Preferred deer cartridge
 

If forced to choose just one caliber for hunting most types of deer in most parts of the United States, what would it be?

.30-06! Why? Cuz it works! Nuff Sed! :D You can have the .270 and the OTHER rounds based off the PARENT cartridge, .30-06. If ALL the other rounds BASED off the .30-06 were good, why didn't the military go for them? If the .30-06 was that bad as a sniper round, would I be typing this????

.30-06 with 165 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip and M-1917 Enfield here. DEER JUST DIE!!!! WHY? TRY RUNNING!!!! Skullcrusher????

Beretta is a farce, same as Glock in 9mm. Why ask why? GO with what is PROVEN!!!! WHY mess with a good thing? If the .45 ain't broke, still to this day why mess with it? OH, I KNOW!!!! The MILITARY was too cheap to fix it / what was never broken OK the .45 "kicks" to hard WAH!!!! Suck it up and deal with it!!!! THE M-16 is a joke, so is the M-9 or M-92 Beretta and same as the M-4 Carbine. Go With The M-21 and .45 and call it even. http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/glock-kb-faq.html

I Am A Native American. 38 years old and I approve this message. I also served too. Buck SGT. 6.5 yrs. Colombia. For all the young bloods? HA! You wouldn't know. ;) Skullcrusher? Flip over and fart dude! You get my drift man. STEEL is proven, "Tupperware" is not, Glock unsupported chambers scare me, don't care what a Glock is. Glock ain't it. M-16's / M-4's or M-92's? LMAO!!!! I just speak from PRACTICAL FACT!!!! Pee on popular belief or fiction. Nothing I said here is out of line or lies. IF ADMIN. has a problem with me, boot my butt NOW!!!! Don't let skullcrusher disuade you.

80 years for the .45. Early 1980's for the 9mm. YOU decide? TOO MANY Guys {former or since now about the M-16's and their bretheren and the 9mm's too} have complained since and still do. Same for the 5.56mm too. Since "The Stoner" introduced his "Black Rifle". EH? Skullcrusher????

My thoughts?
 

Of the ones you listed the 270 is as good as they get, period.

However, If I have my choice under 125 yards I use 41-mag and over 125 yards a 7mm-08 or 7mm mag are my favorites.

Use what you will, it's all about shot placement.

If only a choice of one gun - 7mm Rem Mag. would get my vote.

Hunter Joe
 

Well said and I a firm supporter and believer in this!

However, the question was caliber.

From the attached list I definitely choose the 30-06. Why? Because I have used 30-06's since 1976 and have shot 46 deer with them. A 30-06 may not be the best under all circumstances, but it does a lot of things well, and has a large variety of bullets available.

I have used a 30-30, as well, and it's a good short range gun in the brushy areas I hunt, but the 30-06 will do everything it can, but not vice versa.

I voted other because here in Indiana we have to use shotguns for deer hunting and I use choose the Remington Coppersolid Sabot Slugs, the most effective game-dropping performance from any known deer slug. 100% weight retention, 2X expansion and super accurate.

Remington Premier® Copper Solid™ Sabot Slugs

However keeping with the rifle orientation of the thread, if I could hunt deer with a rifle in Indiana, I would use my Mosin-Nagant M44 with soft-point rounds. Why? Because I already have the rifle and the need to buy another expensive rifle just to shoot deer when an M44 will do the job just doesn't suit me right now. Plus, 7.62x54R is a lot cheaper than 30-30, .270 and the others.

I agree with garandguy. The 30-06 is the best overall caliber. The BAR sure worked well with it and it was used for decades (century almost) with no other caliber being camparable. Beretta? Pleeeeeze. Rifle = 30-06. Handgun = 45. Yes I have others, but these 2 are the standard and are already proven.

Fellow southern Indiana hunter!
 

I also live in southern IN and rifles are legal as long as it is a pistol cartridge with limited case lengths and bullet outside diameters? That's why I said 41mag, which is a great deer round out to 125-150 yards.

One other note the Rem Copper sabots are ok in some guns, but there are barrel makers that recommend a warning to NOT use them in their barrels. Hastings and Remington are 2 that I know of, just food for thought?