Outdoor Life Editor Debunks Six Common Deer Rifle and Cartridge Myths

Outdoor Life sat down with its shooting editor, John B. Snow, to take apart six beliefs about deer rifles and cartridges that its editors say they hear all the time.

Key points

• 6.5 Creedmoor: Snow calls it misunderstood rather than overrated, a well-balanced, accurate round with mild recoil that is plenty for any whitetail in North America.
• Knockdown power: Snow says no cartridge has it. Bullets kill by hitting the central nervous system or through blood loss, so bullet behavior and shot placement matter more than a big magnum.
• Brush: In staff writer Tyler Freel's testing, the .45-70 Govt. did best and copper mono-metal bullets deflected least, but every bullet deflected to some degree.
• Old vs. new rifles: CNC machining makes today's barrels and actions far more precise, though Snow regrets the fading art of hand checkering and fine wood stocks.
• Accuracy: Drawing on the magazine's five-shot-group testing, Snow says a hunting rifle that holds 1.25-inch groups with common factory ammo is a very good rifle.

Quick take

A common thread in Snow's answers is that bullet choice now matters more than cartridge choice, since good bullets have multiplied over the last 20 years. He also advises against shooting through brush except in rare cases such as a follow-up shot, and the piece urges hunters to put more time into practice than into sub-MOA promises.

Read the full story at Outdoor Life.