Best Caliber for Deer Hunting With Remington
Deer hunting season is right around the corner. Are you ready to lock and load and hit the woods? If you’re still deciding on a new firearm or ammunition, you’ve found the right place. In this blog, we are going to cover deer hunting calibers and bullets officially approved by Remington Ammunition.
Selecting a new caliber and product can be intimidating, especially in a market saturated with options. This can make hunters, especially beginners, feel overwhelmed when choosing their ammunition. When it's time to fill the freezer, there’s no room for guesswork. Making the proper ammo selection can mean the difference between an ethical harvest and a long and grueling deer recovery. Below, we’ve highlighted five different popular deer hunting calibers and their respective bullets to boost your confidence going into deer season. Let’s dive in!
Bullet Types
Before we get started, we need to discuss bullet types. As a deer hunter, it is essential to ensure the bullet in your cartridge is a controlled expansion bullet. These bullets are designed to mushroom out upon impact, providing adequate wound channels, blood trails, penetration, and energy transfer. Another common bullet type you may be familiar with is an FMJ. However, an FMJ is not designed to expand on game; it’s made for target shooting and plinking. This makes it an ineffective hunting bullet. Remington’s most iconic controlled expansion bullet is the Core-Lokt. This bullet’s core and jacket are locked together, resulting in devastating terminal performance. Known as the deadliest mushroom in the woods, the Core-Lokt is a time-tested bullet and is growing fast in new product lines. Be sure to check out the other lines of Remington’s hunting ammunition, such as Premier Long range, Premier Scirocco, or Premier AccuTip. All are loaded with a bullet engineered to take down big game. Now that you know the correct bullet, let's look at some recommendations!
Straight Wall Cartridges and Lever Action Shooters
To improve hunter safety and better control deer populations, many states have a rule requiring shooters to use straight-walled cartridges. If you’re in a straight wall state, Remington has the perfect pick for you: 360 Buckhammer. This straight-walled cartridge, launched in 2023, is engineered to outperform other straight-walled cartridges beyond 200 yards while providing performance comparable to the 350 Legend. The light profile of the 360 Buckhammer rifle makes it ideal for hunters in a treestand, blind, or even on the ground. Additionally, the brush-busting 30-caliber bullet makes it a great choice in terrain with dense forests and hills. With recoil comparable to other lever gun models like the 30-30 Win, the 360 Buckhammer is “Straight Up Better”.
Beginners and Short Actions
Breaking into the world of high-powered rifles can be intimidating. Handling magnum caliber recoil and getting a quick follow-up on a fleeing whitetail is tough if you’re new to hunting. Fortunately, there are plenty of high-powered cartridges that come in a compact form and are deadly effective without the bite. If you’re a beginner, prefer tame recoil, or value a slim short-action rifle, consider the 7mm-08 Remington. Stemming from its parent, the 308 Win, the 7mm-08 Remington is known for its trajectory similar to a 6.5 Creedmoor, high velocities, and effectiveness in the deer woods. Additionally, the growing availability of the 7mm-08 Remington makes it a good choice for those who frequent retailers like Bass Pro Shops. For the ultimate experience, be sure to pair the 7mm-08 Remington rifle with a quality scope that’s dialed in. Lastly, this cartridge is perfect for those in hang-on tree stands, climbers, or tree saddles.
Grand Power and Moderate Range
If you’re an individual who loves big booms and devastating power, this next one is for you. To harness brute power and deer-dropping effectiveness at moderate to long ranges, consider the iconic 30-06 Springfield. A seasoned performer, the roots of the 30-06 SPRG stem from the world wars, but it now resides in the hands of hunters across the world. Loaded in a wide variety of bullet weights, the 30-06 SPRG is widely available and renowned for its performance. Excelling at reaching down long clearcuts or across agricultural fields, the 30-06 SPRG maintains deer dropping energy at ranges and is perfect for those in a shoot house, ground blind, or ladder stand. Even though the recoil isn’t as friendly, it is very manageable with proper technique. The trade-off on recoil for performance makes it a great choice.
Brute Power, Versatility, and Close ranges.
Does much of your deer hunting occur at close range? Are you hunting in a straight wall or shotgun-only state? If you answered yes to these questions, you should consider a 12-gauge for deer hunting. The 12-gauge is arguably the most iconic hunting firearm in the world. By changing ammunition, the 12-gauge can be suited for wing shooting, small game hunting, and big game hunting. It is the ultimate performer. Shotgun hunting for deer can be done with slugs or buckshot. Slugs are the best tool for the job when it comes to further distances, while buckshot is the best for deer drives when you’re in close. To harness and optimize performance out of a 12-gauge with a rifled barrel, especially at distance, consider Remington’s Premier AccuTip Sabot Slug. This product is known for its unmatched accuracy and devastating performance on the game. With practice, the 12-gauge is manageable and lethal in a deer hunter's hands.
Long-Range Performance
The last scenario and cartridge in our lineup is the 7mm Remington Magnum. This cartridge stands as a legend for long-range marksmen and hunters. Ultimate long-range potential, great knockdown power, flat trajectory, and wide availability of bullet weights are just a few reasons why the 7mm Rem Mag is an excellent cartridge. Great for taking whitetails in the sweeping plains or tough mountain country bucks, expect game-stopping performance from the 7mm Rem Mag at far distances. The 7mm Rem Mag is a true magnum and do-it-all cartridge. Combining speed, precision, and knockdown power in one shot, consider the 7mm Remington Magnum for your big country whitetail hunts.
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