Best Cartridges for Whitetail Deer
One Man's Opinion
by Wayne Hartt
I believe it was Jack O'Conner who used to say the .270 Winchester was the ultimate cartridge for deer hunting. There were other writers such as Elmer Keith, who used to write a very convincing story that a slow moving, big caliber (over .30) was superior to the smaller, faster, lighter bullets.
I have witnessed deer (whitetails) killed with a number of different cartridges through the years, from a .22 caliber up to a .35 caliber, and as a result, I have formed my own opinions about rifle cartridges and deer.
When I first started deer hunting, I bought what I thought was a tremendously large caliber deer rifle. I remember taking the rifle to see my grandfather as soon as I picked it up from the sporting goods store.
I wanted to get the opinion of my greatest hero (my grandfather), so I immediately drove to his house to show off my new and first "high powered rifle". Since my grandfather had never fired a "high powered rifle", he was tremendously impressed with the rifle and cartridge I was showing him. His comments were "what in the world do you need with such a big gun?"
This was in 1962 and the "big gun" I had chosen was the venerable Winchester Model 94, chambered in 30-30 Winchester. As you can surmise, this was one of the vintage "pre-64 Winchesters".
The thirty-thirty would have been adequate for the type of deer hunting I did then, mostly in East Texas, where a long shot would be 75 yards. However, it was about that time that Remington came out with the 7MM Remington Magnum (a belted magnum). I think it was the mistique of the belt around the bottom of the case, plus the magic word "magnum", that helped Remington capture the hearts (and the market) of hunters around the world with their hot new cartridge.
One of the men I worked with bought a brand new Remington Model 700 Rifle chambered for the 7 mm Remington Magnum, (7mag as he called it) and we went out to shoot it. To say the least, I was from then on "undergunned" with my "thirty-thirty". Luckily for me, in order to be able to buy the new Remington, he had to sell one of his rifles, and I got it, a Deluxe Model Sako in .243 Winchester, complete with a hand checkered stock, fine silver etching, and rosewood tipped forearm. Talk about a nail-driver, this was it. (but that is another story).
Through the years, I have owned a number of rifles chambered for the 7 mm Remington Magnum, and have hunted with a number of people who also shoot the same round. Although I have killed deer quite adequately with other cartridges, it is my belief that the 7mm Remington Magnum, is by far the best cartridge for hunting whitetail deer.
The cartridge seems to be accurate in almost every type of rifle I have seen. In some rifles, like the Remington Model 700, and the Ruger No. 1, it is extremely accurate. It is probably flatter shooting over a wider range, with less recoil, less muzzle blast, than any other cartridge available today.
Now, I am sure that a lot of you will grab up your pen to write me a nasty letter, that your favorite cartridge is just as good at killing deer as the 7 mm.
Now before you flood my mailbox with obscene letters, let me quickly say I don't disagree with you. Its just that the 7 mm Remington Magnum has superior ballistics, longer range, flatter trajectory, better sectional density, better ballistic coefficient, (some of these terms apply primarily to the bullet), which is actually .284 inches, than any other cartridge. If you can find a better cartridge, let me know, and we will compare ballistics. Any cartridge that can push a .284 caliber bullet at the same velocity, with the same twist, will be exactly the same as the 7mm. However, there are not many available that do.
The 7mm Remington Magnum with a 162 grain boattail bullet has a ballistic coefficient of .514, and a sectional density of .287, and properly loaded will leave the barrel at approximately 2900 to 3000 fps.
One of the finest deer hunting bullets available for the 7mm Remington Magnum, is the Hornady boattail 139 grain boattail spire point bullet. You can whip this bullet up over 3000 fps. Out at 300 yards, the bullet still has over 1700 foot pounds of energy. (It is reported that you need about 1000 lbs of energy to efficiently kill a whitetail deer). If true, this would mean the 7mm Remington Magnum is capable of a clean kill at 600 yards! Very few people are capable of hitting a deer size target at that range, so don't think you can run out and kill deer in the next county with the 7mm Remington Magnum. Use good judgment and only take those shots you are capable of making.
There are a number of fine cartridges available for deer hunting. Here are some of my favorites:
.243 Winchester:
Over the years, I have killed a lot of deer with the .243 Winchester. I have a 1968 model Sako chambered in .243 caliber, and with handloading, it will shoot a five round group under 1/2" (when I can hold it still enough). To me, the .243 is quite adequate to kill whitetail deer, up to 300 yards. Beyond that point, you are stretching the capabilty of the fine cartridge (and in most instances the shooter). The recoil is minimal, and most rifles are very accurate with the round. You should use around a 100 grain bullet for hunting whitetail deer.
.270 Winchester:
One of my close friends hunts with a .270 Winchester in a model 700 Remington. He has been hunting (and killing) big (horns) deer with the same rifle for over twenty-five years. I have never known him to miss a deer with it, and the deer he has shot, very seldom run over a few steps before falling. As a result of what I have seen him do for the last quarter century, I would have to rate the .270 as one of the best rifle cartridges available for whitetail deer. If I remember right, this was also the cartridge that Jack O'Connor used in his model 70 Winchester. As I remember, he used his .270 Winchester to take a number of plains animals in Africa and around the world.
6 MM Remington:
The 6MM Remington is a souped up .243. Both the .243 Winchester, and the 6MM Remington are actually .243 Caliber. The 6 MM Remington, is loaded in a slightly larger case, so that the bullet can gain a little advantage by having a slightly larger powder charge than the .243 Winchester. Personally, I don't know if there is really any practical difference in the two rounds, so whichever you prefer, you should have an adequate cartridge for whitetail deer.
30-06.
No discussion of deer cartridges would be complete without including the '06. Originally a military round, ("ball cartridge, caliber 30, Model of 1906") the 30-06 has probably killed as many, or maybe more deer than any other cartridge. The .30-06 is a .308 caliber bullet. Probably because of the availability of both the surplus military rifles and the availability of surplus ammunition, plus being manufactured in every type and brand of rifle, the 30-06 has a reputation, and rightfully so, as an excellent deer cartridge. The rifle is available in a large number of bullet weights, from around 110 grains up to around 200 grains. It has been my experience that about 150 to 165 grain bullets perform better in most rifles. The smaller bullets are not as accurate, probably because of the diameter of the bullets being so large, the lighter bullets are not long enough to be as stable as the middle weight bullets.
.308 Winchester:
Another military round, the .308 Winchester is the same bullet used by the 30-06, but in a shorter, smaller case. Quite accurate, the .308 Winchester is a very good deer cartridge. A lot of people prefer the .308 to the 30-06, because of the shorter case. You can use a rifle with a shorter bolt throw, than you have to have for say a .270 or the 7MM magnum. By the way, the .243 Winchester is a .308 necked down to .243 caliber. I have taken once fired .308 cases, and necked them down and trimmed them to reload in my .243.
.30-30 Winchester:
Supposedly, the 30-30 Winchester is a "leg breaker cartridge". This probably comes from the fact that the 30-30 does not have as flat a trajectory as some of the other cartridges, so that the bullet drops more, and deer out at 150 to 200 yards are often hit in the legs, rather than in the vital parts of the body. If you use the rifle under 100 yards, the 30-30 rifle is quite adequate to kill deer. A couple of years ago, we were hunting in Alabama, and one of my hunting companions killed two deer with one shot each at about 150 yards. One of the deer weighed (field dressed) 195 pounds, and the other weighed 214 pounds. These are the two largest (body weight) deer that I have ever seen killed with the 30-30. But, this just goes to prove that the 30-30 is an adequate deer rifle at reasonable ranges.
.338 Winchester Magnum:
This cartridge is probably on the maximum end of the range to be considered a whitetail deer rifle (it is a .458 Winchester necked down to a .338 caliber bullet). I have killed several deer with the .338 and it is definitely a one-shot cartridge. None of the deer that I shot ran at all. Part of the reason, was not necessarily the cartridge, but where I shot the deer that made the difference. Shot placement will be covered in another article, and you may be surprised at the best place to shoot a deer to anchor him. Where you have always been taught to shoot deer is not necessarily the best place. Be sure to catch our next article on shot placement.
Shot Placement-Make Your Rifle Cartridge Perform BetterThe placement of your shot is more important to make a clean kill on game than the caliber of bullets you use. The best place to anchor deer is in the forward part of the chest area where the neck exits the body.Click Here to find out the details!
I hope I haven't hurt anyone's feelings because I haven't
mentioned their favorite deer cartridge. These
above, are just a few of the fine cartridges
available for whitetail deer hunting and are by no
means the only or the best cartridges available. If
you would like to submit your opinions on your favorite
cartridges, and the reasons why, send us an email
message to:
For more details, send any questions by email
to:
I am sure some of the other readers would agree with you on your choices and would like to have a second opinion.
To me, if you chose any of the cartridges above, in a good quality rifle, with a good quality scope, you will be able to kill deer consistently. Remember, when that big, once in a lifetime deer, walks out at 250 yards and stands broad side to you, you will have wished that you got the rifle you wanted, and more importantly, practiced enough with it to be able to hit the deer in a vital spot. You may only get that one chance in an entire lifetime of deer hunting, so you need to make the shot count.
Good bye, and good hunting.
This was my first hunt. I don't mean first Elk hunt,
it was my first hunt period. I had not even shot a rifle
larger than a 22 or a 410. The invitation was given to
me in March 96' and I accepted, wondering the whole time
if I really wanted to go. The only other attempt I made
at hunting was fifteen years ago when my brother
(same one) took me out to a piece of land he had and
sat me under a tree in the cold rain for hours. I had
no problem with not hunting after that.
