Favorite Calibers?

I downed many deer with a Savage lever gun in .308 but have been hunting with my 30-30 carbine for the last 30 years. Main reason is that I do not need the long distance power of the .308 and found my 30-30 is just as lethal at typical forest distances. TR
35 buck MO 2.jpg
 
There is no one caliber that does it all and does it well. If you're like me and you hunt everything from squirrels to moose, you're going to need several rifles.
My favorites are having a 17HMR heavy barrel for pest removal around the house, a .243 for predators, a 7mm08 for youth and ladies, and a 300WSM for myself. The 300WSM is just a 30-30 on steroids 💪.
 
For quite a while I have been shooting deer with .264 rifles. .260, 6.5 saum, and 6.5 PRC. But with the bullets that are available today, the 6mm is quickly becoming a favorite for whitetail. I had a 6-47 lapua that was deadly and now shooting a 6mm creedmoor that is batting .1000 with great results.
 
For quite a while I have been shooting deer with .264 rifles. .260, 6.5 saum, and 6.5 PRC. But with the bullets that are available today, the 6mm is quickly becoming a favorite for whitetail. I had a 6-47 lapua that was deadly and now shooting a 6mm creedmoor that is batting .1000 with great results.
With the light recoil and a mild report I enjoy shooting 6mm's and I'd like to love my .243 for all things, but I believe the old adage for automotive engines could apply here; "there's no replacement for displacement".
For whitetails under 200 yards the 6mm creed has a pretty similar performance to the .243 Win, and while I've found the .243 to be adequate for deer at theses distances, my pretty extensive experiences with shooting deer with my .243 is that it just doesn't quite have the money in the bank knockdown power of it's bigger diameter cousins at distances over 100 yards.
While I've dropped many deer with my .243 without issue, every now and then there's one that is difficult to retrieve without a clear explanation, often longer distances, and usually a larger buck at that. This is the reason I carry a .30 caliber when buck hunting, kind of like keeping archery shots under 40 yards, because difficulties start when shooting archery at longer distances.
 
For quite a while I have been shooting deer with .264 rifles. .260, 6.5 saum, and 6.5 PRC. But with the bullets that are available today, the 6mm is quickly becoming a favorite for whitetail. I had a 6-47 lapua that was deadly and now shooting a 6mm creedmoor that is batting .1000 with great results.
Looking at the ballistics, I’m wanting a 25 Creedmore.
 
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