Lightweight Deer Rifle

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HarcyPervin

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Dec 9, 2010
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Looking to buy a new deer rifle. I've gone back and forth a million times between a magnum caliber, a 6.8 ar, and I think I've decided to stick with the gun I've had the most success and least problems with.
I think I'm going with a 30-06 as it will give me plenty of versatility both in the field and on the range. Now the hard part....I want a bolt-gun, or at least I think I do. As far as safety and functionability go, it just makes the most sense for me...well that and I've never had to take more than one shot at a deer. I'm looking for a lightweight gun, recoil doesn't bother me a bit and I want to have something I can walk all day with and move around quickly in the brush if need be.
I don't want/need a pretty gun with a fancy walnut stock or anything that I'll be afraid to beat up on a little bit. I like to be able to hunt regardless of the weather, and sometimes my guns, especially my hunting guns get into situations where I'd be holding myself back if I thought I was going to ruin my gun. That being said, I take excellent care of any gun I buy when I bring it home.
I don't want to spend more than $1000 on the gun, not including scope, sling etc. I also plan on having some fun with it on the range so I'm slightly concerned about overheating a pencil-sized barrel, should I be? I'd like the gun to be under 6.5lbs but I'm not stuck on the number, just want something huntable. I'm rambling, I think you get the idea...any suggestions for a guy who has too much time to spend shopping and just needs to pull the trigger and go buy something already?
 
I just bought recently a REM-700 .243 VTR,, now i know,it's a varmint gun right ?/ But with only a 24" barrell and composite stock it's very easy to maneuver thru the thickest buck-thorn and light enough i forget sometimes it's even there,, now instead of my prefered 58-grain coyote-slayers lets say you throw some 100-gr's in there and you have a lightweight-dependable (not to mention un-ending upgrade options) 200-yard deer rifle ,, mine was found on-sale at Cabellas for 699 before 100-rebate,, add scope to your preference,, i like the nikon "Monarch" series
 
I have a 6 3/4's lb. Winchester Feather Weight in '06. On the bench this fine rifle kicks like a supercharged mule. In the field and cross hairs on a animal, there is no kick and no boom. One of the main reason's I love to hunt with this rifle is it is so easy to carry but it still shoots well enough I put my cross hairs where I want them and then just tickel the trigger. If I do my part well, harvesting an animal is done.
 
Here's what I chose. I made a thread about it earlier. I'd definitely go with the .30-06, cheaper and much easier to find ammo.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=548208


.

Well, I finally did it and bought my new deer rifle and had it customized with help from some of the folks on this board. My old rifle was bought for me by my father when I was in HS for an elk trip and has been my only deer rifle ever since. I've dropped many deer with this rifle and have many great memories. (And no, the .338 does not tear up meat at all.). This new rifle should be much lighter, easier to carry around and more maneuverable.


The Old Guard: Winchester Model 70 (with pre-'64 claw extractor) stainless, .338 Win Mag, Gentry muzzle brake, custom trigger job, Leupold V-XIII 3X9, Leupold dual dovetail rings. (At one time had Gentry 1 piece scope rings).




The New Guard: Browning X-Bolt stainless, .30-06, barrel chopped to 16.5", Zeiss Conquest 3X9, Talley Custom rings. (I've added a shell carrier on the buttstock, Butler Creek Neoprene sling, and Butler Creek Clear Blizzard Caps to protect the scope.)




The new rifle:

Rifle1-1.jpg




The old and new rifle:

Rifles1.jpg


The new and old rifle, notice the difference in length.

Rifles2B.jpg


Rifles2.jpg
 
Go with the sleeper: Tikka T3 Lite Stainless (7.5 lbs scoped) in 7mm-08, 6.5x55 or 30-06. Absolutely phenomenal rifles, butter-smooth bolt and eye-popping accuracy. Price is kinda nice, too: $600.
 
if you're worried about getting a nick or ding on your stock i don't know what to say. it will happen.
light weight barrels heat up quick. take an extra rifle with you to the range and let the barrel cool down. that's what i do. i never fire more than 3 rounds at a time. lately i've switched to 1 or 2 rounds. reason is barrel heat and i'm not into getting beat up by a light weight hunting rifle on the bench.
i don't know the kind of terrain you have in minisnowta so it's hard to say what works there. a 18" barrel works great for me in the foothills of SC but 75% of my shots have been 30-60 yards so i'm not looking for or needing extra FPS of a longer barrel.
you might check out the Tikka rifles. they get rave reviews here and may well hit your weight requirement and budget.
 
You say you want a lightweight, .30/06 bolt rifle. Which narrows the choices down to a slim few, depending on how serious you are about really wanting a light rifle. If really serious, the obvious choice is the New ULA. Check their website for details.
 
336a - nothing against marlins or lever guns, but they really don't do it for me. they're an absolute blast to shoot on the range and screwing around or as a .22, but for a deer rifle I'd rather have a bolt or a semi....just a personal preference

sappy - not worried at all about getting a gun nicked/scratched, just don't want to have a beautiful walnut stock turned into a POS because its been used, 95% sure I'll be getting something synthetic/stainless....I have a benelli nova 12ga...I've beat it up for years and I still love it, and I like hunting it hard because I know it can stand up to it and still look great...even if that means strapping it to the front of a 4 wheeler back in the woods

Marine - beautiful guns, why so short on the new 06? I'm not a huge fan of a 24 inch barrel either, but wow, 16.5 really seems to be small, gotta be a fantastic brush gun i suppose. either way, to each his own

woodsman and dale - is there a reason you're suggesting the .308 over the 06, i know this has been debated ad nauseam for years now, but just curious...I was planning on the 06 due to the success I've had, the cheap and plentiful ammo, and the availability of pretty much any bullet weight I'd need...
 
You may think I'm kidding but I'm not..... I bought a Mosen Nagant for 120 bucks a while back and that thing to me is close to an ott-six and I think I might take it hunting sometime in the future.... Just a thought. It is a bolt action, can take a beating, is cheap and pretty danged accurate.

The Dove
 
offfhand - suffice it to say, I'm not $2000+ serious about weight, i'll just do a few extra 12 oz curls and carry the 6.5 pounder, I may have found the wrong website though, do you have a link
 
Tikka T3 Lite or T3 Hunter. Accurate, dependable, smooth action, adjustable trigger (2-4 lbs.) all at a great price.
 
If you are able lift some weights most sporter rifles become feather weights. 1lb here or there isn't much.

After handeling quite a few sporters at the gun counter the Tikka lite struck me as light weight and well balanced too for not too much doe.
 
yeah, i'm looking pretty seriously at the tika t3 and the ruger m77 hawkeye compact. I have looked at the x-bolts, and there's just something about it that feels cheap, and I can't put my finger on it...haven't shot one yet, that might change my opinion.
I have a rem 700 in .22-250 and have killed deer with it but its a heavy varmint gun, and have also shot their 30-06 and taken deer with it, liked it a lot, but I'm looking to go with something a little different.

Dove - I'm sure the Mosin Nagant is a great gun, just not for me, I'd like to have something new/or 2-5 years old at the most, and the Mosin just doesn't do anything for me aesthetically either...not ripping on your choice at all, I just don't prefer them
 
Kimber 84L

If you want a lightweight rifle in 30/06 the Kimber 84L is the way to go. Well under 6 pounds. It is designed around the 30/06 and is not a millimeter larger than necessary anywhere. It makes a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight look porky.
Another plus is the trigger. I like the Kimber trigger even better than the Anschutz sporter trigger in the 1700 series.
It is a bit above your price target at around $1000 for gun alone, but so far ahead of Remington and Winchester in quality and finish. It is on a par with expensive Eurpean guns like SAKOs, but made in the USA.
 
yeah, i'm looking pretty seriously at the tika t3 and the ruger m77 hawkeye compact. I have looked at the x-bolts, and there's just something about it that feels cheap, and I can't put my finger on it...haven't shot one yet, that might change my opinion.
I have a rem 700 in .22-250 and have killed deer with it but its a heavy varmint gun, and have also shot their 30-06 and taken deer with it, liked it a lot, but I'm looking to go with something a little different.

Dove - I'm sure the Mosin Nagant is a great gun, just not for me, I'd like to have something new/or 2-5 years old at the most, and the Mosin just doesn't do anything for me aesthetically either...not ripping on your choice at all, I just don't prefer them
Click to expand...




The Tikka, Sako A7 and Ruger are all great guns.



When I was looking for mine I looked at Winchester, Ruger, Tikka, Sako, and Kimber. I just though the feel of the Browning X-Bolt was for me. Although I do like harder stocks, like the kind on the older Winchesters. (And the Kimber was too expensive.)



The Tikka and Sako A7 are great values and have guaranteed accuracy, although since you are looking for a deer rifle it's not nearly as important as a bench rifle.

.
 
the kimber is most likely out of my price range....this will be a deer rifle, but I would definitely like all the accuracy I can get...to a point....Longest shots I would probably take are in the 300 yd range...and I'm fine with a double lung shot....unless I start betting my buddies I can kill a deer by taking out the left ventricle of the heart....but that's the pride before the fall i suppose
 
Another vote for the Ruger Stainless compact in .308. I got one a couple of years ago and love the little thing. Way light, short enough to carry almost like a pistol, shoots great. I've taken a couple of deer with it and it works as advertised.
 
Out of the box a Tikka is about the only choice for a sub 6.5 lb rifle under 1K. Especially if you want to stay with a standard contour barrel. Most of the others use thinner barrel contours. Tikka's shoot great and you should be able to get one right at 7 lbs including the scope and mounts if you choose your scope carefully.

Another option would be to buy a Remington ADL. There are several big box stores selling them in blue for $349 and stainless for around $449. Trash the tupperware stock and replace it with one of these http://hightech-specialties.com/stocks.html If you can attach a recoil pad and spray a can of paint you can finish it yourself for around $275 and have a very nice semi-custom rifle for well under $1000
 
+1 for the Tikka T3. Scary accurate, silky smooth, perfect ballence, and light as a real rifle can be, make that a BIG +1
 
30-06... Wood, Laminate or synthetic?

Tikka
ER Shaw Mk. VII - made to your specs
Kimber 84L
 
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