Best caliber for deer?

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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?
 
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.
 
30-30 or 35 Remington. Levers are great for Maine with long distance shots often limited.


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30-30, 30-06, .308, .270 are all classics for NE deer.

Would also work:
.44 Mag, .357 Mag, .243, a couple Savage calibers, .280 Rem, .300 Rem Mag
 
NHAtheart nailed it.
IMHO
.223 is too small
.243 barely OK. Shot placement needs to be good.
Anything larger than .243 with more energy is fine. Shot placement is far more important than the caliber.
 
Much of what was written or believed in years past is no longer valid as bullet design has made tremendous improvements in past decades. I have always been fan of .270 but today 7mm-08 is better round. .243 win was considered marginal for deer with 100 grain bullet but today 85 grain gmx or all copper bullets is fantastic deer slayer. So go with caliber you want to shoot and pair it up with quality bullet of modern design and you will be good to go.
 
I always liked 35 remington,good for both Deer and Bear, Shot placement is mainly more important than caliber just stay away from smaller calibers .
 
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.
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!
 
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
 
you want a remington pump 30/06 the 7600 or 760. the best brush gun ever. have got lots of game with it. deer bear moose caribou. lots of bullet sizes to choose from and can get ammo anywhere. never had a jamb with my gun. top it with an xs ghost ring and you will be unstoppable. my 11 year old son has one and he is already outshooting me .
 
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

This is important to remember, yes a decent amount of the time in the woods you're inside of 75 yards. However I've taken a 146" buck at 160ish yards with my .270, 1 shot. I wouldn't have been all that confident about that same shot with a 30-30. That was in Maine down a logging road I was sitting on for the morning.

Personally, if I was just getting started, I'd probably get the lightest/best put together .308 I could find and put a 3-9x Nikon on it (if I didn't want to spend the big bucks of a leupold).

This coming from the guy that dropped a little 4 pointer last year with a .300wsm :-D.
 
There is no best caliber. That's why I have 3 deer rifles.
1. A Ruger .44 mag carbine with peep sights for walking around in the thick stuff
2. A CZ 550F in 6.5x55 for field work
3. A custom 35 Whelen just because I like 35 Whelens.

On the lower end, I wouldn't go lighter than .243 win.
There is no limit on the upper end. Dead is dead.
 
You have to match the cal/firearm to what you'll be drinking at camp. The pairing is important:

Gansett, PBR = 30-06 Rem 7600
Bud, Bud Light or Coors Light = 30-30 Win 94
Yuengling = .35 Rem Marlin 336
Stout = 45-70 H&R buffalo classic
Scotch (blend) = .300 Sav Savage 99
Scotch (single malt) = any cal Kimber
Bourbon (bar) = 30-06 Rem 700 synthetic stock
Bourbon = .270 Win Mod 70
Gatoraid = .243 Savage Mod 11 Ltwt Hunter
Coffee = any cal Encore
Wine = any Ruger 1
Good wine = nicely done 03-a3 sporter




No disrespect meant as I like all of these models :). If I got any wrong please correct me.
 
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.
 
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!

Lever action 30-30s have taken a ton of deer in this country. Definitely an effective choice.
 
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.

I would not mind having a savage 99 chambered in 308. That was a rifle ahead of its time when it came out, I wonder if it would have been more popular if it was released a little later.
 
Though I'm not a hunter a completely ignored caliber 250 Savage or a good lever action in one of my fun cartridges 45/70 Govt. Factory ammo 300,400 and if you're planing to hunt Godzilla 500 gr bullets.
 
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