Dedicated Deer Gun?

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I think a .260 would work fine. My first deer rifle was a ruger mark II in that caliber. It has very minimal recoil, shoots flat, and has plenty of power.
 
My thought had been to keep that one around to use as a back-up.

*Edit*
Sorry, this was supposed to be a reply to Smitty.

"Your Savage that you own can be converted to another caliber of your choice, by buying a new barrel and headspace gauge and barrel wrench. Buy a nice replacement stock to fit and save yourself some money.
If you do not plan to use your '06 barrel anymore, sell it on one of the gun sale sites like Gunbroker.com."
 
I just bought a Model 70 in 7mm-08 and put a VX2 2-7x33 on it. 1" groups at a 100 aren't a problem.

I chose the round because I appreciate a 1/2 lb weight savings (for this rifle), short action, and it will do anything I need it to in TX. I like the 25-06 but I didn't want a 24" barrel, which is recommended for the round. A also like 243 but wanted more punch for hogs. I really like the 243's ability to shoot a 55 grain bullet as well so I will be adding one eventually, probably the same rifle.

I chose the gun because for the price I don't think you can beat it right now. I think its prettier than just about any rifle out there, I love the mauser action and its light! I am also very pleased with the fit and finish, not so pleased that she got into a fight with my Beretta 391 in the safe but hey, she has her first battle scar.

This is the only rifle I could find that met my requirements of: Made in the USA, 22" barrel, 6.5lbs or lighter, 7mm-08, good looking wood and blued, and under $1000 w/scope, which I did...barely.

Pic shows mine on the left, ironically next to my 30-06. Get one! Its at the top of my favorite guns list and I have only had it a few months.
One of the only misgivings I have about the model 70 is that none of my local shops have got one in 7-08, and the only place that will order one for me is Gander Mtn, which I've never dealt with before.
 
You're on the right track. The 7-08 will easily kill anything except big bears, has light recoil and can be very accurate. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Wincheaster Featherweight either.

It sounds like you want an all around rifle that is light weight. Not trying to steer you away from the Winchester, but also look at the Remington 7, Remington 700 Mountain rifle and the Kimber Montana. They are nice as well and sound like they would also fit your needs. Look at them all and decide what works best for you and your budget.

I have the Kimber in 308. I think the 7-08 is really a better round, but already have other 308's so I went that route to simplify things.
 
Since that budget includes optics, that leaves very little for the rifle (since optics and mounts are important to "do right"). Still some great choices out there, but fewer chambering options among those choices.

I'd be looking hard at some of these:

Savage, Stevens, T/C Venture, Marlin, or Howa in .243 Win
Savage, Stevens, Venture, Marlin, or Howa in .25-'06 (or is the Venture even offered in .25-06?)
Savage or Stevens or Marlin in 7mm-08 Rem

So the rifle & caliber choices are kinda going to have to be a simultaneous event, given the options here.
 
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Sounds like a 6.5 x 55 is worth your consideration. Do some research on it. It is an excellent cartridge for your needs.

The Win. 70, Tika T-3, and CZ 550 are all winners.
 
IMO, the sweet spot for deer is somewhere in the .25cal to 7mm/.284cal range (excluding 7mm mag). 7mm-08 is an excellent cartridge for deer. It is the most readily available of the cartidges in that range, other than .270 and maybe 25-06 which I know is popular in TX but is not very popular here in PA.

The new Model 70s are excellent rifles and would definitely be my choice for a new rifle. I did, in fact, buy a M70 Extreme Weather SS in 30-06 last year and I'm very pleased with it. I feel the new M70 is clearly nicer than any other rifles in its price range, which is actually quite reasonable. You should be able to get a new M70 Featherweight and nice scope for around $1000.

I'd like to point out that sighting any rifle in at 1" high at 100 yards is wasting its MPBR potential. At least go 2" high at 100yards for at least 250yards MPBR.
 
So far I'm leaning toward a 7mm-08 in the new Winchester Model 70 Featherweight, but I'm not completely sold on it yet.

Why not? It's a good platform, and a good cartridge. It will do what you are asking and more. JMHO.

Geno
 
If he gets a Win 70 featherweight in any decent condition, that leaves only $250-$300 for "mounts, rings, and optics". That ain't gonna cut it, IMO. You've got to get a cheaper rifle in this situation IMO.
 
Dr. Tad,

What would be some examples of the minimum level of scope which you would find acceptable on a new M70 Featherweight? What if he could increase his budget by $100-200?
 
The scopes I had been thinking about were the new Redfield 3-9x40, Nikon Buckmasters 3-9x40, or a Bushnell Elite 3200 3-10x40 short action.

Leaning toward the Redfield since it's $70 cheaper and has the same warranty as Leupold.
 
So far I'm leaning toward a 7mm-08 in the new Winchester Model 70 Featherweight

I don't think you could do a whole lot better on that budget, very nice rifles and have been getting a lot of good press. More than likely you'll spend 700-800.00 on the rifle, figure about 50.00 for good scope mounts. So that doesn't leave you much room for a decent scope.

I'd keep my eye open for a VX-II 2-7 in the 200.00 range or if you can swing around 300.00 you could pick up a clean used VX-III 2.5-8. Few VX3's on the used market now also. I'd also seriously consider getting the Leupold Alumina Scope covers.
Both scopes in gloss would match the rifles lines very nice.




Just saw you posted what you were looking at for scopes, not bad choices but don't really go with the slim lines of a featherweight/short action. In a quality scope you don't need anything larger than a 32/33mm objective. The Redfields have been getting some good reviews and they also offer one in 2-7 to suit your budget.
If he gets a Win 70 featherweight in any decent condition, that leaves only $250-$300 for "mounts, rings, and optics". That ain't gonna cut it, IMO. You've got to get a cheaper rifle in this situation IMO.
Again, no harm in looking at the used market and you can save usually 30-40% pretty easily and if you take care of it, you'll always get your money back out of it.
 
My price for a new Model 70 in 7-08 was $700 out the door. I got a good deal on my Leupold VX2 2-7x33 and with Leupold rings/mounts/tax was just under $300. So under $1000 with good optics is possible, or at least according to my tastes.

If you notice the Browning in the pic i posted, it wears a Redfield Revolution 3-9x40. I think the Redfields are a heck of a deal. Had I not found the Leupold deal, I would have opted for the 2-7 Redfield on my featherweight. The Bushnell and Nikon scopes are good too with my preference being the Nikon, and I have used both, but I like the Redfield more than both of those, even if the prices were the same.

Give some thought to a 2-7x33. The Featherweight is light so a smaller scope really compliments the handling of the rifle.
 
This is my first post!

I was in the same situation looking for a good dedicated deer rifle. After handling just about every rifle in Gander Mtn I ended up with a Marlin xs7 in 7mm-08. It felt very balanced to me, it had a great trigger, smooth action, and the quality seemed better than some guns with higher prices. I mounted a Bushnell Trophy 3x9x40 with low kwik sight rings and bought three different boxes of ammo to see what it wanted to eat. Off the bench using sandbags I can get 1.5 inch groups with the cheap federal blue box 150gr or with the Win 140 soft points at 100yds. Federal vital shok Barnes TSX 140 group less than 1in at the same distance. I have about $500 in the rifle, scope, rings, and accessories. It shoots as good as any rifle I have ever owned and if I hadn't bought it on an impulse due to its low cost I would not have ever believed it...
 
Nice scope for the money

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=157246584

Talley mfg for the rings- call them direct to place your order. Tell them what scope you are going to use.

Forget anyone who says rebarrel the Savage - NEW WINCHESTER for you mister.
On paper the 7-08 looks great, in the field it performs even better.
Don't get a 243, you will regret it later on down the road.
Of the choices listed - 25-06 is the only way to go.
I sure like the 6 & 6.5mm cartridges. Own several of them, just bought some 6.5x55sm rifles.
BUT if you get a NEW Winchester Model 70 and it ain't a 270 - - The blasphemy.
A 270 with 130gr bullets is everything all other rounds aspire to become ( at least in your region - I'd step up my game going north)
 
Nice scope for the money

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=157246584

Talley mfg for the rings- call them direct to place your order. Tell them what scope you are going to use.

Forget anyone who says rebarrel the Savage - NEW WINCHESTER for you mister.
On paper the 7-08 looks great, in the field it performs even better.
Don't get a 243, you will regret it later on down the road.
Of the choices listed - 25-06 is the only way to go.
I sure like the 6 & 6.5mm cartridges. Own several of them, just bought some 6.5x55sm rifles.
BUT if you get a NEW Winchester Model 70 and it ain't a 270 - - The blasphemy.
A 270 with 130gr bullets is everything all other rounds aspire to become ( at least in your region - I'd step up my game going north)
I certainly don't have anything against Jack O'Connor, if that's what you mean.
 
$200-$300 would not leave enough for a great scope, but would leave enough for a decent scope. You could always upgrade later. A set of Talley lightweights are around $40. The new Redfield scopes are $160ish and have gotten good reviews. A Nikon Prostaff at around the same price ain't bad for the money. He can get a Leupold or Zeiss in a couple of years if he wants to upgrade.
 
The scopes I had been thinking about were the new Redfield 3-9x40, Nikon Buckmasters 3-9x40, or a Bushnell Elite 3200 3-10x40 short action.

Leaning toward the Redfield since it's $70 cheaper and has the same warranty as Leupold.
You're leaning in the right direction on the rifle (Winchester M-70 in 7mm-08), but way off on the scope. I would take either of the later two over the Redfield. The Redfield's glass is weak IMO, I would look at Sightron S-II, Vortex Diamonback, Nikon (Buckmaster will work, but the Monarch is a good bit better IMO), or Bushnell (Elite 3200 will work, but the Elite 4200 is much better IMO). I would suggest DNZ or even Weaver mount/rings.

:)
 
I've also heard that the new Redfield's POI changes when you switch power.
Very good point, no experience using one (I did have an opportunity to look at a few), but the review that I read (that stated that problem) was from a good source.

:)
 
I did NOT mean the 243 is a bad caliber - I love it - but rather the 270 can always go bigger bullet.
You are stuck with a 100gr or so bullet in a 243. Kinda light in the pants for deer hunting in the wind.
IMHO the 25-06 is about perfect but a 270 - WOW - nice.
 
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