Best round for hunting?

[Guest motonut]

Regarding the title, I know there's going to be a difference if you're hunting rabbit or grizzly so let's move on.....

I've never hunted but a couple of neighbors are trying to talk me into it. I'm close. I would be up to hunting deer or wild pig (I understand Sumner Co. has a problem with wild pig right now). May also go for turkey later.

What would be the best round for deer and wild pig? I figure it makes more sense to decide on the round and then the rifle. I may go used on the rifle (TGO classifieds) but I need to decide on the round.

I have another neighbor that does not hunt but does a LOT of reloading so playing w/ loads will not be a problem for me.

Suggestions please.

[DaveTN]

I don’t kill animals for sport, but if I did I would use my .308 bolt for Deer and my .308 DPMS Panther for Hogs. I would use a 10 or 12 GA shotgun for Turkey.

[R1100R]

30'06 in a rifle and a 12 Guage in a shotgun. The 30'06 in one of the few where you can load below 100gr to over 200gr for a all purpose rifle.

[Brandon]

You can't hardly beat the good ole 30-06 for general larger game hunting in our area. It'll get the job done.

[Guest Scramasax]

I agree about the 30-06 and the 12 bore. If you are taliking about this area I would reccomend a Marlin 336 leveraction in 3030 with scout scope mount and rear peep from xs. You have plenty of choices in ammo and a leveraction with a little practice is very fast. Much easier for most of us to use than a bolt gun. It also makes a very good defensive rifle.

Cheers,

ts

[Mike]

For hogs, id say a lever 30/30 would be good. A 7.62x39 AK would work nice too. Hornady makes a good ballistic tip round for it.

[gregintenn]

Why not find the rifle you like and live with the caliber? There's very little difference between most high power rifle chamberings. I have rifles in a bunch of different calibers. From a 243 to a 30-06, I wouldn't give you two cents difference in them. You shoot a deer in the right place with any of them, and the result is the same.

Bottom line: There is no best round. Just hundreds of good rounds.

Edited November 20, 2010 by gregintenn

[Sidinman]

Why not find the rifle you like and live with the caliber? There's very little difference between most high power rifle chamberings. I have rifles in a bunch of different calibers. From a 243 to a 30-06, I wouldn't give you two cents difference in them. You shoot a deer in the right place with any of them, and the result is the same.

Bottom line: There is no best round. Just hundreds of good rounds.

+1

Everybody likes something different, or some just fit them better. It's just what ever you like, there is a caliber in that platform that is capable of doing the job.

Be it a bolt, lever, or single action. I started hunting with a revolver last year, so to each his own.

[Louisb]

308, 30-06 will solve half of the problem and 12, 20 gauge will solve the other half.

A good 22 bolt gun to get a lot of shooting practice with rounds out ones needs.

All the others are just wants that should be fulfilled as finances allow.

[Guest motonut]

Thanks for the tips so far. I'm a little surprised about the lever action suggestion, guess I didn't expect it. The reason I wanted to decide on cal. first is I thought many hunting guns come with multiple cal. options, so once I decided on the cal. I could work to the gun, maybe that's not the right way to go about it?

As for practice, I have a S&W M&P 15-22 that is a blast to shoot in addition to a S&W M&P15 (5.56/.223) and reload for that now too. I don't think it would be a good dear gun though.

[1gewehr]

I've got a Savage 99 in .250 Savage that I've used on both deer and hogs. As posted above, find a rifle that you like, and pretty much any caliber from .243 and up will work on both deer and hogs. A shotgun is fine as long as you have no intention of taking any shots past about 75 yards.

[Guest Scramasax]

second post, just thinking out loud. If you like the ar platform have you considered a 6.8 or 458/50 caliber upper?

Cheers,

ts

[gregintenn]

I've got a Savage 99 in .250 Savage that I've used on both deer and hogs.

If you find a better rifle than this, I'd like to come see it.

[fastbs]

.243-300 win mag and others will do in deer and hogs. Being partial to the 30 cals 308, 30-06, 300 win mag I elect for the 308 cause of a shooting addiction and it can get out to 400- 500yds with out the sore shoulder. All three of the 30s are easy to find ammo for with 308 being the cheapest 30-06 will get you a couple hundred more fps but if you're gonna have the long action i don't see any reason not to go with 300 win mag.

now rifle choice for a budget go stevens 200, it is a savage 10 action and barrel with a stiff trigger and cheap stock. You can upgrade with aftermarket parts if you want, all the savage stuff fits the stevens. Then the savage 10 variants are about equal if not better (more bang for your buck) than Remington 700 and you can find parts easily if something breaks or you want to upgrade with either of these.

[peejman]

The best round is the one with which you can most accurately and reliably hit the target. Period.

[KahrMan]

If you consider a lever action, look at a Marlin 1895 in 45-70. That is a great setup for deer and hogs in this part of the country. My second choice would be for a bolt action 30-06.

[guyandarifle]

308 or 30/06 is awfully tough to beat not just because they are versatile to begin with but ammo can just about be found by looking under rocks in your yard. If you're looking for something that can fit your needs and kick a little less than either of the above you could look into the 7mm/08. (308 case necked down to 7mm) Really sweet ballistics without much fuss.

If you wanted to go lever there's a gazzillion 30-30's out there and ammo is plentiful and still pretty cheap.

[Guest buttonhook]

why not just get a good auto/pump shotgun with rifled and smooth barrel then shoot slugs for deer/hogs and shot for turkeys

[Guest adamoxtwo]

Thanks for the tips so far. I'm a little surprised about the lever action suggestion, guess I didn't expect it. The reason I wanted to decide on cal. first is I thought many hunting guns come with multiple cal. options, so once I decided on the cal. I could work to the gun, maybe that's not the right way to go about it?

As for practice, I have a S&W M&P 15-22 that is a blast to shoot in addition to a S&W M&P15 (5.56/.223) and reload for that now too. I don't think it would be a good dear gun though.

You need to find someone who will let you shoot a couple different rifles in different calibers. I have shot everything from a .243 to a .50 Cal and I bought a .270. Not for any other reason then I liked the way it shot. Is it the best round? Probably not but that's almost an impossible question to answer. I will say the Marlin 30-30 lever action Is my next gun for a couple different reasons. Most of all because you still have Iron sights for short range shots if you are hunting in the brush and a scope of you are hunting a field. In America the 30-30 is the most popular hunting caliber (not because of the caliber but I believe the rifles themselfs being so versatile). Believe it or not I currently hunt with a Romanian SKS without a scope (7.62 x 39) because of the area I am hunting is so think and long shots are not an option. Again get out and shoot and you will find what you are looking for.

[LngRngShtr]

one other thought to keep in mind,...

if you should be on an extended hunt or as most of us have, whether we admit it or not, forget ammo,.. what can you buy down at the local store....

I love using my .401 Herters but if I forget ammo I am out of luck,.. same as any of your "uncommon " rifle calibers... and by uncommon I mean not a Wal-Mart or Dick's shelf item..

12 Ga. is universal so not much of a choice there for Turkey as they are a shotgun bird

Rifle,.. I use an -06 I also like my .303 Brit mainly because those 2 calibers have "done it all" if I travel I take the -06 mainly because of ammo availability in a Mom&Pop store in "neverheardof,Tenn._

of course if you always double check your gear before you go and pack extra ammo the choice is wide open...

John

[onemancoyote]

If you want a light kicker with lots of options get a .243 Win. The classic calibers are classics for a reason. 30-06, 270, etc. If you read the bullet tables you'll see that alot of the different rounds match each other on performance while only a few 'stand out'.

If I were you I would check into a 6.5 or a 450 Bushmaster ($800) upper for my AR or try shooting deer with a heavy .223 round. Alot of people have killed deer with the 223, but I don't personally own one. Shot placement somewhat trumps horsepower. Shoot em in the head if your concerned about dropping em flat.

[Guest PerazziTM1]

I generally like to recommend the more common cals if you dont reload. I know you said your neighbor would be help you out but its not the same as being able to it yourself. So I would something that you can get ammo for at your local sporting goods store. 270 Win, 30-06, 308,....

Good Luck,