Medium bore white tail caliber

[Deleted member 74105]

Lot of great choices already mentioned. From my experience, a .243 with a Nosler 100 Gr. Partition is strong stuff, I took a great number of whitetails in my earlier hunting days. My wife shoots a 7mm-08 Remington shooting 140 Gr. Nosler Partitions and she is deadly with it. She has taken many nice whitetails and hogs over the years. I love the 6.5x55, 25-06, and 7x57 for myself, but the short actions may be something to consider for her. Regardless of short action vs long, all calibers are mild in recoil and hard hitting with a good load.

 

[9412765]

The only things I've seen that drop an animal that size reliably within 10-50 yards with a chest shot are 375 and up. A whitetail doe will often go 50 yards with a perfect chest shot from a 30-06 in my experience. Maybe a 35 will do it

I agree. 338 and up, for me, just flat drops em. For some reason, I've had more deer run, well hit, with a .30 than any other bore size. Weird.

 

[ChrisG]

I agree. 338 and up, for me, just flat drops em. For some reason, I've had more deer run, well hit, with a .30 than any other bore size. Weird.

Interestingly, the gun for me that tends to drop deer dead on impact is my 6.5x55. The farthest I have ever "tracked" a deer with it is about 25 yards. "Tracked" because a blind chicken could've followed that blood trail.

I will say though that the .375 and .416 drop black bear like they were hit by a daisycutter.

 

[Deleted member 74105]

6.5x55 is like a lawn dart of a bullet, I've had similar results with deer. Another great instant drop combo for me has been the 25 06 with a 115 Gr. Nosler Partition.

 

[sgt_zim]

if you're not going to reload, 7mm-08 is the way to go. First centerfire rifle my daughter ever fired was a 7mm-08, has never really felt any recoil, shooting 140 gr at about 2800.

If you reload, lots of options. I like 6.5x55, but I'm biased. Since 7x57 is a ballistic twin of 7mm-08, would also make an excellent choice.

 

[CJW]

Not to throw a rock but I do have a prewar m70 carbine in 270 that is being restored that she doesn't know about.could do some reduced loads with that

I think you just answered your own question. Cut the LOP to fit her, add a nice soft limbsaver pad and load a partition or accubond to her recoil tolerance. Win, win.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

6.5x55 is like a lawn dart of a bullet, I've had similar results with deer. Another great instant drop combo for me has been the 25 06 with a 115 Gr. Nosler Partition.

@LT Backstrap
You have to love the fast 25s they just work no fuss, no bother usually bang flop.
Bob

 

[Deleted member 74105]

I think you just answered your own question. Cut the LOP to fit her, add a nice soft limbsaver pad and load a partition or accubond to her recoil tolerance. Win, win.

A fine round, Jack O'Connor would approve.

 

[Deleted member 74105]

@LT Backstrap
You have to love the fast 25s they just work no fuss, no bother usually bang flop.
Bob

Exactly, have had many one shot drops with my Sako 85 Finnlight.

 

[Deleted member 74105]

if you're not going to reload, 7mm-08 is the way to go. First centerfire rifle my daughter ever fired was a 7mm-08, has never really felt any recoil, shooting 140 gr at about 2800.

If you reload, lots of options. I like 6.5x55, but I'm biased. Since 7x57 is a ballistic twin of 7mm-08, would also make an excellent choice.

My wife with her Mod. 700 Mountain Rifle in 7mm 08 a few weeks ago on opening day.

 

[Pavel U]

I have been through very similar situation when my wife was choosing her rifle.

You put 243 as lower limit. Great cartridge – no argue about that. The same goes for Winchester featherweight

Please bear with me while doing a little of out of box thinking:

• Your wife is a good (and presumably level-headed) shot.
• She wants to join You on the hunt (now You are super-glad that You chose to marry her, right?)
• Light kick, easy to carry around rifle is what we want.

True question is:
Do we want to hunt the largest of the deer specimen? So we need more firepower.
OR
Do we want to go hunting together? And enjoy it even though we do not “collect” the biggest buck.

If You go with the latter, then I would suggest let her take her favourite carbine (better spend that extra buck on highest quality ammo) and enjoy the hunt.
When a giant buck comes around You can still back-up Your wife with an anti panzer-elephant 505 ultra magnum super-chewer Gibbs or whatever is Your cup of coffee
Otherwise the .30 carbine should be enough for sensible shooter at reasonable distances.

If You still want a new rifle (who doesn’t right?), seriously consider CZ 527 carbine in 7.62x39 loaded with SAKO gamehead and light small magnification vortex optic. That was my recipe for light kicking easy to carry rifle and it works well beyond my expectations.

Regarding the cartridge:

• loaded with sako, here in central Europe wild boars (not the heaviest ones, obviously) as well as red deers were, are and will be successfully hunted.
• Buy some cheap stuff (not lacquer cases!) and have fun plinking.

I would bet that with nice rubber pad on CZ You wife cannot tell the difference between the slightly increased recoil compared to m1 carbine. Still lighter that in Winchester in 243.

Have a nice time – both of You

 

[MS 9x56]

View attachment 441401View attachment 441402View attachment 441403
My proposition- 7x57mm Mauser and the European loadings. Very comfortable yet substantial caliber for whitetail deer.

Alternatively, you have the .270 Winchester and the excellent 150 Gr Winchester Super X Power Point loading.

That is a beautiful rifle. Model and year made? Some Murphy's oil soap would clean that stock and checked ing up nicely. It has a hunters patina only achieved by years in the bush. The 7x57 is going to be my next aquisition. I have never seen RWS ammunition in my neck of the woods but I would love to try their TUG bullets.

 

[CBH Australia]

@Pavel U , the answer is still 7mm-08

@LT Backstrap congratulations to your wife, congratulations to you on your wife who hunts. Congratulations to the wife who hunts on getting that rifle.

Now, does this mean the season is over now she has taken her deer does that mean hunting for the season is over for her?

If you need more meat how much hunting can she do or how many tags would she be allowed?

 

[Hunter-Habib]

That is a beautiful rifle. Model and year made? Some Murphy's oil soap would clean that stock and checked ing up nicely. It has a hunters patina only achieved by years in the bush. The 7x57 is going to be my next aquisition. I have never seen RWS ammunition in my neck of the woods but I would love to try their TUG bullets.

Thank you. It's a Churchill De Luxe Model in 7x57 mm Mauser, the parts of which were built in England and assembled in Pakistan in 1967. It's built on a Yugoslavian Military Surplus Mauser 98 action with the stripper clip ear guides ground down.

I bought it on 14th March, 1989 to originally contend with a man eating Royal Bengal tiger ( during my posting as DFO of the Sundarbans ). Nowadays, it mostly sees use on Chital deer, Kakar deer and jungle boars.

RWS 7x57mm Mauser ammunition ( loaded with Brenneke T.I.G. bullets in 177 Gr weight ) are excellent and much superior ( in my experience ) to American factory loads for the 7x57mm Mauser.

 

[Deleted member 74105]

@Pavel U , the answer is still 7mm-08

@LT Backstrap congratulations to your wife, congratulations to you on your wife who hunts. Congratulations to the wife who hunts on getting that rifle.

Now, does this mean the season is over now she has taken her deer does that mean hunting for the season is over for her?

If you need more meat how much hunting can she do or how many tags would she be allowed?

Many thanks, she has taken many deer and hogs with that 7mm-08. Rifle season runs until Feb 10th, 2022, so we are just getting started. One can take 3 bucks and 6 does in a season, lots of game on the property. We never take that many, but cull as needed and put three or four in the freezer every year. Hogs are year round with no limits. The wife hunts with me about 50% of the time. We have a tradition of always hunting together on opening day of rifle season. She will hunt more next month, we have a really late rut, so Jan and Feb are always exciting. I'm about to head up to the cabin for a week or so and return before Christmas, it's my annual get the hell of of town and away from people before Christmas hunt trip.

 

[MS 9x56]

Thank you. It's a Churchill De Luxe Model in 7x57 mm Mauser, the parts of which were built in England and assembled in Pakistan in 1967. It's built on a Yugoslavian Military Surplus Mauser 98 action with the stripper clip ear guides ground down.
View attachment 441748

I bought it on 14th March, 1989 to originally contend with a man eating Royal Bengal tiger ( during my posting as DFO of the Sundarbans ). Nowadays, it mostly sees use on Chital deer, Kakar deer and jungle boars.

RWS 7x57mm Mauser ammunition ( loaded with Brenneke T.I.G. bullets in 177 Gr weight ) are excellent and much superior ( in my experience ) to American factory loads for the 7x57mm Mauser.

Unfortunately we have an over abundance of lawyers in our country and only load anemic amounts of powder and too light bullets in the 7x57. My son has a 7mm-08 and was complaining about all the wasted bloodshot meat on his deer. I loaded him up some 175 grain round nose bullets and presto no more problem.

 

[Deleted member 74105]

Unfortunately we have an over abundance of lawyers in our country and only load anemic amounts of powder and too light bullets in the 7x57. My son has a 7mm-08 and was complaining about all the wasted bloodshot meat on his deer. I loaded him up some 175 grain round nose bullets and presto no more problem.

Always had good luck with the 140 Gr, Nosler Partitions and AccuBonds in our bolt and lever rifles. Loaded up some 160 and 175 Gr. GameKings to try out in my BLR 7mm 08 this weekend, it's a tack driver with the 140s, interested to see how it handles the heavier bullets.

 

[CJW]

My wife with her Mod. 700 Mountain Rifle in 7mm 08 a few weeks ago on opening day.

View attachment 441618

Congrats to yoir wife. That's a great backdrop for a picture too.

 

[Deleted member 74105]

Congrats to yoir wife. That's a great backdrop for a picture too.

At the edge of a cypress swamp and the Tombigbee river in AL. Great scenic area to hunt.

 

[ducmarc]

I'll be back in town this weekend and smoke poles are legal any sex till I think the 6th of january.she talked about that too.