What is you deer rifle chambered in?

What cartridge is your deer rifle chambered in?

  • 308

    Votes: 26 11.4%

  • 30-06

    Votes: 67 29.3%

  • 270 Win

    Votes: 25 10.9%

  • 7mm Rem Mag

    Votes: 7 3.1%

  • 300 Win Mag

    Votes: 5 2.2%

  • 6.5 Creedmoor

    Votes: 6 2.6%

  • 7mm-08

    Votes: 16 7.0%

  • 223

    Votes: 5 2.2%

  • 30-30

    Votes: 14 6.1%

  • 280 Rem

    Votes: 7 3.1%

  • 6.5x55

    Votes: 8 3.5%

  • 7x57

    Votes: 4 1.7%

  • 243 Win

    Votes: 12 5.2%

  • 25-06

    Votes: 4 1.7%

  • 257 Roberts

    Votes: 2 0.9%

  • 357 Mag / 44 Mag / 45 Colt / similar pistol cal

    Votes: 12 5.2%

  • 45-70 or similar straight wall cartridge

    Votes: 9 3.9%
  • Total voters
    229
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This year it will be a .54 Lyman Plains rifle with a round ball twist in muzzleloader season. For rifle it will either be Dad's 336 in 35 Rem or the new AR I threw together in 350 Legend.
 
Bought my deer rifle in 1975. A Remington 700 30-06. The only gun I have ever used for deer hunting. Why? Because it works. Never failed. Never let me down. Puts the deer on the ground. The only wounded deer I have ever had to track down was bow hunting. My one shot gun. Never needed another shot. What else can I say about that gun? Except I'll never let it go. Why would I want to?
 
The rifle I hunt most deer with is not rifle technically it's a shotgun but it might as well be rifle it's my trustee Savage 220 named Thumper. I've killed at least 25 deer with it.
20 gauge bolt action rifled slug gun.
I've taken bucks at over 200 yards with it.

I hunt several military bases which only allow slug hunting for deer.

my second most likely rifle to pick up for deer hunting a(my black powder gun) is my Tikka t3 lite 308.

I will Say that my daughter and I have killed plenty with a 243 and that is a very versatile and underappreciated round.

Don't mind taking them with 300 Win Mag either but that's more of a rarity although 300 Win Mag was my first rifle he he he:evil::what::thumbdown:
Yeah weird, I know.
I am a self-taught hunter who didn't have the advantage of having a legacy of rifles handed down to me I never met either my grandfather's and my dad did not hunt nor do my brothers..
So I walked into a little gun shop way out in the country pointed at a Beautiful old Walnut stock rifle and said what's that?
They said it's a 300 Win Mag, and I said what game is it good for?
When the young bearded man behind the counter said anything in North America and that it was on sale with a scope used for $300 I put my money on the table and never look back. After taking about 15 deer with it and also adding a couple mild scars on the bridge of my nose and eyebrow I sold the rifle for a little more than 300 and shifted to 308 and the 20 gauge and 243 mostly for my kids.
 
All the above, more or less!
No .25/06, but have a .257wbymag. (And .257Robt.). And .25-36Marlin
No .280, but have a 7-30Waters, 7mm08, 7x57Mauser
No .300WinMag, but do have a .300RUM
Gave away a 6.5 Creedmoor. But still have a .260Rem and 6.5 Grendel.
Also have .308Marlin,.338Marlin (2), ect,ect,ect...

Hardest decision before opening day isn’t where to hunt, but which gun and flavor ammo.
Had four mature bucks in my backyard this evening.
Eneey,meeny, mynee, moe.....?

Added: list didn’t include deer “shotguns”; rifle sight barrels for Remington 870, two for 1187 (iron sights, cantilever scope mount).
Does the Mossberg 220 count as a rifle? Has a 22” rifled barrel?
 
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Actually I think this whole topic is pretty silly as I would think one would use different rifles depending on where they were hunting anyone who didn't have at least 2 rifles for deer probably isn't a very serious Hunter.
I often use my Savage 220 slug gun even when I could use a rifle because it's just that deadly and is excellent at penetrating brush.
Quite frankly under a hundred yards I would be just as happy with black powder a lot of the time has it knocks the snot out of a deer with a 295 grain powerbelt.
But if I'm out in open Fields or somewhere that I might get a 300-yard shot then clearly I'd rather have the 300 Win Mag or 308
If hunting when deer and turkey are in season together I might prefer the 243 as I could easily shoot a fox coyote turkey or deer with it and maybe even a squirrel without worrying about Ammo or recoil

Frequently my deer rifle is a 44 Magnum revolver a 454 Casull or 357 revolver and in the near future will often be a 10 mm semi-auto the 460 xvr and very possibly a desert eagle 44 Magnum
 
Huntolive said:
Actually I think this whole topic is pretty silly as I would think one would use different rifles depending on where they were hunting anyone who didn't have at least 2 rifles for deer probably isn't a very serious Hunter.
I often use my Savage 220 slug gun even when I could use a rifle because it's just that deadly and is excellent at penetrating brush.
Quite frankly under a hundred yards I would be just as happy with black powder a lot of the time has it knocks the snot out of a deer with a 295 grain powerbelt.
But if I'm out in open Fields or somewhere that I might get a 300-yard shot then clearly I'd rather have the 300 Win Mag or 308
If hunting when deer and turkey are in season together I might prefer the 243 as I could easily shoot a fox coyote turkey or deer with it and maybe even a squirrel without worrying about Ammo or recoil

Frequently my deer rifle is a 44 Magnum revolver a 454 Casull or 357 revolver and in the near future will often be a 10 mm semi-auto the 460 xvr and very possibly a desert eagle 44 Magnum
Click to expand...
If you thought it was silly, you didn’t have to participate. America and whatever...
 
Huntolive said:
Actually I think this whole topic is pretty silly as I would think one would use different rifles depending on where they were hunting anyone who didn't have at least 2 rifles for deer probably isn't a very serious Hunter.
I often use my Savage 220 slug gun even when I could use a rifle because it's just that deadly and is excellent at penetrating brush.
Quite frankly under a hundred yards I would be just as happy with black powder a lot of the time has it knocks the snot out of a deer with a 295 grain powerbelt.
But if I'm out in open Fields or somewhere that I might get a 300-yard shot then clearly I'd rather have the 300 Win Mag or 308
If hunting when deer and turkey are in season together I might prefer the 243 as I could easily shoot a fox coyote turkey or deer with it and maybe even a squirrel without worrying about Ammo or recoil

Frequently my deer rifle is a 44 Magnum revolver a 454 Casull or 357 revolver and in the near future will often be a 10 mm semi-auto the 460 xvr and very possibly a desert eagle 44 Magnum
Click to expand...

In my life I have found there are generally three groups of people attracted to firearms. Those three groups are collectors, shooters and hunters. There’s often some bleed over in between the groups, but it’s rare to see someone whom is truly in all three of those groups equally. That said, a hunter can be quite content with one center-fire rifle. It may seem silly to a guy like me whom is mostly a shooter, but enjoys hunting. It certainly seems silly to a collector, but it doesn't make that guy any less of a hunter.

My dad hunted every, single day of deer season and for as long as I can remember he only used one rifle, a Remington 742 Woodamaster in 30-06. There’s no way I would buy one of those rifles as a serious shooter, but it served Dad extremely well and it now owns a spot in my gun safe forever. I don’t see much silly about that.
 
I use 30/30 30/06 444 Marlin 44 Magnum 35 Rem 280Rem 45/70 45 LC 12 ga 00B..........Would be extremely boring to hunt a 4 1/2 month deer season with only one rifle or handgun.
 
Which rifle? I have hunted with every caliber of centerfire rifle I own; .223, 7.62x39, 7.62x54R and 8mm Mauser. Only .223 was on the list, so that's what I chose in the poll. I have also in the past hunted deer with .50 M/L, 12ga., and 7mm-08, which I did not own.
 
Last year I went fairly old school with an 1863 Sharps in 54cal with paper cartridges. This year I think I'll modernize a bit to a 50-70 Rolling block.
 
Huntolive said:
Actually I think this whole topic is pretty silly as I would think one would use different rifles depending on where they were hunting anyone who didn't have at least 2 rifles for deer probably isn't a very serious Hunter.
Click to expand...
Well, I've only been deer hunting since 1969, but apparently I'm not a very serious hunter.
Winchester Model 70 in .30-06. Used it in at least seven different states (and one province).
 
My dad has hunted out of the same stand, on the same land with the same gun for 35 years.

I guess maybe he is not a serious hunter because he doesn’t go on fancy trips or participate on Internet forums.

Just manages to limit out every year to fill the freezer. Processes his own game and does a little morel hunting in the spring.
 
Legionnaire said:
My current favorite isn't on your list: .260 Ackley Improved. :thumbup:

index.php

Great carrying rifle.
Click to expand...
 
If my brother called and said, "Grab your gun, we're off to hunt Bambi today." I would grab my Tikka T3 Hunter in .30-06 just because it is ready to go and it has been perfectly zeroed for the last 4 years.
I have plans for my custom 6.5x.243 WSSM in the future. Probably next year as I haven't completed load development yet.
Based on the .243 WSSM case it is just necked up with a 19" barrel and a Browning ABolt II receiver. Short, trim, quick and reasonably powerful.
And different, too! :D
 
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EIB0879 said:
Looks like a lot of love for the 30-06. That and the 30-30 are my favorites depending on where I hunt.
Click to expand...
My wife never showed any interest in hunting. Then all of a sudden one season she said she would like to try her hand at deer hunting. We went to the pawn shop and picked up a used Winchester 30-30.
On her very first day of her very first deer hunt she killed her very first deer within the very first two hours. That was her very first and last deer hunt. She never went back. Just wanted to do it one time she said. Oh, I got my very first Winchester out of it.
 
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