The top 10 cartridges for hunting deer in Canada

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The 7MM Remington Magnum pairs perfectly with the Bergara B-14 Wilderness Hunter

7MM REMINGTON MAGNUM

Hunters tend to either love or hate the 7mm Rem. Mag. Those who hate it generally cite recoil as one of their primary issues, and there’s no denying this round’s recoil is roughly 10 to 20 per cent higher than that of a .30-06—a level some shooters find unmanageable. If you can tolerate the recoil, however, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more effective cartridge for hunting large-bodied deer at extended ranges.

Introduced in 1962, the 7mm Rem. Mag. is likely the most popular belted magnum cartridge in North America, if not the world. It’s one of the few rounds considered an all-round cartridge, effective on nearly every game species in Canada except, perhaps, the largest polar and grizzly bears. It’s most often compared to the .30-06, although it can boast more velocity, greater downrange energy, a higher ballistic coefficient and sectional density, and a flatter trajectory.

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Some hunters suggest the 7mm Rem. Mag. is too much gun for deer, but can your deer ever be too dead? It’s undoubtedly more at home in the open West than in the forests of eastern Canada, but for the hunter seeking a cartridge capable of taking down more than just deer, they can do a lot worse than consider this round.

Perfect pairing: Bergara B-14 Wilderness Hunter