Short action Whitetail cartridge

[MAGNUS]

does good ol Holly come in 308??? ;D

[Jeff518]

.284 win, why? because it comes in a Savage 99, because it handles 120g - 165g bullets, because it pushes them out pretty fast and flat, and it's not what everybody else is shooting...hard to argue against the .308 if you're using factory ammo, though.

[MAGNUS]

.284 win, why? because it comes in a Savage 99, because it handles 120g - 165g bullets, because it pushes them out pretty fast and flat, and it's not what everybody else is shooting...hard to argue against the .308 if you're using factory ammo, though.


Jeff does the 99 let you use the full capacity of the 284 shell?

I was under the impression in lever guns the 284 was restricted.

[Corsica Coatings]

Great thread...thought I'd bring it back.

I have a Rem 660 in .243 that I bought new about 40 years ago. I found the Sierra 85 gr HPBT will kill any deer I have shot with it and the vast majority DRT when you punch them thru the ribs.

When I live in AK I loaded the old Barnes 115 gr round nose for a little .243 for a friend and he took 18 moose out of a box of shells....one, a Kenai bull, was in the AK record books. The other two rounds went to bring home caribou. He was a good hunter and took his time...it's all about shot placement folks...right bullet in the right spot with pretty much whatever you are shooting within reason and it's time to pull the knife and start gutting.

I do NOT suggest a .243 for moose in the hands of most folks, but the .243 loaded and shot properly is a wonderful round!! BTW, I used a 700 Mtn Rifle in .280 in AK and never shot anything more than once. For black tail on Kodiak I used my heavy gun because of the potential of bears.... it's a 700 in .30-06 which creates an interesting problem....a bullet heavy enough for bear tends to punch a small hole in small deer and are not be very effective....seems there is nothing perfect out there!!

[BobT]

My current favorite is a .270/08 AI, .270 Winchester ballistics with less powder using 130 grain bullets.

Bob

[10fp]

i am shocked that nobody said 6.8 yet, so i will....

[Blue Avenger]

short action's are only for does or Texas deer. You need a long action for the big bucks north of I 80!

[powderburn]

To be frank any of them that can shoot a 100gr bullet or larger in excess of 2500 fps will take deer. My buddy and I have used 243, 7mm-08, 257, 308 7x57, 6.5x55 and 30-30 and all the deer pretty much end up the same. ( in the freezer). We have also used several LA calibers as well as some old obsolete BP cartridges and african rounds with the same result. I found he trick to deer hunting has been finding one you want to shoot. The shooting part is pretty easy.

[bootsmcguire]

Have used 30-06, 243, and 308. I think I like the 308 the best. All the good 30 cal bullet choices, lower recoil than 30-06, and have yet to have go more than 20yds from where it was hit. But there is something to be said for the old 06. Its just classic. I would like to build a 250 Savage for the task, mostly cuz I don't have one yet ;D and I think it would be fun.


EDIT: Finally came across a 250 Sav. last August. Did a lil' tuning and tweakin' to her and hopefully gonna try it out this January Doe Season.

[eagleye]

06 is wicked versatile and a classic and loaded with faster powders (varget for example) at lower levels the recoil is bout the same as the 308. If it has to be short 308 is almost as good. I don't like light fast bullets, they drop game fast but they waste a lot of meat. I like a heavy for caliber bullet cruising along at a moderate speed to punch right thru. They might often run a little further that way, but I hate to wreck the off side shoulder with a lot of bloody mess and with a good exit wound the trail is a cinch to follow.

Pete

[pbcaster45]

I'm planning to use my .308 Winchester for whitetail this season - but I'll have to slap my hand away from my .338 Federal to do it. I've shot game out to 185 yards with the .338 and it just slams things down!

[1Shot]

I'm planning to use my .308 Winchester for whitetail this season - but I'll have to slap my hand away from my .338 Federal to do it. I've shot game out to 185 yards with the .338 and it just slams things down!


...Funny you say that... 8)...Wifey uses the .308 with Nos. 165's & I use the .338 Fed. with Nos 200gr CT's...95% of the time it's DRT... ;D

[duckcommanderfinstr]

Well I just built a 6mm/284 and I'm thinkin' this could be the new whitetail shooter for me! Of course, being a wildcat cartridge, I have to load my own ammo but the power from this '243 on steroids' is really cool. Bonded or solid copper bullets will do nicely as they pattern 3/4moa out to 450yds. ;D

[Captain Finlander]

The 260 is the perfect short action deer cartridge.

[tammons]

Yikes - this thread is 2.5 years old.
Probably have a few new cartridges since the OP's orig question.

[Blue Avenger]

grave diggers! LOL

[tammons]

Haa, funny.

[us920669]

Well, keep a good thing going. Powderburn got it right - if you can get one in your sights and shoot him right, all else fades in importance. Back when I thought I might do Africa again I started carrying my 375 H&H with a cast bullet load at around 1800 fps., pretty much a hot 38-55. I wonder how many deer have been taken with 38-55. Of course, 375 is not short, and I never connected with it. I seem to have most luck with black powder, still an old sidelock, 50 cal sabotted to 45, but it works.

[schoolmaster]

Mine is the Indiana legal .358 BFG. It is the .25 wssm case necked up to .358. It shoots the 200 gr. Barnes TSX at 2640 f/s and into 1 inch at 200 yards. This load hammers deer and I would not be afraid to hunt bigger game with it. Longest kill is currently at 256 yards but several deer have been taken at over 400 by other hunters. Making the brass is a pain and custom dies and barrels are expensive but it is the hot set up for Indiana hunting. Where legal the .358 Winchester would be a less expensive alternative. I really like the .358 caliber. It seems to kill out of proportion to its size and velocity.

[us920669]

Man, that sounds great! I don't keep up with developments like I used to but I'm going to look that one up. I like a bigger bore too, like in muzzeloading - lets the juice run out quicker. Various buddies use 257 Roberts, 270, 308 - I think 4 guys unless I'm forgetting someone - and there's this weird eye doctor (hope he doesn't read this) who packs a 7 Mag. That's great for the beanfield, but I just hunt my land these days, and it's so thick and hilly that 50 or 60 yards is usually about it. Don't laugh, but I've been using one of those Russian combo guns in 308 x 12 ga. - only used the rifle so far. It started when I almost stepped on one once. I was calm and collected on my Cape Buffalo hunt in Zimbabwe in 2000, but when this deer jumped up, it scared me half to death and disappeared in about a tenth of a second. I should get a climbing stand, but I'm an old timer now and I don't see so good. I just like being there.