best cal. bullet for busting deer?

[shootdonniebrook]

I'm getting ready to buy a new barrel for my encore and wanted some input.I live in tennessee and have to walk a long way back on the mountain to deer hunt it takes me about 3 hours to get there, but this place has produced very nice bucks for me for the last 20 years.I shot a 140 class 8 point in muzzleloader and a 148 12 point 2 years ago.Anyway, i need the bucks to drop on the spot, or im looking at a all night drag.I try and shoot them right through the front sholders it has always done the job. Whats the most damage from a cal. that you have seen done to a deer in this case.I'm looking at a 300 win. mag and maybe the barnes bullet in 180 gr. I wouldnt anything over this. A 270 cal. would be the least i would go.It has always done a pretty fair job in the past but i wanted something with a little more knockdown so i could take it bear hunting. :x  :x

[BH]

Shotgun slug without a doubt. :lol:

[longwinters]

Dropping a deer "on the spot" is not really so much a matter of caliber as it is shooting skill.  Most anything from a 7m-08 and up will put a deer down immediately if you take them thru the front shoulder. But any deer will run if you shoot them in the guts.
 I would go with at least a 150 gn bullet, but caliber does not have to be a magnum cartridge.  

long

[Steelhead]

I have only had 2 deer drop on the spot. I have shot them with about everything from a 6.5x55 thru 35 Whelen. Unless the brain or spinal cord it hit, there is NO guarantee that they will drop, irregardless of what you shoot.

Not to mention "knockdown power" is a bit arbitrary. Foot pounds doesn't impress critters. Destruction of tissue, vital organs and a loss of blood and oxygen are what kill (outside of the aforementioned brain pan, and spinal shots).

[WD45]

When it comes down to it any of the larger calibers will and can do it. Shot placement is #1 concern and if you can break bone and leg so much the better. I to have seen deer and other large critters shot with about everything under the sun and have yet to see the gun that dropped them on the spot every time. Adrenalin is a weird thing and I have seen deer run a long way and then wonder how they even moved after seeing the damage done. My personel favorite is 45-70 or 444 marlin handloaded.
But there are a dozen others that will do just as well.
A three hour walk to yer hunting spot and an all night drag would give most people a heart attack..... Can ya ride a mule er atv er somethin ta where ya hunt. Wears me out just thinking about it

[shootdonniebrook]

Thanks for your info. I'm going to get the barrel chambered for a 270 win.I have killed alot of deer with this cal and 90% of them have droped on the spot with a sholder shot and a 130gr. bullet.Where I hunt is a wilderness area and you cant have nothing on it, It's all public land I dont have any private land to hunt on.So to shoot big bucks i have to hike that far back to get away from the other hunters,nobidy else will hike to the top of that mt. But it's worth every step when mr. big steps out. :wink:

[Frog123]

Shoo... go back SDB this ain't the Tndeer web site..


Frog123

AKA.. The Polecat

[shootdonniebrook]

i havent left tndeer, just looking for more input on this subject, this is a cool web site.Alot of encore hunters here

[Frog123]

You're right there is alot of great information passed along on this site. If you wanted a great deer stopper and brush buster I bet the 50 BMG with a custom handloaded 670 gr Hornady A-Max would be a fine one. Might be a little hard on the 'ol ears, and the weight could stress your back, recoil might be a little stiff, but you could shoot 'em a long way off and there wouldn't be any dispute that that was your deer!!!!



Frog