have to point out a fact that all too many guys either ignore or never considered,
the projectile does ALL the work and damage! where you hit on the animals anatomy,IS CRITICAL
rapid lethality depend on where you place the projectile and how much damage is done.
and how much damage to vital organs and/or skeletal structure,being done,
should obviously be considered the major factor in potential lethality expected.
small fast expanding projectiles are devastatingly lethal... IF placed correctly,
IF THEY destroy the heart/lung area but the deer can still run very fast and
well for up to 10 seconds or so , and they may not leave much of a blood trail,
larger more heavily constructed projectiles, like a 180 grain 30 cal, or a 250 grain 358 bullet open slower and in a far more controlled manor ,
they may not do as much damage to the lungs,initially but they are 100% lethal if shots are well placed.
and frequently leave a blood trail.
and they do tend to be much more consistent and reliable at busting skeletal structure,
provide deep penetration through muscle and they do tend to leave exit wounds more often.
if you hand-load you can custom fabricate ammo specifically matching your requirements.
traditional brush cartridges like a 45/70 or 444 marlin can provide exceptional penetration,
(especially if loaded with heavy for caliber cast bullets,)(these can be depended on to exit deer )
or be loaded with fast expanding hollow point bullets to give rapid expansion.
(1) where you place the shot is critical (know the games anatomy)
(2) use of a heavy for caliber projectile tends to greatly aid deep penetration
(3)the larger caliber and heavier the projectile, used the more consistent deep penetration
(4)deep penetration is a plus only if you use it to destroy vital organs,(heart/lungs)
and critical structure like spine and shoulders, (see #1)
Ive used or seen guys I know use most common caliber rifles
if your using anything pushing a premium quality bullet that has a .210 or higher sectional density,
to over about 2300 fps
that weights at least 100 grains, and not getting decent results, on deer,
your issue is related too less than ideal shot placement in most cases
If your looking for a deer rifle for moderate ranges and your concerned with limiting the meat loss from projectile fragmentation, Ive used a great many different weapons on deer hunts and if your object it hunting deer at ranges of approximately 50-80 yards and too minimize edible,
meat damaged, I remind you that a fast expanding projectile that fragments, like some of the 243, 270, 30/06, and similar cartridges, if the wrong projectile is selected, (varmint type projectiles generally light weight for caliber) lack penetration,
but still tend to destroy a significant,amount of the surrounding tissue , reasonably large and heavy for bore diameter projectiles pushed to moderate velocity's (1400 fps-1900 fps) tend to punch holes without destroying large adjacent area damage, thus meat loss is minimal if careful shot placement is considered.. a hard cast bullet, heavy for caliber pushed to 1400 fps - 1600 fps, from a 44 mag , 45/70, 444 marlin, 450 marlin, or 45lc,
fired from a marlin or similar rifle will provide you,with all the range power and lethality needed with minimal recoil.
obviously where you place the shot maters
and a heart/lung shot or neck shot at those closer ranges limits the loss of good meat
Ive used a 310 grain lee gas check bullet in a 44 mag loaded over 21 grains of H110 for decades, a more powerful option,
THIS SAVAGE rifled 12 ga IS AN EXCELLENT GUN
these bolt action shotguns have rifled bore designed to stabilize slugs,
Id prefer the 12 ga, YES THERES A LOWER RECOIL 20GA VERSION
if your looking for an all around rifle that can be used for deer, hogs, and even elk and ranges are very un-likely to exceed 250 yards I think one of the best potential options is a BROWNING BLR in caliber 450 marlin, pistol caliber carbines are best if limited to under about 120 yards.
Use of a high quality scope on any of the other options listed, helps a great deal, as good optics are critical to effective hunting weapon use.and matching it to a very good quality scope like a nikon scope like this makes any shoulder weapon more effective.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...aff-7-rifle-scope-30mm-tube-25-10x-50mm-matte
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