by Justin Cox

Created on: April 14, 2009

The debate over the best deer caliber is complex and the array of options extremely broad. The list of potential calibers is easily in the dozens. There are cartridges that can dispatch a deer from the next county and cartridges that have been around for a hundred years. One must decide on a personal level what type of hunting he is planning on engaging in and which type of gun best suits him.

Perhaps the debate should begin with the ethics of the hunt. Some of the hunting round options, although functional, are less than ideal. The .22 and smaller calibers fit into the too small for reliable and ethical killing category. Conversely, the calibers beyond .35, although effective, give up a great deal when it comes to trajectory and terminal ballistics beyond 100 yards. See how easy that was, we have already narrowed the list down to those calibers between .25 and .35.

Cartridge efficiency is an interesting argument. The high powder capacity magnum rounds stretch a bit more maximum killing distance but it comes at significant cost. The quantity of powder burned, price of ammunition, report, weight, and detriment to barrel longevity all lead one to the conclusion that they are not the best choices for top deer caliber. Not to mention the fact that the recoil of these rounds can negatively affect accuracy by causing flinching. Let's limit the hunt' for the perfect deer-killer to non-magnums.

Availability of ammunition must be discussed as well. If you need ammunition in a pinch and have to stop by the local hardware store looking for 7mm shooting times westerner ammo, you might be out of luck. If your firearm is a .30-30 you can be comfortable knowing that they will likely be able to meet your needs. There are many wonderfully effective, yet hard to find, calibers out there. This effectively eliminates all wildcats, odd-balls and non-standard calibers.

What we are left with, it turns out, is basically the list of some of the most popular cartridges to date for hunting deer sized game. Selecting one ideal caliber from the likes of the .25-06, .270, .308, .30-30, .30-06, .35 Remington will be difficult on the one hand because many will not agree with the ultimate choice. It will, however, be simple as there is no bad or wrong choice. Any of these calibers could be listed as the best for a list of reasons. The best choice would be the .308 and here's why. The .308 Winchester is a shorter and therefore inherently more accurate case than the longer .25-06, 270 and .30-06. It is more modern with a much wider selection of bullets than the 35 Remington and it is widely available. The .308 gets the nod as best deer caliber.

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