Pro-Line

Quilly beat me to it...The 25-06.

It' s a great calier! That said...I now hunt with a .270. No slouch in it' s own right. LOL

popeye

My opinion of what is " best" has changed over the years. Today my vote goes to the 280. In the past I' ve favored a 30-06, 308, 7mm Mag and 270. Like everyone else has said, there are a lot of " best" deer rounds as everyone has their own opinion.

bigbulls

The " best" one would be a rifle that you are comfortable with and can shoot accurately. As far as cartriges go there is really no " best" . Any of the normal " DEER" cartriges (243, 260, 25-06, 270, 280, 7mm-08, 308, 30-06, 257 rob., 7x57, 6.5x55, 7mm mag, 300 mag, the list goes on and on) are more than capable of taking any whitetail that walks this earth and the majority of those listed I would feel very comfortable hunting elk and moose.

The 270WSM I would list as an excelent whitetail cartrige and a very capable elk and moose cartrige.

frizzellr

7mm-08 Rem for me. Why? Because it is the rifle that I am most proficient with at the moment. I haven' t had the range time with my others yet to get as comfortable with them.

handloader1

7mm Mag. Good luck.

seattlesetters

Any standard cartridge of .25-cal or greater from the .308, .30-06, 7x57 or .284 class will do anything you would ever need for whitetails.

On the extreme outside would be rounds like the 7mm Rem Mag, the .270 and 7mm Wby Mags and the SAUMs/WSMs. Cartridges like the Ultra Mags and STW are way more than needed and can only be effectively used by about 1% of the hunters out there, and even at that for only about 1% of their shots at game. That is an awful small percentage of actual need to take that much abuse at the range.

If I had to choose, I' d go with the .284 Win or the now commercial 6.5 x.284. Both will take whitetails cleanly at 50 or 500+ yards and are equally lethal at at either range.

James B

Not to be undergunned or left behind, The 378 Weatherby Mag should drop them without to much trouble. 300 Grain Spitzer at 3100 fps. WHAM their gone. Don,t need a knife or field dressing tool. Just bring a mop and bucket.[:-]

NorthJeff

Seattle,

On one note though. The .270WSM, according to a chart I found on this site, is actually rated around 2#' s less kick then my current 30-06 I' m using, when comparing a 165gr. to the 130 gr., and at least a pound less when considering any load. I' d agree though, for me, I want nothing to do with the kick of the 7mmWSM or the 300WSM. I' ve shot the 300WSM, and maybe I' m a wimp, but I didn' t enjoy shooting it as much as my 30-06(and my 30-06 doesn' t even have pad!)

Jeff...U.P. of Michigan

Mainehunter

There is no " best" whether it be a round or a rifle. There is only what works best for YOU in the conditions in which you use them.

What works best for ME in the conditions in which I hunt for white tail I prefer my 45-70 to any other. The 45-70 may be the worst choice for you. Only you can determine the correct answer to your own question.

Maine Hunter

NorthJeff

Mainhunter,

The " best" round can be discussed to great length for sure, I' ve already made my choice so it doesn' t matter to me, but I' m always intrested in hearing others opinions. I like seeing discussions like this simply because it helps me learn and think about options for future purchases or future hunting trips. The only way to learn is to be open and to the opinions of experience. For me, I wanted a rifle I could hold dead on out to 300 yards, take down a 200#+ dressed whitetail, that wouldn' t beat the heck out of me if I wanted to shoot a box of ammo on a Sunday afternoon in June. I also wanted an excuse to buy a new gun, for a new, better scope!

Jeff...U.P. of Michigan