Oh lighten up Francis, it's just a silly caliber discussion. That is unless you vape and wear a man bun.

Interesting read. I was waiting to post. In all my conversations, I'd say the 300 RUM is the worst hunting caliber. Why you ask? I can't tell you how many times I have spoken to many a customer that their opinion was to buy the biggest round possible because they were self admitted not a good shot, and wanted a caliber that would make up for their bad shooting ability. And the 300 RUM caliber only makes them a worse shot because the round has a ton of recoil and muzzle blast, to only compound their lack of shooting ability. But guess what, a bad shot is still a bad shot. It doesn't matter if it's a 223, 25-06, 300 Win Mag or 300 RUM. But the 300 RUM is such a beast. In the lighter weight hunting rifles, I find this round a little more challenging to stay consistent and keep the bullets going exactly where I want them to go. I equate the 300 RUM to an old Ford Pinto that has a big block engine with a blower sticking 2 feet out the top of the hood pushing nitro fuel, turbos and super chargers and can't keep the rear wheels locked to the pavement.

And a very close second as the worst hunting round, would be the 223. I was so glad to get my son away from his 223 and into a 308 rifle. Yes a 223 will kill, but it certainly does not do enough damage, penetration, expansion, or hydrostatic shock as other more capable hunting rounds on deer and pigs. I know this comment will/may have some backlash, but oh well. I try to avoid the 223 unless I'm shooting an AR tactical match or only shooting varmints.

I’m with Chad regarding the 223 and deer hunting. From what I’ve observed, not too many people decided to deer hunt, so logically (or not) picked a 223 to do it. A larger percentage of 223 owners had the caliber (think AR15) and then wondered what they could do with it. So they deer hunted with it. Not a great choice for deer, but it will work, and bullet makers have addressed the issue of suitable bullets.

So yes, it’ll work for deer, and there really are worse choices. How about a 25-20, which used to be a popular choice for hunting.

Just observations

Ive shot 300 win mag 300 wby mag and 300 RUM. in sporter weight rifles for hunting, I noticed very little if any difference in recoil.

I also think there is very much difference in a gut shot with a 223 and a 270 and a RUM. Trailed a gut shot doe with a 270... 15 yards and piled up. Gut shot doe with a 223 all day affair with a sparse blood trail.

Is a BIG gun the answer for poor marksmanship? No, but I wont pretend that a 223 and a WBM (wiz bang magnum) have the same terminal performance.

I agree with this^ I don’t like shooting the big “Mag” calibers. 30-06 is about as high as I want to go. Lol

My kids started with a 223 and 22-250 but quickly moved to 30-30 and 270.

The last 4-5 years (I've lost count now) I have hunted with a lowly 300 blk out bolt gun. Why lowly? Because many people think the blk out is too little of a cartridge and after all it's based on the 223 case. But, and a big BUT.... It is a 30 caliber bullet which makes a larger hole. The bullet weight I prefer is 125 grain which is ample and adequate weight. And at the 2350 fps in a 1:7" twist bolt gun barrel, the bullet provides perfect mushroom shaped expansion along with good penetration. Muzzle energy is 1530 ft lbs, 100 yard energy is 1251 ft lbs, and 200 yard energy is 1012 ft lbs. How much more energy do you really need? With good shot placement, this is ALL I need for hunting. And the little 300 Blk Out is such an easy gun to shoot and it shoots very well. Is this caliber for everyone, probably not. But it is almost an ideal cartridge for me.

A few years ago (after a match and sipping on a beverage) I spoke with an ER doctor we shoot with who works in the busiest ER hospital in New Orleans. He sees multiple gun shot victims DAILY. I asked him (a trick question) which is the deadliest caliber you see. His answer was simple. 9mm, 40 cal, 45, 380...If you get hit in the right spot with any of them, you are dead within seconds. Shot placement was the BIGGEST factor in them living or dying. He said if the person makes it to his ER, chances are very good the person will survive and will leave the hospital alive. He also said the one's that don't make it to his hospital alive, were the dead one's and good shot placement was the factor, not what caliber was used. What does this mean? If you shoot an adequate caliber, shot placement is THE key factor. So shoot an adequate caliber with good shot placement for the best results.

This is my belief and thought process on selecting what caliber and rifle I shoot. What can I shoot the best and put the round on target exactly where I want it, and have an adequate bullet do it's job.

I like to wrap my black panther in bacon and jalapeño.

22-50 only because of little chit's posts about head shots

I’ve never had a deer take a second step while shooting a 22-250. Drop every time.

I couldn't agree more. I "know" someone that have taken deer with 22 mag. but with that said, I would prefer a novice hunter/shooter to use anything larger that a .223!

There are far more poor bullet and shot placement choices, than cartridge choices. Pick a good bullet, be certain you can and DO, put it in the right spot to improve your luck.. If those simple basics are followed, you will very, very rarely have the failures you hear about.

You just stepped on a lot of toes there Papalote, but I couldn't agree more.

Some guys are willing to admit they don't shoot outside the season because their big bore rifle kicks the crap out of them. Others try to rationalize that fear with the cost of ammo. And still others just don't want to spend the time. I'm in that group who enjoy going to the range to see how many holes I can punch in the smallest circle possible (at least for me), and the fun and pleasure in being around others share that desire.

IMO, not being able to decide which rifle(s) you want to take to the range because you enjoy shooting all of them is a good problem to have. Who knows, perhaps the desire to shoot is or isn't as much a part of our DNA as the desire to hunt. After all, there are a lot of guys who love to shoot but wouldn't waste a minute sitting on a deer stand

The worst caliber is the one you can't shoot well.

Yep but if you practice enough with any rifle you should be able to shoot it well if not then its time to trade or sell it.

I agree, I probably should of said any caliber you are scared of the recoil. I can't remember the number of folks I have seen at a public range that close their eyes (both of them) just before they shoot.

A good read with tips to overcome that problem.


Link

So many deer are lost with a 7 mag, IDK why but I've seen it over and over.

Go spend some time at a public range and watch the shooters and scan some of the targets and you can see why

Texas Dan, good article. I'm now 76 YOA, developed a flinch several years ago and am still working on it. Over the last couple of years, I've probably shot 3 or 4 thousand rounds of 22 Colibri in my back yard. No powder, no sound, no recoil. Thought I had it under control but did flinch in South Africa when I forgot to take the gun off safety. Embarrasing.

Worst?
Mom's single shot 410 with bird shot that I inherited when she passed.
Didn't kill any but sent their butts white-flaggin' out of her garden....usually only took one or two lessons.

As for me, I don't hunt deer often....but when I do it's a 1/8 223Wylde ARP barreled AR shooting 69gr OTMBTs.

Back in the mid 80's I got a used 7Mag after my house was burglarized waiting on the insurance settlement. Rifle was a shooter so I hunted with it and shot a decent 8 point with it at around 75 yards. Thought I missed it as it just turned and ran off but I went and verified and found hair and blood. I found him about 200 yard away and the exit wound was about the same size at the entry wound. I think it was a core lock bullet but I just think I was too close and it just blew straight thru the chest without expanding. At the range I hunted I think it was just too much gun on an East Texas whitetail. Just my 2 cents.

Big fan of 7mm with a good bullet. Never had to track a deer or animal further than a few yards if the shot was where it needed to be.

If you're leery of the recoil, you'll never be a good shot, regardless of the cartridge, load, or, caliber.

Many years back, while working retail sporting goods in Conroe, for the price of a box of your chosen ammo and $10, we'd sight in your rifle. That job fell on me as the newby. I don't know how many times I saw targets that looked more like buckshot than bullets. And I don't know how many times I saw folks closing their eyes in preparation for their jerking the trigger.

On a guided elk/mule deer hunt in Colorado, one of the hunters proceeded to wound 3 different mule deer bucks in the first 3 days. He was shooting a then-new Remington Ti in one of the STW cartridges. The night of the 3rd day, he admitted he hated the recoil on that light weight rifle. I offered him my back-up rifle - a 30-06 sighted in for 100 yards and he turned it down. The guides were so disgusted with him and his partner, they showed them where a couple of stands were and left them to their own devices.
My buddy and I ended up with a 2 on 1 situation - two guides for each of us.
I got a decent mule deer on the 5th day and my buddy took a nice rag horn bull on the 4th and a so-so mule deer (his words) on the 5th. The other two managed nada.

If recoil is what makes it bad then you have a bad indian not a bad arrow.

White people...

Yep, some folks just don't tolerate recoil well for various reasons and need to look into other arrows, uh, calibers.