RE:What Calibers Do You Use To Deer Hunt Besides The More Popular One's?

TravisLH

Old Mossy Horns
Disappointment in 3 deer shot with .270 has led me to build a 6.5 Grendel for this coming year.
What bullet were you using and what range? Every deer I have shot with my .270 has dropped dead where it stood. The 6.5G is a slower, similar weight round so I don't think it would outperform a .270.

Buddy has had issues with using ballistic tip .270 on deer under 75 yards. I think the round was still going to fast to mushroom appropriately.

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That’s a common problem with a lot of higher velocity calibers.... but like you said a 270 is a beast and will kill anything in NA with ease. If you have issues with it I’d try a different bullet construction, and I say this NOT being a fan of 270s.


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timekiller13

Old Mossy Horns
Disappointment in 3 deer shot with .270 has led me to build a 6.5 Grendel for this coming year.
If you had issues with a .270 then a 6.5 grendel ain't gonna fix anything. Your issue with the 270 was either shot placement or type of bullet. I've killed a truckload of deer with a .270, never had a single issue. Honestly, NC deer are not hard to kill. Even my 22-250 and 220 swift drop em like a sack of taters.
 

FishHunt

Old Mossy Horns
Disappointment in 3 deer shot with .270 has led me to build a 6.5 Grendel for this coming year.

What bullet and shot placement were used? I spent 20+ years using a .270 as my main hunting rifle and I can't recall having to track but one deer. That was was using plain cheap soft point ammo to Hornady SST Light Magnum loads. Every deer shot either dropped or fell within sight. The best bang-flop round was a hand load with a 130gr Sierra SP and 55 grains of IMR4350.

<>< Fish
 

Wv67

Ten Pointer
I Only have one lever action deer rifle , and of course it’s the older 94 30/30 it was my first rifle , I have a few other hunting rifles but my go to is my encore prohunter in 25.06 .. if I’m gonna still hunt the thickets I prefer 7.65 argentine or my slug gun both are short and light
 

Papa_Smurf

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Disappointment in 3 deer shot with .270 has led me to build a 6.5 Grendel for this coming year.
A .270 is one of the most popular deer rounds there are and easily enough for any nc deer. A 6.5 grendel is a step down in power and caliber....

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golfer

Four Pointer
What bullet and shot placement were used? I spent 20+ years using a .270 as my main hunting rifle and I can't recall having to track but one deer. That was was using plain cheap soft point ammo to Hornady SST Light Magnum loads. Every deer shot either dropped or fell within sight. The best bang-flop round was a hand load with a 130gr Sierra SP and 55 grains of IMR4350.

<>< Fish
Really wasn't expecting all the criticism on the post. I was just stating an opinion. I killed and recovered all three deer. All three were hit in the vitals. My disappointment was in the lack of blood and recovery distance. I was shooting the American Whitetail rounds with 130 grain Interlock bullets.
 

timekiller13

Old Mossy Horns
Really wasn't expecting all the criticism on the post. I was just stating an opinion. I killed and recovered all three deer. All three were hit in the vitals. My disappointment was in the lack of blood and recovery distance. I was shooting the American Whitetail rounds with 130 grain Interlock bullets.
Its not criticism. It was others with more than 3 kills stating that the 270 is a fine round, and it has been a fine round for nearly 100 years. The 270 has killed elk, moose, grizzly and even brown bear. So its plenty capable of killing whitetail. If you are unhappy with the performance, you should try a new bullet. Of course there is nothing wrong with buying a new gun, but a 6.5 grendel is a step below a 270 in all aspects (velocity, bullet weight, energy). By my last count, I have killed 27 deer with a 270 win. The only one that ran out of sight was a poor hit on my part. All others have been DRT or dropped within 50 yds. I use the cheap 130 grain federal blue box soft points.
 

FishHunt

Old Mossy Horns
Really wasn't expecting all the criticism on the post. I was just stating an opinion. I killed and recovered all three deer. All three were hit in the vitals. My disappointment was in the lack of blood and recovery distance. I was shooting the American Whitetail rounds with 130 grain Interlock bullets.

If you consider the simple question "What bullet and shot placement were used?" to be criticism you might consider being a little less thin skinned.

<>< Fish
 

DuckyDave

Eight Pointer
Contributor
After I hunted a couple other states when I was younger, in NC (and hunting only public Gamelands) I have taken 13 deer with 54 caliber CVA, 9 with Ruger M77 243, 1 with Savage 270 and 1 with Remington 1100 12gauge slug. Just as importantly I missed (or unrecovered) 1 with 54cal, 1 with 243, 2 with 270 and 1 with 12gauge slug. So I seem to be most effective and efficient with my 54 caliber, next with 243. I am cursed with my 270 in the woods but it is a tack driver at the range. Go figure...
 

DuckyDave

Eight Pointer
Contributor
I forgot to mention the buck I killed with 270 was a real "hoss"; it dropped like a ton of bricks when hit with a 130 grain CoreLokt using 45grains of 4064 (a relatively mild load). In the 243 100grain Hornady BTSP or Speer 100gr ProHunters and 32grains 4064 do the job--another mild load.
 

Combat Diver

Eight Pointer
I've hunted with (standards are .243 Win, .308 Win, .270 Win, 30 WCF, 30-06, 12 ga and .50 cal BP for me)
.223/5.56 AR15s
6.5x55 Swede Mauser 95
7x57 Mauser 93 and FN49
7.9x57 JS Mauser 98 and G43
45-70 Marlin 1895 and Winchester 1886
.30 USC M1 Carbine
7.62x39 SKS
.357 Mag TC Contender
.41 Mag various Marlin 1894S, Smith, Ruger and Contenders
.44 Mag Smith 29
.45 ACP M1911

CD
 

Haleh

Spike
My friend has a couple of old military rifles I may try out in the next couple of years. A .41 swiss Vetterli (converted to center fire) and a 577/450. The 577/450 I believe was a British gun used during the Zulu wars.
 

timekiller13

Old Mossy Horns
Eyeballing a 338 federal at my LGS. May be the next one I add to my collection. Or a Ruger American in 450 Bushmaster. Or both :)
 

Travis299

Six Pointer
WIN M70 30-06 & CVA Accura V2 BP rifles are all I will use and because of my age I am way too old to switch. I did shoot the B14 in 6.5 Creedmoor when Bergara had a show and tell in Moncur this year. That is one sweet rifle.
 

Tipmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
338 Winchester magnum. It punishes the ground behind the deer too. Helps with getting a food plot established. :)
 
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