Best caliber for Texas whitetail

[leVieux]

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Being Old, I can recall way back post WWII, when both .30carbine & the .222 varmint round were temporarily popular for Texas whitetail.

There is significantly more energy at target with the .243Win.

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[Mike_from_Texas]

Heavy for caliber bullets in a .223 will kill any whitetail walking in Texas.


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[RaySendero]

In your opinion what is the most effective cartridge for deer hunting in Texas?

Read this thread ???

Y'all seem to be confusing Efficient with Effective.

The most EFFECTIVE cartridge for deer is one that does 100% DRT.

 

[leVieux]

Heavy for caliber bullets in a .223 will kill any whitetail walking in Texas.


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The OP’s query was unclear, I took it to mean “best all-around’’.

The “most effective’’ would be something like a Vulcan cannon, which would be absurdly heavy & unwieldy.

I believe a modern consensus would be .243Win.

I switched from 7mmRem Magnum to .243 over 30 years ago and have no regrets.

leVieux

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[ZX9RCAM]

While my Father was a guide, he always brought along the .270 for the guests to use.
Quite often their guns wouldn't be sighted in.

 

[tedwitt]

In that area. Shot these 4 about seven years ago.

I've got a buddy has a house and land in Leaky, he has some big deer. He's got fallow deer too, big suckers. No season on them.
He has feeders that are two 55 gallon drums welded on top of another and web cameras looking over them, every time something feeds, he gets a picture to his iphone via text.

 

[tedwitt]

I finally located some 35 ammo at a decent price ($40 per box of 20) and picked up a few.

Even though the .35 is a great round, that’s almost twice as expensive as 30-30 for a marginal gain in performance out to about 100 yards. Past that, the 30-30 has the edge for another 50 yards or so before it, too, becomes marginal.

What I like about the 30-30 is it's an excellent brush gun, it's round is heavy enough and slow enough if it clips a twig or small limb it doesn't deflect.

 

[Vaquero]

What I like about the 30-30 is it's an excellent brush gun, it's round is heavy enough and slow enough if it clips a twig or small limb it doesn't deflect.

This is true
Mostly.

 

[roadkill]

Read this thread ???

Y'all seem to be confusing Efficient with Effective.

The most EFFECTIVE cartridge for deer is one that does 100% DRT.

So a 22lr to the head. Or actually just about any firearm caliber to the head.

 

[zackmars]

7.92x94

 

[OIF2]

.30-30 still works.
Bob

 

[RaySendero]

So a 22lr to the head. Or actually just about any firearm caliber to the head.

That's right, where you shoot'em is a big factor for DRT.
But it's the 100% that most shooter can't perform every time.

 

[Pistol Pete]

.243 or larger. Save the .22s for varmints, 2 legged and 4 legged. That's what it's intended for. Not big game.

 

[RaySendero]

Well, Knock-on-Wood, I do have a 100% DRT rifle.
It ain't efficient but is effective!!!
Has accounted for over 20 deer and no telling how many hogs.
One shot, they fall over and don't get up.

 

[@TX_1]

225 yards with Marlin 336 Dark 30-30. I do this pretty regularly past 200 yards.View attachment 460098View attachment 460099

Do you used Hornady FTX 30-30 ammo or load Hornady #30395 FTX 160 gr bullets? Both options are significant range extenders for 30-30.

 

[@TX_1]

Well, Knock-on-Wood, I do have a 100% DRT rifle.
It ain't efficient but is effective!!!
Has accounted for over 20 deer and no telling how many hogs.
One shot, they fall over and don't get up.

View attachment 461105

8MM Mauser? I have a K98. Load for it with 139 gr and 196 gr JSP bulltets. Way overkill for light deer, but effective indeed.

 

[@TX_1]

I finally located some 35 ammo at a decent price ($40 per box of 20) and picked up a few.

Even though the .35 is a great round, that’s almost twice as expensive as 30-30 for a marginal gain in performance out to about 100 yards. Past that, the 30-30 has the edge for another 50 yards or so before it, too, becomes marginal.

I have a .348 Win, several years back I bought a box of Hornady 200 gr FTX bullets and 50 rounds of new brass. Hornady no longer makes that bullet and now the brass costs $2.00 each. But that is OK, the gun is a man killer on recoil, but will take down anything on this continent in the right hands. 100 rounds will last me a lifetime.

 

[@TX_1]

Read this thread ???

Y'all seem to be confusing Efficient with Effective.

The most EFFECTIVE cartridge for deer is one that does 100% DRT.

Yes, heavy mass bullets are humane and deadly. My father liked his last large white tail deer at 400 yards with his Remington 700 BDL 30/06. He and my brother had a hard time packing the deer out in some really rough terrain. Dad died 3 years ago at 94. He was in his 80's when he killed the last deer.

 

[RaySendero]

Well, Knock-on-Wood, I do have a 100% DRT rifle.
It ain't efficient but is effective!!!
Has accounted for over 20 deer and no telling how many hogs.
One shot, they fall over and don't get up.

View attachment 461105

8MM Mauser? I have a K98.

It started out in life as an VZ-24 in 8mm Mauser.
The barrel was so shot out if you were lucky enough to hit paper at 25 yards,
You'd see/find the bullets were tumbling sideways.

So I had it re-barreled to 9.3x62. Used a 24" heavy magnum contour barrel.
Also had the rear action hump ground off so I could put on a rear scope base with 2 screws.
I re-did the stock to fee-float and glass bedded the action.
Also heat form and fitted that front sling swivel and put 4 wraps of electrical tape around the barrel underneath the top of that sling fitting to act as a vibration dampener.

 

[@TX_1]

It started out in life as an VZ-24 in 8mm Mauser.
The barrel was so shot out if you were lucky enough to hit paper at 25 yards,
You'd see/find the bullets were tumbling sideways.

So I had it re-barreled to 9.3x62. Used a 24" heavy magnum contour barrel.
Also had the rear action hump ground off so I could put on a rear scope base with 2 screws.
I re-did the stock to fee-float and glass bedded the action.
Also heat form and fitted that front sling swivel and put 4 wraps of electrical tape around the barrel underneath the top of that sling fitting to act as a vibration dampener.

K98 actions were very strong. 8mm Mauser ammo is larger and heavier than most 30-06 rifles. The extra mass is noticeable. After the war, US factory load ammo was intentionally reduced in charge, because of fear of bullet diameter issues. The 8mm Mauser was not as accurate because of this. I still prefer 30-06.