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The 6.5 MM, ( 6.5mm 6.5 mm) .264 caliber
.260
Remington is
an excellent deer cartridge to ranges out to 400 yards, if you can hit
the vital kill zones. Most whitetails are
killed at 100 yards or less and
mule deer at 200 and under. Occasionally, you might take a
shot at longer range—300 and 400 yards. Any competent rifleman should
be
able to hit just about every shot at 200 yards or under, but at 300 it
really
gets tough, and at 400 yards the odds are not good!
You might try the Hornady SST bullets the for longer range shots. For shot range poor angle shots the Remington Core-Lokt Ultra bullet has deep penetration with high percentage bullet weight retention.
It's based on the .308 case as is the 243 Win and the 7mm-08 cartridge, --all four are good deer cartridges. The 260 Rem. has a very low recoil only around 10½ ft/lbs, and a very low report making it a joy to shoot, and shoot accurately. Bullet placement is everything for quick kills.
You will kill more deer and be more deadly
with a rifle/cartridge combo that you can shoot with the most accuracy!
I want a caliber/cartridge combo that is a pleasure to shoot, it has
become my number one criteria. Reloading costs are a factor too,
because for many reasons, I will want to do a lot of various kinds of
target shooting.
You can look at the various ballistic tables I have on the Net and determine the approximate outer range limit your cartridge and selected bullet will be capable of killing a deer with a well placed shot. If you can't put the bullet in the vital kill zone don't take the shot no matter how capable the cartridge you're using is at that range.
I rounded off the lead figures in feet, 150
yards is about the limit of most shooter's ability to make killing
shots on running deer.
I would use a 250 yard zero for deer sized
game, it will help you on longer shots and this cartridge has plenty of
energy for long range shooting on deer.
Running shots should only be taken under Safe Shooting Conditions! Be alert and never take a running shot unless shooting safety conditions are right, proper terrain and background to stop the bullet, no buildings, livestock, or people anywhere in the area, etc.!
These leads beyond 200 yards are for illustration purposes only! When the shot is deemed necessary 50 to 150 yards is a more realistic running shot.
When printing tables use .12" side and bottom margins. In all tables: Lead is always in feet, wind drift and trajectory is always in inches. All lead figures are from the heart/lung area. Deer can run up to 35 mph, some say 40 mph. Figure what a lead would be on an antelope at 60 mph.
In many Southeastern states in the U.S., deer are hunted with trail hounds and running shots are the norm. Those Southeastern states include: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia. They post themselves at clearings where the hounds will push them through so they can get a quick shot at them in full flight!
They use both rifles and shot guns with buckshot, quick shots in clearings at running whitetail deer, —is the rule. For clean kills the proper leads are required with both weapons. (This information is needed by a lot of whitetail deer hunters, so bear with me my friends.)
Rick Jamison writer for Petersen's Hunting Magazine, July 2002, p- 20, Guns & Loads Article Long Rangers, - http://www.huntingmag.com says in essence that for deer sized game you need a minimum of 1000 ft/lbs of energy and 2000 ft/sec velocity at the impact range for adequate bullet expansion. The bullet needs a sectional density between .215 to .265 and a high ballistic coefficient for long range shots. This is a great Hunting Magazine, I subscribe through the local school magazine drives.
There ought to be variable speed moving
targets on every rifle and handgun shooting range. The target system
should be movable to various ranges and run at various angles. Practice
is essential to improve those shooting skills and to further determine
each individuals range limits on running game. Remember that nearly
everything that is shot with a shotgun's shot pattern except turkeys
is running or flying and those shooting
skills vary a great deal between individuals due to numerous factors,
with
practice being a major factor. Start at the shorter ranges until you
become
proficient and move up, always limiting yourself to reasonable shooting
ranges.