Dangdest thang I ever did see! The cat was in a full lunge and Doc shot free handed. Simply amazing! :shock:

FghtinIrshNvrDie · by **FghtinIrshNvrDie** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 9:05 pm

y'all ever visted missouri? I'm in the area of the waning hills of the ozarks. once you start to flirt closer to iowa, you can really notice pastures. Wow! It's almost like you don't believe me! I've always known to be a credible guy...

Ryan

progers · by **progers** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 7:53 am

I used to visit my uncle in Springfield. But, that is southern Missouri. I seen places down there with the longer shots, pastures, highlines, etc.

But, that's really about the only place in Missouri that I have been. I never hunted up there so, I wouldn't have a clue. :oops:

BEAR · by **BEAR** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 8:05 am

Fighting Irish,

Been to Jim town once or twice. Is Fort lennard Wood still down that way. Nice country and very nice folks. Lots of clear liquid consumed in old cloudy Mason jars, very fond memories for me.

I'm sure most of the deer hunting could be very well served with a 32 special M94 with open sights. A lot can be said for walking and stalking whitetail.

BEAR

Lower · by **Lower** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 9:27 am

The rifle you choose is just that.....your choice bro. I shoot a 300 mag with a 26 in barrell that i had a gunsmith put a muzzlebreak on to reduce the recoil, to keep from knockin me down (im a skinny guy). But when im not in the timber hunting i use a 22-250 that is great for the open areas but bad for brush.

Do a little research on the ammo as well. Hornady has an awesome brochure that has all the ammo and what drop it has at different ranges that might help you out as you decide what gun is best for your area and hunting style.

Dance&Sting · by **Dance&Sting** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 11:45 am

Well, I made my decision after long hours of researching. .308 for the conventional deer hunting seasons and .270 WSM for longer range deer hunting. .300 WSM or Win. mag. for bear.

Lower · by **Lower** » Tue Dec 27, 2005 3:09 pm

Glad to see you decided. Guess ill take my big rifle out and hunt some bear... :lol:

Allan · by **Allan** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 2:55 pm

Lower, I shoot a 300 win mag with a break and a 22-250. I like the 300, it reaches out there and touches. The 22-250 is nice too, no kick and accurate.

Allan · by **Allan** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 2:55 pm

Lower, I shoot a 300 win mag with a break and a 22-250. I like the 300, it reaches out there and touches. The 22-250 is nice too, no kick and accurate.

Airborneguy · by **Airborneguy** » Tue Jan 03, 2006 3:22 pm

I went to Basic at Leonard Wood in '98. I saw a few deer and would love to go back MO to do some hunting one day.

Lower · by **Lower** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 8:50 am

Allan wrote:Lower, I shoot a 300 win mag with a break and a 22-250. I like the 300, it reaches out there and touches. The 22-250 is nice too, no kick and accurate.

Same exact 2 guns i take deer hunting

The 300 with the 150gr interlock is great to about 300 yds. I only use it when i am hunting in thick brush. The 250 with a 55gr interlock is my all time favorite.

Allan · by **Allan** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 11:53 am

Your from Roger Raglin Country aint you? When I go west Texas hunting, I bring both, In my 300 I use 180 sp's on deer and my 22-250 I use 50's on them wild dogs. I like how smooth that 22-250 is. pull the trigger kawoom she just lays there like a baby, hardly no kick at all.

Lower · by **Lower** » Thu Jan 05, 2006 8:40 am

Im in Canadian county just west of OKC.

Accurate Calibers

Accurate Calibers

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