.250 Savage for Whitetail Deer Hunting? Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Whitetail Deer Hunt
- Hunting Calibers
- 04 Apr, 2020
Is the .250 Savage a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for whitetail deer hunting? The accurate answer is “it depends”. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the .250 Savage is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest whitetail deer.
As with anything, the devil is in the details. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the whitetail deer, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the whitetail deer in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots – the list goes on.
What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a whitetail deer in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically.
Let’s dive right in. In the question of “Is the .250 Savage within the ideal range of suitable calibers for whitetail deer hunting?” our answer is:
No, the .250 Savage is UNDERKILL for whitetail deer hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement.
Let’s look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table.
| Assumption | Value |
|---|---|
| Caliber | .250 Savage |
| Animal Species | Whitetail Deer |
| Muzzle Energy | 1770 foot-pounds |
| Animal Weight | 210 lbs |
| Shot Distance | 150 yards |
What is the average muzzle energy for a .250 Savage? In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a .250 Savage round is approximately 1770 foot-pounds.
What is the average weight of an adult male whitetail deer? Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. In this case, the average weight of an adult male whitetail deer is approximately 210 lbs.
What is the distance this species is typically hunted from? Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in whitetail deer hunting. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for whitetail deer to be approximately 150 yards.
What about the other assumptions? We have three other primary assumptions being made here. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .250 Savage. The second important assumption is ‘slightly-suboptimal’ to ‘optimal’ shot placement. That is to say, we assume the whitetail deer being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet.
Various calibers
A common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions.
Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .250 Savage is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest whitetail deer - and to this question, the response again is no, the .250 Savage is UNDERKILL for whitetail deer hunting.
This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below.
Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting whitetail deer to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option.
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15 Comments
Shoot a nice South Texas Buck a few years ago, used reload 115 gr Nosler BT at 2700FPS clocked worked great at 205 yds. went 12yds after hit. This guy probably thinks you need a 300 win. mag for deer, please!
Back in the day, I carried a savage -99 in 250.
I have taken several elk with 100 gr core lokt.
Yes…….bullet placement is everything. I now have
a 250 M77 Ruger that I picked up for a song.
The new bullets now available I am looking getting
it in the woods. It is a great cartage for someone that is recoil sensitive. It is under rated.
Bob
The 250 savage under kill for whitetail? Well then someone better get a time machine and travel back to 1915 and prevent the hundreds if not thousands of deer and black bears from being killed with it. One thing I’ve noticed on this website format is that unless you are using a 416 Rigby or larger, everything is under kill for the common woodchuck let alone a whitetail deer. Please remember folks, it wasn’t all that long ago that we were felling every that walked the face of earth with a sharp rock glued to a stick, that had a terminal velocity related to how fast you could throw it. Any cartridge that is still packing about 1,000 ft lbs of energy at 200 yards is more than adequate for the average deer hunter. Shot placement is #1 followed by bullet performance everything after that is personal preference.
Foundry Outdoors, just had to come up with SOMETHING to put into writing hu? Definitely the kind of guy who thinks deer are Kevlar plated and need a magnum to kill them.
Dumbest assumption I have ever read and the reason the cartridge died. I have killed( or is it unalived) 98 white tails with this cartridge. Not one weighed 210 lbs. hanging weight or estimated live weight. 7 were bucks that were well into the 120 + class. 96 were DRT. Blood trails are never an issue. Ranges? Maybe 200 yards at furthest but most at well less than 100. 2800 fps with a 100 grain bullet is magic. By the way my dad used one for 50 years. Same result. Ground Hogs? A heavy Hart Barreled was poison to as far as anyone can shoot with 85 grain ballistic Tips. Accuracy? Won my first registered VFS IBS score match with said Hart Heavy Barrel. Do not belittle this cartridge. It is the grandparent of the 6.5 Creedmoor. Great cartridge. Ohh, forgot. Also a 200lb black bear with a 115 grain partition went exactly 6 feet.
I don’t know who thinks it’s under gun for deer , but they have never hunted with it. And they are not a Hunter! My grandfather killed mule deer in Colorado . Not to mention the amount of elk he killed. Gave it to my dad who has a long track record as I do with it killing deer and elk. Not to mention the amount of coyotes we killed with it. Pet loads were IMR 4064 with 100 or 115 gr bullets. The one we own was handed down from Dean O Banion to my grandfather in 1924 from the Denver armory . Bought new . 5 were bought along with several other firearms for the North side gang in Chicago. One of the best deer cartridges ever made.
I have used a Savage 99 250-3000 since 1965. Have taken numerous whitetail deer with it. The biggest was over 220 lbs. field dressed (in Minnesota). Most shots were between 50 and 200 yards and at least a dozen or more around 300 yards with the longest being 413 yards measured. That buck went less than 20 yards before dropping. I have used .270’s, 30-30’s, a 300 Savage and .243’s but always come back to the .250. Anyone who thinks a .250 is not for white tail deer has never used one or has a prejudice against it.
I am here to tell y’all that the 250 Savage is a beast !
I had the privilege of finding a 1935 Savage 99 in 250 Savage earlier this year.
I bought a Leupold scope and mounts to mount on the Redfield scope base that came with it.
I dialed it in to be dead on at 100 yards as most of my shots are less.
I used hand loaded 87 grain Sierra Game Kings.
Chrono’d at an average of 3,040 FPS.
The two does I took this past Saturday were not available to comment.
The first one, which was 120# dressed, hopped after I hit her at around 15 yards, literally walked about 30 feet behind some brush and I lost sight of her. I found her right behind the brush.
The second one was at about 40 yards. This one literally flipped onto its back, kicked 3 times, and DRT. This one was about 95# dressed.
When gutting, both hearts AND lungs were jelly.
The two front shoulders of the smaller one were blood clotted on the rear side as was one of the larger doe’s shoulders.
While the exit wound was not much larger than the entry wound, the ribs were vaporized for roughly a 2.5" circle around the exit wound.
The sheer hydrostatic shock generated had to be amazing and it worked extremely effectively to harvest both animals very cleanly, humanely, and quickly.
While I’ve not yet had the opportunity to take a longer shot with it, shot placement is still king and I feel very confident that I can bring down the biggest of bucks out to at least 200 yards and I wouldn’t hesitate to take that shot.
Larry Koller, the author of “Shots on Whitetails” used this round for more deer than he could count.
While his preferred shot was in the neck (he didn’t feel like looking for them), as already mentioned, this cartridge has successfully taken many game.
You’re out to lunch. I just dropped a big Alberta 5×5 Wt at 300 yards with a Rem 700 Classic .250 Savage and a 100gr Sierra SP. No lungs bullet went through and through. Get out of your mom’s basement and in the field before writing more garbage.