Texas Big Game Rifle?

[jdickey]

;)Hey Mohawk... along the same lines, I've always used my .270 for anything under 200 yards. For a number of years, it has always been successful even up to 250 yards. The last two years I've started using 140 Hornady Magnums with very good success too. The problem that I saw with my .300 Win Mag, was the availability of smaller grain bullets. I started with 180 grain and have finally located 150 grain. But still, my chances of shots over 250 yards are slim. A 180 grain Bear Claw will stop anything that moves! But it also destroys just about any white tail that you would shoot! So, I'll stick with my .270 until I go hunt elk again!

[Bug]

I'm gonna go off on a tangent, here. The subject is Texas only, right? For years, I have put forth the notion that the lowly, common-as-dirt, .243 Winchester may be the best rifle for Texas. It has all the accuracy needed for any range we should be shooting. Depending on bullet selected, has plenty of bounce for any game (remember, our deer ain't really what you would call LARGE), and is also completely suited for varminting/predators, with suitable ammo. I will qualify this by saying that bullet selection is everything here.
The fact that it can be used by everyone's wives, kids, inlaws, etc., without beating them up, makes it MY first choice. The only other round I would say is better, for ALL applications, is the .25-'06. It does the exact same job, only with 20% more bullet. It also has 20% more recoil(?), and a corresponding amount of muzzle blast/noise. Using the TPWD statistic, that 90% of deer kills in Texas, are taken at less than 100yds, I simply don't think any more gun is really necessary. Now, I ain't trying to start an argument, here. Just presenting another point of view, and another topic for discussion. >>>>>Bug.

[captkb]

For years, my hunting buddies gave me total hell for shooting what they called a pea shooter (.243). They were shooting their .280's and .300 win mags and were successful in their hunting, but them animals were no more dead than the ones I shot with my .243. Bug you make a good point in saying that bullet selection is everything. I agree, but will take it one step further and say bullet placement is just as criticial. I hand load 85 grain Nosler Partitions and they don't leave much of an exit hole (at most the size of a quarter), therefore I prefer to neck or head shoot most of the deer I harvest. I am NOT saying that a good heart/lung shot is not a good shot, just that using this type of bullet makes it hard at times to track a deer shot there. My biggest whitetail to date was taken with my .243 using the 85 grain Partitions and was shot thru the heart and lungs - he ran about 30 yds and that was it. The distance of the shot is why I put the crosshairs on the heart and lungs and it helps that I was hunting in wide open country here in West Texas. Just my .02 cents

[1st cav sgt ret]

I basicly choose from 3 rifles for vermets my first pick is a m96 6.5x55swede thanks to the 260rem better bullets are now avalable with 100gr will take care of almost all with 125gr partitions it becomes my no2,for deer and most critters that size 30-06 165gr part,and my favorite for hoggs is a 35Gibbs that I just finished ,a 250gr hornady rn at 2700fps and 3990fpe it really works on 1200lb wild cows ,should work on 350lb hog

[slammy]

Used to be 30.06. I had a '69 Model 742 in 30.06. Man I loved that gun. The last few years I had it it become troublesome. In the shop 3 times. I was faced with re-barreling it. The chamber was worn out. So I sold it and now use a Remington .308. I think it's called a Sendero. Bolt action, fluted heavy barrel. Very accurate. Ballistics are nearly the same. It'll shoot farther than I can and it knocks em down when it gets there.

[Bennie]

I've shot everything in texas big enough to die with my 243, have shot one since I was 16, that would be 34 years. As has been mentioned shot placement is critical, even with the big bore guns. I do have other guns of various calibers, even some 30 cals and a very flat shootin hard hittin 264 mag, but the question was a TEXAS round and I've not seen a native texas deer that takes 4000 lbs of foot energy to bring down, I guess if you shoot hogs in the shoulder the bigger badder guns would be needed, but I shoot them in the head with my 243 and have never lost one. So my .02 worth and vote would be the 243. I still want to shot a pdog with Bozo's 50 though, those Hobbs attack dogs can be tough to stop.LOL.

[BayouCityBoy]

My first choice for Texas is a tang safety Ruger 77 re-barreled from 284 Winchester to 6.5/284 Winchester.

[texasshooter]

I'll guess I will throw my vote in here. I have shot many whitetail deer with everything from a 22-250 (please dont slam me. It took two steps and dropped dead. Shot placement is more important than caliber and since I am a competitive shooter, shot placement on a deer standing broadside at 100yds or less from my tower stand using the front window as a front rest is not difficult. This is the only situation that I would use a centerfire .22 caliber rifle for whitetail... now back to our regularly scheduled program.....) to a 270 and I have to agree with Bug. In my opinion the best cailber for hunting just about anything in Texas is the .243. I guess if you get out West and are fortunate enough to hunt a Mule Deer that is say 200-250lbs, then some would say that the .243 isn't enough. But then again, I just got an email from the gunsmith that built my .243AI, saying that he just spent 3 weeks in Wyoming hunting and there was a woman that was hunting with them that shot her third Elk in as many years with a .243.

I truley believe shot placement is the most important part of "selecting the right caliber". If you are intimidated by the larger magnum calibers and you are not confident with them, then find something that you are comfortable with.... preferably a centerfire cartridge... LOL

[Yellowhammer]

I'll second the 270. If all Texas game are included, I think the .243 would not be the best choice for large feral hogs, and exotic game. Granted, head shots from anything will kill anything, but a .243 on larger game will not leave enough blood trail most times to assure that game can be retrieved. 30-06 would be my second choice, although I personally don't care for the 30-06 since everyone I evershot kicked like a mule.

[ICMCumin]

slammy said:

Used to be 30.06. I had a '69 Model 742 in 30.06. Man I loved that gun.

Slammy - I agree with that. That is what I shoot now - I have a 742 that I bought in 1975 that is still in really good shape. I read somwhere that Remington got frugal on its parts material selection and that the rifle does not have the longevity that others do.

Will sure hate it when this one wears out. I gave it to my Dad on Father's Day way back when - He gave it back when he passed on......

[Texpppr]

It's funny how where we grew up and learned to hunt has such an impact on our view of deer/big game rifle calibers. I grew up in Minnesota and the lowest power deer rifle anyone would use is a .30-.30 Winchester. Thats what kids (you had to be 12 with gun training and your Dad with to deer hunt) used to hunt Deer. Most moved up to 3006, .308 and that size gun when they got a bit older. I realize the deer are bigger up there and it's generally more brushy. I have seen lots of people down here in Texas that use the lighter caliber guns for deer hunting. Probably because they started deer hunting at a younger age and the deer are certainly smaller. Seems like lots of youngsters use a .243 and even some of the .22 center fire rounds. I guess if they kill the deer, most don't find the need to spend the $400-500 to move up to a shoulder bruising mans rifle. Gosh, I seen some guys deer hunting near Junction Texas last year with .300 mags, and a .338 mag. Thery were from Mississippi and thought Texas deer were big compared to theirs. Myself I have never shot a .243 or even a .270. I use a 3006 and a 7 MM Rem Mag. Like I said I came from .30 caliber country.

[jdickey]

;)My f-i-l gave my son a .30-.06 Husqvarna that hasn't been shot in at least 10 years. We took it out to the range last month, three shot group on a quarter! Unbelievable.

The gun is 51 years old; my f-i-l was stationed in Europe, during and after WWII, and bought the gun there from a German gunsmith. Lot's of history with Husqvarna; of course they are more known for their chainsaws now! ;D

[TomH]

For a long time I have hunted with mod.99 savage in 300 SAVAGE. It has taken everything I have shot with it very cleanly. Just this summer I was browsing through the gun rack at my lovcal Wally world and noticed a Win Super Shadow in 270 WSM. It was marked down to $275 well I couldn't resist that and it is now sitting in my safe awaiting something delicious to kill. I am really kind of excited about playing with a new caliber! So I guess my answer to the question of which gun is going to have to wait and see how this new girl performs! My old reliable Sav will kill anything just fine but this MIGHT do it a little "better"

[Yellowhammer]

Tom- was the barrel bent on that Win for that price? I wish I could find a deal like that.

[CoonDawg]

Tom I know what you mean about a deal that you couldn't pass on

Kellyg is the reason for my new baby M70 338 mag all decked out and ready for the hog hunt or anything in between ;D