It's kinda fun to read what everyone prefers to shoot with. My situation or needs might not fit your's, but I can respect what everyone uses.
For a new person to the sport, the info. you can get, to me would be confusing , but doing this for a long time makes us understand more what we are all talking about.
I admire this man to come on here as a beginning hunter, ask the questions he wanted and needed to, and be able to get to a point where he feels sure about what he is trying to do.
In his position, and from looking at a lot of post, there are a lot of people there that are old hands at doing this. The replys to his post, no matter how basic they were, shows me how much everyone is here to help anyone. I'm glad I'm with a bunch of people like this. Thanks for helping him.

It isn't a case of how much more, or for that matter less, do you need, it is a case of personal preference and what will work, in a variety of situations. If all you are ever gonna do is shoot at deer under 150 yards from a stand, and are comfortable with that rifle, then that is great, for you and your situation.
But not all situations or people are the same.
Do you have any idea how many folks would be out of work, if everybody just hunted with a lever-action 30-30.
While a lot of us, myself particularly, are ready with our advice, it is not because we like to see what we write appear on the screen, it is because our experiences and travels have taken us away from the 100 to 150 yard shot to the feeder, and to bigger and tougher game than whitetails.
The big problem with a 30-30, is that it has a limited space to work in, most people have gotten to where they want a gun/caliber that has many applications not just a limited few.
Probably, and I am probably wrong on this, but probably there have been more deer nationwide, killed with a 30-30 than with a 22 Long Rifle, and I am not trying to ,make a joke here. I have known poachers that would kill 40 to 50 deer during the fall and winter at night with a 22 and a spotlight.
All we are trying to do is to let McPatrick Clan see that there are lots of choices available, but in the end, it will be his choice that matters.

CHC, I must say that I was surprised at the recoil (lack of) that your 375 H&H produced. I enjoyed shooting it! I was certainly expecting much worse and was pleasantly surprised. Maybe it was just a case of "expecting the worst and hoping for the best." LOL But overall, I enjoyed the heck out of it and it was certainly dead on.

Yeah, I think a .375 H&H would make a great little plinking rifle. I actually think my 300 Win mag kicks harder, not that it kicks much but the overall balance of the rifle made it shoot really nice.

Which brings up another point. I think a lightweight .270 kicks more than a heavy .375. Another thing McPatrickclan might want to consider is the type of hunting he will be doing. He might want to go with a heavier rifle in a bigger caliber if he is going to be hunting from a blind and not moving around much. If he is going to be moving around a lot a lighter rifle in a smaller caliber might work out better for him.

I know that all of this knowledge has me bumfuzzled.

Goat

I know that I get to feeling that way sometimes. Course my Dad thought that all a person ever needed was 1 deer rifle, 1 22, and 1 shotgun. Lora (campcook) sometimes reminds me of how absurd it is that I will set and worry before a hunting trip, about which gun to take this time, or when was the last time I shot something with a certain gun. At which point I have to reminder that before we married, I had told her that there was one rule in my life, I will never have too many guns or rods and reels. Somehow she still doesn't believe in that rule.

Which reminds me, I'm going down to Kingsville this weekend to shoot some hogs on my friends lease. He's got a new gun, 300 Rem Ultra Mag and wants to find out which works better, that or the 30-378 Weatherby Mag on a 200lb+ boar. Its crazy to watch the 30-378 fire because all of the soil there is sand and when you fire you can see a wave of sand blow forward with the muzzle blast! 180 gr at 3200-3300 fps. This should be some fun! The last time he shot a hog at 450 yards with the 30-378 and it left a exit hole almost the size of a grapefruit. The 300 Ultra is his new gun and I'm thinking it may produce the same results. However, we loaded up some 130 gr. Hornaday rounds and they are supposed to go about 3600-3700 fps and some 150 gr. to go about 3500-3600. On paper they are not too bad out to 200 yards.

I guess that is one reason that I only have a problem with recoil out of the 2 Weatherby's, because even on the lower end of the loading chart they are still burning a lot of powder. I only load the 375 with middle of the chart loads and 250 gr. "X" bullets. I walked up on one hog down on the Aransas NWR a few years back and shot it thru the back at maybe 10 yards. The exit hole was about 3 inches in dia., but I think that was because of the one vertabrae that went with the bullet.

Redneck_Hunter, I know what you mean. The Winchester 94 30/30 I use has been in my family for 4 generations and has killed many deer hogs and turkeys. I almost can't wait to give it to my son. To this day it still shoots strait (for a 30/30) and still has iron sites.

If all you're hunting is hogs and deer, in timber or at ranges under 150 yards, get a 30-30. If the distances are greater, you need a 30-06, 270, etc. The 30-06 is def the most versatile in terms of bullet weights and designs.

But for under 150 yards, the 30-30 will be way nicer to own and shoot--the recoil is 1/2 that of a 30-06, and it's plenty of bullet to kill those animals. Plus the ammo is 1/3 less, sometimes half the price, so you can afford to practice twice as much, and your shoulder won't be bruised.

Plus the 30-30 will weigh several pounds less and handle better as you swing it toward a target. Plus follow-up shots on a lever action gun are way faster and easier than a bolt action gun.

If you wanna hunt elk or bigger animals, then consider the 30-06, as people have said. But basically, it's overkill for whitetails. More power than is called for. I've shot em with 30-06 and 270 and 44 magnum rounds and shotgun slugs and 30-30s and they all dropped the same way--dead. Whether they ran or not was a function of where they were hit--break the shoulders or spine, they drop in place. Get a Marlin 336, used they are $200-$275 and spend $50 to put a rear peep sight on, and you'll have a light accurate gun that will be a pleasure to shoot. I lugged around a heavy 30-06 all last season but I hunt in timber and all my shots were at 40-50 yards. the 150 grain softnose bullets blew right threw and expended most of their energy in the dirt under the animal.

My uncle has a 375 H&H in a Ruger #1 that he let me shoot this weekend. Too my surprise I didn't think the recoil was all that bad. I'm a fairly good size fella about 6'3" and 235 lbs. The recoild felt about the same as my 7mm Rem Mag with the 162 gr loads. Not something I'd like to shoot all day long, but it didn't bruise me or anything like that. He left it with me so I could borrow it for a while and gave me some reloading dies so I think I will have some fun with it for the next few weeks.

I did not read all of this but wanted to throw my 2 cents in anyway.....I have killed a truck load of deer in my life with a 243 It is all about shot placment. I also have a 264 mag that I now hunt with. It has more to do with the fact that my kids are big enough to now be using the 243. Shoot the gun that you feel good about. Most deer in Texas are killed at or under 100 yards. Anything from a 223 and up will do the job with proper shot placement.

-john

That tends to be the reaction from most of the folks I have had shoot my 375. If the gun is properly stocked, and is in the right weight range, I find the 375 to have more of a heavy shove straight back, then the back and up sharper recoil of like my 300 and 340 Weatherbys. I watched my former hunting partners 14 year old daughter shoot a small buck on one of the Youth only weekends, with his Rem. 700 in 375 H&H, and she described as just feeling a little harder than her 270 but not a lot.

I really feel that if laws were passed where I could only have 1 rifle it would be my 375. JMO

yeah and if a law was passed then youd better just plan on handing me over that .458. LOL

I didnt read the other posts, but here is what I think. TO answer your question-no you don't need a 30-06 in Texas. Nothing wrong with it if that is your choice, but that much gun is not a neccesity.

Do you really need an .06' in Texas? YES! At least thats what I tell my wife. I also NEED a .270, a .300 ect. I like deer rifles. As far as "overkill" is concerned my opinion is dead is dead. Not even sure what "overkill" means. I would much rather be in a stand with too much gun than not enough. I currently own a Rem. BLD 30.06, and a Tikka .270 WSM. My next rifle will be a .243 most likely. Why? Because I want one. After that maybe a .22-250 or maybe a .300, so many rifles so little time

the 06 or .270 are fine.you can hunt anywhere inthe state with these.but a .243 or smaller in my opinion is not enuf gun, of course if you are a crack shoy they will do fine

Classic cartridges like the 06, and it's decendent the 270 are great, versatile and reliable performers. The 3030 is a great cartridge given its limitations on range, and the limitations of lever action rifles. If you are hunting deep east texas in a forest, the 3030 will probably do everything you need it to do.

I prefer the 308. I do believe that unless you are reloading your cartridges, then the 308 is overall the most inexpensive high powered cartridge to shoot. Ball Military ammo is cheaper, and readily available. The 308 is a potent cartridge against anything in North America. It is ballistically nearly identical to the 30-06.

I do agree with the larger bullet theory above, I like the 165 gr Sierra boat-tails myself.

I have killed deer with 270, 30-06 and 243 as well, and they all died instantly. I would also recommend staying with a basic caliber like 270, 30-06. 308, 243 so that ammo will be readily available almost anywhere.

Guess I might as well toss in my 2 cents worth here. From the time i was 13, I hunted whitetails with a Marlin 336 in 30-30, and of the 50+ deer I've shot, in East Texas, Columbus, and on a lease outside Bracketville, I've never lost one. Granted, I'd shoot hundreds of rounds through the 30-30 year-round, and wouldn't take a shot at over 200 yds.

I have hunted with an 06 and a Weatherby Mk V in 300 Wby mag, but always came back to the rifle I was most familiar with. That certainly isn't a condemnation of either of these fine calibers (or any other). I just think that really knowing your weapon & what the bullet's gonna do makes as much difference as (or more than) what caliber you use.

With the 336 I recently bought & reworked (with a 4x Denver Redfield), I can hold about 1.25" at 100 yds and about 2.25" at 200 using 150gr. loads, and slightly better with the new Hornadys. According to Hornady's ballistics, the new ammo has about the same energy at 300yds. that the old loads do at 200. I'll need to shoot a lot more before I'm really comfortable doing so, but on paper, I don't see any reason why I can't push my envelope to 300. But if I was gonna just buy a gun, sight it in before deer season & hit the woods, I don't think I'd be qualified to take the longer shots. Of course, folks who do this, and never shoot their rifle until deer season, are probably responsible for the vast majority of lost deer, whether they're shooting a 30-30 or a 300 Weatherby.

Great post, especially that last bit.

Thanks, CHC -

I really believe that hunting armadillos, squirrels, wolves, and rabbits with the 30-30 gave me a significant edge come deer (and elk) season. Especially given that I knew I had to make clean head shots on the smaller animals if I hoped to have any camp meat!

One of the laws of life that I try to live by, if every time you pick your firearm up, and put the first shot, just exactly where you want it, that is all that is necessary.

Too many people spend too much time fidgeting and fooling with their guns. In my opinion there needs to be less emphasis on 3 shot groups, and more emphasis on putting that first shot where you want it, at any range and from any position. JMDO

I agree wholeheartedly. I've known too many "hunters" who were satisfied when they merely hit their animal, with no thought to whether their shot would kill quickly. And I've seen too many animals hit by good marksmen, yet disappear, never to be found. All because they felt their weapon of choice would "do the job," allowing them to focus more on bringing back an unblemished trophy than upon putting their game down quickly.

Sorry about the rant... I guess the subject pushes some buttons for me.

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In my opinion there needs to be less emphasis on 3 shot groups, and more emphasis on putting that first shot where you want it,

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My sentiment exactly!!! Consistency is a beautiful thing but how many times do we really get that 2nd chance? RonKaye, you hit the (proverbial) nail on the head in my opinion. The first shot is the only one that really counts. If you can't tell yourself, with certainty, that you're gonna make a clean kill shot with the first pull of the trigger, you should'nt be in the woods. JMHO

Jeremy

As big a fan as I am of the larger calibers...just bought a 7 mag...Every deer I have ever shot fell to my .243. Never lost a deer either. My step-father and my grandfather taught me how to shoot. Probably wouldn't impress anybody with my shooting nowadays as I haven't shot any of my rifles in waayyyy too long. But when I was younger I could do some things with that .243 that would make grown men scratch their heads. SHOT PLACEMENT is more important than any caliber. Knowing your weapon, cartridges and what they are capable of....and what you are capable of doing with them is the MOST important thing. People think just because they have a 30-06 they can hit a deer at 300 yards...sure they've never even shot at a target at that range but by God they are going to shoot that buck that far out. My step dad paced off 300 yards one time at our deer lease just to show me how far that really was. He put a paper plate on a stick roughly the size of the kill zone of a deer. He then came back to 200 and 100 and did the same thing. It took some getting used to but I finally learned how to shoot at 300 yards with my .243. Should I have ever shot a deer that far....well no but at least I knew how. Well several years pass last day of season a doe is WAAAAYYYY down a fence line. I figure she's about 375-425 now how I figured that was counting fence posts and roughly guess the space between each one. Anyhow I put her down paced off at 357 yards. One shot. Was that a high percentage shot. Well for those who know what they're doing it's a pretty good bet they can hit it. But for these guys who go out and buy these $1200 rifles and $1500 scopes and expect the guns to aim and shoot themselves no it's either a wounded deer or a complete miss. Hopefully the latter. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE