Jadecristal
Member
I'm considering deer hunting for the first time this year. The only rifle I have is my Bushmaster M4gery, which I understand IS legal for hunting deer here in WI, but... I'm not convinced that it's a good idea. On the other hand, I REALLY don't want to spend more money that I don't have, if it's avoidable. With that in mind, I propose the following questions (mainly because I trust the people here in aggregate more than the person at the gun counter at my local Gander Mountain):
1.) Will my M4gery be sufficient for taking down a deer, and if so, what would preferred ammunition be? With a 1/9" twist, I'm thinking it can more-or-less stabilize up to 67-ish grain bullets, but if I can stick with something a bit smaller, that might be good.
2.) If the answer to (1) is "no," what rifle should I look at? Please note that things such as "aesthetic value" matters little, while things like "doesn't hurt" and "easy to clean" do matter. I think I'd prefer a synthetic stock. A NATO or military round is a must in my book, unless someone gives me a good reason to look at something other than .30-06 or .308. Then again, with this being more of a "sporting" (how I HATE that word) rifle, maybe I wouldn't be able to use the purely NATO version of .308 anyway?
I admit to not too much familiarity with other rifle(s) outside mine, but I'm more than willing to learn. And if Bushmaster hadn't discontinued their .308, maybe I'd just be looking at that instead. Maybe I still should...
Looking forward to responses, and thanks in advance...
Jadecristal
PS-Before I get yelled at, yes, I'm planning on hunter safety first, if I go. Especially since you have to, period, to get a license in this state if you were born after 1970-something. And because it will count for my FL CCW.
1.) Will my M4gery be sufficient for taking down a deer, and if so, what would preferred ammunition be? With a 1/9" twist, I'm thinking it can more-or-less stabilize up to 67-ish grain bullets, but if I can stick with something a bit smaller, that might be good.
2.) If the answer to (1) is "no," what rifle should I look at? Please note that things such as "aesthetic value" matters little, while things like "doesn't hurt" and "easy to clean" do matter. I think I'd prefer a synthetic stock. A NATO or military round is a must in my book, unless someone gives me a good reason to look at something other than .30-06 or .308. Then again, with this being more of a "sporting" (how I HATE that word) rifle, maybe I wouldn't be able to use the purely NATO version of .308 anyway?
I admit to not too much familiarity with other rifle(s) outside mine, but I'm more than willing to learn. And if Bushmaster hadn't discontinued their .308, maybe I'd just be looking at that instead. Maybe I still should...
Looking forward to responses, and thanks in advance...
Jadecristal
PS-Before I get yelled at, yes, I'm planning on hunter safety first, if I go. Especially since you have to, period, to get a license in this state if you were born after 1970-something. And because it will count for my FL CCW.