jack said:hey paul, just picked up a 243 carbine with a 20" barrel, it shoots decent 1.2" HUNDRED YARD groups but I,m wondering what the calibers capable of as far as reasonable ranges on deer?
the act of shooting, while hunting, is by design meant to allow the hunter to efficiently kill game in this context,for me Id say each individual shot will be a judgement call, mostly based on conditions under which the game is located at the time,and available angles and conditions.
you kill game by effectively destroying vital internal organs, to do that you need to reach and penetrate through those organs, and the light bullets of a 6mm do that remarkably well for a limited distance after impact (certainly far enough to kill even ELK under near ideal broadside chest shots) , but they won,t penetrate like some heavier calibers with 150% or even two to three times the bullet mass, so raking angle shots are best avoided.
A 6mm is a light recoil caliber that's generally suggested as a beginners rifle,but in my opinion its best used by experienced hunters who understand its strengths and limitations.
I have had good results using 95 and 100 grain bullets in a very similar 6mm Remington rifle with a 2x7x scope on mule deer.
Id have zero problem hitting a deer at 500 yards shooting from a solid prone position,at a standing, broadside, deer in bright sun light on a calm day, but under some conditions,like in the rain on a trotting deer,or at a raking angle, Id be rather reluctant to shoot at over 60 yards. its not the rifle alone or caliber alone thats the only factor. I own a 6mm rem and a 257 wby , both excellent and accurate rifles , but there reasonable limits on what any rifle or its operator can be expected to do without potential shot placement issues in my experience.
in my opinion the 6mm projectiles are decent deer killers provided you can get them directly impacting into the heart/lung area but from experience,Id say they won,t penetrate like a 150 grain 270caliber or a 165 grain 30 caliber I frequently use on deer,will so some operator judgement before you shoot is called for.how far you can be FROM THE GAME is limited by the distance YOU CAN BE AND STILL can place your shot exactly WHERE ITS NEEDED UNDER THE CONDITIONS YOUR FORCED TO WORK WITH.
I watch the guys and what they bring into camp on the years I can get free to hunt, and theres very pronounced trends, in the 1970-80s big scopes and magnums were common, now at least among the old geezers ,
the 358 win BLR and 35 whelen in both remington slide actions and bolt actions were very common in camp the last few years and 2x7 and 4x scopes were the most common, the consensus seems to be that carrying anything heavier or that kicks harder is neither needed or worth the effort and while guys used to brag about making long range shots now they brag about getting into bayonet range before shooting
all the magazines will tell you you'll want a rifle that has long range and flat trajectory, and yeah, thats certainly no
handicap, but in 50 years of hunting elk I can only think of two or three times a BLR in caliber 450 marlin, would not have been perfectly acceptable, simply because you seldom see game at over 200 yards and ranges under 100 yards are common
much of the area looks similar too these pictures I found posted elseware
http://www.rubsnscrapes.com/Articles/de ... natomy.php
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/373413 ... uctFinding
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/3...e-scope-30mm-tube-5-20x-50mm-side-focus-matte
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/160112 ... uctFinding
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