Medium bore white tail caliber

[Tam Dl]

I have a 94 in 357, and I think it is superior to the 30-30, at close range. It is also a lot cheaper to buy ammo for than the 30-30. But it convinces me the 30-30 is better because of the range advantage, and the magic that cartridge has with a Barnes. It is almost like shooting broadheads.

My 357 is pretty nice, but it is a Puma, and the chance of hitting a deer cleanly at 300 yards is about the same as hitting a golf ball 300 yards, for a hole in one.

Also, as the trends continue the average barrel length of the 357s is like 16 inches. Myself, as a guy used to carrying a 68" weapon in the woods, to get close shots at deer, I am more in the Lever Evolution camp of a 22 inch barrel. As close to having a gun with a suppresor as one is likely to get in Canada.

 

[Tam Dl]

I didnt go through all the other suggestions, but was surprised the .270 wasnt mentioned. I recently acquired one and was delighted with how much fun it was to shoot. Usually shot with a 130 grain bullet, flat shooting, I think the key to keeping recoil down is NOT to go with a light weight rifle, stay with a standard medium frame /bbl arrangement. My .308 with 165 grain bullets is much milder than most any 30-06s. Be sure your wife practices with heavier clothes like she would be hunting. to help with the recoil/cushioning.

270 is in some ways the ultimate classic. But for such a light animal, with modern bullets, I can't see what the 270 would do that the 6.5x55 would not do better.

O'Connor made the 270 sound pretty reasonable. But other than having a beltless rim it is pretty overbore. This is my response to living in Canada where I can buy a new rifle cheaper than I can get a replacement barrel. If I could get stuff from the states, I could get new barrels for 40 bucks from GM, but up here I am looking at something more like 800 dollars, for a barrel that was imported for some guy who fancies himself a sniper.

So if I was in the category, I would go for the 7m-08. But as it turns out, while hating metric (client state measurements) cartridges, turns out they are deeper on the ground up here, and 6.5s and 9.3 are just more available. When I was a kid, I should have spent less time with my head in Guns & Ammo, and looked around a little more.

We also have a lot of military stuff up here. And while I am more an accuracy guy, I have learned to love the 98, out of necessity, and how the cartridges co-developed for it feed like seals in a water park.

 

[C.W. Richter]

257 Roberts 257 AI or 25-06 are fantastic deer rounds with low recoil superb accuracy and the latter two would tend to do a bit more damage on non-ideal or longer shots. If you are woods hunting the Roberts with heavy for caliber 120 grain nosler partitions or even round nose soft points are what the doctor ordered! I have a mint condition 257 AI oddly it was originally built for a quarry owner in Virginia it has a brass inlay that reads TFQ which if I recall correctly stands for Ticonderoga forge quarries? I think he used to give them out as gifts for the most valuable employees. Anyway it's pleasant to shoot I've taken several deer and an antelope with it you can use factory ammo or take advantage of the greater steam via reloading the improved cartridges. Paul Jaeger of PA gunsmithing 26-in blued custom Walnut stock talley mounts. I may be willing to part with it if this is something you may be interested in? While I have a past connection to the gunsmith I'm thinking of simplifying things rifles-wise! Zero recoil using factory loads and the most minimal felt recoil using improved cartridge hand loads. Super accurate. I recall checking the sight-in on a ranch in Wyoming, and instead of heading to the range I just suggested to the ranch hand we range a couple of prairie dogs and I picked them off no problem out to 400 yards with bipods, which was very amusing to all!