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It's a great round. It looks the same as a .30-30 on paper, but it hits a lot harder. It's only drawback is the fact it's a short range round, but that just makes things more sporting.
Favorite from those I actually own would be the '06, but, just to hunt deer, coast to coast, IMHO the 6.5 Swede and similar cartridges are about ideal.
If someone offered to buy me one more deer rifle, I would ask for a Steyr Scout, most likely in .308, although, strictly to hunt deer, not elk, not bear, arguably the 7-08 is a bit better cartridge. But out of respect for Uncle Jeff, make mine a .308 anyway...
Favorite from those I actually own would be the '06, but, just to hunt deer, coast to coast, IMHO the 6.5 Swede and similar cartridges are about ideal.
If someone offered to buy me one more deer rifle, I would ask for a Steyr Scout, most likely in .308, although, strictly to hunt deer, not elk, not bear, arguably the 7-08 is a bit better cartridge. But out of respect for Uncle Jeff, make mine a .308 anyway...
When I round out the collection a little more, here are some I would like to get.
- Woods deer gun: Browning BLR in .358 Winchester (though not strictly a short-range number), a Marlin 336 in .35 Remington, or a Winchester lever in .375 Winchester.
- Elk rifle: A commercial Mauser or a good clone thereof in 9.3x62.
- Target rifle: 5.56x45, .260 Remington, or 7.62x51
- Maybe there would need to be a lightweight deer rifle in something like .260 Rem as well.
There is a lot of overlap here, especially since the '06 can really do any of those roles with 100 to 200 grain bullets. But more rifles = more shooting = more fun, what's not to love? (except the cost)
I use a .308 which is way more gun than one needs for PA deer, but probably about perfect for a big western deer, or northern whitetail. Its a short action caliber so it takes a split second less to eject and reload, and its extremely accurate. It can do just about anything a 30-06 can, in a smaller package. I might suggest that its derivative, the 7mm-08, might be even more suited to deer sized game, but you can't always find a good selection of cartridges at the local store.
I use a .308 which is way more gun than one needs for PA deer, but probably about perfect for a big western deer, or northern whitetail. Its a short action caliber so it takes a split second less to eject and reload, and its extremely accurate. It can do just about anything a 30-06 can, in a smaller package. I might suggest that its derivative, the 7mm-08, might be even more suited to deer sized game, but you can't always find a good selection of cartridges at the local store.
Maybe I have been blessed with living fairly close to decent sized stores like Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, and Scheels but I have seen 7mm-08 in stock pretty much everywhere I have looked in the last 5-10 years or so.
The calibers that I tend to see in stock everywhere:
Other calibers it is common to see are the .257, .270, 7 mm, and 30-378 Weatherby magnums, 6.5x55 Swedish, .325 WSM, .35 Whelen (always with 200 grain bullets), and the .444 and .450 Marlins. I sometimes see the .257 Bob and .260 Remington and the other "short magnums" such as the RCMs and Rem SAUMs.
I'm still a fan of the .30-30. I've had a pre-64 model 94 for almost 40 years. 170 gr Hornady flat nose and 3031. Great deer round.
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...best deer cartridge?....lets look at it this way...........
