[Newt]

I'm seriously considering buying a 22-250 for this years upcoming hunting seasons.

I have a Model 7 Youth .260 that I love. It is lightweight, short and very easy to carry. I have absolutely nothing to complain about with this gun. I love it. I had a Savage '06 as my first deer rifle and had major trouble with the safety on it. It actually went off on me one time.

Should I consider buying a Ruger, Savage, Browning or Winchester at all for my next rifle? Pro's and Cons to each.

[NRA4LIFE]

I have several Browning A-Bolts. I believe they have one of the smoothest bolts available. One of them is chambered in .243 and is the most accurate rifle I have ever personally fired. I consistently shoot sub 1" groups at 100 yards.

[4Truck]

Another vote for the A-bolt.

I have two of them, one in .270, and one in .300WSM, and as long as they stay the same, I could be happy forever

[Art Eatman]

Moved to "Rifle Country".

:), Art

[Art Eatman]

Not knowing anything about your shooting/hunting skills, I don't mean any put-down, but I'm uncomfortable with any .22 for deer. A bad hit has too much potential (IMO) for a shallow wound and an escaped deer which dies beyond tracking distance.

Okay: It's hard to find a rifle that won't be plenty accurate. Seems to me that the first priority is the fit, and then the cost and/or aesthic appeal. If the stock fits properly, the "shootability" or "hittability" is better...

:), Art

[dakotasin]

i would look at remington first, ruger second. i've had too many problems w/ savages to ever consider another, and i have no experience w/ browning at all - though they have some sharp looking stocks!

i've yet to own a remington that wouldn't shoot fair out of the box, and phenominally w/ little adjustments to trigger, bedding, floating, whatever... remingtons are easy to work w/ on your own.

i kind of flip-flop on rugers...i like that they come w/ rings so that nothing extra needs to be purchased to mount a scope. on the flip-side, i hate that you are either stuck using their rings or paying way too much for somebody elses rings (and that's assuming they make one to fit the ruger).

i guess if you aren't as anal about scopes and mounting as i am, ruger is a great choice. if you worry about making every detail of your gun perfectly to your specs, then i'd look somewhere else.

[zahc]

I've heard sketchy things about ruger and their support of RKBA. Other companies may be worse:confused: .

Ruger's triggers irritate me to no end, and since I have 2 winchesters here with excellent factory triggers, and three rugers with unspeakablely horrific factory triggers, based on my limited experience with both I would put winchester before ruger.

[Brian Williams]

Get your self a mod 7 in 223 or in 22-250 then you have a similar platform for both ends of the spectrum. They are light weight and fairly accurate, make it easy for carry around a field for 'yotes or g'hogs.

[rick_reno]

I've only had one 22-250, it was a heavy barreled Sako. I also have a .223 in the same configuration. I found the 22-250 was not an easy gun to develop a tack driving load for, so I sold it. In the order of guns you listed I'd put Remington/Browning equal and drop Ruger/Savage. The centerfire Ruger rifles I've owned were all over the map in accuracy. I was also never comfortable with the way they fit me - so I got rid of them. I've never owned a Savage rifle, I've always thought they were a low quality gun. I have seen great things posted about their current production rifles - but I'm still sure I'll never own one. You left Winchester off your list, I'm not sure why. I think they make a good gun, I'd put them right after the Reminton/Brownings but before the Ruger/Savages.

[Smoke]

Kimber, Remington, Winchester, Browning, Savage, in that order.
(I might swap Win and Browning, depending on the particulars)

I've never shot a Ruger centerfire rifle, so can't comment. (Someone feel sorry for me here and loan me theirs......;) )

Don't know what kind of deer you're after; but Art makes a point.
WHere I am .223 and .22-250 are great deer guns, our deer are on the small side though. I'd up the ante to a .30x for South Texas Whitetails or Muleys.

Don't be afraid to pay a little extra when purchasing firearms, it will always reap dividends.

[Newt]

I appreciate all of your feedback. As far as some of your questions go. I'm in Arkansas and the deer here are relitavely small compared to other states. A large buck here would go around 175 lbs. That's about as big as they get in my part of the world.

The reason for me wanting a 22-250 is that one of my friends has a 22-250 Ruger which he has yet to let a deer get away from him. In addition he has killed several at very long ranges. I witnessed one at 400plus or minus.

Kimber and Sako are brands not known well around my parts. I'll do some research into those. I don't know many folks around here that have a Winchester rifle but I'll check on that as well. Any other input would be appreciated.

Newt

[Newt]

I have never heard of Tikka until I posted my question up. I've been doing some reasearch and found that they're an exceptional rifle, especially when you see the price. I'm seriously thinking of the Tikka M595 7MM WSM if there is such a thing available. Input????

Newt

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Don't know about getting one in 7mm WSM---but pretty sure you can find one in 7mm Rem Mag.

[yzguy]

I can't comment on the others, but I love my new savage 10-FP in .308

[shooter10mm]

Newt, buddy if you have a .260 you need to get a larger caliber gun if you're interested in shooting deer at long ranges. Under ideal circumstances a .22-250 or 220 swift will do it, I've done it. But you'll be better of with a flatter shooting gun than your .260 in model 7 configuration, I'm guessing you have a 16-18" barrel on a youth model? Now in a 24" barreled Rem 700 I can driil one's lights out at 400 no problem as I'm getting about 300-400 fps more than you are which flattens trajectory quite a bit. For you needs get a .270 Win,WSM, or Wby, a 7mm of similar variety, or a 300 something or other. And learn to shoot the rifle. It doesn't matter what kind of "bangstick" you use if you can't manage the recoil and hold it to the rifles ability at long range to hit your target.

"Remember it ain't the arrow it's the indian!":D

[mohican]

I didn't see any Savage supporters in this thread

Now that they have introduced the Accutrigger, it has eliminated the Savage weak link. Savages are incredibly accurate, especially for the money.

Just my opinion varmint hunting long range - good
deer hunting long range - bad

[Newt]

shooter10mm, as far as the Rem. .260 goes, I hunt in Arkansas and when I'm in my stand, usually don't get more than a 100 yd. shot. That's why I've got my .260. I have to carry it long distances and it's light and at a range of 100 yards, it will do just fine.

I occasionally hunt some large 90-100 acre fields. I can usually get within 300-400 yards of the deer there but am pushing my luck if I try to get any closer out in an open field. That's why I was asking about the 22-250 or 7mm WSM. However, I think I'm leaning more toward a Tikka .243 now. Anyone have any input on that?

Newt