looking for rifle for deer hunting

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Try to find friends or family members and shoot as many different guns as you can.

I'd suggest a Marlin XS7 in 7mm-08 with a decent $200 3x9 scope. If the recoil is a bit much, you can shoot using managed recoil loads until you get a bit bigger.
 
Welcome to THR!

All of the calibers you list are fine deer cartridges. I strongly suggest you get some help from some-one locally who can show you how a rifle is supposed to fit. Many Americans understand proper fit poorly, and use over-long stocks. (My LOP is only 12 5/8", and I'm 3" taller and 50% heavier.)

I would suggest that slightly short LOP is easier to work with than too-long: a youth length stock may be ideal for you, especially since you can usually easily add an extension/recoil pad later.

John
 
If you will be hunting alone, grizzly should be a concern for the mountain areas when choosing a caliber. I was shooting a 12 guage and a 30-06 when I was 13 and I'm not a huge guy. Still only 180 at 5'11" and 60 years old.
 
thanks for the thought, where i will be hunting has no bears, only mountain lions, but they stay hidden and don't come out for the most part
 
Idaho, you might take a look at the Weatherby Vanguard. They offer a package with two stocks. A youth size & a full size. As you outgrow the one you have a full size ready to go.
 
thanks for all the helpful input guys! I think i can handle a full adult sized rifle, but when i go to the gun store i'll check it out and see. I'm also going to look into the 7mm-08 because a lot of people have recomended it. I'm pretty set on the tikka t3 either lite or varmint because they look like such accurate rifles. Thanks for the help on making my decision :D
 
i've been looking at the 7mm-08 and i have some questions. Since i don't reload, and i have heard the 7mm-08 has a limited number of grain/bullet variances, do bullets i can buy off the shelf have a good combo for deer hunting? If so, what is it? Also, what is the recoil on the 7mm-08 like? Thanks!
 
There's enough variety in 7-08 out there for about anything you'd wanna do with it. It is lighter on your shoulder and carries as much punch with a better ballistic coefficient (will shoot a little flatter and carry a little more velocity out farther) as its .308 parent. I like the .308, though, but I mean, if I couldn't have found my M7 in anything, but 7-08, I'd have gotten the 7-08. I really like the 7mm bullet size for the excellent BCs and sectional densities, yet carry more weight than the .264" stuff (.260 Remington). I own a 7mm Remington Magnum and had a 7x57 Mauser for a while. So, look around at your local ammo sources for what you can get in 7-08. No doubt, you can get more variety in .308, I mean, if you can find .308 anywhere right now. At this time, for political reasons, there is a shortage of especially military caliber ammunition. 7-08 is a very capable caliber and IS a little softer shooting than .308 in a lighter gun.

I handload and appreciate the variety of 7mm bullets for reloading, too, as good as in 30 caliber now days. That wasn't always the case in my lifetime, but it is now days. A 7-08 will do anything the .308 or the 270 can do from deer to elk with an appropriate bullet. Most calibers are that way, though. What can a 7 mag do that a .30-06 or .308 can't? Nothing. Might give you 50 yards more point blank range before you have to bother with hold over, but that's about it. What can the .270 do that a .280 Remington, a .308, a 6.5x55mm Swede, an 8x57, a 7x57.....well, you get the point. They're all good calibers and all kill the same game just as dead. The only reason .308 and .30-06 are so popular is that they are/were military rounds. The firearms manufacturers, over the years, have always had to come up with "something better" for gun sales and that's why there are so danged many caliber choices around. Some are long gone, some are fading as I type this, but the military calibers will remain available in great variety. That's one reason that .308 is such a good choice over the similar calibers based on its case. .308, in the form of the 7.62x51 NATO is still in use by the military and ain't going away. It's still used in light machine guns and mini guns. The coast guard qualifies with an M60 on our range from time to time and leaves me a lot of brass on the ground. :D They sure tear the heck out of the 200 yard target boards that we have to repair/replace, but I do appreciate the brass.
 
+1 for a Savage, accutrigger is nice. Tikka would be good too. If you can handle the recoil I would recommend a 30-06. If you want to have one gun for every kind of hunting in north America that is the one to get. Factory loadings have a very broad selection from varmint rounds to dangerous game rounds and every thing in between. If you decide to handload as you get older the options really open up.
 
ouch, i'm not sure if thats current prices, but that is some expensive brass,$41 for a box of 20. Besides the price, you guys have convinced me to get the 7mm-08 lol. I'm not at my dads house right now, but when i go to his house and we check out guns I'll look at the selection of 7mm-08 ammo. Thanks for the input!
 
just bored, so i'm checking out ammo online. Is the 140gr nosler partition a good hunting round? Any opinions are welcome =)
 
You've left out BY FAR the most important thing we need to know to make a rifle recommendation - the BUDGET, and is that buying used, or new only? And do you have a separate budget for optics, and if so how much?

As for caliber, any will do - take your pick. I like the .257 Robts best among your choices, .270 win close 2nd place.

But without knowing more, a Remington Model Seven in .257 Bob or .260 Rem is probably the perfect all-purpose & deer rifle. 7mm-08 close behind.

And YES, you want a good recoil pad, either factory or aftermarket, installed. The less recoil the easier it is to avoid & eliminate flinch.

Tim, your link doesn't work.

Which 140 nosler partition? 6.5mm? .277? 7mm? And out of what caliber, and what barrel length? It's arguably overkill for thin-skinned game (deer), espec. in a 6.5 caliber - could be "too much" penetration and not enough expansion.

Oh yes, the LOP is very important. You *may* need a youth stock with a 12" or 12.5" LOP at your age. Or if you are taller/longer-armed, then you might get by with a short-ish "standard", at around 13 or 13.5".

Might look at the Remington Model Seven "Youth" - but again, need to know the budget - those are $700 new just for rifle.
 
If you will notice from my previous post, i was looking at 7mm-08. I know i did not make that clear.
 
no idea on budget, my dads buying it. If its around $500, thats good. I need to talk to my dad about the budget first though.
 
Figure on a couple hundred just for the optics, or more, but you can get a Bushnell Trophy or a Weaver KV for under 200 and a Leupold VX1 is in that price range, maybe a little more than 200. This is an acceptable level of scope quality. Don't go buying 50 dollar junk at Walmart for optics.
 
When it comes down to choosing a caliber everyone has there own prefence. Idaho.. choose one that you can shoot accuratly all the time not just once something that wont kick the daylights out of you.another long gun thompson center eather contender or encor. most of the time your only going to get one shot and with pratice you can shoot one just as fast as a bolt gun. that way you can buy another barrel if you decide to shoot another caliber as you get older. i now have a 30-06 pro hunter and love it. another thought is avalibility of ammo why buy something that your going to have truble finding ammo. like said before choose something that you can control and shoot accurately shot placement is every thing. (1983 grad Minico High Rupert ID)(Texas transplant 19 years strong)
 
One thing to consider is whether you'll eventually chase elk or whatnot. Something smaller like a 25-06 would complement nicely with a bigger elk gun later, whereas a 270 or 308 would provide you with less of an excuse for a bigger rifle next time. :)

Like we need an excuse, though.

I have a Tikka in .270. Great gun, hunts out of the box. Definitely requires a replacement recoil pad, as the "Lite" model kicks harder than you'd expect. I have a few Remington's too. Heavier unless you buy the mountain versions, and then the barrel is a lot harder to control when you're tired. And the triggers always need work. But the aftermarket parts are endless so you can customize it to your satisfaction. And the aforementioned Marlin is great for the money. I don't have a Savage, so I won't comment on those.

If you get a Tikka, I wouldn't worry about long or short action. Same length action all around, and my pick there given your description would be the 25-06.

And given that you're in Idaho (me too), you're going to be going up and down a lot, so weight will matter. That's where a smaller cartridge will really shine; 25-06 or 7mm08 or 260 or 6.5 swede will be great for deer, and you can get a lighter rifle without punishing yourself with recoil.
 
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