Buying my first deer rifle tomorrow

[ProBusiness]

I think recoil is always a factor.

My cousins who live in Kansas and zero in at 300 shoot 25-06 and .243 and one shoots a .256 Roberts. Mainly for flat shooting and low recoil.

Man, have they taken a lot of deer over the last 35 years. they feel the power of these guns is plenty for their deer and from what i have seen, their deer are much larger than what i see around here.

I shoot a .270 and have about a 3" or smaller group at 300 yards. at 100 yards my bullet holes are touching. i feel it is plenty of power.

I don't know where you will hunt or how, but a lot of people around here have taken a lot of deer and many of them have been under 100 yards.

 

[Tumbleweed]

Of the three you listed I only have experience with .30-06. I know people who have both other calibers listed and they are both great hunting cartridges. One guy I know has a .25-06 and that is his go to deer rifle and he hunts in Pennsylvania where they have considerably larger deer than OK.

Considering from your post you want.

400 yds.
Factory ammo.
Least recoil. (I know you stated it is not a main concern, but I always put this in the equation.)

I would recommend any of the following and my reasons for each.

.30-06 Plenty of factory ammo selection for anything from prairie dogs to Elk. Plenty of energy to cleanly take any Oklahoma game at 400 yds. Can buy ammo at any mom and pop or chain store in America. Stout recoil.

.270 Win. Also a great variety of factory ammo. A little less commonly stocked than .30-06, but usually available. Still plenty of juice for 400 yd shot in OK. Slightly less recoil.

.243 Win. Almost as commonly stocked as .30-06, although usually a smaller selection of ammo/bullet weight. Considerably less recoil than .30-06 or .270 win. In my opinion 400 yds is about the max range I would want to take game (others will disagree), but it can be done with the right ammo. I have a Rem 700 in .243 that loves Win. 95gr ballistic silver tip ammo. I would not hesitate on a longer shot with that combo out to the stated distances.

 

[338Shooter]

I would shoot .243.

 

[MoBoost]

I shoot a .270 and have about a 3" or smaller group at 300 yards. at 100 yards my bullet holes are touching. i feel it is plenty of power.

What's the rifle / ammo combo? Please post pictures of the groups (here or in 5-shot thread).

 

[ez bake]

If you're not going to reload and you want accuracy, the ability to take a deer at up to 400yds, and low recoil, then .308 is the only real choice.

It's also the most economical choice (you can shoot match grade Hollow-Point or Open-Tip .308 for almost as little as you can off-the-shelf cartridges in any of the other calibers listed).

Plus, with factory ammo, you have more choices in .308 than just about any other caliber listed as well.

 

[MoBoost]

Since you don't want to reload and yet want to reach out to 400 - I would recommend 308 Win from mere accuracy point of view: it will be a lot easier to find factory load that will be satisfactory at that distance, plus it will be easier to find an accurate factory rifle in 308.

If you're not going to reload and you want accuracy, the ability to take a deer at up to 400yds, and low recoil, then .308 is the only real choice.

plagiarizer

 

[338Shooter]

What's the rifle / ammo combo? Please post pictures of the groups (here or in 5-shot thread).

All day, every day.

as long as
I do my part​

 

[ez bake]

plagiarizer

I'm the original plagiarizer

And a much bigger .308 fanboy than you are

 

[ronny]

I'm 73 years old (as I repeatedly remind everyone) and the first non-.22 rifle I ever shot was a 30-06. I was impressed beyond description. Nothing has changed. Sooner or later, it is the round against which all others are measured. It is also red, white and blue.

If I could see that far, I would have one today.

 

[MoBoost]

Sooner or later, it is the round against which all others are measured. It is also red, white and blue.

With all respect to your opinion, the round against which all others should be measured - 7x57 circa 1893.

From modern perspective 30-06 was not step in the right direction (neither was 270) - 20% increase in case capacity, 20% increase in recoil - all for questionable performance gain (and no ballistic edge).