FairChase93
Active member
I've seen a lot of deer killed around here with small calibers 204, 222, 223, 22-250 and the like. I'm not condoning this however I've been out with landowners countless times and they often have one gun they keep in the truck and use it for everything from skunks to big muleys. Most of the time the deer dropped right where he stood and occasionally went maybe 50 yards and tipped over dead. Yes I know some of these calibers are not legal but you try and tell that to somebody who owns their own land and depends on it to make a living. Also anybody from these parts can tell you that the 22mag is a popular deer caliber on the reservations granted we are talking very close range but still.
Personally my go to deer rifle is a 270 win with 130gr SST. It in my opinion is about as good of a deer caliber as there is. I'll admit I'm partial to the 270 mostly because it's the first rifle I bought when I turned 18 and hasn't let me down yet. Now my wife's deer rifle is a 243 win using 95gr SST and I can proudly say that every deer she has ever shot has dropped dead on the spot. I would attribute that to a fine deer caliber and her being an especially good shot I'm not to proud to admit that she is a better shot than me most of the time. Above all else it really comes down to shot placement and proper bullet selection. The partition is a fine game bullet and 85 grains is plenty to take a deer down.
Personally my go to deer rifle is a 270 win with 130gr SST. It in my opinion is about as good of a deer caliber as there is. I'll admit I'm partial to the 270 mostly because it's the first rifle I bought when I turned 18 and hasn't let me down yet. Now my wife's deer rifle is a 243 win using 95gr SST and I can proudly say that every deer she has ever shot has dropped dead on the spot. I would attribute that to a fine deer caliber and her being an especially good shot I'm not to proud to admit that she is a better shot than me most of the time. Above all else it really comes down to shot placement and proper bullet selection. The partition is a fine game bullet and 85 grains is plenty to take a deer down.