re: Deer Rifle Recommendations

I have Tikka CTR in 308 for deer and Weatherby MKV in 300WM for big game. Both have Nightforce glass (3.5-15 on 308 and 4-32 on 300WM both bought used for less than $2,000 combined) but I have the Leupold VX-5 3-15 on another rifle that has been fantastic. I will say both rifles are not built for carrying all day as they are heavy and long (suppressor on 20" barrel for 308, 26" barrel unsupressed on 300).

If I were to have only one rifle, I would buy 300 WM. I shot my first elk last year in CO and I would be hesitant to shoot at an elk with a 308 further than 200 yards. The size of those animals is hard to appreciate until you put your hands on one. I shot mine right thru the heart with the 300 at about 280 yds in a trot and he buckled but took it in stride. He ended up folding up after ~200 yard run. Found the bullet (180 gr fusion) mostly intact and perfectly expanded in the opposite shoulder against the skin when cleaning him.

Look at the ballistic tests that compare the size of an expanded 308 cal projectile with the 6.5 and 7mm projectiles. The difference is pretty significant. The smaller calibers do have better ballistics as far as drop and wind drift, but I'll pick the 308 cal any day for hunting. Others may disagree.