Smallest caliber for whitetails

[wrangler88]

Hello, I'm a new member. In my state of Tennessee, the smallest caliber for deer is .243 for rifles, .357 handguns and .45 muzzleloaders. I think we owe it to the whitetail to give the most cleanest and quick killing shot we can. I stive for a double-lung shot which is a guaranteed kill with a maximum blood trail. IMHO

[Antler3]

Glad to meet you Wrangler88... I agree with you on humane shots. I too strive for a clean kill. I hunt with a winchester 30 - 30. Here in these hills where I hunt you don't get much over a 50 or 60 yard shot. It has served me well so far. Welcome to THL, stop by the campfire and grab a hot cup of that rebel coffee. :)

[wrangler88]

Thanks for the welcome. It sounds like your woods are like mine, thick and hilly. My longest shots would be on the four gaslines that run through the 5300 acres that I hunt. That's why I like hunting with big bore rifles like my .45-70 and 44 mag. carbines.

[Oregoneric]

I have seen my father kill 15+ whitetails with his trusty ol ruger 77 in 22-250. After I was old enough to really understand ballistics, I could not believe that's all he ever used (uses). He hunts in South Dakota where things are OPEN and 300+ yard shots are  common. Anybody who says " if I can't get within 300 yards then I need to be better at stalking" has never been to SD and seen two mile square cornfields. I have never seen him lose a deer. I would surely not recommend that caliber. I think the perfect gun for full size whitetails is a 300 remington ultra mag. It's flatter than the 22-250 and has 4 times the power. But thats just my goofy opinion. I don't like the idea of using the smallest possible caliber. I have good tracking skills, but I don't want to use them. One shot, one step.

[periscope_depth]

In most (if not all) States....hunting deer is illegal with a .22 caliber rifle.
 
That being said....many..especially property owners are not subject to a game wardens scrutiny.  Like the speed limit....enforcement is difficult if not impossible on private property.
 
As most have stated....anyone worth their salt wants to make a humane kill.  The idea is to harvest the deer not mame it.  
 
I have never killed or shot at a deer with a .22 centerfire rifle...but suspect that if you choose a bullet heavier than 55 grns....a bullet with a thicker jacket and you keep your shots within 50 to 100 yards....no reason why a 65 or 70 grn .22 slug wouldn't consistently penetrate to the vitals.
 
I have heard people having good success with the .357 magnum in a rifle and even the .40 SW at very close range.  It just comes down to placement and bullet construction.

[m gardner]

I've had the best luck with the 270 winchester. It's easy to shoot and will reach out to longer distances. I've shot hundreds of deer with most anything you can think of and have settled on this. The reason I feel this way is that minimum calibers need expert shooting and usually the beginners use them because they are intimidated by recoil. Most experts use the big thirties when they hunt, not the minimums. God bless and good hunting.

[quigleysharps4570]

Kansas the minimum caliber is .243...if they'd change it...I'd give the .220 Swift a shot at it. Don't reckon that will ever happen though.

[shootdown]

IMO, 30-06 a very good all around rifle. a friend had a mag. the weight was close to his body weight. the first shot was off hand, secound was prone. never took a third. his brother now uses it to line up when marking out a field. never did walk quite right after that experiance.
 
Merry Christmas
Dave, shootdown

[buckshot roberts]

The state of Kentucky, you can use any "centerfire caliber" .
.22 rimfire is not legal, I know that they are some who can kill a deer with a .22, I've never used anything under a 30 cal, If the .22 is legal and you can make a clean Kill use it .
 
Anybody out their use the Savage 250-3000, or 22 high power.

[trahanml]

Many years back I went out to Texas for a hunt where 4 hunters were there to cull some of lesser genetic quality deer off this ranch. One hunter was using a 223 and shot a deer 4 times in the lung area broad side. We found the deer after a n extensive 5 hour search.  The shots were picture perfect (complete pass through both lungs) but the small diameter holes seemed to seal themselves  and no blood what so ever was found.  I thought then and I still think that any bullet placed right will kill most animals but if you can't find it what is the point. That same gun shot 2 more deer and one of those had holes as big as my fist so, I gues my point is that why take the chance, use a bigger caliber  and up your odds of recovery.

[trahanml]

Many years back I went out to Texas for a hunt where 4 hunters were there to cull some of lesser genetic quality deer off this ranch. One hunter was using a 223 and shot a deer 4 times in the lung area broad side. We found the deer after  an extensive 5 hour search. The shots were picture perfect (complete pass through both lungs) but the small diameter holes seemed to seal themselves and no blood what so ever was found (although the chest cavity was full of blood). I thought then and I still think that any bullet placed right will kill most animals but if you can't find it what is the point. That same gun shot 2 more deer and one of those had holes as big as my fist so, I gues my point is that why take the chance, use a bigger caliber and up your odds of recovery.

[Daryl (deceased)]

Many years back I went out to Texas for a hunt where 4 hunters were there to cull some of lesser genetic quality deer off this ranch. One hunter was using a 223 and shot a deer 4 times in the lung area broad side. We found the deer after an extensive 5 hour search. The shots were picture perfect (complete pass through both lungs) but the small diameter holes seemed to seal themselves and no blood what so ever was found (although the chest cavity was full of blood). I thought then and I still think that any bullet placed right will kill most animals but if you can't find it what is the point. That same gun shot 2 more deer and one of those had holes as big as my fist so, I gues my point is that why take the chance, use a bigger caliber and up your odds of recovery.

I can't help but wonder what kind of bullets that shooter was using.
 
FMJ's don't usually kill too well, with unpredictable results.  Sometimes they'll just pencil through, and cause  you to track game a long ways sometimes.  Other times they'll "yaw" off course, tumble, and make a large exit.  In that case, they USUALLY kill fairly quick.
 
If that's what the shooter was using, then it's not a good example of what the .223 does on game.
 
Using correct bullets, within reasonable range, and with good bullet placement, the .223 can and does kill deer very quickly and reliably.
 
Using a pointed bullet that pencils through without expanding, a .30 caliber wouldn't kill much better.  Those holes would plug up without bleeding much more, too.
 
That's one reason FMJ's are not legal in many states for hunting.
 
Daryl

[ForneyRider]

I shot a buck yesterday with my DPMS Panther bull 20 in .223 with factory (bulk ammo)50gr load(3200fps). It ran about 3 yards and fell over and never got up. About 100-120 yard shot into the woods from a stand. I made a heart-lung shot. I have a ton of reloads for this rifle, but haven't had time to test before hunting season so I went with factory load.
 
My dad shot one with his Remy 700 VLS in .22-250 at 30 yards with my 50gr V-Max (3900fps)reload. Neck shot paralyzed the animal, it never got back up.
 
My brother shot a 8pt buck with 270 Win and 130gr SST, another of my handloads but similar to Hornady load (3100fps). Shoulder shot went through both ribs and out the other side. It ran 40 yards and croaked. This was the longest shot of the day, 150-200 yards.
 
In all, 5 animals. 2 hogs caught in live trap killed with 380 ACP and 88JHP Remington Express ammo.
 
My 7mm mag sits in my closet.

[Alboy]

Back to the original question.
 
Smallest caliber to recommend.
For new hunters, assuming little trigger time, a 243 is as small as I reccomend.
 
Build in more experience, guided by someone with experience or if it is all you got then use it; any centerfire weapon will get the job done.

[Paul Hoskins]

I have purposely stayed out of this thread. It never ceases to amaze me how many people decry the smaller calibers for deer and black bear. Makes me wonder what expierence they have with smaller calibers. For the past twenty some years I've used smaller calibers almost exclusively. I only use a larger caliber when I build a new rifle in a diffrent caliber just to "blood" it. None of the black bear I've shot with 22 calibers has required a second shot. Sometimes I wonder why I build a rifle in any caliber other than 17, 204 or 22 because I don't need them for my hunting. Anyone that "thinks" a 22 caliber isn't powerful enough should buy one and try it. Then they will know the "truth." I'll be the first one to agree varmint bullets are useless on deer for the most part. Too many people don't know the diffrence between varmint and game bullets. A 22/250 loaded with 60 gr. Nosler Partition bullets is bad news for the deer. Same goes for the 223 Rem. I prefer them over the Barnes X bullets any day. Many states now allow "any centerfire" for deer. I have shot truckloads of deer and most have been killed with either 17 or 22 calibers. With the 17 calibers it's best to use something like my all copper homemade hollow point bullets. There is lots of good 22 caliber game bullets available from commercial makers. For begenners I would reccommend the 6mm calibers tho. .............Paul H