auto culto Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 Just about to put in for a deer caliber rifle but dont really fancy the .243. I've been looking at a .308 or a .300wmr. I realise the .300wmr is a bit powerful but it would be ideal for long range target shooting aswell, if reloading can it be done so as to have a less powerful round for deer then have the full load for target ? Or should i go for a totally different caliber ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oly Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 .243AI or 6mm?!? If I didn't have my .243Win I would probably plump for .308, or maybe 6.5x55. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flytie Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 I have just been through a similar dilemma when applying for my FAC. Because I wanted to shoot foxes aswell as deer if the opportunity arose, I went for the 6.5 x 55 because that's what the police will let you have. If it was allowed I would have gone for the .308 at first. The more I researched and the more people I talked to, including Barry Holt the Deer Manager from Cowdray Park, I realised that I had stumbled onto one of the sweetest shooting calibres you could wish for. It shoots a huge range of deer legal bullet weights, unlike the .243 , so any UK species of deer is easily within your reach. That said I still like the .308 and might at some time in the future just have to have one. ft/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auto culto Posted November 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 How does the 6.5x55 compare to a .308 ? I quite fancy a steyr elite but there not available in 6.5 so how popular is this caliber ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flytie Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 How does the 6.5x55 compare to a .308 ? I quite fancy a steyr elite but there not available in 6.5 so how popular is this caliber ? If you read historic books about the heyday of African exploration the 6.5 x 55 was very popular. It has retained a large following on the continent and is becoming ever more popular here due to its impressive array of bulletweights and soft on the shoulder feel. But the .308 or 7.62 (nato) as it was more commonly known has an even larger range of bullet weights it is capable of throwing. You will find .308 easy to buy, and the 6.5 increasingly so. ft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 I'm going for a 6.5x55 too. It's a pretty good all round calibre for Fox, Deer and Targets. If you don't want to shoot Fox, then I would say the obvious choice is the .308/7.62mm mainly because you can buy surplus ammo very cheaply for targets. The only drawback I can think of is that a target gun is very heavy to carry on a stalk, and a Deer gun will get very hot very quickly at the range. It's hard to find something that is good for both. 6.5mm pushes about 2200ft-lbs on average, the .308 about 2700ft-lbs. The 6.5x55 with a 100 yard zero drops 4 inches at 200, and 15 inches at 300. Wind drift about 3 inches at 200 in 10mph wind. .308 with 100 yard zero drops about the same at 200 and 300 but wind drift is more like 2.5 inches at 200. For woodland stalking the 6.5 is plenty, for long range hill stalking the .308 is better by a mile. .300win mag is a harsh round, and I'd say a little much for Deer unless at long range. The ammo is also VERY expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flytie Posted November 11, 2007 Report Share Posted November 11, 2007 I'm going for a 6.5x55 too. It's a pretty good all round calibre for Fox, Deer and Targets. If you don't want to shoot Fox, then I would say the obvious choice is the .308/7.62mm mainly because you can buy surplus ammo very cheaply for targets. The only drawback I can think of is that a target gun is very heavy to carry on a stalk, and a Deer gun will get very hot very quickly at the range. It's hard to find something that is good for both. 6.5mm pushes about 2200ft-lbs on average, the .308 about 2700ft-lbs. The 6.5x55 with a 100 yard zero drops 4 inches at 200, and 15 inches at 300. Wind drift about 3 inches at 200 in 10mph wind. .308 with 100 yard zero drops about the same at 200 and 300 but wind drift is more like 2.5 inches at 200. For woodland stalking the 6.5 is plenty, for long range hill stalking the .308 is better by a mile. .300win mag is a harsh round, and I'd say a little much for Deer unless at long range. The ammo is also VERY expensive. I'm with njc. ft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcbruno Posted November 13, 2007 Report Share Posted November 13, 2007 not relevent but in north america 30-06 is from all experts the best deer round and everything else too 270 is also considerd the best singular north american deer cartridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.