i know this is going to start alot of crap but...

i am from alaska now i am stationed in oklahoma and i do alot of hunting in texas what is everyone's opoinin on what is the best small caliber all around i shoot a 338 win mag in alaska and i think that is a little over kill for deer in texas

I've seen more .223's, 6.5x55's, .270's, .308's and 30-06's in Texas for deer than most every thing else. Rarely see anything above an '06.

You have some choice whitetail hunting there in Oklahoma, also. If you're stationed at Tinker, you can go 360 degrees for good hunting. Public land is sorta hard to get tagged for, but most landowners are accomodating if you take the time to look around and ask.

howard:

I've used the standard .270 Winchester for years and it has been very effective - even on elk.

That being said, I now have a Ruger #1 in 25-06. This may be just about optimum for Western deer and antelope hunting. With a premium 100 grain bullet such as Barnes or Nosler, it can be driven to over 3200 fps muzzle velocity, and thus shoot just about as flat as any cartridge can - but with modest recoil. Some hunters even use it on elk, but your 338 would be better for the larger Western game animals. With these two rifles you will be well set.

kdub-- the reason i hunt in texas is cause i have access to private land and the hunting season is short in oklahoma but i looking into getting a muzzleloader to make the season longer but i dont hunt that much in oklahoma

8iowa--a 25-06 is actually what i was considering are you not a fan of the new short mags like the 243 or 270??? those are the other ones i was thinking about

um for deer you can kill a deer with a rock if u throw it hard enough, but i suck at throwing so i use a .270, very affordable ammo if u dont reload, and you can find this caliber in almost any rifle, so if your u like a particuliar brand of guns btter im sure u can get a .270 in one, but id say anything over an '06 is over kill, sometimes one can even be too fast, ive even seen an '06 go straight threw a deers neck and the deer take off, but a .257 or any other .25 works great too, when i turned telve the only thing i could shoot was my dad's .22-250, and i just pegged them int eh head with it fro my first couple years, then used a 760 in .257 roberts, then i bought my own .270, so pretty much any gun u like will work, my dad has taken game from rabbits, turkey, gorundhogs, caribou, wild pig, and a crapload of deer with his .270, but then he bought .340 weatherby mag for the bigger stuff, so just find one u like, and ur kids might be able to use someday

A good 30-30 will do nicely for deer hunting in Texas. You can get ammo anywhere.

Ditto on the 270 Win. Combined with your 338, you have two rifles that compliment each other well with not a lot of overlap. Good for anything in NA and even much of the world with the exception of the large African game.

Howard, if I lived in ALaska, I might keep my .35 Whelen, but a .338 would surely be a very close second choice.

In Texas, for a guy who grew up in Alaska, and could shoot, I might think real hard about a .243, or a .25-06. The opportunity for some coyote and similar game make them excellent choices. I guy who can shoot, can eat a LOT of venison with a .243.

Anther vote for the 270. The 90 or 100 grain hollow point will serve just fine for any varmits you may want to shoot and ammo is cheap and available anywhere.

If you handload the 338 is flexible cartridge.I'm from the Alaska too.We also have blacktail deer up here which are small.Many of my friends of use the 338 on black deer,because where there are blacktail(Sitka) there are brown bear.The338 really don't blow the **** out deer anymore than a 243 unless you really screw up your shot.If you handload save your self a few bucks and custom taylor your rounds to what your shooting ,otherwise buy a non magnum rifle thats easy on the wallet if you plan on shooting alot

Wow ,,they censored when did that become a bad word??????????:confused:


Guys, knock it off. This isn't high school and we don't live to try to break the rules - MikeG, Beartooth admin

I would probably choose a 25'06, unless I also wanted to hunt hogs in Texas. If I thought that I might get to do that too, I would opt for a 7-08 or 308.

Strictly deer in Texas-go with the 25'06. If you go back to Alaska, it should make a great light rifle with your 338 that you already have.....

JMO...hope it helps.

Hntfsh - This board is owned and operated by a pretty religious individual (note the "Cross-Wire" forum) and has blockers installed for proper language. Don't be offended by it, just enjoy the board as is.

no i believ they censored


Guys, knock it off. This isn't high school and we don't live to try to break the rules - MikeG, Beartooth admin

Back to the issue, there are SO many excellent cartridges for Lower 48 hunting the choice is more difficult than achieving success with what you choose.

Overlooked rounds like the 6.5x55 Swede, 7x57 or their modern twins the 260 and 7-08 are wonderful all-round choices. So are any of the modern quarter-bores. If you want more than a deer gun, you already have an elk/moose rifle. So why go to more power than is fun to shoot?

My own do-everything rifle is a 308, but there is absolutely no practical difference between that and a 270, 280, 30-06, 7 Mag or several others - and I need one a tad heavier than you would because it's my biggest gun. You can go lighter.

I am in the camp that calls the 243/6mm just a tad light for larger deer. But n calm, expert shot can use one with complete confidence. Still, if you throw hogs into it, I'd much prefer at least a 25-something.

Pin me down and I'd opt for a Swede, a 7 Mauser or a Roberts. All classics, all exemplary rounds and all just a bit different than run-of-the-stump deer guns.

I've whacked a few hogs and deer with my .257 Roberts, if you want a bolt gun.

Levers - just ask us what we like here :D

.35 Rem!!

howard- I've been hunting deer for 51 years, & have done so in every part of the lower 48, save the Northwest. IMO, the one caliber that never leaves you wishing for something else, no matter the conditions, is the .270. I have never seen one that was difficult accuracy-wise. Very few super-mags are any flatter shooting. Recoil is moderate, & it's a perfect stablemate to your .338.

Here is another plug for the 270 win in a 130 gr. However you already own a very versitile caliber and I would not worry about shooting deer with it. As usual shot placement with any centre fire is what really counts.

Hntfsh - This board is owned and operated by a pretty religious individual (note the "Cross-Wire" forum) and has blockers installed for proper language. Don't be offended by it, just enjoy the board as is.I'm more perplexed than offended (other than the highschool comment)I'm sure he's read that word many times in the good book and heard it a time or to in a sermon,but thats neither here or there.I have no problem not puttting in swear words in my quotes,this is a civi lforum .So slang,swear,faith,political,creed and opinionated, words are off limits???
I haven''t been on forum in awhile,the site seen a few changes since I beeen gone Is there any other thing I need to know about?I'm done chewing your ear.I'll keep on topic thanks

''words are not bad,only in the context wich there are used'' habadashiri

Well if you really want the can of worms opened here it comes. I am 60 years old and hunted all over the U.S. and most of Canada, with the exception of Alaska (next year) and own a 22-250, 220 swift, 243 win, 25-06, 270, 7x57 mauser, 338 win mag, 9.3x62 mauser and a 458 Win mag. have had 257 Roberts, 256 Newton and 375H&H mags. when I hunt in Texas (where I now live) I forsake all others and use my favorite the 220 Swift which has accounted for 29 one shot kills on deer. Never had to search for one I shot either. They just drop where they are hit like someone pulled the rug out from under them. I know and have heard all the pros & cons on the Swift but I am sold on this caliber. olddudeone

Several years ago my oldest son got into some financial trouble and was looking to sell his Browning stainless composite stalker in 25-06. The rifle was like new, gun and pawn shops offered a high of $250 for it and he needed $660 to get the collections people off his back. I gave him the money and he left the rifle with me with the understanding he could buy it back.

After a couple years passed he told me to keep it. About three years ago I starting shooting prediators with it and what a sweetheart. So I began carrying it for other hunting. So far it's accounted for 10 deer, two antelope, a few coyotes & fox and some prairie dogs. I consider the money for 25-06 the best loan I ever made on both accounts.

I can understand people putting a plug in for their favorite caliber or gun but truthfully about any centerfire will get the job done in competent hands.

Monty pretty well summed it up. On the killing end about all will do it, it's the kicking end where rifles in the 243 to 308 will be more kindly than your 338. I shoot the 243, 280 Remington and the 308 and there is really not any difference in the way they kill. All recoil much less than the bit 8mm Rem mag that is my elk rifle.

thanks for everyone's input i will think long and hard before i buy my next rifle

I am pretty much a 1 gun hunter, or was when I lived in a state that let you kill deer with a rifle. I use a 30-06 and am very confident in the rifle cartridge.

I have seen more deer and antelope REALLY dead with a 243 than I ever saw dead with my 30-06. It is a case of all the bullets energy expended in the body of a deer sized fritter. My 06 will pass through back to fromt with my Hornady boat tails. 150 or 165 gr.

I hunt coyotes here and have both a 22-250 and 243. The 243 speaks with way more authority than my 22-250 at extended ranges.

I quit killing deer sometime ago. Now I hunt. That means that I kill some does for friends and family that want to eat venison and try to hunt large deer for me. Since I can only use slugs or muzzle loader in IA, I use slugs and they are very dead with a 12Ga. slug.

By the way TMan. I am going to rebarrel my dads old M70 from 06 to 35 Whelen this year. Hope to kill a moose soon.

i have a .338 win mag that i love and have hunted with quite abit. i find it extremely accurate and versatile. i handloaded some speer 200 grain hot cores for it and have taken several deer with it. all of them have dropped in their tracks. they have ranged from 10 yds to 400 yds. the performance was the same on all deer. complete through and through.

i think another rifle would be great too. can't have too many. any of the afore mentioned will do. for the last 6-7 years i have been hunting with my leveractions. i just can't get enough of them. there isn't enough hunting to use them all.