deer calibers

[TheFastFox]

Hey Capt, I took the liberty to look up your state regs and the minimum caliber restriction was dropped in 2004 so you can shoot what you want. I have some experience hunting the south when I was stationed in Alabama. I used my 30-30 however the .223 was very poular among hunters and quite affective. Can I get blasted off the forum and suggest an AR gun, Its semi auto so your wife won`t have to chamber a round for follow ups, might be a bit easier on her shoulder..just my .02 hope your wife gets to feeling better and happy hunting..

OB

I'll be hunting with a 6.8spc II AR once I get around to putting it all together. Nimble like a 5.56 but packs alot more knock down @ 3000fps with slightly more recoil. I'll be running a hydraulic buffer system so it should only feel like a 5.56 recoil. Shot placement is everything. My buddies dad has hunted with a .220 swift for years and has dropped plenty of deer with it. Smaller calibers like the 5.56 yield a higher velocity, with the right ammo it can fragment fast and leave a big wound cavity. Just because a round is big doesn't always mean it will leave a big hole or do what you think it will do. Idea for thought is check out a .40sw ballastic gel impact vs a .357 magnum gel impact. Just because one has a bigger bullet doesn't mean its going to do more damage because it yields less velocity/energy down range agaisnt the target.

[336ER]

I'll be hunting with a 6.8spc II AR once I get around to putting it all together. Nimble like a 5.56 but packs alot more knock down @ 3000fps with slightly more recoil. I'll be running a hydraulic buffer system so it should only feel like a 5.56 recoil. Shot placement is everything. My buddies dad has hunted with a .220 swift for years and has dropped plenty of deer with it. Smaller calibers like the 5.56 yield a higher velocity, with the right ammo it can fragment fast and leave a big wound cavity. Just because a round is big doesn't always mean it will leave a big hole or do what you think it will do. Idea for thought is check out a .40sw ballastic gel impact vs a .357 magnum gel impact. Just because one has a bigger bullet doesn't mean its going to do more damage because it yields less velocity/energy down range agaisnt the target.

I'd suppose this means you are not a candidate for a .450 or 45-70 or .375 or .356 or .32 or 30-30 then??

[capt greg]

I like a variety of calibers myself....

[TheFastFox]

I'd suppose this means you are not a candidate for a .450 or 45-70 or .375 or .356 or .32 or 30-30 then??

I have no need for those calibers. Those are designed for large game (which I dont want to spend the money on drawings, out of state tags etc just to maybe get a chance shot at one) minus the .32 and 30-30. I've had a 30-30 and didn't care for the performance (distance) of it. It was a Winchester 94. Great for starters but for novice hunters it wasn't cutting it for me. I later went to .270 150gr and occasionally 170gr hot loads for target shooting. Now I'm up about to the biggest round I want to go for deer. That's in my marlin x7 .308. I don't think bad of people who buy over kill sized rounds for hunting or leisure its their money their preference. I just like to choose something that is a happy medium for me and that's not going to cost me a arm and a leg to shoot if I want to go plinker with it occasionally. I can understand where a lot of people of come from with bigger rounds because my cousin used to hunt with a .45-70 and now went to a .325mag. He shot a deer threw a good sized tree with the .45-70

[WillieG]

I just came across this post and thought I would throw in my 2 cents worth. One thing people dont realize is the threshold of pain is an individual thing. When you cross that threshold point, even the slightest increase in recoil seems to tripple the pain. I had dislocated my shoulder and it took me 3 years before I could start shooting my 45-70 again. I understand what she feels. My advice would find someone close that could let her shoot their 357. It is a compact lightweight rifle with very little recoil compared to the 30-30. It has it's range limits, but you might find that she likes it and will enjoy hunting with you. Keeping a happy family is what puts the joy in this sport. And if hunting in your area is anything like here, you shouldn't have to worry about the non-existant long shots.

[LeverGunGuy]

Here's an article from Chuck Hawks that lists just about every cartridge with its recoil...
Rifle Recoil Table

[capt greg]

thats some good info.. thanks