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.270 Winchester
Originally developed in 1923 and released by Winchester in 1925 this cartridge is basically a necked down .30.06 Springfield.
It is undoubtedly one of the most widely used rifle cartridges ever and has been in and out of fashion amongst deer stalkers and hunters ever since its first introduction.
(Left: The .270 can be adapted to accept a variety of bullets)
The Calibre for many is synonymous with the famous American Gun Writer Jack O'Connor who wrote for 'Outdoor Life' for some 30 years. Jack O'Connor proclaimed the calibres praises for all kinds of game and today it is still a calibre that many feel ideal for Uk Deer Stalking whilst also being suitable for larger species such as Boar and Elk.
Typically used with 130 grain bullets the .270 can propel a bullet at around 3100fps or with a slightly heavier 150 grain bullet at around 2850fps. This produces some great terminal ballistics at long ranges and as such it is a first choice for many stalkers wishing to hunt larger deer species at longer ranges.
It is for these reasons perhaps not surprising therefore that it has been highly popular amongst Highland stalkers and the Scottish Forestry Commission who are often required to cull Deer at longer ranges than might be typical for a lowland stalker.
With 2700 ft lbs of energy at the muzzle the .270 Winchester has similar energy levels to the .308 Winchester however it is of course flatter shooting. That said there are draw backs and these include what some might find a slightly snappy kick which for many new comers to deer stalking can result in 'flinching' when taking the shot. That added to a significant muzzle blast and slightly more expensive ammunition means that it is for many lowland stalkers less desirable than some other calibres.
On the plus side it can be relatively versatile and for home loaders can be used with anything from 90 - 180 grain ammunition. The popularity of the calibre amongst UK stalkers is also improved due to the now frequent use of sound moderators which both decrease the muzzle blast and recoil to more manageable levels.
Typical Ballistics: (130 grain bullet)
Muzzle Energy: 2700 ft/lbs
Muzzle Velocity: 3100 fps
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6.5x55mm Swedish
The 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser or simply 6.5 Swedish as it is often referred, although relatively new amongst UK deer stalkers is not in fact a new calibre. Having been introduced initially as a military calibre over 100 years ago it was soon adopted by Scandinavian hunters who found it enough of a calibre for use on animals as large as Moose and even Polar Bear!
There is no denying it is a deceptively effective calibre however on initial impressions it is easy at first to be confused. The figures surrounding this .264 calibre put simply, appear rather unimpressive. A 140 grain bullet is launched at around 2650fps and the energy at the muzzle is little more than that of a .243 Winchester at around 2050ft lbs.
The trajectory is also far from impressive dropping around 4.6 inches at 200yards with a 100yrd zero and 16inches at 300yards.
However this calibre is somewhat of an enigma and for many is the perfect trade off between shootability and knock down power. Amongst other reasons this is because it produces a minimum of recoil and muzzle blast yet it is able to knock down animals that on paper just don't look justifiable.
Added to this, the long thin bullet which has excellent penetration and great accuracy and the fact it is able to handle bullet weights from 77 grains to 160 grains and things start to make sense again.
With the size of our UK deer and the ranges at which we shoot for me this calibre is simply perfect for UK deer stalking, its is therefore perhaps no surprise that UK deer stalkers are adopting this calibre more and more.
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6.5x55mm Swedish
The 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser or simply 6.5 Swedish as it is often referred, although relatively new amongst UK deer stalkers is not in fact a new calibre. Having been introduced initially as a military calibre over 100 years ago it was soon adopted by Scandinavian hunters who found it enough of a calibre for use on animals as large as Moose and even Polar Bear!
(Above: A great combination for UK stalking, a Tikka T3 chambered in 6.5x55)
There is no denying it is a deceptively effective calibre, however on initial impressions it is easy at first to be confused. The figures surrounding this .264 calibre put simply, appear rather unimpressive. A 140 grain bullet is launched at around 2650fps and the energy at the muzzle is little more than that of a .243 Winchester at around 2050ft lbs.
The trajectory is also far from impressive, dropping around 4.6 inches at 200yards with a 100yrd zero and 16inches at 300yards.
(Left: A great choice of calibre - the 6.5x55 Swedish)
However this calibre is somewhat of an enigma and for many is the perfect trade off between shootability and knock down power. Amongst other reasons this is because it produces a minimum of recoil and muzzle blast, yet it is able to knock down animals that on paper just don't look justifiable.
Added to this, the long thin bullet which has excellent penetration, great accuracy and the fact it is able to handle bullet weights from 77 grains to 160 grains and things start to make sense again.
With the size of deer in the UK, and the ranges at which we shoot them, for me this calibre is simply perfect for lowland deer stalking.
It is also worth mentioning that with the often stringent conditions being placed on the Firearm Certificates of new comers to the sport, another reason for the huge up take of this calibre stems from the fact that many Firearms Enquiry Officers consider this calibre to be an acceptable calibre with which to start, and a good platform from which to gain experience before progressing onto larger calibre rifles.
With all things considered and irrespective of whether this is your first calibre or one of many, it is perhaps no surprise that UK deer stalkers are adopting the 6.5x55 calibre in greater and greater numbers.
Typical Ballistics: (140 grain Bullet)
Muzzle Energy: 2050 ft/lbs
Muzzle Velocity: 2650 fps
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.25-06 Remington
The 25-06 Remington was originally a wild cat calibre until standardised by Remington in 1969.
(Left: The .25-06 is an unusual choice, but none the less a great option for stalking in the highlands where longer shots are often required)
This cartridge is basically a flat shooting necked down 30-06 Springfield, which can be used with bullet weights ranging from 90 - 120 grains. 120 grain bullets produce around 2990 fps and 2380 ftlbs of energy at the muzzle.
Although having less of a kick than a .270 or .30.06, I found the recoil to be a little snappy. That said it has an excellent ballistic coefficeint and is therefore very flat shooting and able to produce plenty of down range punch.
Due to the flat trajectory, this is a great calibre for use in the highlands, or for use on light skinned plains game. That said it is little seen amongst UK deer stalkers, who, if hunting at longer ranges, seem to prefer the .270 or .308 Winchester.
Perhaps as a result of the UK's deer stalkers being reluctant to adopt this calibre, ammunition is not easily found, and when it is located, can be a little on the pricey side.
Typical ballistics (120 grain bullet)
Muzzle Energy: 2380 ft/lbs
Muzzle Velocity: 2990 fps
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6mm PPC
The 6mm PPC or 6 PPC as it is more commonly refered to is in fact a widcat calibre produced from a necked up .22 PPC which in turn originated from the .220 Russian. The 6mm bullet is of course also the same diameter as the .243.
Developed predominantly for use in Bench Rest shooting out to 300 yards it is an extremely accurate calibre perhaps due to the very uniform velocity produced from short cartridges that are very efficient combustion chambers.
(Left: The 6mm PPC)
The 6 PPC is a great Varmint round and is also occasionally seen amongst UK Deer Stalkers. Although possessing a little less energy than a .243 Winchester it is in fact able to propel a 90grain bullet at 3030 fps producing around 1830 ftlbs of energy at the muzzle and thereby fitting just within the requirments of UK deer legislation.
Bullet weights can range from 60 to 90 grains, however due to the short cartridge cases some claim that it can produce problems when feeding rounds from the magazine into the chamber with some rifle actions.
Clearly an unusual choice for most however I have seen this calibre put to great effect on our smaller species of deer such as Roe and Muntjac.
Typical Ballistics (90 grain Bullet)
Muzzle Energy: 1830 ft/lbs
Muzzle Velocity: 3030 fps
