Mass native here only hunted deer with shotgun going to be hunting up in Maine this year for deer so I'm in the market for a rifle. Any recommendations on what caliber to get? I'm thinking 30-06 or 308? Any other suggestions?
If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
Be sure to enter the NES/MFS February Giveaway ***Canik TP9SF Elite***
This is all true stuff. Buy what you will like on the hunt and on the range so youll actually practice with it and enjoy it. I will say that super light bolt actions chambered in 30-06 are not an "enjoyable" experience for most. Im not recoil shy but shot a buddy of mine's old weatherby bolt action at the club one day...accurate as hell.....but after 5 shots the "fun" was gone. Ouch!Anything will work for deer, don't buy a "caliber for deer" buy a caliber you want and shoot deer with it.
Calibers I've personally hunted deer with: .270, .308, 30-06, .300wsm, .300wm
Calibers I've know people to use: .223, .243, 6.5Grendel, .300aac, 7mm
Anything in between there will be quite sufficient and in Maine you're generally not shooting over 100 yards. So pick something you want as a rifle then go hunt with it, .308 is popular, I personally am a huge fan of .270 due to the nice flat ballistics of it.
I read recently in Field & Stream that 30-30 has dropped more deer than any other caliber, and while I don't know how they arrived at that conclusion, it makes sense as the caliber has been around forever. They also suggested that the flat nose of the 30-30 has a tendency to drop Bambi right where he stands.
I have two lever guns in 30-30 and they are relatively short handy rifles that have no problem ringing 6" steel at 100 yards. I don't know how comfortable I would be taking a shot at any greater distance without an optic.
While I think I could bring a lever gun up and get a shot off faster, I would still probably take my Rem 700 in 308. I would hate to see a buck 200 yards down a logging road and have to pass on the shot because I did not bring enough gun. YMMV
Caliber is not near as important as having a handy, lightweight, easy to point rifle that you are an expert with and can make quick accurate shots with.
My recommendation is to buy a lever action 30-30 and train with it A LOT, by that i mean not shooting off the bench but shoot it in hunting scenarios from the standing unsupported, or using a small tree or something to shoot off of.
Training with the rifle is key. I cant tell you how many folks have great rifles and miss easy shots due to misteps in shooting when the deer presents itself.
good luck!
It's too bad this rifle and caliber have gone out of "style" but my Dad's old 1960s Savage 99 w/ a Weaver K series scope in 300 Savage has taken more deer then I could count over the years. The 300 Savage is a great round with just about the same characteristics of the 308. You could not go wrong with this setup if you're out hunting deer. NH and Maine were my Dad's favorite hunting grounds.