What Caliber for whitetail

Hello all , I used to lurk here years ago , now I'm back lurking , I've not been hunting for a few years , but I'm able to go hunting again . What I'm looking for is your recommendation for a 200 yard white tail barrel & caliber for my tc encore, I have a 22-250 barel I use for chucking, I reload my own ammo , so suggest away ....

308, 7mm-08, good luck, go get em!

Field hunting or woods hunting may I ask ?

With the right bullet the 22-250 is adequate for deer. But if you feel the need for new pipe the options are wide open with the Encore. How are you on recoil and do you mind a brake?

You could load up some 60 grain Nosler Partitions in your 22-250 if that is a legal caliber in your state.

If not or if just looking for another barrel, I would also suggest the 7mm-08, the 308, or 260 Rem.

243, 7/08, 260 or 308. You'll be set very well.

I agree with 7mm-08 or 308. I have both and they are great on deer and hogs. IMO the shorter brass cartridges work great in the shorter barrels.

I also vote for the 15" .308 or 7mm-08.

Generally speaking I am a large caliber / big bore fan but I agree with the others that on the Encore platform for deer at 200 yards I would go with the 308 or 7-08.
Solid performers for these conditions.

A 260 barrel would be nice. However, as others have stated, a 7-08 is pretty sweet too. The 260 would just be a little lighter recoil (120 grain) and better sectional density/ballistic coeffiecient (140 grain).

I would also consider what rifle calibers you load for. If you already own a 6.5mm, 7mm, 30 caliber you could have bullets already available that you could share with the Encore.

All the cartridges suggested above will work well. There are also a TON of other options that haven't been mentioned as they aren't as popular, tougher to find (the right) factory ammo for, require fire-forming of brass or aren't thought of as 200 yard cartridges. Hand loading opens up lots of doors. Do you like to stick out and be unusual or do you want a 308 like a couple other hunters at deer camp? Common cartridges will also let you bum some ammo when yours gets lost. Do you like to use historic cartridges, maybe give them a modern twist with non-standard loads? What kind of terrain do you usually hunt in? is it bushy or forested? What do you think about recoil and muzzle breaks? lots of questions to consider if you really want to dive in deep.

30-30 will easily reach 200 yards with the right hand load and bullet as will all the cartridges based on 30-30 brass that I have researched. The encore is capable of much more then 30-30 brass pressures so you are leaving a lot of performance on the table with those choices, but recoil will be minimal even without a break or porting. I am currently playing with a 7-30 waters load that will reach 200 yards on paper, but based on minimum velocity for the bullet I'm using, that looks to be about as far as it will go.

Many straight walled cartridges will reach 200 yards in a encore setup with the right bullet and load. 444, 45-70, 460 come to mind. (I would think a 357 Max would too. I know there are folks here who have shot 357 mags at much longer ranges.) The larger bore cartridges will have a good bit of kick without a muzzle break if you want to reach that far.

In the end, figure out what turns your crank, use it for a bit and then sell it to try something different if it doesn't keep your interest. Or keep it and buy another encore barrel, it's a well known fact that encore and contender barrels like to travel in herds and are lonely if there are less then 6-12 in a gun safe.

With the selection of quality bullets available now the caliber can be anything 24 & above & you will be fine on white tails.

Dick

My hunting is mostly in the woods , from treestands

I did take a nice doe with the 22-250 once, very lucky shot , I'm not very recoil sensitive, but muzzle brakes are out , my ears ring 24/7 , can't afford any more hearing loss

I have been thinking of the 7-30 waters classic cartridge ,ill need a custom barrel for that what is the most popular barrel maker ?

I also been thinking about the 7mm-08 for the ease of finding once fired brass will make my reloading much easier .

I have plenty of research to do

Both will work. My 7-30 is in contender (ported factory 14", minimal recoil, no muzzle jump) and I'm finding that with copper bullets I am limited to ~200 yards with the Barns 120 gn TSX (the lowest minimum expansion velocity in a light 7mm bullet available from Barnes). 7mm-08 would buy you a good bit extra range with increased velocity and options for heavier bullets. Soft lead core bullets that expand at lower velocities will undoubtedly work to longer ranges, but I don't know enough to speak about them. I will likely send the 7-30 down the road shortly to finance a custom 223 barrel and stick with my 30-30 and the Barnes black tip bullets for deer. I've also started hunting with the electronic ear muffs for hearing protection and pull them down over my ears if the shot allows.
As for barrels, Bullberry, MGM and SSK are popular and respected sources.

30-30 Ackley improved. just because i always wanted one. not that i have any practical knowledge of what im talking about

7-30 Waters

7-08 for me. It was recommended to me from a friend of mine when I was looking for the same thing you are.

He let me shoot his 243 and 7-08 side by side to see and feel the difference. I'm very grateful that he did that. I was headed towards the 243, but after shooting it was clear that the easier (for me) one to shoot was the 7-08.

The 243 had a very snappy rolling type recoil, whereas the 7-08 is a push back. I much prefer that style of recoil.

Of course we're all different, so try 'em out if possible beforehand.

BTW.........Thanks a million BT!

Then a thutty thutty (30-30) comes to mind.
I have one on in Contender with a factory break and it out shots a few rifles at 100 yards.I get 1/2 groups or less. And as stated in another posters response you push it harder out of a Contender.

Good caliper choices !

I do crop damage deer with a .22-250 XP and 40 gr. BTs around houses where I don't want exits. It does really good out to 200, but I pick perfect broadside lung shots.
My all around do everything is a XP and Encore in 6.5/.284 with muzzle break. Mild recoil, almost no muzzle rise, and has proven itself time and time again on deer out to 550 yards with a Burris BPlex scope.

You can get a factory 7mm-08 barrel, but if you want a 7-30 Waters barrel you ought to check out Match Grade Machine. They'll build you a barrel to your exact specifications at a price not much higher than a T/C factory barrel. I had them build me a custom 12" 221 Fireball barrel at the beginning of the year, and I'm quite pleased with it.

I haven't seen it mentioned, but I'm very fond on my 270win barrel. With a SSK Arrestor brake, it's a real pussycat that hits with authority - very accurate as well.