Great Deer Cartridges for New Hampshire Deer

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Here in New Hampshire we have a variety of fields and forests. There are southern zones that do not allow rifle hunting however with that said, calibers such as the 243 Winchester to 300 Winchester Magnum and everything in between are great choices. Young and women hunters are often seen with the 243 Winchester and 6mm as they has very low recoil and great deer killing energy with a well placed shot. These are not ideal for heavy brush. Next is the 7mm-08 (based on the .308 Winchester case and necked down) and all the new and old 6.5mm cartridges but still not great for heavy brush. These are also easy on the recoil and bullets weigh more and have better penetration with a bit more recoil.

The 7mm cartridge’s are geared for longer range and higher energies, such as the well known 7mm Remington magnum.  Perhaps one of the most often used cartridges is the .308 Winchester, hard hitting and medium recoil. Northern hunters opt for the .270 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, and 300 Winchester Magnum because of their fire power. But these aforementioned cartridge’s come with lots more recoil. Recoil sensitive shooters should stay away from these cartridges unless hand loaded down in power, something I am very good at.

As far as bullets go, I prefer bonded bullets, where the copper jacket is bonded to the lead, which makes for a bullet that mushrooms correctly and stays together. If you hand load your cartridge then the world is your oyster for bullet choices. My favorites are the Nosler Partition and the Nosler AccuBond. The latter is my go-to big game bullet. Veteran hunters who prowl in heavy timber use larger calibers in the 40 or 50 caliber class. My brother’s thick timber rifle was the venerable 444 Marlin and others shoot the 45-70. Both great cartridges. Often flat points or the newer rubber tipped 240/260 grain heads. Again, if you shoot regularly, consider loading your own ammo as I do. It is great fun and you get to customize the load and bullet for the rifle, the game, and the hunter too.

Good Hunting!

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This entry was posted in Big Game Hunting, Bullet Tests and Reviews., Cartridge Reloading, Hunting thoughts, Recoil and Flinching by Ed Hale. Bookmark the permalink.

About Ed Hale

I am an avid hunter with rifle and Bow and have been hunting for more than 50 years. I have taken big game such as whitetail deer, red deer, elk, Moose and African Plains game such as Kudu, Gemsbok, Springbok, Blesbok, and Impala and wrote an ebook entitled African Safari -Rifle and Bow and Arrow on how to prepare for a first safari. Ed is a serious cartridge reloader and ballistics student. He has earned two degrees in science and has written hundreds of outdoor article on hunting with both bow and rifle.