Deer Rifle Recommendation?

[SB1964]

I once saw a moose swim across the English channel & rip apart a cruise ship. Bring nothing less than your .50 BMG & make sure it floats!

[Divernhunter]

I have two 50bmg rifles. I could bring them on the griz or moose hunt using the Barnes hunting ammo I have loaded. Only problem would be that Thorax would have to pack it for me as my surgeries will not allow me to pack it very far.

I will keep that in mind if I ever cross the English Channel

[Thorax]

I once saw a moose swim across the English channel & rip apart a cruise ship. Bring nothing less than your .50 BMG & make sure it floats!

Yea, they never destroy semi trucks in this area.....

http://tow411.yuku.com/topic/92192/Semi-vs-moose

Perhaps a random thought process should happen before typing, what say you ?

[glockman19]

My deer/hunting primary hunting rifle is a Remington 700 CDL in .30-06

[scidx]

I once saw a moose destroy Tokyo.

I wouldn't hunt that with anything less than an A/C-130.



That said, my current deer rifle is a Weatherby in .30-06.
I have a Howa in .308 awaiting 10-day pickup. I hoping to use it this season. We shall see.

[stonefly-2]

if i was looking to buy a deer rifle right now i would scare up an old husqvarna in 6.5 x 55.
it's killed more moose than moose have killed freightliners and you don't have to worry about that old "fell for buying a new gun with plastic on it" stigma.
a lot of variables to consider. 6.5 x 55 satisfies them all except the forgetting your bullets out of town somewhere problem.
do people do that?

[TurboChrisB]

That said, my current deer rifle is a Weatherby in .30-06.
I have a Howa in .308 awaiting 10-day pickup. I hoping to use it this season. We shall see.

I pretty positive your Weatherby is a Howa 1500 action. (in case you didn't know) I'm a fan....I have the same badged as a S&W in 30.06 as well.

[Guardian Mode]

Savage 16(short action) or 116(long action) FCSS.
Sells for under $700. Many calibers including 270.
22" stainless barrel and action.
Aluminum bedded accustock.
And something I recently discovered from stumbling onto the Kahntrol clamp on brake website is that these particular barrels are in that sweet spot (.675-.725") between a sporter and a heavier varmint contour. Also,, Savages are easy to buy and swap out barrels.

A Vortex scope. Any.

[LynnJr]

The 22 long rifles kills more animals each year than all others combined but you are hunting not slaughtering so get yourself a 30-06.

The 308 was put in place because today's soldier needed less recoil and less weight.
Now we have the 223 because it reduces recoil and the ammo is lighter.
In another decade the 223 will be obsolete and the military will be packing you guessed it 22 long rifles.
Reason is less recoil and the ammo doesn't weigh much.
About that same time everyone on calguns will tell you the 223 is the best round for 1000 yards.

[Citizen_B]

The 22 long rifles kills more animals each year than all others combined but you are hunting not slaughtering so get yourself a 30-06.

The 308 was put in place because today's soldier needed less recoil and less weight.
Now we have the 223 because it reduces recoil and the ammo is lighter.
In another decade the 223 will be obsolete and the military will be packing you guessed it 22 long rifles.
Reason is less recoil and the ammo doesn't weigh much.
About that same time everyone on calguns will tell you the 223 is the best round for 1000 yards.

IMO, the military's use of the M16/M4 in 223 is/was never intended to be a long-range weapon. It is advertised as effective to 300+ yards, but in my experience it is almost always currently used, and appropriate for, under 50 yards with real effectiveness out to maybe 150 yards. Proper sniper weapons (e.g. M24/M21/etc.) will always use appropriate long-range cartridges. I don't see them changing that. Even in a decade, I don't see where a .22LR rifle would fit in with the military's (non-SOF) use, given other available options.

[stonefly-2]

IMO, the military's use of the M16/M4 in 223 is/was never intended to be a long-range weapon. It is advertised as effective to 300+ yards, but in my experience it is almost always currently used, and appropriate for, under 50 yards with real effectiveness out to maybe 150 yards. Proper sniper weapons (e.g. M24/M21/etc.) will always use appropriate long-range cartridges. I don't see them changing that. Even in a decade, I don't see where a .22LR rifle would fit in with the military's (non-SOF) use, given other available options.

um, it was a tastefully sarcastic argument intended to support the use of 30/06 as a deer rifle caliber.
he's not wrong either.
most of the other suggestions here aren't either, they just boil down mostly to personal taste (or lack of it) with no way to taylor an answer to what sort of "deer hunting" you will likely be doing if you even know yet.
it's not as easy as it used to be but i think handling some used rifles at a shop or two would be a good first step. study calibers, narrow down choices and then jump on the first oddball impulse buy you come across. in the end you end up with more rifles that way.

[TMB 1]

If you're going to look at used rifles. 300 Savage is a good deer/hog cartridge and so is the 35 Remington.

[Tarasdad]

FWIW my go-to deer rifle for years was my Win. Mod. 70 Fwt. in 7x57mm Mauser. Incredibly accurate (1/4" 3-shot groups at 100 yards all day long), easy to carry, mild recoil, and lethality all out of proportion to the size of the cartridge with my handloads using Nosler 140gr Partition bullets. Topped it with a 2.5-8x32 Simmons - wanted a Leupold in the same power but was out of my price range.

Oh, and whoever said the Weatherby Vanguard uses a Howa action is right. Spoke with the Weatherby reps many times during my years behind the sales counter at a gun store and they confirmed it.

[SDCutter]

Deer hunting rig

You've chosen two good calibers -- .270 and .308 Either will serve you well for years to come, and they will certainly be around for the next several generations to hunt with. Are there others? Certainly. I've hunted deer with half a dozen different calibers, and there are others. But for the last 30 years my go to deer caliber has been the .270. I've shot deer (whitetail, mule deer, blacktail, and California whatever), antelope, and wild boar/pig. You will not go wrong with either a .270 or .308.

Manufacturer: Seems like any of the modern hunting offerings from Savage, Remington, Weatherby, or Steyr are popular recommendations. It makes my head spin on the options. I assume any of them will do the hunting job just fine. Looking for a good value with some longevity.

As you can tell from all the earlier posts, any of these manufacturers and a host of others will work well. Personally, my preference is Remington or Winchester, but that's what I've used -- others make good deer rifles too. A wise move here is not to get a rifle that is too light or too heavy. If it's too light it can be difficult to hold it steady offhand or in various field positions. If it's too heavy, well, you will find out what that is if you do a lot of walking. The same is true for barrel length. Twenty-two or twenty-four inches are generally best.

FYI, I carry a Remington 700 in a McMillan Mountain Rifle stock, which is plenty light, but with a 24", number four contour Shilen barrel, which gives it a little heft out front. That combination in .270 Winchester has worked well for me for many years.

You'll never go wrong with Leupold, although there are many other manufacturers that will also serve you well. What hasn't been mentioned is the bottom figure of the variable scope.

A 4x12 is, in my opinion, too high on the low end for most deer hunting. Even if up to 95% of your shooting will be in the open, there will almost always be 5% or more during which you will be working through brush or woods. At those times you'll appreciate a 2X, 2.5, 3X, or 3.5X as your bottom.

For years I shot a Leupold 6X fixed power scope on my .270, and it was great -- most of the time, but it was too much when I was walking through a tree line or had a buck jump up and take off running out of some brush I was pushing. Later I went with a Leupold 2.5x8, and that was excellent. I now have a Leupold 3.5x10 on my .270, and I really like it, but I have to admit the 2.5x8 was better for all around use. Regardless, while I use the top end at the rifle range, my scopes are always set at 6X when I'm sitting on stand in relatively open country, or at the bottom power (2.5X, 3.5X) if I'm walking or going through brush/trees.

Sounds like you're going to end up with a good deer rifle that will serve you and your family for many years. Good luck, and good hunting.

[RNE228]

The one time I made it out hog hunting a few years ago, got mine with Savage 99 in 300 Savage. Great round, but not much selection available for it.

Love those Mdl 99's!

If you're going to look at used rifles. 300 Savage is a good deer/hog cartridge and so is the 35 Remington.