Deer rifle help

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chsFISH said:
Looking at getting into deer hunting, I'm not new to shooting just hunting. Want to buy a bolt action rifle not personally tied to any brands just want to hear opinions. I want a rifle that will be reliable, accurate, and can last me awhile. In terms of caliber, I was considering 6.5 creedmoor or .308 because its a lot more readily available every where (opinions on that?). I know I can get away with less for where I will do most my hunting (SC) but in the event I go travel elsewhere to hunt slightly larger game I don't want to have to buy a whole new rifle to do so. With the research I've done I'm considering these rifles and would like some insight on which to pick; Weatherby Vanguard, Tikka T3x hunter, Browning X-bolt, Bergara B-14 hunter, and Winchester model 70. Id like to keep the rifle under $800 but will step slightly over (like some of the above) if its truly an all around better rifle.

While Im here I'll also ask if y'all have any preferences on an optic? And I've always preferred the look of wood over synthetic, long term or in hunting applications would you push me away from wood?

Thanks for the help
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Don't know how much help this will be but I'm being 100% honest...

Given the choices of rifles and the two calibers you mentioned, you can mix and match either caliber to any rifle mentioned and have an accurate rifle in a caliber that will do what you need it to. Just know the Vanguard will probably be slightly heavier (but no less accurate) than the other choices.

Me personally, given the choice of caliber I'd pick the 308. The heavier bullet options would be better suited for heavier game. Not saying the 6.5 can't get the job done on elk sized game because it can. Just that the heavier 308 projectiles should preform better should you connect with dense bone on one.

As far as optics... Leupold, Burris (close second) and Vortex are my favorites.
 
As others have mentioned, select a caliber first. 6.5 CM is a great caliber to start with.

My advice, get an inexpensive synthetic and stainless rig and see how you like it. Save up for it's eventual replacement. Either you will start hunting a lot and decide you want something else / better (that's inevitable regardless of how much you spend on the first one). Or it will sit in the closet.

Pay special attention to all the times where he mentioned how a rifle 'fit' him when he picked it up and he know it was 'the one'.

400-Dollar Hunting Rifle VS 2,000-Dollar Hunting Rifle:


https://www.budsgunshop.com/search.php/type/Rifles/caliber/10000778
 
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Welcome to THR!
I think the 308 in a Weatherby Vanguard would be a good choice for an all around rifle. Any of the rifles that you mentioned will work fine as well as the 6.5.

I like the sub-moa accuracy guarantee with the Weatherby. And the versatile loadings available in 308.
 
6.5 Creed will do anything that 95% of American hunters will be hunting.

As far as guns, I would recommend the Howa 1500 HS Precision. I picked on up earlier this summer for an "all season" hunting rifle and I am VERY impressed with the quality. You're already considering the Weatherby Vanguard, so the Howa 1500 is actually the same exact barreled action as the Weatherby Vanguard. Howa makes and sells their barreled actions to Weatherby for their Vanguard series rifles. I don't like that Weatherby uses mostly 24" barrels on their Vanguard models. That's too long for me for any kind of woods, stand, or box blind type of hunting. Browning X-Bolt I don't like all the plastic that comes on the gun for the price you end up paying. Bergara B-14 is a solid gun, but their bolt handles look like cheap junk. Winchester Model 70s are decent guns, just were never my cup of tea.
 
chsFISH said:
I saw somewhere that the barrel would get hot quickly and lose accuracy after 5-7 shots. Any truth to that?
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Yeah, that certainly can be true, especially if the rifle's forearm stock is pressing unevenly on the barrel. The flip side is, 5 shots, one right after the other, is a lot of shots when you're hunting big game. There's an old saying, "One shot, one deer. Two shots, maybe one deer. Three shots, no deer.";)
At any rate, when I sight in a rifle, any rifle no matter how it's bedded and how "free-floated" (not touching the stock) the barrel is, I allow plenty of cool-down time between shots. After I've got the rifle sighted in, I might try two or three shots in a row just for the fun of it. But the only time in my life I've ever emptied a magazine (5 shots) at a big game animal was when I shot my first big game animal (a doe mule deer) with a semi-auto 308 Winchester, 56 or 57 years ago. And I hit her in the chest all 5 times! She just didn't fall down until I went to reload, and I was too inexperienced to know that I'd hit her well with my first shot. My semi-auto rifle made it possible for me to put 4 more bullets through that deer's chest real quick. There wasn't much left of her rib cage.:eek:
 
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Get a Savage Axis in 6.5 Creedmoor, and put some good glass on it. You have to go a long way up in price to get much more accuracy. (Not that the other rifles mentioned are bad, but the Savage will be more accurate than you are.) Invest in enough ammo to get good with it at your most likely maximum range.
 
I picked a Remington 700 mountain 308 for my first bolt gun. Having shot more 308 in my life than any other round, there was no other round I was more comfortable with. So far it has killed everything I have shot at from about 60 yds to 320ish yds. So, after using that for my first deer season in the Upstate SC. I never regretted my decision. I have other rifles now, but still consider that a lifetime rifle. The composite stock may not be a pretty as a nice wood stock but it is tough as nails and I'm not afraid to take it out in any weather or condition.

The barrel is thin and the rounds do walk around some with a string of fire. The cold bore shot is always right on which is more important to me. I would care about the continued fire more if it were a range gun

As for scopes, I have used several brands and have settled on Leupold. The VX-Freedom line is a good start, affordable and clear. I don't know what they use for coatings but I can start to see through it earlier in the morning and later in the evening than the others I have tried. Now I have a VX-3 on it and don't think I'll change it anytime soon
 
You started off with a good list of rifle options, no toads in there. The Vanguard and B-14 are going to be on the heavier end of the spectrum and the X-Bolt and Tikka on the lighter end. I've had good experiences with the Tikkas, X-Bolt and most of the M70s I've owned. For your purposes I'd recommend a Tikka T3x or Browning X-Bolt. The Tikka is probably the easy button, but the Browning has some features I like better like the bolt unlock button, an extra round in the mag, and in my case a bit better ergonomics and lower felt recoil. In 6.5 CMs, Browning does offer a 22" barrel vs the 24.3" barrel Tikka offers, I find the 22" length preferable.

I personally like stainless steel and synthetic for hunting rifles, you don't get to pick when you get rained on in the woods, or when you'll necessarily be able to deep clean and dry your rifle off. One ding against the Tikka is that in my experience, their Stainless doesn't seem to be as corrosion resistant as other brands I've used. Periodic application of Eezox, One-Shot or CorrosionX is probably advisable no matter which way you go.

As for chambering, it sounds like most of your use will be deer hunting and shooting at the range, maybe pigs in SC. The 6.5 and .308 are both good options, my personal preference for those uses would be the 6.5 Creed even though the last two rifles I've bought were .308s. The 6.5s recoil a bit less, tend to shoot factory ammo very well, and combined with a lightweight rifle like the Tikka or X-Bolt is going to make for a handy but still pretty easy to shoot package.

Scope wise, I like the Leupold VX-3i, 2.5-8x36 and 3.5-10x40. My most recent scope purchase was a Burris Signature HD 2-10x40 which I've also been happy with, their Fullfield IV scopes might be a decent cheaper option. Other options would be Sightron, Meopta, Vortex Viper or Razor and Bushnell Nitro or Engage. I personally prefer a BCD or hold over reticle in my hunting scopes, my Signature HD and Monarch 5 came with decent reticles and I had Leupold add a B&C to my VX-3i 2.5-8x36.
 
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If you want to stay close to budget a good used rifle like a Browning, Remington 700, Tika or Winchester are great choices. Remington model 700 and Winchester model 70 have a long good history though both companies now make cheaper models that you should stay away from. Also be aware that ammunition is an issue now too, so common cailbers to looks for would be ,308, 30.06, 7mm mag. The .270 Winchester can be included, however, it may be too light, depending on what "other" animals you may wish to hunt. As mentioned, gun shows are good places to find find a variety firearms and ammunition from which to choose.
 
Nature Boy said:
I found your rifle @chsFISH

https://www.budsgunshop.com/mobile/...220+m70+featherweight+compact+bolt+308+win+20

(Mods, you can lock the thread ;) )
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Agreed! When you click similar items there's an accu10 and hog hunter screaming for a home, $600 later you have a proper 6.5 or 7mm barrel and new stock on it for the perfect setup!!!! Or under recommended for you is the american pred in 6.5c :neener::rofl:

It would be tough to beat a classy m70 .308. I think this is a scenario that requires multiple solutions, the general use 308/6.5 with a follow up specialty use 6.5 grendel upper and bolt .280ai and then to cover the rest of the bases, .375 Ruger in a hawkeye configuration.
Or we could get real crazy and do a Benelli r1 with barrels in .308, .270wsm, and .338 win mag cuz we're the right kind of enablers.......
I'm firmly in the camp that says there's no wrong answer until op has held each rifle to decide what fit they're going for. Then cartridge wars can rage on for pages and pages of debate. I wouldn't mind an Uber light 6.5, I would mind a .308 without a lil meat on her bones, but that's just me. If it's only going to be used a couple of rounds per year, then I could live with the Uber light .308 too, but my rifles all go out for various reasons and thus they all have to be comfortable and fun every time I feel like blasting away, otherwise they'll likely collect enough dust to justify being traded eventually.
 
I'd definitely go .308. Also I don't see Savage on that list. Curious why not. Of those you mention, the Tikka would be my choice. As for optics, it really depends on your budget. You tend to get what you pay for in optics.
 
FL-NC said:
The best deer rifle I have ever owned is a Ruger American in 6.5 CM with a Vortex 4-12 x copperhead scope. It shoots better than 1" at 100 yards. Total cost with scope around $600. I would hunt anything in the lower 48 with it.
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Is that American the Predator version with AI magazine? If so then that is on the short list for being my next centerfire rifle. Well the list is really only two long and the only difference is whether it will be a 6 or 6.5 CM. And it will have a Vortex on top as well though it will be the 4x16 Diamondback that I already have.
 
I am surrounded by agriculture fields. This year the crops are mainly tobacco and corn. Most hunters (my observation) use more rifle/caliber than what's required. We have a simple mandate for deer hunters whom we let on the property. They must hunt from a tree stand and shoots fired equate to deer taken. If you can't follow those then you don't hunt here. Its common practice to charge a fee for hunting. We do not subscribe to that. In the past 25 plus years I've only told one individual they were not welcomed to continue hunting here. Simply stated there are individuals that can't place their shoots thus they show up with field artillery pieces when a .223Remington with placed shoots correctly is all that's needed. At night Farmers use .22RF to dispatch nuisance deer, I've heard the shoots.
 
zdc1775 said:
Is that American the Predator version with AI magazine? If so then that is on the short list for being my next centerfire rifle. Well the list is really only two long and the only difference is whether it will be a 6 or 6.5 CM. And it will have a Vortex on top as well though it will be the 4x16 Diamondback that I already have.
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I have the predator with the original rotary style magazine. I wish it used either AI or SR mags, but rotary mag is all that was available at the time. I also have a ranch RAR in 300 BLK which is also a phenomenal rifle, and I'm thinking about getting a third in 7.62 x 39.
 
FL-NC said:
I have the predator with the original rotary style magazine. I wish it used either AI or SR mags, but rotary mag is all that was available at the time. I also have a ranch RAR in 300 BLK which is also a phenomenal rifle, and I'm thinking about getting a third in 7.62 x 39.
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I came really close to getting the ranch in 7.62x39 but ran across a CZ527 for the same OTD price so bought that instead. The other two RAR's I have are also the rotary mag versions and are great shooters.
 
I won a Savage bolt action 6.5 CM at a range raffle & was totally surprised at the accuracy & ease of shooting this gun gives.(0.5" moa at 100yds without trying)
If it were legal to use here I would be using it for deer. It hits the 400yd gongs at the range much harder than my .308s do & much easier for follow up shots because of almost no heavy recoil like I would get out of a .308.
 
I have been real happy with my Tikka, which happens to be in 30-06 due to living in the west where longer shots and elk hunting are common. For deer, virtually anything from 243 up will do. In today's world, I would make sure that you can get ammo or reloading components for whatever your chosen cartridge is before you do anything else.
 
AK Hunter said:
I won a Savage bolt action 6.5 CM at a range raffle & was totally surprised at the accuracy & ease of shooting this gun gives.(0.5" moa at 100yds without trying)
If it were legal to use here I would be using it for deer. It hits the 400yd gongs at the range much harder than my .308s do & much easier for follow up shots because of almost no heavy recoil like I would get out of a .308.
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Just curious but how is a bolt action 6.5 not legal for deer hunting?
 
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