Tell me what I need

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I would like to spend around 600$ and I dont want to be looking for blood I want the deer to fall no running
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Sorry to break the news, but it doesn't matter what caliber or what bullet you use, there is absolutely no way to guarantee that a deer will fall in it's tracks unless you hit spine or brain. And if you hit either of those, it doesn't matter if you're shooting a .458 Win Mag or a .223. Deer simply do not drop DRT every single time.

If you want drop them in their tracks performance, a high velocity bullet that expands rapidly is the way to go. But it still won't happen every single time.
 
Arkansas Paul, hate to burst your bubble, but DRT is done with a .45acp. Whatever you hit just gets blown off. Its true!! I read it on the internet. Even here a time or two!!
 
I dont want to be looking for blood I want the deer to fall no running
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bad news for ya.....that just dont happen.

i have seen deer run for 75 yards with their heart compleatly blown to hell. i have seen VERY few that were DRT shots. the ONLY way you can ensure an instant kill with no running is to get real close, and blast them in the back of the head where the bottom of the skull meets the spine. good luck!

honestly, tracking is no big deal. make a good shot (and i stress a good shot) and they will not run far.
 
Seriously, all my deer kills have either been with a .243, 30-06, or a .270. Most of my. 270 kills have been DRT. A few hasn't, and the other two calibers hasn't. Like others have stated some that ran off had their heart and lungs blown to bits. A bigger caliber would have made no difference.
 
I've had DRT .223 kills! I think it varies from shot to shot, and how the deer is going to react to the damage done. I have noticed heart shot deer run like a fire was lit under em. Lung shot deer ran less, and liver shot (too high) ran far, left little blood, and had to be tracked for hours. But then I've jumped them, shot at the base of the neck where it meets the shoulder and rolled them with no death throes. Best cartridge I've experienced for the DRT was a .260.
 
meanmrmustard said:
I've had DRT .223 kills! I think it varies from shot to shot, and how the deer is going to react to the damage done. I have noticed heart shot deer run like a fire was lit under em. Lung shot deer ran less, and liver shot (too high) ran far, left little blood, and had to be tracked for hours. But then I've jumped them, shot at the base of the neck where it meets the shoulder and rolled them with no death throes. Best cartridge I've experienced for the DRT was a .260.
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Agreed, my 6.5x55 (the 260s ballistic twin) seems to drop them on the spot as well as anything.
 
IMO ever hunter needs at least one any weather, any terrain, any critter, no such thing as overkill go to rifle.

For this role I prefer 30 caliber and stainless steel. My personal favorite is the boat paddle stocked ruger m77 mkII pictured below chambered for 30/06. Any critter within the range I have buisness shooting is in great danger of becoming dinner when I have this rifle in my hands.


swing9311074.jpg
 
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I would like to spend 600 for everything is this possible. I know a deer is going to run a littl ways but I don't want to waste a good sport or animal cause I shot it with a weak gun. Thanks for all the replys some good help here.
 
chaddy said:
I would like to spend 600 for everything is this possible. I know a deer is going to run a littl ways but I don't want to waste a good sport or animal cause I shot it with a weak gun. Thanks for all the replys some good help here.
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Sure is. You could get a brand new Weatherby Vanguard and a Redfield for at or very near that price. If you go used, you now open up more possibilities?
 
You hit a deer in the right place with any one of the calibers mentioned in this thread, it's going down. None of them are "weak" (well, maybe the 223.. lol).

If you're wanting to spend $600 or less for everything then ammo cost is going to be a consideration. You need to buy enough ammo to get the rifle and glass sighted in, and get proficient at it at different ranges (as not all hunting happens at exactly 100 yards).

With a budget in mind, you should seriously consider a common round as they're less costly. 300 Win Mag will break the bank if you don't roll your own (reloading).

So why not go for 30-06 or 308? Plenty of (comparably) cheap practice ammo, available anywhere, and TONS of bullet selections available (different types of projectiles).
 
Trent said:
You hit a deer in the right place with any one of the calibers mentioned in this thread, it's going down. None of them are "weak" (well, maybe the 223.. lol).

If you're wanting to spend $600 or less for everything then ammo cost is going to be a consideration. You need to buy enough ammo to get the rifle and glass sighted in, and get proficient at it at different ranges (as not all hunting happens at exactly 100 yards).

With a budget in mind, you should seriously consider a common round as they're less costly. 300 Win Mag will break the bank if you don't roll your own (reloading).

So why not go for 30-06 or 308? Plenty of (comparably) cheap practice ammo, available anywhere, and TONS of bullet selections available (different types of projectiles).
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Bullet placement trumps size and speed. Knowing the effective range, accuracy, and bullet characteristics while in flight AND on impact make the .223 Rem anything but weak on whitetails. I cut my teeth on the lil round, so have my sisters, my fiancé even. It works, conditionally of course, but doesn't kill them less dead.

But, to up my range AND keep with my AR hunting platform, I'm wanting to go 6.8 SPC.
Lil more thump farther out cant hurt, right?
 
The low end BSA scopes are priced between about $30 to $120 dollars. NcStar scopes go for between about $60 to $150 dollars. I have one topping my Rock River AR-10; 3x9 power "sniper reticle", very clear and sharp lens.

U can pay as little or as much as u want to. I haven't made it to the income level yet where I can lay down $1500 dollars for a Zeiss piece of glass.
 
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With a budget, like most of us have to consider, I think the Bushnell Banner scopes at about $89 or so are a good bargain. A Weatherby Vanguard and that scope will run you right at $500 and you'll have enough left to buy a few different brands of ammo to compare.
 
You can get a Ruger American Rifle in .308 with a Redfield scope for about $600 at GanderMtn. Blued barrel and synthetic stock. Thats what I just decided on and I had similer requirements.
 
Who makes a good scope and how much will a good scope cost.
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Personally, I consider the Nikon Prostaff to be the minimum for a game rifle. They run about $150.

You can certainly find a rifle and scope in your price range, but I think you'd do well to look at used stuff. You'll definitely get more for your money.

My deer/pronghorn rifle is a Remington 700 BDL in .25-06 with a Leupold VX-III 4.5-14x 40mm, I use 117 gr. Sierra Gamekings loaded to 3,200 FPS. No animal I've shot with it has gone more than 30 feet, most have dropped where they stood. IMO, there is not a better deer cartridge than the .25-06. It's easy on the shoulder, very flat-shooting and plenty powerful enough to put bullets through the animal at any range you can hit him.
 
Thanks y'all for the replys. As you can tell I don't know much about guns. Is a 7mm a good round for deer?
 
chaddy said:
Who makes a good scope and how much will a good scope cost.
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Anything NOT made in China prices will start around $100

The Nikon pro staff is good but ime the sightron s1 is better and last I looked is about $30 cheaper

If anything you'll want to cheap out on the rifle if you have to in order to buy a better scope. Trust me!


7mm08 is probably the best balanced deer cartridge mankind has yet devised although ammunition is somewhat expensive.

7mm magnum is if anything more overkill than 300 win mag.


I'm somewhat concerned where this is headed. I must ask just how much ammunition do YOU think you'll need to shoot a year to maintain basic proficiency?

Since you already stated cost concerns I'm going to be blunt and tell you to forget anything with "magnum" in the name. You really only need to be looking at four cartridges 243, 270, 308 and 30/06 these are by far the most common rounds and are far far cheaper than anything else.


BTW Kudos to THR for NOT suggesting a mosin nagant yet. This must be some sort of record.
 
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On this website in the trading post you could build you a great N american rifle for 485 + 175. A 30-06 with a fixed 10 power scope. Got any trade fodder? Talk to mike sr.
 
A fixed 10x is way too powerful for hunting. You'd always be searching for your target in the very narrow fov

Even though. 3x9 Scopes are the most popular hunting scope it usually doesn't take long for hunters to learn to leave it on 3x for snap shooting and only dial up after putting glass on the target
 
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