Recommendations on Rifle Hunting Dies I need and dont have

[Joe504]

This is somewhat hypothetical. So, lets say I was moving to somewhere around the Smokey Mountains, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Virginia's, Etc. I want to help my soon to be new neighbors reload for hunting, mostly deer. I want to pick up 5 sets of dies that I dont already have, from the list below. Of these sets, what do you think are the most common calibers? Assume anything not listed, I already have.

22-250
25-06
270 Win
270 WSM
280 Rem
280 Ackley Improved
300 WSM
300 Rem Ultra Mag
338 Win Mag
338 Lapua
35 Wheelen
350 Legend
375 H7H Mag
6.5 Creedmore
6.5 Grendel
6.5-284 Norma
7mm Rem Mag
7mm-08 Rem

Again, assume I have anything not listed, and this is just hypothetical. Im looking for what you would consider the most popular deer rounds in the mid south.

Thanks.

Play nice

[Walks]

. 270Win
Maybe .22-250 if legal there ?
I think anything else will be someone who handloads anyway.

[rbuck351]

270 Win and maybe the 350 Legend but never having been to the south I'm just guessing.

[Petander]

35 Whelen.

I have had a mold, GC:s and dies for 20 years, even made some rounds using 30-06 brass ... but still got no rifle. :)

[shell70634]

25-06
270 Win
35 Wheelen
350 Legend
6.5 Creedmore

Toss up between 25-06 and 7mm-08

[1006]

270 Win
6.5 Creedmore
6.5 Grendel
7mm Rem Mag
7mm-08 Rem

From a Chuck Hawks Article, before the 6.5’s rise in popularity:

USA (Averaged 2015 sales rank)

.223 Remington
.308 Winchester
.30-06 Springfield
.30-30 Winchester
.270 Winchester
.243 Winchester
7mm Remington Magnum
.300 Winchester Magnum
7.62x39mm Soviet
.22-250 Remington
Honorable Mention: .300 WSM, 7mm-08 Rem. and .338 Win. Mag.

[725]

35 Remington
.30-30
8 mm Mauser
.45-70
.32 Win. Spec.

[TNsailorman]

I live in East Tennessee and the caliber that I have seen in these mountains most is the old .30-06(my personal favorite). I have also seen 308 Win., 30-30, .243, 8mm mauser and a few .270. I haven't hunted in several years now and have no idea what the young crowd would carry. Most shots in the mountains where I hunted would be under 100 yards as the mountain laurel and ridges made shots fairly close. The area we hunted most was both steep and heavily covered in brush, making any shot close and quick. The farther I got from civilization, the better I liked it. Peace and solitude was what I wanted most and I usually went deep into the mountains, mostly moving slowly all day on foot. I have never sat in a tree stand or a blind. Killing a deer was not the primary thing for me, peace and quiet was. This is heresy to some but I loved the solitude. I can easily understand why some of the ol timers could disappear for a year or two into the woods in the early frontier days. I am way too old for those days now but I sure do enjoy the memories of them. james

[Winger Ed.]

I like helping others as much as anyone.
However, if they are interested in reloading, the least they can do to help themselves is buy their own dies.

Something that most people don't think of to reload, or cast for, and is popular in those neighborhoods-
would be to cast and reload 12 ga. OO buckshot and slugs.

[Wayne Smith]

Most popular is likely 30-30 and 30-06. Anything else would be unusual unless you are dealing with a gun nut like us, and he would already have his own equipment.

[John Boy]

Joe,what’s the average distance of the hunting shots in LA and I presume not much more are 100yds
Accordingly the calibers listed are an exercise of spending needless money
There are hunters in PA that shoot deer over a mile away across the Grand Canyon …
there are calibers calibers on the list for this and the 6.5’s are ones

[chutesnreloads]

.22-250
25-06
.270
6.5 Creedmore
7-08

[GregLaROCHE]

270 and 7mm Mag are the only most likely I see on the list. I would think most would be with 30-30, 30.06 or 308. Maybe a few 300 Win Mags.

[Joe504]

Thank for all the help.
Yall have provided a lot of good info.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Burnt Fingers]

Joe,what’s the average distance of the hunting shots in LA and I presume not much more are 100yds
Accordingly the calibers listed are an exercise of spending needless money
There are hunters in PA that shoot deer over a mile away across the Grand Canyon …
there are calibers calibers on the list for this and the 6.5’s are ones

Ya forgot the purple font.

[lightman]

From the range brass that I pick up I would say;

270 Winchester
6.5 Creedmoor
7MM Magnum

Maybe anything popular in an AR platform like the 300BO.

[Shawlerbrook]

Definitely a big hole without 30 30.

[farmbif]

lets put it this way, one long time local gun shop with more than one location here thinks I'm very uncommon because I have "oddball" calibers like 35 whelen, 25-20, 25-35, 32 win spl and others. and come to think of it I have never seen a 22 hornet for sale anywhere around here, maybe in Bristol at the bass pro shop.
what you see most of are the "meat and potatoes" calibers. 223/5.56, 243, 270 win, 30-30, 308 win, 30-06, and there was what might have been a, I didn't look close at all at it, armalite ar50, 50 bmg on counter top of a gun shop I was in just yesterday

[farmbif]

oh yeah, come to think of it over at buds gunshop in Sevierville , last time I was there they had a bunch of 45-70's, they seem to have gotten real popular. but the pawn shop down the road had an old Winchester 1892 in 40 wcf, it sat there a long time, probably because the price was pretty high and no one around has ammo or brass for it.

[jsizemore]

I live in NC which wasn't on your list of places. Folks around here hunt in the mountains and any of the border states. Since you might shoot deer, hog, and bear with the occasional coyote, the list goes:

7 mag, 270, 280, 243, and the latest fav 6.5 creedmore.

Most folks that don't load are looking for loaded ammo at the Walmart or Cabela's style store. These are easily the most popular wherever I go.

[Bullet Caster]

oh yeah, come to think of it over at buds gunshop in Sevierville , last time I was there they had a bunch of 45-70's, they seem to have gotten real popular. but the pawn shop down the road had an old Winchester 1892 in 40 wcf, it sat there a long time, probably because the price was pretty high and no one around has ammo or brass for it.

Where in TN do ya live. I'm in Sevierville, too!