While many guns and calibers have been used to hunt deer -- many calibers are inadequate for the job. Deer rifles include single shot, lever action, bolt action and semi-automatic rifles. Likely, the most common deer hunting gun of all time is the lever action in 30-30 caliber with 150 grain bullet. Anything below .24 caliber should not be used to hunt deer. At the same time, high power calibers -- above .30 -- are more than necessary for deer hunting, although they can be used. Classic lever action rifles using cartridges like the 45-70 and .444 Marlin as well as the magnum pistol cartridges make excellent short range deer rifles. For deer taken at longer ranges most hunters will opt for a bolt action rifle. Your chosen caliber should have at least 1000 ft-lbs of muzzle energy to ensure a positive kill from any angle.

In the smaller calibers, such as .243, the heaviest bullets available are typically the right choice for deer hunting. These heavy bullets will provide a good level of penetration which is essential to bringing down the deer quickly. For the .243 bullet weights of 100 grains are optimal.

Bullet weights for the .25 caliber cartridges are in the 100-120 grain range. On the slower end of the .25 spectrum are cartridges like the .257 Roberts. This is an effective deer loading with good quality, conventional 100-120 grain bullets. Cartridges like the 25-06 and the .257 Weatherby are capable of pushing these same weight bullets at much higher velocity making them excellent long range choices. The use of premium bullets with these cartridges is recommended because at very short ranges the higher velocity of these cartridges can cause conventional bullets to break up and fail.

The 7mm and .270 calibers represent a lot of different cartridges, most of which are excellent deer calibers. Although the 7mm magnums are more than needed for deer they certainly are a valid choice for the hunter who has settled on a 7mm magnum as their all around big game hunting rifle. For the .270 the 130 grain bullet is the right place to start for deer sized game. For the 7mm the bullets appropriate for deer start at 139 grains. As with the .25 caliber .270 and 7mm high end magnums will benefit from the use of premium bullets to prevent failures at close range at very high velocity.

From the classic 30-30 shooting a 150 grain bullet at about 2300 feet per second to the .300 Weatherby magnum capable of shooting the 150 grain bullet at 3500 ft/sec, we see the most spread in power in the .30 caliber cartridges. As stated earlier the 30-30 has probably taken more deer than any other cartridge. It is an excellent short range woods choice.  Larger and more powerful .30 caliber cartridges like the .308, 30-06 and the belted magnums allow for hunting at longer ranges. As with the 7mm magnums the .30 magnums are more than needed for deer but are a great choice for the one gun hunter who is also looking to go after larger game like elk and moose. The 150 grain bullet is an all around excellent choice for deer regardless of cartridge although a heavier and premium construction bullet is likely a better choice when using the high end magnums.

While high powered calibers chambered for use in bolt action rifles like the .338, .375 and .458 magnums are much more than needed for deer hunting they certainly can be used for this purpose especially with lighter than maximum loadings.

Whichever caliber you choose, the key is in practicing enough to be able to accurately deliver your shot when the time comes. A good accurate shot with the lowest powered of these rifles is a better shot than one that misses or hits a non vital area with the biggest of the magnums.