Best caliber for short to medium range woods hunting?

[howl]

Killed a lot of deer with 30/30 before I could afford anything else. Never was impressed. It's just too slow. It works fine with good shot placement, but your experience reflects mine well and I've killed a couple truckloads of deer with that old 30/30 of mine.

You want a soft, heavy for caliber bullet moving at about 2700 fps for impressive results and good blood trails on deer. There are lots of rounds that do that. This is appropriate for a woods gun because flat trajectories make it easier to shoot through small holes in cover. Any bullet will deflect too far off target if it the obstruction is not very near the deer. A good scope and flat shooting round make it easier to put the bullets where the twigs aren't. .260 Rem, 7mm08, .270 Win, 25/06 are some of the many choices. A Model Seven in one of the first two would be my choice if wrong-handed.

I did load up some 130gr for my son to use in the old 30/30 this past season. I loaded them hot and got some speed, maybe 2500fps impact velocity. Never have I seen a blood trail like that out of that old gun. I am curious to see how well he fares with them in future seasons.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

Killed a lot of deer with 30/30 before I could afford anything else. Never was impressed. It's just too slow. It works fine with good shot placement, but your experience reflects mine well and I've killed a couple truckloads of deer with that old 30/30 of mine.

You want a soft, heavy for caliber bullet moving at about 2700 fps for impressive results and good blood trails on deer. There are lots of rounds that do that. This is appropriate for a woods gun because flat trajectories make it easier to shoot through small holes in cover. Any bullet will deflect too far off target if it the obstruction is not very near the deer. A good scope and flat shooting round make it easier to put the bullets where the twigs aren't. .260 Rem, 7mm08, .270 Win, 25/06 are some of the many choices. A Model Seven in one of the first two would be my choice if wrong-handed.

I did load up some 130gr for my son to use in the old 30/30 this past season. I loaded them hot and got some speed, maybe 2500fps impact velocity. Never have I seen a blood trail like that out of that old gun. I am curious to see how well he fares with them in future seasons.

I don't agree. A 30-30 shooting a Win Super x 150gr with a 100 yd zero will shoot .15 high at 50 yds and hit with 1200 fpe at 100yds. If that's not flat shooting with enough power for elk let alone any deer. I don't know what is. The 30-30 is a perfect timber gun.

 

[AmericanLongrifle]

I don't agree. A 30-30 shooting a Win Super x 150gr with a 100 yd zero will shoot .15 high at 50 yds and hit with 1200 fpe at 100yds. If that's not flat shooting with enough power for elk let alone any deer. I don't know what is. The 30-30 is a perfect timber gun.

30-30 with a Remy Corelokt has killed elk, deer and other big game since 1939, before all of the lightning fast plastic tipped bullets were even on the scene. I agree that with a 150gr soft point, it's an amazing timber rifle.

 

[Muley_Stalker]

30-30 with a Remy Corelokt has killed elk, deer and other big game since 1939, before all of the lightning fast plastic tipped bullets were even on the scene. I agree that with a 150gr soft point, it's an amazing timber rifle.

We think alike. I used a 30-30 from 52 to 80 and loved it. A hole in both lungs is all that's needed for a good kill.

 

[howl]

You're forgetting wind drift. And 1200 ft/lb does work, but its not anywhere near as effective on getting a blood trail going as something faster.

 

[AmericanLongrifle]

You're forgetting wind drift. And 1200 ft/lb does work, but its not anywhere near as effective on getting a blood trail going as something faster.

Huh, I have seen heavy blood "trails" (if you want to call it a trail leading to 20 yards from where the critter was hit) from a .50 patched round ball from a muzzleloader, and I'm pretty sure its moving slower than a 30-30.

Never really thought about wind drift though.....probably because it's not an issue hunting in timber.

 

[howl]

.5 starts out at .5 and gets bigger. That's not apples to apples. That's not even in the produce section.

.30/30 will take game. There's no question of that. Suggesting it performs as well or better than a .308 or /06 based cartridge though? Come on. Whose leg are you pulling? Yours or mine?

 

[AmericanLongrifle]

Uh, nowhere has it been stated that the 30-30 outperforms any specific caliber. The discussion is on a good caliber for hunting "timber". 30-30 fits the bill and will do just fine. So would my '06. And even a .308.

But we are talking about timber....timber to me is thick cover with a possible 50 yard engagement, maybe 100 yards in a clearing.

And yeah, the old thuty thuty will get the job done.

 

[Rhino Hunter]

308 with 20 inch barrel is what I use and 150 grain fusion in dense woods .

Same here. Mine is a Ruger Ultralight. I’ve killed a pile of Whitetails with it in Michigan’s thick UP forest.

 

[EastTNHunter]

If you get a lot action then use Nosler Accubonds or Partitions if you are worried about blood trail. More shock value than a mono, but still give you an exit wound every time

 

[FLS]

I’ve got an old Remington Model 7 in 308 with an 18 1/2” barrel. Topped with a fixed power Leupold and stoked with Sierra 180 Pro Hunters, is a great short to medium range hunter.

 

[Boarmaster]

I would want something that was short (under 22 inch barrel) light and didnt kick to much in a bolt gun. Im not a fan of levers although I own two. Something fast handling where your just taking it off safe. A lower power optic. Things happen quick in the woods.
Any deer caliber will do. But to answer your question yes a 30-06 will kill them. These days Im more interested in the package than the caliber so long as it checks all the other criteria.

 

[MTGamecock]

The 30-30 is probably fine for killing deer in timber. If it wasn't, it would have faded into obsolescence years ago and the ammo would be hard to find. On the contrary, I believe it's still one of the most common deer calibers around and I've never seen an ammo retailer that didn't have a box of 30-30 on the shelf. Somebody must be killing a lot of deer with 30-30s. Having said that, there are ALWAYS plenty of good reasons to buy another gun in a new caliber. I don't think anybody has ever regretted buying a 30-06, or for that matter, a .243, 270, .308 or scores of other calibers.

 

[RevJim]

You can't find 30-30 factory ammo around here right now! Even components are hard to find. Must be alot of Preppers using 30-30s!

 

[Beagleman]

.35 Remington hard to beat in brush county. Killed alot in my younger days with an old 30-30 too

 

[Bcommissiong]

30-06 is a good one.

 

[deerhunter24]

Id say go for the 3030 because of the lever action and the hard hitting factors at short range.