The Best Deer Hunting Calibers

Here’s the truth about these “best of” articles: the only honest answer is, “It depends.” Are these cartridges really the best deer-killing cartridges in existence? It depends.

It depends on where you’re hunting, your experience with firearms, what rifles you already own, how much money you can spend, how sensitive you are to recoil, and how much weight you’re willing to carry.

The best cartridge for you might not be on this list. But to increase our odds of success, I’ve categorized each of these choices according to different hunting needs. If you can determine where you fit, you’ll have at least one solid option if you’re looking for your first (or second or third) deer gun.

Most rifle cartridges can kill a deer, but you might as well maximize your odds of success by using these criteria to pick the best one.

We’re looking for a cartridge with enough power to root the animal to the spot with a well-placed shot but not so much power to leave your shoulder sore. In addition, to increase your hunting opportunities, it’s good to pick a cartridge that’s cheap and easy to find–and here’s a hot tip: the easiest and cheapest cartridges to find are the ones you already own.

1. Sufficient Knockdown Power

“Knockdown power” refers to the energy transferred from the bullet to the animal. Ideally, this energy transfer will cause hydrostatic shock and root the deer to the spot. There’s no guarantee that any cartridge will impart hydrostatic shock, but if you’re going to rifle hunt, you might as well give yourself a short tracking job.

Most sources recommend about 800 ft.-lbs. of bullet energy to hunt deer-sized game (that’s bullet energy when it hits the animal, not when it comes out of the muzzle). Adhering to this rule of thumb will indeed give you a great shot at killing a deer, but remember: energy transfer depends on both bullet speed and construction. A hardcast bullet might be traveling the same speed as an expanding bullet when it hits the animal, but the latter will zip right through while the former will dump the energy into the animal and incapacitate it more quickly.

All that to say: if you pick a cartridge that hits with 800 ft-lbs. of energy with a good hunting bullet, you’ll put yourself in a great spot to harvest some venison.

2. Manageable Recoil

Whenever someone asks me to recommend a deer cartridge, I always recommend something with good balance–meaning, a cartridge that balances power and recoil. The fact is, you don’t need a magnum cartridge to hunt deer. The deer will be just as dead with a mid-power cartridge, but your shoulder will feel better, you won’t develop a flinch, you’ll be able to practice longer at the range, and you can more comfortably fire from awkward field positions. For all these reasons, choosing a cartridge with less than 20 ft.-lbs. of recoil is, in my opinion, the best way to go.

3. Relatively Common and Inexpensive

If you’re a fan of bougie hunting cartridges and want a good conversation starter at deer camp, go for an uncommon caliber. But if you’re a new deer hunter or on a budget, pick something you can find at any gun store and won’t cost you more than $40 for a box of 20. Most of the cartridges on this list fall into that category.

4. You Already Own It

Your firearm should never get between you and the field, especially not the deer woods. If you’re a gun owner who wants to start hunting America’s most popular big game animal, take stock of the rifles you already own. Chances are, one of them will work just fine.