Guns you’ve used to harvest game and your thoughts about it

I've shot a lot of deer with both the. 308 win and. 280 rem. Both bolt action. The. 308 was a Rem 788 and I miss everything but the safety and magazine dearly. Both were excellent at snagging on brush. The 280 is a mauser 98, and my only wish is that it was slightly lighter. The. 308, I purchased with adult assistance at the ripe old age of 14 after a wicked hot month of scraping and painting hockey rinks for less than minimum wage. I loved that rifle. There were many like it, but that one was mine. I shot thousands of rounds of cheap surplus, rattled apart 3 cheap box store scopes, and killed about 30 deer with 150 grain soft points from powder burn distance to 600 yards. No pictures in digital format. Finally sold the very tired action to an F class shooter for a build where it went on to win some state championships.

Deleted. Wrong thread.

Hookeye said:

Whacked a few deer w bow, change often there too.....but a half dozen were killed w same Blackwidow recurve.

Need a new one at a little less #. 1200.bucks says. Naaaaaaaah

Click to expand...

I had to back off the poundage on my Mission this year. Since retirement I have lost some upper body strength. That is especially true since Covid. I need to work out on weights and shoot my bow more. It is amazing that you can get so out of shape so quickly. Goes back to the old saying, "If you don't use it, you lose it". Probably shouldn't gripe. I shot a doe the second day of the season.

My other rifles don't see a lot of action now. The 300 WSM was only used when the deer were acorns in the timber. It had a 2-7X on it. Now I have the M18 set up with a 3-9X and it gets all of the deer until they hit the fields and I can stretch the Bergara. It is set up with a 6-18X and the 243 wears a 4.5-14X. It gets to shoot the coyotes and armadillos since the Creedmoors came in.

Last critter, this large-ish female coyote at about 75 yards, off hand, with the AR in the pouring rain, out my screen door, from the back porch. Used the 6mm Mongoose, shot in upper right shoulder, DRT.

Some I have pics, others I dont. Not a big hunter but i do on occasion. Used to a lot when i was a kid.

RWS Diana 134 22 cal break action pellet rifle. Taken squirrel, eradicated crows, and taken a Canada goose.

Marlin 17VS with a compact Leupold scope has taken many a squirrel off our bird feeders. So accurate its not even a sporting chance.

Stevens 22-410 with original Tenite furniture.
Taken squirrels, rabbits, and a couple opossums. My favorite woods walking gun. 22 shoots poa and the 410 isnt far off.

Marlin Papoose 22LR
Culled a sickly opossum one night.

Remington 870 express 20ga. My first real gun. Took my first turkey with it at 40 yards. Double bearded 25 pounder. On a hunt with the ex game warden that i won at my hunters safety course. Also taken a few bobwhites with it. Lots of blue rock. Its now dressed up in an 18.5" barrel, +2 mag extension, side saddle, and collapsible stock, and sitting behind my door. Receiver has a mist coat of bedliner for texture then the od green. Been like that for 10+ years.


Browning A5 light 20, from Belgium. Used to take a couple Canada Geese. Goose jerky is delicious!

Remington 700 BDL Varmint in .243 winchester. Old school Leupold on top. Loaded with the family 75gr HPBT load, its dropped two whitetail bucks dead in their tracks.

Good old 572, doing what its made for. I've used it on lots of squirrels and other critters around the farm.



This 1914 Model 1897 has also accounted for several meals, and is still the finest crow shooting gun I own.

There have been several centerfire rifles in my life, but this one is special:



Remington 700, 30-06. It was dad's, and he gifted it to me about 8 years ago. The critters it's killed couldn't be hauled in a two and a half ton truck. No finer rifle exists, in my mind.

Mac

I have many rifles to choose from, but the first I ever bought, a 700 BDL C/D in .25-06, has taken more big game than all the others combined. It sports a Leupold VX-III 4.5-14x, I adjusted the trigger to 2.5 lbs and threaded the muzzle for a can, but it's otherwise a box stock rifle that has been at or below MOA with every load I've ever tried.

A couple hrs ago. Rem M7, .260 Rem, it's positively become my favorite stand hunting rifle. The 20" tube delivers 120 Nosler BTs at 2950 Fps and every deer my son and I have shot with it hasn't required a second shot, nor have they gone far.



and the only thing that makes doubling on does bearable, the Orange Recovery & Dressing vehicle:



I've used: .223-Coyotes, 6mm-Deer, 6.5x57-Chamois, .260Rem-deer, .270-Deer (a lot)-Chamois-Boar, 30-06-Deer, 300WM-Mule Deer, 8x68S-Elk, .350 Rem Mag-Elk & Deer.

Not me. Not my gun. But MY pig- shot with a .45-70 Handi-Rifle. Buddy had to stage it so it looked like he had shot the pig with his revolver.

I scrapped a ton of critter n gear pics off my computer.

Couple yrs back canned a photo album too.

Am the only one that hunts in my fam so was waste of space/ time, nobody cares but me LOL

Kept a handful though. This pic about as good as I've ever taken.
Proly have it put on paper and framed. Set on a shelf.
Deer has a mane, only one I've seen in the wild.

View attachment 967508

25 yrs ago.
Caught heck posted elsewhere.........people saying it was dangerous.
Had to explain the concept of a muzzleloader......and even then some ripped my arse, with " how do you know it's unloaded?"
Uh, it was loaded that morning, the boolit is in the deer LOL

Knight Wolverine w a cheap scope. Thing was a killing machine.
View attachment 967509

View attachment 967512

Last shotgun deer, smoothbore (870P). 2006, just a fun old school hunt.
Activ slugs shot OK, about 75 yard gun though. Popped this at 25. Went a ways, slug fragged and exit visible.
Shorty got my Mathews hat and it disappeared.

Contender 16" in .35 rem.
Touchy to shoot offhand, had to add weight to forend, made a big diff.
Saw this deer in the thicket, moved up and over for a safe angle....got him at around 75 yards.
Clipped onside shoulder at rear, exited front of offside shoulder.
Went around 60 yards.
175# dressed.

I'd shoot one every yr like that if I could LOL.
Oh yeah, 11 am, 2nd day of gun season. Didn't see crap the opener. Didn't see crap that day either, why I got down and started sneakin'.

View attachment 967514

Shot this one on a 1 man push, 40 yards bookin through the thicket, about 25 ft in a stand.
One hole and he moved to it. Going away, tried to hit at base of neck, dunno if he bounced or what.....slug hit spine fwd of the hips and down he went.
Turned w front and the next took out the heart (even smaller hole to shoot through, leaning out a bit- kinda spooky).

View attachment 967526

That rifle now wears Burris low zee rings and a 2-7X Leupold. Little longer tube so sits back a little more than the 4x compact did.
Thing is just a snappy little rifle, quick to deploy.
Proly as close to perfect as I've ever had.
Even w low comb stock. 1963 ADL in .35 rem

Note the double throat patch on the prev post.
Another one from same woods.........

'69 E series w Hornady Leverevolution. 51 yards facing away. Only had neck and head visible, so from that same high stand, popped him.
Bullet recovered in nose when doing Euro mount LOL

View attachment 967527

Oh boy. If you want more than a few pics, I will start another thread. I've killed many over the years with a handful of different rifles. In addition to the 2019-20 season, I shot on a crop depredation permit over peanuts and cotton this past summer...killed many. I haven't shot any this season as I have plenty of meat and unless a gorgeous buck walks by I won't shoot this year. Here are my choices over the years: Savage 111 in 308; CVA Wolf; Marlin 336 in 30-30; Weatherby Vanguard in 300wm; Savage 220 (20ga, duh); Savage 116 in 25-06; CVA Optima; DPMS G2 in 308; Home built 6.5G AR15; Savage 110 Tactical in 308; Ruger American Ranch in 7.62x39; Ruger American Predator in 308; Ruger American Predator in 25-06 (x2, one is a day rifle and the other carries my thermal).

I fell in love with the Ruger American Predator series. I have another on the way in 223. Half of the 25 deer I shot last year (remember, most of those were on a crop permit) went down to the Savage 25-06 with a Meopta R1r 3-12x56. The other half dropped from either the 308 or 25-06 Predators with a Dead Air Nomad and a Pulsar Thermion XP38. The Meopta has moved to a second 25-06 Predator. The Savage now wears a VX6 and is a backup since it doesn't do as well in failing light as the Meopta. The day rifle (Predator) shoots through the Nomad and the night rifle now shoots through a custom can. The Predators are heavy and imbalanced with cans on the end, but it's worth it for the sound reduction. Shooting 100gr TTSX (mostly factory Barnes ammo but also over 51.5gr VV N160 they have mostly dropped like rocks out to 270yds so far. 3 or so ran less than 50 yds, 2 less than 100, and one made it 150ish. I failed to recover 1 but the buzzards say she made it about 75yds that night. I love the 25-06 through the Predator and wonder why I haven't been using it for years. Sorry for the long post. Here's some from the crop permit to make up for it.

)

Most of my rifles and shotguns have been used to either harvest game or dispose of vermin all of the attached have done so. Pound for pound, the several Rem 700s have taken more meat than any of the others. JP

Most of my chucks fell to .243 in Rem 700 ('74 BDL and an ADL synth) or Ruger #1B.
Started w a Rem 660 in .222 back in the mid 70's
Killed a few w AR15 and FNC paratrooper (no pics though). Dandy creekbank rigs.

BTW, I refuse to use the term "harvest".
IMHO there's nothing wrong with killing.
Gotta kill it to grill it.

Hookeye said:

25 yrs ago.
Caught heck posted elsewhere.........people saying it was dangerous.
Had to explain the concept of a muzzleloader......and even then some ripped my arse, with " how do you know it's unloaded?"
Uh, it was loaded that morning, the boolit is in the deer LOL

Knight Wolverine w a cheap scope. Thing was a killing machine.
View attachment 967509

Click to expand...

Whats not to love?! She even knows how to hold it correctly and safely with her finger out of the trigger guard. It is my thinking that youngins should be safely introduced to firearms as soon as possible. That way safety and respect is ingrained in their brain. I was bought a Red Ryder when born and got to use it at about 8 or 9 years old. Even water blasters can be used to teach handling and safety.

I haven't killed alll that many deer, so my list of guns I've taken them with is rather short.
I've used:

.280 Rem
.30-06
.243
Muzzleloader

I have killed by far the most with the .30-06, followed by the ML.
All have served me well. Even though there are more efficient rounds these days, I'm still partial to the ol' '06.

I've taken small game like rabbits and squirrels with shotguns, and .22s, I've never killed a deer with a shotty.

I've taken more game with my Rem 700 in 30-06 and it's the caliber I'd default to if I could only have one. I know it's not the new sexy anymore but it really is a great balance of power and range with still reasonable recoil, with unmatched factory ammo options. It's not excessive for deer but is plenty adequate for moose, as I know from personal experience. It doesn't get more versatile than that.

Couple dozen deer w slug guns.
Was no big deal when younger.
Dig the rifles we can use now.
Less dental repair

I had three deer rifles before I ever connected with a deer. Then, 43 deer later, we both retired. Remington 700 243 BDL in a 722 stock, 2-7 Leupold. Only 2 deer ever took a step after a shot, and they piled up within sight. Lucky, yes, but probably 150 yards was the max shot. Several were under 25 yards.
This thread made me realize I never took rifle/deer photos. Sorry.