Best Deer Hunting Round, LOL!

[Ridge Runner]

the 6.5 creedmoor is a 0 - 300 yd deer cartridge, not a 400 - 1000 .
it is a good 1000 yd target round though.
bruce.

Curious:

Then why do I see and hear about guys using the 6.5 Creedmore to shoot mule and white tail deer, and antelope out west, (predominantly Texas, Montana, Wyoming), at ranges out to 1000+ yards?

I don't remember the caliber, show (title might have been long range hunter or something similar) (the show is/was on one of the 3 hunting channels my buddy watches when I visit), or western state they were hunting in, so I can't give any definitive details. If I recall correctly the guy made somewhere around a 1200 yard shot on a deer.

(Putting it nicely) My hunting buddy and I both questioned the ethics of why take/attempt such a long shot and how is this considered hunting. To each their own way when it comes to hunting, as long as the hunt is done legally.

 

[TxHunter_Mizzou]

Just as my lost suggests it is about Kenetic Energy at what distance. 6.5 creedmoor is very good to 500-600 yards on deer...only 200-250 on elk. Look at KE needed for the game you are hunting....it varies

 

[bruce moulds]

it is certainly about energy, but also terminal performance of the bullet.
but also about hitting where yo need to.
i have shot fclass since the early days.
the bullseye is 1 moa which is 10" at 1000 yds.
very few even world class shooters can guarantee to hit it all the time in the wind, and that is with sighters and chasing previous shots, using 10 kg (22lb) rifles from a benchrest pedestal and rear bag.
hitting a agme animal at 1000 yds in the wind might well require better accuracy than a 10" circle due to there being very little energy .
the liklihood of this happening is minimal.
so we see it on tv.
how many misses do we see?
misses are not the worry that wounding is.
ok it might be legal, but it should not be.
bruce.

 

[Forrest Halley]

I'm a .30-06 guy and sometimes a .300 WM for whitetail. I like being able to close the distance when I cannot stalk there due to wind or cover. I have used 125 grain bullets in the past, but now hold the minimum at a 130 grain Barnes TTSX. I had a bad experience with a well placed shot at 200 yards once. I like the flat trajectory in the Win Mag, but the '06 is fine with the right bullet. I will load the .243 up for my wife to hunt with. She doesn't like recoil at all so this will be her big gun.

 

[TxHunter_Mizzou]

it is certainly about energy, but also terminal performance of the bullet.
but also about hitting where yo need to.
i have shot fclass since the early days.
the bullseye is 1 moa which is 10" at 1000 yds.
very few even world class shooters can guarantee to hit it all the time in the wind, and that is with sighters and chasing previous shots, using 10 kg (22lb) rifles from a benchrest pedestal and rear bag.
hitting a agme animal at 1000 yds in the wind might well require better accuracy than a 10" circle due to there being very little energy .
the liklihood of this happening is minimal.
so we see it on tv.
how many misses do we see?
misses are not the worry that wounding is.
ok it might be legal, but it should not be.
bruce.

Absolutely agree. If you aren't highly confident that your shot is accurate, then none of us have any business pulling the trigger on a game animal. And for most that means 200, 250, 300 yards or less.

 

[Shootist43]

TxHunter_Mizzou, I'll opt for a 6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser every time. Not only for me, but for my grandkids as well. Last year my 9 year old grandson ( by two weeks) took a nice deer at 65 yds. with what I call the grandkid's gun. It is a Swede (with all the bells and whistles) including a muzzle brake in a short thumbhole stock. This year he is shooting out to 100yds. BB Guns, air rifles and 22(s) all played a part in how well he shoots today. While the 6.5 Creedmoor is "all the rage" it will not do anything that a properly loaded 120 year old Swedish Mauser can't do.

 

[steve white]

best round is the FIRST ONE, WELL AIMED

 

[Standard Velocity]

Curious:

Then why do I see and hear about guys using the 6.5 Creedmore to shoot mule and white tail deer, and antelope out west, (predominantly Texas, Montana, Wyoming), at ranges out to 1000+ yards?

I don't remember the caliber, show (title might have been long range hunter or something similar) (the show is/was on one of the 3 hunting channels my buddy watches when I visit), or western state they were hunting in, so I can't give any definitive details. If I recall correctly the guy made somewhere around a 1200 yard shot on a deer.

(Putting it nicely) My hunting buddy and I both questioned the ethics of why take/attempt such a long shot and how is this considered hunting. To each their own way when it comes to hunting, as long as the hunt is done legally.

Long range shooting at game is not, in my opinion, ethical nor does it make any sense. I practice at 300 yards to ensure the ability to easily make 200 yard and less. There have been instances where sub 100 yard shots were successful but the animal was recovered primarily because I could hear the unexpected direction it took after the shot. At 1,000 yards I find it difficult to hear the difference between an animal thrashing or plowing through the woods for the next county.

Long range shooting is fun but the marketing of so many new rifles would have a guy believe that for less than $1,000 he could be a sniper-in-a-box. It’s getting more difficult to find a rifle that doesn’t have a removable magazine, adjustable cheek rest, adjustable LOP, picatinny rails everywhere and muzzle devices.

 

[Forrest Halley]

Long range shooting at game is not, in my opinion, ethical nor does it make any sense. I practice at 300 yards to ensure the ability to easily make 200 yard and less. There have been instances where sub 100 yard shots were successful but the animal was recovered primarily because I could hear the unexpected direction it took after the shot. At 1,000 yards I find it difficult to hear the difference between an animal thrashing or plowing through the woods for the next county.

Long range shooting is fun but the marketing of so many new rifles would have a guy believe that for less than $1,000 he could be a sniper-in-a-box. It’s getting more difficult to find a rifle that doesn’t have a removable magazine, adjustable cheek rest, adjustable LOP, picatinny rails everywhere and muzzle devices.

I find it difficult to hear game at 1,000 yards.

My phone gives me drop and drift. Why can't that 1200 yard shot work? Kidding.

I have had game go a long ways shot with lots of energy just a hair off. I know how far a whitetail can run on its brisket with its front legs blown off. I know how far a turkey can run without internal organs. I can only imagine what the super snipers are going to do with pissant boutique paper punch cartridges at maximum range minimal power.

In the world of Cape Buffalo and Elephant dreams we forget about the tenacity of the whitetail and wild turkey. They will not likely try to kill you when wounded, but they will use every last ounce of adrenaline and oxygenated blood to escape your pursuit. That needs to be respected so the game is not wasted with half-witted shots for gonad glory.

 

[curtism1234]

I went with 30-06. Although I haven't used one in 20 years (now the 308 and 7mm rem mag), I think you get a lot of value out of it. Good dropping power on sub-300 pound game, minimal meat damage, recoil most adults should handle comfortably, and ammo at a good price point/availability.

Although I like my 7mm rem mag when I need to be able to drop deer in its tracks, I would not hesitate to use the 30-06 for that purpose because if they don't drop on a shoulder shot they normally stand there in place and stagger till they go down. I can't always say of the 308

 

[BeeMaa]

In some states a .22 caliber rifle is illegal for Whitetail Deer.
Where I grew up in NY (back in the day) and currently in VA it's not legal.
Check with your Fish & Game department to find out.

Low recoil option instead of 22-250, I'd recommend the 243WIN or some other 6mm.
For me...300WM and 165 grain TTSX.
Although I'd probably use a 6.5x55SE if I had one.

 

[TxHunter_Mizzou]

In some states a .22 caliber rifle is illegal for Whitetail Deer.
Where I grew up in NY (back in the day) and currently in VA it's not legal.
Check with your Fish & Game department to find out.

Low recoil option instead of 22-250, I'd recommend the 243WIN or some other 6mm.
For me...300WM and 165 grain TTSX.
Although I'd probably use a 6.5x55SE if I had one.

Yes - but in many states it is legal. In hunting African game - some places don't allow a .338 Lapua but not because it isn't effective. Just old & silly laws. I went on a bear hunt in Northern Alberta and they wouldn't let me use a .44 Mag - so had to use the .280 instead. Not that the .44 Mag wouldn't have done the trick. A .243 does have more kick for a 7-8 year old kid than a .22-250.

 

[TxHunter_Mizzou]

TxHunter_Mizzou, I'll opt for a 6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser every time. Not only for me, but for my grandkids as well. Last year my 9 year old grandson ( by two weeks) took a nice deer at 65 yds. with what I call the grandkid's gun. It is a Swede (with all the bells and whistles) including a muzzle brake in a short thumbhole stock. This year he is shooting out to 100yds. BB Guns, air rifles and 22(s) all played a part in how well he shoots today. While the 6.5 Creedmoor is "all the rage" it will not do anything that a properly loaded 120 year old Swedish Mauser can't do.

Agree with you - but for many that don't reload themselves - a very real consideration is Factory Ammo availability, price and how easy can I find it at a local retailer. And for all those variables a 6.5 Creedmoor currently is a much better choice for the person I described. The 6.5 x 55 Swedish is the original - and I agree with your point. My best friend has a .264 Winchester - it's a similar round technically - kicks like a mule though and a box of ammo is $40 instead of $18 like the 6.5 Creed

 

[TxHunter_Mizzou]

.22-250 will do it but maybe use enough gun if you are not always going to get an ideal situation to get ideal shot placement.

One thing about where we hunt (Llano, TX in the hill country about 1 hr. west of Austin), it is known as the deer capital of Texas because it is known to have the highest density of deer population of anywhere in the U.S. I believe. At any rate, they aren't the biggest - but we see deer literally every sit over feeders in a nice ground blind with windows and gun rests (at 40-60 yard ranges). Getting youth on a broadside shot for their 1st doe, 1st spike, 1st Buck is our specialty and it's soooo much fun. I do get all your points about what if you have to take a deer looking straight at you from 200 or quartering toward you at 175 yards ....or the ol Texas Heart Shot. But that's where an adult, hunting with a young one has to teach them ethics and waiting for the right shot. It's up to us to teach the younger generations how to pass up shots, know which deer to shoot, and how to be patient and wait for the right shot. It's why we call it hunting and not killing, right?

 

[Sand Rat]

7x57 and 6.5x55 cuz recoil sux’s and you don’t need anything bigger.

 

[TxHunter_Mizzou]

7x57 and 6.5x55 cuz recoil sux’s and you don’t need anything bigger.

You nailed it very succinctly! I believe it's why we see so many hunting in TX with .243 the surging 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08, 25-06 (very popular in TX) and with our laws many even use .22-250 and .223 (60-64 grain hunting bullets successfully). I even have a box of "Reduced Recoil" rounds for my .270 Win case a guest at the ranch needs to borrow them. Supposedly 50% less recoil with similar point of impact up to 200 yards.

 

[James Adamson]

My favourite deer caliber for here in the UK is the 6.5x55, very little recoil, inherently accurate, very little meat damage on the smaller species but fantastic performance on the bigger species.

 

[fourfive8]

270 Win with accurate, tough 130 gr hunting bullet at 2850 fps out of a good accurate bolt gun with a low to mid power scope at less than 300 yards with a steady rest- golden! Never considered a 130 gr bullet out of a 270 as having much recoil.

I've killed "deer" ranging in size from about 100 to well over 300 lbs (including whitetails and mule deer)- there is a great deal of difference among the varieties. I've used 222 Rem, 243 Win, 260 Rem, 270 Win, 7x57, 30-30 Win, 30-06, and 50, 54 and 58 cal muzzleloaders with patched roundballs and conicals. The 270 Win has proven most efficient for me.

 

[K E Johnson]

I had to vote other because I have killed far more deer with a .375 H&H then any other. I have used as small as .220 Swift with 70 grain Allred bullets. As large as 45/70 government with 300 grain Hornady hollow points in a hand gun. My go to has been .375 for over 35 years.

Now having said this, I took my first deer with a 7mm08 last fall. I primarily hunt deer with a crossbow these days. The 7mm08 will be getting the nod more often when I hunt with a gun.

 

[bruce moulds]

i had to vote other, because the 280 rem was not on the list.
bruce.