The perfect whitetail round

[eagle rider]

You know the cartrige I love to hate but can't live without is a the 30-06 Springfield.  I think it was what our Dad's used that we have this sense of love for it, it won two World Wars and made its way into deer camps as surplus military 1903's.  Its just so perfect, it does it all.  I was blogging with a guy in South Africa who uses it leopard control on his cattle ranch, its my November treestand rifle, a facebook friend uses her's to hunt Elk in Wyoming, another uses it for Moose in Finland and still one more in Nevada uses it for speed goats.  Its potentail is limitless, its accuracy is daunting (see my Scary Accurate posting), it can put everything walking on four legs on earth into a taxidermy shop.  You can buy ammo in Walmart for it while you're getting your tires rotated, borrow a couple of rounds from any farmer or shop keeper in deer country, or always seem to come up with half a box of old Core Lockt's at the bottom of your knapsack.  Now they are even making recoil management loadings for it.  There is more data on loading it than pages in Obama's "Stimulus Bill."  Jesus, back in 1903, did they have any idea how big a can of worms they were openeing????  The 30-06 might have at this point contributed to more venison going into roasting pans than the 30-30 Winchester has.  No matter where the whitetail is, cover, country, climate...... the aught-six will send him to the buck pole.  You can have in a bolt, a single shot, a lever gun, a semi, a pump,..... you name it and they wrapped an action around it.  Its like the perfect poison pill. Like I said I hate the thing for taking all of the guess work out of everything for deer hunting-wise, but we just can't live without it.

[Pygmy]

You'll get no argument from me that as an ALL AROUND medium and big game load, the old warhorse is tough to beat. It has manageable recoil, a great selection of both factory loads and components, and will efficiently kill anything on this continent ( plus most of the other continents).

However, just for the sake of discussion, I wouldn't consider it the perfect WHITETAIL cartridge, for one reason. It requires a long action, and if you shorten the barrel to 20 inches or less, recoil and muzzle blast become an issue.

Short action cartridges such as the .308 or 7MM08  perform just as well on deer at equal yardages as the '06 and they are available in shorter, lighter rifles with less recoil and muzzle blast.

If factory ammo availability is an issue, there is a wide selection of factory loads for the .308.

My personal favorite whitetail rifle is a 7mm08 , but ammo availability is not a problem with me, since I shoot only my own handloads. With 120 grain handloads, my rifle is deadly at any practical range and recoil is much lighter than any 30-06 I have shot, except my M1 garand, which is gas operated and weighs 10 pounds.. ..

The 30-06 is NEVER a bad choice for any North American big game, and if a man told me wanted one rifle to hunt everything with, I'd tell him in a heartbeat to get a 30-06.

But I consider it a jack-of all trades. It does everything very well, but for SPECIFIC jobs, like whitetail hunting, I think that there are some cartridges that have an advantage over it.

[eagle rider]

I would have to agree with that.  It is a true jack of all trades.  Its become the standard of comparison for just about every shooting discussion I have ever heard,.... "hey, how does the recoil on that compare to a 30-06?" Or handloaders benchmark some aspect of ballistic performance to a 30-06.  I guess that's part of its legendary aclaim.  I have a couple of rifles that I like better too.  I am a huge fan of the 270 WSM.  That to me is the ultimate medium to large hoofed game charmer.  I shoot a 130 gr Sierra Game King at 3200 FPS.  It makes soup out of deer lungs every time.  For me ammo availability isn't an issue either since I handload that (and 30-06 for that matter).  About the only thing I shoot commercial is the 35 Rem cause I can't do any better than those damm Hornady Leverevolutions.  Anyway back to the 30-06, long vs. short action is never something I spent a ton of time worrying about.  I like everyting in a 24" barrel anyways to really get the optimal performance out of what I am shooting. 

[steve863]

You'll get no argument from me that as an ALL AROUND medium and big game load, the old warhorse is tough to beat. It has manageable recoil, a great selection of both factory loads and components, and will efficiently kill anything on this continent ( plus most of the other continents).

However, just for the sake of discussion, I wouldn't consider it the perfect WHITETAIL cartridge, for one reason. It requires a long action, and if you shorten the barrel to 20 inches or less, recoil and muzzle blast become an issue.

Short action cartridges such as the .308 or 7MM08  perform just as well on deer at equal yardages as the '06 and they are available in shorter, lighter rifles with less recoil and muzzle blast.

If factory ammo availability is an issue, there is a wide selection of factory loads for the .308.

My personal favorite whitetail rifle is a 7mm08 , but ammo availability is not a problem with me, since I shoot only my own handloads. With 120 grain handloads, my rifle is deadly at any practical range and recoil is much lighter than any 30-06 I have shot, except my M1 garand, which is gas operated and weighs 10 pounds.. ..

The 30-06 is NEVER a bad choice for any North American big game, and if a man told me wanted one rifle to hunt everything with, I'd tell him in a heartbeat to get a 30-06.

But I consider it a jack-of all trades. It does everything very well, but for SPECIFIC jobs, like whitetail hunting, I think that there are some cartridges that have an advantage over it.

Have to agree with everything you said here.  The .30-06 is the perfect all around big game round, but for whitetails only in this half of the country the .308 might be even better. 

[Pygmy]

Hehehehe...Truth be known, there are probably a couple dozen ( or more) cartridges that unless you do some FINE hair splitting, are equally effective on deer.

BUT if we didn't split some hairs now and then we would not have fun discussions like this to participate in.. ..

Many hunters aren't interested in ballistics or other details, the gun is just a tool to them.

For us gun nuts and rifle loonies, details make the subject much more interesting.

[eagle rider]

Well said.  It was funny a eight years back I bout a new 700 30-06 and althought it is really acurate, it was not sexy enough a caliber to be intrigued about.  So I started to do my homework and wound up buying a Weatherby Vanguard SubMOA rifle in 270 WSM.  Much more of a modern screamer than any old 700 ought six.  To the deer I don't thik it much matters.  They'd rather avoid getting shot by either of them.  I know in Northwestern VA (I hunt down there too in Winchester and Flint, Faqueer County) we shoot across cattle pasturers.  The 270 WSM is perfect for that kind of shooting.  We do take shots well beyond 300 yards at times.  The drop is not too bad at all.  The fact is with a little more windage the 30-06 will do just fine and is the choice preferred by the Virginians who hunt those ranches too.  I think we do count angels on the heads of pins a lot, but like you said Pygmy, it keeps things intersting. 

[covert]

I use my '06 aplenty, but it wouldn't surprise me to hear that the .300 Savage has killed more deer around NY than any other round.

[Larry]

here is the perfect whitetail round and gun  is the one that you shoot the best

[Lawdwaz]

I use my '06 aplenty, but it wouldn't surprise me to hear that the .300 Savage has killed more deer around NY than any other round.

I'm thinking that the "round" that has killed more deer in NYS has got to be the 12 gauge.  With all the hunters that have been hamstrung with that damn shotgun for all these years in the western half of the state it's a wonder that any deer have succumbed to it. ;D 

Now, finally the rifle has arrived in many of these same counties and hunters can rejoice!  NOW you'll see the 30-30, 300 Savage, 35 Rem etc. really get some face time.  Grease up the slug guns and stash 'em in the back of the safe.

[Dave]

Have been shooting my 30-06 during hunting season since 1975. It's the one that does the job, it has many different grain bullets and I shoot 180 gr. Is there a better gr. bullet to use, some use 150, 165, 220 what would be the perferred gr to hunt deer. Some say 180 is too much !!

Dave

[Pygmy]

180 grain is fine for deer in the 30-06, as long as it shoots well in your gun.  it's also a good choice if you ever decide hunt to elk or moose.

I don't consider 180 grain overkill for deer. It doesn't shoot quite as flat as the 150 or 165, but at practical hunting ranges the difference is neglible. The difference in trajectory is not enough to make you miss within 300 yards or so, and  actually a good argument in favor of the 180 grain bullet is  that it tends to be less explosive than the lighter bullets. It still kills well but ruins less meat than say, a 150 grain ballistic tip.

[Dave]

180 grain is fine for deer in the 30-06, as long as it shoots well in your gun.  it's also a good choice if you ever decide hunt to elk or moose.

I don't consider 180 grain overkill for deer. It doesn't shoot quite as flat as the 150 or 165, but at practical hunting ranges the difference is neglible. The difference in trajectory is not enough to make you miss within 300 yards or so, and  actually a good argument in favor of the 180 grain bullet is  that it tends to be less explosive than the lighter bullets. It still kills well but ruins less meat than say, a 150 grain ballistic tip.

Thanks Pygmy, sticking to my 180 gr. Never shoot more than 100 yards most shots are with in 75 yards.

Dave

[Lawdwaz]

Those 180's should be good brush busters

[Dave]

Those 180's should be good brush busters

Once shot a doe and before the bullet hit her it went thru the side of a two inch diameter sapling.

Dave

[eagle rider]

I think I will agree with that, a heavier bullet like a 180 will do better than a 150 in the brush.  I think the 300 Savage is a nostalgia cartridge these days.  The 30-06 has stood the test of time for more than a century now.  In my ought six I like 150 and 165 grain bullets.

[bubba]

I use my '06 aplenty, but it wouldn't surprise me to hear that the .300 Savage has killed more deer around NY than any other round.

mine sure has.  I have a custom barrel for my encore as well as a model 99.  But now my goto deer cartridge is the 06. but 25 not 30. I he a remington 742 in 30-06.  I was shooting remington coreloct 125 grainers.  I shot a doe once, it hit her in the ribs and the velocity spun her round and the bullet exited and came back at me.  I was gald I had orange on or I would have shot myself. 

[erussell]

I use my '06 aplenty, but it wouldn't surprise me to hear that the .300 Savage has killed more deer around NY than any other round.

mine sure has.  I have a custom barrel for my encore as well as a model 99.  But now my goto deer cartridge is the 06. but 25 not 30. I he a remington 742 in 30-06.  I was shooting remington coreloct 125 grainers.  I shot a doe once, it hit her in the ribs and the velocity spun her round and the bullet exited and came back at me.  I was gald I had orange on or I would have shot myself.

To funny!!! 

My Remington 750 carbine 30/06 really spits the 150's out nicely. Would like to try some 125's for the heck of it sometime and see how they group.

[eagle rider]

LOL that was funny.  Its the perfect round and you're right.  All of those wildcats that are now legit, ... 25-06 Rem, 270 Win, 280 Rem, 35 Whelen.  Cut it down and you get 308 Win, 7mm-08 Rem, and 243 Win.  Now add in accelerator loadings,..... geeze.  Good thing we won the war or this would all be in the metric system based on 8mm Mauser...... 

[BizCT]

I shoot a .243 Weatherby or .270 Weatherby Magnum with no complaints. Have taken Whitetail, Mule Deer, Elk, Bear, etc. throughout the U.S.

[eagle rider]

I wouldn't think there would be a problem, There are a lot of rounds out there that are more in my mind one-trick ponies.  The 270 Wby, is a great round, not overly commercailly available, I think only Weatherby and Remington ever chambered it.  It was designed to be a good outwest round for mulies through moose.  It wouldn't likely be a back east typiacl loading, although I know a guy in Vermont who uses it in New England.  The 243 is the lighter side of reality and will get upto deer size game but noting too much bigger, etically speaking.  The 30-06 gets used across the board.  Although lightweight for Brownies, its still got the SD to do the trick with 220 grain loadings all the way down to pronghorn and javelina and everyting in between on this continent. 

[G-Man]

the best part about an 30-06 is if you forget your ammo at home on a hunting trip or i gets lost in luggage. every store in the world,or someone in the area has 30-06 ammo around. not true with some mag/wildcat and even lesser rounds.

[ny hunter]

30-06 is my go to gun.But I also like my 270-308-243-30-30-12ga.all do the job.But 30-06 is my favorite.

[moosemike]

I think the .270 is the best for deer but I hunt mostly with a .30-06 I like. I've switched from the 150 and 180 grain loads for deer and now I'm using 125 Nosler BT's. We'll see how they do on deer. The reviews are good for this bullet.

[moosemike]

I wouldn't think there would be a problem, There are a lot of rounds out there that are more in my mind one-trick ponies.  The 270 Wby, is a great round, not overly commercailly available, I think only Weatherby and Remington ever chambered it.  It was designed to be a good outwest round for mulies through moose.  It wouldn't likely be a back east typiacl loading, although I know a guy in Vermont who uses it in New England.  The 243 is the lighter side of reality and will get upto deer size game but noting too much bigger, etically speaking.  The 30-06 gets used across the board.  Although lightweight for Brownies, its still got the SD to do the trick with 220 grain loadings all the way down to pronghorn and javelina and everyting in between on this continent.

I have a friend in Vermont who uses a .300 Weatherby magnum. Go figure.

[Pygmy]

I have a buddy who uses his .338 Win mag and his .416 Rem for deer...No problem as long as he likes to use them. There is no question about either round being ADEQUATE for whitetails...hehehehe....He doesn't go around telling folks that thier .243s or 30-30s are NOT adequate for deer. He just likes to shoot and hunt with his big boomers.