rifle... quick pool: what caliber & why?

[seeker01]

...i've read some less than complementary reviews of the .223/5.56 round, interested on what this community has experience [on all calibers, not just the ones mentioned]
:book:

...ooooppps... pool = poll
(mi ingles no esta tan bueno hoy)

ps: the purpose would be deer hunting

[Joeywhat]

What do you want it to do?

After seeing several pics of 5.56 wounds I'm plenty happy with it for 2 legged creatures. If I go deer hunting next year I'll be using my AR with heavy bullets. Good stopping power there, too. I'll be using it at 100 yards or closer.

[pkuptruck]

223 - for fun,etc
30-06 - fun etc
22lr - fun etc
308 - cuz I can see above
6.5x55SWEDE - cuz It is better than 270 LOL
45-70 - cuz it shoots out of my civil war trapdoor
45acp - fun carbine, better velocity
30 carbine - better than a rock to throw

[mishooter]

308 - cuz I can see aboveSay whut? :confused:

[pkuptruck]

308 - cuz I can, also, see above


edited for clarity... LOL> :banghead:

[boganz45]

.308 for a nice, flat trajectory with good power.

[Edward]

300 win.mag its got everything: range,power and not hard to find ammo for.Just an all-around bad ass caliber:sniper2:

[Made_in_Michigan]

7.62x39... fun by the pound....

[Wyoming]

.300 savage & .22lr cuz that's what my dad left me when he died. Of all my guns those two will be the last I ever part with-when I die and pass them on to my son.

7.62X39 & 5,56 cuz I thought I should before they're banned again.

[billywebb71]

+ 1 for Wyoming

Savage pump in .35 Remington, my grandfather bought it for me as a teenager, just a few years before he passed away.

.32 Winchester Special. I am the third generation to kill deer with this gun. My great grandmother killed deer with it, my father has, and so have I.

[remingtondude58]

308, because it was a gift, and I love it.
45-70 because it was a good deal, and its so cool!

[Rolex Dr.]

depends on use

in a nutshell if you are a gun person you need (IMHO) the following

a .22 like a ruger 10/22 or something
a deer rifle (if you are a deer hunter) in 308, 30-06 or 30-30 your choice depends on rifle you like

i think a .223 in an AR is a must even if you never shoot it you have it


my personal rifle will be a .300 wby. nothing in North America you cannot hunt with it

[kc8opc]

.308

Just 'cuz I can!

[seeker01]

...sorry if initial post was not clear, the intent was hunting (deer)
great comments so far, i think i am leaning 308 so far (at least somewhat away from the 223/5.56 for this purpose

[Rolex Dr.]

for here in MI you need to decide what action type you like

pump, auto, lever, single shot, bolt

then look at your type of shots you may be faced with

long, short, thick woods etc

then you have to decide the recoil aspects

most shots in typical MI deer woods are 100 yards or less
you can use the 30-30

of you have large open spaces many like 308, 30-06, 270 or even the 243

a new trend is 6.8mm

but for best bang for your buck and access to ammo stick with common calibers

308, 30-06, 30-30, 270 or even the .44 mag

whats noce about these ammo is found semi easy

like wise old man once told me when asked what rifle to buy he said 30-06, 308, 0r 30-30 why?? cuz you can find ammo in almost any gas station in northern MI

(now this was back years ago when it seemed like every station north of m 57 sold ammo LOL)

[Blackheart82]

12ga brenneke 3 inch mags.

If I wasn't in shot gun country, I would use my old .303 no1 mk3.

[nitron1ck]

+ 1 for Wyoming

Savage pump in .35 Remington, my grandfather bought it for me as a teenager, just a few years before he passed away.

.32 Winchester Special. I am the third generation to kill deer with this gun. My great grandmother killed deer with it, my father has, and so have I.


my grandpa has one of those (32 win). My dad has taken game with it too. Its a really nice gun. Its so light, it feels like a BB gun when you first pick it up. Plus whats not to love about a lever action?

my dad uses a remington 270 cause he got an awesome deal on it long time ago. Its a great round and easily accessible.

I use a 12g cause I like to bird and small game hunt as well, and cant afford more than one hunting long gun at the time.

[50shooter]

.50BMG! You can flip a deer head for tail at well out to a thousand yards! :grin:

Around here it's a Remington 870 with Brenneke 3" slugs. It's hot out to about a little over a hundred yards, which is about the max range I'd be shooting at a deer in my area.

[MINISFORME]

First choice is .270 Winchester. Killed MANY, MANY whitetails with it. Second choice 7mm-08. The 7mm-08 has mild recoil and can be shot very accurately by almost anyone.

Jeff

[RevDerb]

I will be using my Winchester .30-30 lever again this season. Did fine for me last year which was my first time in the woods. :thumbup:

[CaptnKirk]

If I'm hunting in some thick, brushy lands I LOVE the .35 Remington! A little more powerful than the 30-30 and even after crashing through a little brush it's trajectory and power is right on. If the country is a little more open, offering longer shots, I have never been let down by my .270.

Captn---

[ro2]

338 win mag ;)

[scecil]

Can you legally hunt deer with the .223 Round? I have seen more than one person claiming to use it for deer. Thanks in advance

[jcurtis]

Can you legally hunt deer with the .223 Round? I have seen more than one person claiming to use it for deer. Thanks in advance

See this thread:
http://www.migunowners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=66311

Short answer, yes but most advise against it.

[nitron1ck]

Can you legally hunt deer with the .223 Round? I have seen more than one person claiming to use it for deer. Thanks in advance

It is true that it is technically a legal caliber. That being said I would not use it. Its not made to be used on deer. The whole point of hunting is to take the game cleanly with the least amount of suffering possible. The 223 is barely effective for what it was made for, let alone hunting.

If you use it, you should take a head shot, or be ready to track the game. (its not fair to the animal)

see this thread for more info:
http://www.migunowners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=66311

[muzzleloader]

223 - for fun,etc
30-06 - fun etc
22lr - fun etc
308 - cuz I can see above
6.5x55SWEDE - cuz It is better than 270 LOL
45-70 - cuz it shoots out of my civil war trapdoor
45acp - fun carbine, better velocity
30 carbine - better than a rock to throw

Another Swede fan!:thup: covers everything from .223 to .308. IMHO of course.

[scecil]

It is true that it is technically a legal caliber. That being said I would not use it. Its not made to be used on deer. The whole point of hunting is to take the game cleanly with the least amount of suffering possible. The 223 is barely effective for what it was made for, let alone hunting.

If you use it, you should take a head shot, or be ready to track the game. (its not fair to the animal)

see this thread for more info:
http://www.migunowners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=66311


Alright thanks alot guys, I'm not planning on using a darn AR15 but I was just thinking it can't be legal. Good to clear it up. thanks again

[seeker01]

And scecil is willing to give-up one-of his .308 collection to yours truly.
(:cool: he?)

Now let's see if my meager M-16 skill from my jarhead days translate into this equipment :ar15:

...next challenge :shock: , afford the ammo after getting the hardware :getsum: (so if you've got some, can you share?)

http://www.migunowners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=68519

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOUR GREAT COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS

[autosurgeon]

In rifle country my Mosen Nagant M44 7.62x54r with 200 grain softpoints.

[xd-40]

I've used the .308, 7.62x54R, 30-06, 30-30, .300 wby mag, 7mm rem mag, .44 mag, 12ga, and 20ga.

personal favorites are .300wby for over the line, 12ga under the line.
don't overlook the 7.62x54 though, plenty of punch, cheap rifle, plentiful ammo (last I checked, I handload)

[larrybob42]

Winchester Model 94 Big Bore chambered in 444 Marlin with a 240 grain Hornady XTP bullet. You should'nt have to chase it or lose it to the hunter over the hill.

[Crowman906]

I use a 30/06 for deer, shot 5 deer and not one of them hasn't dropped within 20 yards of where I shot them. (all open field in clare).

I do want to get a .270 with iron sights to hunt with in the UP though, pretty think woods up there. It'd be hard to get a deer on the scope in a few seconds.

[sirdonas]

vote #2 for the M44 shooting sp 7.62x54R

:)

[durus5995]

I use a .303 Brit Enfield because the 303 round has harvested game from every continent and you can not argue with that.

[cmichsportsman]

i use my M1 in 30-06 or my Marlin in 270 for big game, on occasion a mosin in 7.62X54R and i love my 22mag...for those really far away squirrels :whistle: .

[jbizel1]

Marlin Xl7 30-06 or Win model 70 300 winmag

[Joeywhat]

Alright thanks alot guys, I'm not planning on using a darn AR15 but I was just thinking it can't be legal. Good to clear it up. thanks again

AR is legal and in more then a few cases has dropped a deer.

Quite a few people use it as a deer gun. If you can't aim, might not be the best choice.

[Groo]

are you looking to buy a rifle just for deer?

if so, I'd look at a .308, 30-06, 270, or similar round in a bolt action gun.

if you are worried about recoil, maybe a .243, 7.62x39, or 30-30. I wouldn't buy anything smaller than that for white tail.

If you've already got a .223 and money is a bit tight. stick with it. but face it, you will probably eventualy lose a deer you would have got if you had a more powerfull gun. Deer can go quite a ways even with a massive wound, but more massive will stop it sooner.

If you may be hunting below the line in the future. maybe a 44mag carbine, assuming the proposed law passed/passes.

[miked]

30-06 because it does everything I need it to.

[Langford]

I have a few deer rifles, and my Remington 700 .243 is by far my favorite. I use it for target, varmints, and deer and it is great for everything. My bullet of choice for all types of shooting is the 70 grain federal premium nosler ballistic tip. I believe it shoots at around 3850fps, and is a very flat shooting round with low recoil and dead accurate. A few years back I dropped a deer with it at around 350 yards, he didn't take another step after that bullet slammed into him.

You can shoot it all day and barely notice a thing, my .30-06 on the other hand gives you a nice little blast every time you squeeze the trigger. I really like the .30-06 also, but if you don't plan on using the rifle for anything larger than a deer...the .243 is hard to beat.

[EricF517]

308

accurate

versitility of ammo out there, from light for varmints to heavy for elk

accurate

light recoil

accurate

[mechredd]

.223will work for deer but it is lower than the minimum that most hunters would recommend. IMO excluding .30 carbine, any .30 cal will work very nice. .30 carb will work, but like the .223, most hunters wont recommend it.
I'm a fan of .35 cal rifles, but they all tend to be a bit more than you need for deer.

[MY629SW]

300 win.mag its got everything: range,power and not hard to find ammo for.Just an all-around bad ass caliber:sniper2:
+1 and 30-06

[Jonnysea]

270 Win

Great deer caliber and very flat shooting.

[mechredd]

25-06 is a lower recoil round that has plenty of power to take down a deer.

It shoots so flat that it blows 22-250 away if you ever decide to take up varmint hunting.

[Eternal Sun]

For a rifle I like my 30-30 Winchester 94. I don't hunt a lot over the line, so My preferred caliber is the 12 gage slug! Drops the deer everytime...in my case!

[jbizel1]

For a rifle I like my 30-30 Winchester 94. I don't hunt a lot over the line, so My preferred caliber is the 12 gage slug! Drops the deer everytime...in my case!


I bet. Cant wait until I go and bring back something worth talking about.:medsmile: :ar15:

[electron Don]

300 win.mag its got everything: range,power and not hard to find ammo for.Just an all-around bad ass caliber:sniper2:

The first time I went hunting in Missouri, my cousing loaned me his 300 win mag. The locals were asking me if it came with wheels or a trailer to pull it behind the truck. Its a woinderful round with great trajectory but is definitley overkill for white tail deer. It turns out my cousin had purchased it for moose huntng. Easy to find? Maybe in Michigan but I didn't find much of a selection in Indiana or Missouri. Othe the other hand, 30/06 is readily available almost everywhere.

[RevDerb]

223 - for fun,etc
30-06 - fun etc
22lr - fun etc
308 - cuz I can see above
6.5x55SWEDE - cuz It is better than 270 LOL
45-70 - cuz it shoots out of my civil war trapdoor
45acp - fun carbine, better velocity
30 carbine - better than a rock to throw

Perfect example of why we normally use punctuation when we want to accurately communicate our thoughts. Texting is ruining the English language.

¿quién sabe? Rod.

[Armed citizen]

22LR- plinking
.223- plinking/target/small stuff
.270WSM-long open field shots
.30-06- all around deer gun
.300WM- makes things dead quick
12 guage slug gun- makes nice round holes in things