smallest caliber to kill deer

[duckmanep]

since when is it legal to shoot a deer with a rimfire?

not a rimfire

[Philip-TX]

I just recently have gotten my feet wet with rifles for deer hunting and just out of curiosity without starting a battle,whats the smallest caliber u can effectively kill a deer with and not ear hole them....So a typical set up being 100yrd max.good conditions....etc..thx

I can't believe it took 4 pages to get the right answer..
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Mathews.....

[bubinga]

Some people don't understand the difference in how a broadhead kills vs. a bullet.

[DFWPI]

I've killed (culled) does inside 50 yards, in good conditions, with a .22mag under the ear. It's a tough shot, but if you miss, you usually miss clean.

That said, .22-250 or a .223 would be the smallest caliber I'd recommend.

Let's hope you are just kidding, as I believe, if memory serves me correct, that is a violation of the law.

[DFWPI]

About anything will kill one. However why track them if you're using a gun get a 270 or bigger if you have someone small shooting it put a Break on it.

LoL. No matter how large the bullet, bad shot ain't gonna drop nothing in its tracks.

[DFWPI]

Disagree . When I was younger I was a guide on an Exotic Ranch. There was a reason we had minimum ,243 rule ,

Because people sucked at shooting? Didn't put in the necessary trigger time?

[bm22]

Because people sucked at shooting? Didn't put in the necessary trigger time?

Isn't that the point of this thread. What is the minimum bullet to kill a deer but gives you a margin of error. What's the point of shooting a bullet that requires a perfect shot to make an ethical kill.

IMO even a .243 is borderline. Can you kill with smaller bullets like .17 or .22lr absolutely, but I think you need a .243 or a .250 to kill a deer with a decent margin of error.

I think a bigger bullet like a 250 or my new favorite .264 would result in a recovery/ dropped deer when a smaller bullet may not.

Terms and conditions: I am not advocating a bigger bullet as a way to avoid practicing. I am not saying a bigger bullet is perfect. No bullet size is a replacement for an accurate shot.

[coop]

To answer the initial question, I don't think there is a LEGAL (meaning centerfire) cartridge out there that would not kill a deer every time at 100 yards with a perfect double-lung shot.

That being said, a larger caliber is generally preferable because of a number of potential problems. (bullet hits bone, deer moves, you flinch, farther shot, unseen brush, wind, etc.) The larger caliber won't make up for improper shot placement, but it can be the difference between a lost deer and a found deer.

243 is a good all-around minimum, imo.

And btw, don't take head shots. It's not a kill-or-miss shot. You can graze the skull, blow the jaw, put out an eye, etc. A double-lung shot will kill 100% dead 100% of the time, and the lungs are a much larger target than the brain...

I agree with this.

JC

[JW]

Disagree . When I was younger I was a guide on an Exotic Ranch. There was a reason we had minimum ,243 rule ,

I agrees with a 243 minimum totally. If I owned a ranch it would be 257 minimum.

[Chad C]

The smallest I use personally is 22-250 or my swift.

[AJACKS]

I personally think everyone on here needs to read PO Ackleys Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders and what he says about the 220 Swift. While I don't have a Swift, I do use a 22-250 and I run 45 gr Barnes TSX pretty hot, (right at 4100 fps) and I promise that it doesn't matter if you hit them square in the shoulders or right behind the shoulders, they don't take a step! Square shoulders = exit holes every time. At my place, I would much rather see a hunter get out of the truck with a well worn 22-250 or 220 Swift, than a shiny new 06 or whatever magnum.
If this guy is new to rifles, I advise him to get a 223 and burn a a** load of that cheap ammo through it, then come season, get some barnes tsx or ttsx, resight with it, and go kill some deer.

[Dirtymike]

I personally think everyone on here needs to read PO Ackleys Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders and what he says about the 220 Swift. While I don't have a Swift, I do use a 22-250 and I run 45 gr Barnes TSX pretty hot, (right at 4100 fps) and I promise that it doesn't matter if you hit them square in the shoulders or right behind the shoulders, they don't take a step! Square shoulders = exit holes every time. At my place, I would much rather see a hunter get out of the truck with a well worn 22-250 or 220 Swift, than a shiny new 06 or whatever magnum.
If this guy is new to rifles, I advise him to get a 223 and burn a a** load of that cheap ammo through it, then come season, get some barnes tsx or ttsx, resight with it, and go kill some deer.

Great advise right there. Buying a bolt .223 youth model for my kids. Ammo is cheap and they can get used to a center fire bolt gun

[DFWPI]

Isn't that the point of this thread. What is the minimum bullet to kill a deer but gives you a margin of error. What's the point of shooting a bullet that requires a perfect shot to make an ethical kill.



IMO even a .243 is borderline. Can you kill with smaller bullets like .17 or .22lr absolutely, but I think you need a .243 or a .250 to kill a deer with a decent margin of error.



I think a bigger bullet like a 250 or my new favorite .264 would result in a recovery/ dropped deer when a smaller bullet may not.



Terms and conditions: I am not advocating a bigger bullet as a way to avoid practicing. I am not saying a bigger bullet is perfect. No bullet size is a replacement for an accurate shot.

Yeah, tell that to the guy that shot one of the bigger deer in our lease one year. He makes 50-yard shot on a 140 class buck using his "trusty '06. **** poor apparent gut shot and we never found the deer. That same morning, I make a 225-yard shot on a big spike with my .243. I'm confident in my abilities and neck shoot him and he drops in his tracks.

A buddy of mine makes a 312-yard (confirmed) shot in a nice 13-point with his trusty.243 and deer runs less than 30-yards.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no margin of error, but then again, I come from a military and law enforcement background. I've sold many a good rifle before because I didn't like the groupings, 1.25 MOA ain't good enough for me, has to be under 1MOA. This is all based on 100 yard target.

Last year ranged a nasty looking 3-point at 350 yards and took the time to take into account wind and such. Laid the rifle on the railing, took my time and squeezed. .308 Accubond did its job and deer dropped straight down.

And I've shot many a deer with a 22-250 and NONE have ran more than 35-yards.

[bm22]

Like I said there is no perfect bullet and no replacement for a good shot.

I shot 3 doe three years ago within 60 seconds with a 7 mag. First one dropped at about 200 yards last dropped at 300 yards. They weren't my best shots but everyone dropped in there tracks. Deer are individual creatures you never know how they will respond to being shot.

[ElGatoBandito]

I personally think everyone on here needs to read PO Ackleys Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders and what he says about the 220 Swift. While I don't have a Swift, I do use a 22-250 and I run 45 gr Barnes TSX pretty hot, (right at 4100 fps) and I promise that it doesn't matter if you hit them square in the shoulders or right behind the shoulders, they don't take a step! Square shoulders = exit holes every time. At my place, I would much rather see a hunter get out of the truck with a well worn 22-250 or 220 Swift, than a shiny new 06 or whatever magnum.
If this guy is new to rifles, I advise him to get a 223 and burn a a** load of that cheap ammo through it, then come season, get some barnes tsx or ttsx, resight with it, and go kill some deer.

Also, WDM Bell hunted Scottish red deer with a 220 swift. And those deer are much larger than any natural whitetails in texas.
I learned to hunt with a single shot .223. There is enough of a margin of error and never had a lost deer.
If someone is going to be a consistent hunter, they need to learn to shoot well enough that they can kill a whitetail every time with a .223 at 100 yards.