Weapon of choice for deer hunting in a field?

[BuckShotBilly]

This friday i will be hunting in south Georgia for deer. My 30-06 is out of commision due to a faulty bolt. I was wondering if my Winchester 94 (30-30)was a good choice to take, or if my Mosin Nagant M44 (7.62 X 54R) was. I will be hunting in semi-open feild from a stand, and im not to worried about distance, because they are normaly pretty close to the stand. Both guns are iron sights.

Do you think my .223 would be enough knock down power to take a 225+ lb buck down?

Also i recently bought a fred bear bow, but i have only shot maby 10 arrows through it and a new to bow hunting, so which would you say would be the best choice?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Blackfork]

Zeroed Rifle

Either of those rifles, if you have shot them enough to know where the hold-off is or have a zero on them, will be more than sufficient. I'd lay off the 223. Might not be enough for a big buck.

I've shot deer this year with Springfield 1903A3. P17 Eddystone, K98 Mauser and am currently carrying a Krag 30-40. Last year I shot deer with a Garand 30-06, Swiss K31 7.5, Swede M38 6.5X55, Argentine 1909 7.65, Jap Type 44 6.5X50, M1 Carbine 30 cal, and a Ruger #1 7X57. They all do a nice job....IF you have a zero.

Shoot behind or on the shoulder with a Military Surplus gun and whatever ammo is legal, ( I used FMJ or Military surplus) and you will get a dead deer.

 

[BuckShotBilly]

yea i dont have them sighted in, but im going to the range tomorrow, and i can sight them there, so not to worried about that. i was more concerned with the knock down and how fast the bullet will drop. I normaly hog hunt with the m44 and deer hunt with my 30-06, how ever i have hunted 1 time with my 94 but came up with nothing.

 

[H&Hhunter]

M-94 just because....


Stay away from the .223 on deer.

What kind of rifle is your 06 and what was the bolt failure if you don't mind my asking?

 

[kmrcstintn]

you need to find out if there are any caliber restrictions/minimum energy~caliber restrictions that will affect you...I would recommend that you stay clear of .223 since you are going into an area that you are not familiar with and relying on a minimalist caliber for a clean & humane kill;

personally, I would lean toward the Winchester M-94 in .30-30; plenty of energy to be above minimums; large enough bullet to penetrate well/go straight thru to establish a blood trail; you can get ammo anywhere (I'm not sure if you are flying...); .30-30 is a quintesential & viable deer caliber that has plenty to offer;

stoke the M94 with Hornady LeveRevolution ammo if you are taking shots further that 100 yards, they shoot flatter and you may avoid the classic 'kentucky windage' holdover trying to guesstimate where the bullet will land in relation to how high to aim

 

[Titan6]

If you really want to use the .223 try to get straight head shots. It is not known for it's great stopping power on large game animals and you probably don't want to go tracking through the bush. Also do not use fragmenting hollow points.

Since you are hunting from a stand I would use the '94. It is much lighter and faster handling. At close range the extra power of the Mosin won't make that much difference. Just be sure to use good ammo, esp since you are looking for large bucks.

 

[chemist308]

Unless your Mosin is one of those rare 1-2 MOA Mosins, I'd opt for the 30-30just for accuracy's sake. And, I'd leave the 223 for it's intended purpose of varmints, even though it is capable of killing a deer.

 

[mustanger98]

In GA, any centerfire rifle .22cal. (basically .223 or bigger) or bigger is legal for deer. But it's not the best choice.

I generally carry and shoot a Winchester 94 (built in 1971) and shoot Remington's 150gr CoreLokts. The I way zero mine, most of my shots are >100yds, but the trajectory's probably good to 200yds without worrying about the bullet's drop. I zero dead on at 25yds and it'll hold a clay bird on the 100yd berm with a 6o'clock hold. If I were expecting the monster buck the OP describes, I'd load 170gr CoreLokts, check zero, and possibly reduce the effective range estimation to 100yds just so I know it's got extra umph when it lands.

The Mosin... that's outside my expertise.

 

[MCgunner]

Me, assuming woods, I'd take the .30-30 and live happy. .30-30 is THE deer caliber and has been since 1894. Lots of good ammo for it, too, and inexpensive.

 

[qajaq59]

The 94 will work just fine.

 

[chemist308]

The big question is, what is the accuracy of your Mosin? If it's an accurate rifle, then remember that the 7.62x54R has been called the Russian 30-06...

 

[BuckShotBilly]

thanks for your help, ill look into the hornady leverevolution and mustang i always use remington CoreLokts for both my 30-30 and 30-06 and i like them alot. my shots shounld not be further than 100 yards for sure. but what ammo would be the best for a decent buck in around 80-100 yards.

and H&H my bolt wont go back into the rifle. the fireing pin is fully extended in the bolt to. The back of the bolt is jammed and wont spin to allow the bolt to go back in position in the chmber. I got what i payd for. Remington 710.... POS

also i can use what ever caliber i want, its private property and its many sq miles, i just have a certain place picked out.

 

[Bearhands]

170 gr Core-lokts in your mod 94 will do the trick

 

[mustanger98]

150gr or 170gr on those CoreLokts. Last year I killed a decent buck at 80-100yds with 150's.

 

[BuckShotBilly]

well i got a new hornady bullet and also the corelokts for the 30-30 2day, but i also got mny 30-06 fixed today. but now that im all exited about using my 30-30 i cant make up my mind. But any way im goin 2 sleep and leavin n a few hours so thank you guys for all the help!!!

 

[mainebear]

If you go from the regular cartridges to the Hornadys be sure to sight in again. My trapper shoots a lot different.Good luck and give us a report on your return.

 

[MCgunner]

Well, you got two great deer calibers there. The 7.62x54R is a powerful round, but hunting ammo could be hard to find and far less proven than most .30-30 or 06 rounds which are everywhere. To me, those two are a no brainer for hunting. Keep the old Mosin to look at and play with at the range, serious hunt with the serious hunting rifles.

 

[Deer Hunter]

MC, a 170 pound white tail with two lungs and 7 inches of spine missing disagrees with your claim.

Chemist,

Actually, the 30-06 is the American version of the 7.62x54.

 

[mustanger98]

Deer Hunter, I take it you're saying you shoot deer with 7.62x54R. What load do you use?

Myself, I'd probably handload it if I were going to use a Mosin Nagant. But then I'm kinda in the same boat with my K98k and mostly because of the sight calibration.

 

[Deer Hunter]

I use ~200 grain loads from Baurnal for all my Mosins. I have about a box and a half of Brown Bear left and I'm thinking about ordering some silver bear for them. I can't reload yet, so I'm left to commercial stuff.

 

[MCgunner]

I reload even my .308. If for some weird reason I wanted to deer hunt with an oddball military gun in a weird caliber, I'd surely handload it, too. If for no other reason, factory ammo costs too much. Even 8x57 is drying up and the available milsurp that I've used in the past was iffy anyway, and corrosive. I really prefer to reload it, but out of my Hakim, I have to chase brass and that's not a good thing for reloading. Frustrating. LOL I guess that's why when I want to play with an auto, I use the SKS, cheap milsurp, no chasing brass. But, I wouldn't have that problem with a bolt gun.

I also have a 8x57S chambered 88 commission rifle. It shoots WAY high, regulated to 300 yards I guess, but it shoots high. Not very practical and the action isn't particularly strong compared to a 98 action. I reload downloaded stuff for it. I'll stick to "remchesters" for hunting, far, far more practical and ain't like I don't have a good selection from which to choose. I think .308, 7mm Rem Mag, or my .257 Roberts can kill whitetail and I've proven it over the years. I ain't gonna replace 'em with a Mosin or grab one of my milsurps in preference. That Hakim is accurate, but it's also about 85 lbs and 50 feet long, not very practical afield. I can practically holster my M7 and it's got a scope on it and shoots 3/4 inch groups. No brainer there, eh? It's about all I use anymore unless I'm handgun hunting or decide to use my Hawken.

My M7 is my go to (not a lot off your .30-06 for ballistics on whitetail), but if it goes down for some reason, I'll use my .257 Roberts or my 7 mag as backup, not a milsurp. I'd have to be out of choices before a milsurp got chosen, LOL! I'd either go handgun hunting (which I enjoy) with one of my revolvers or my .30-30 Contender or perhaps my sporterized SKS would get used. I have it rigged for night hunting hogs at present because I thought I'd give it something to do other than collect dust and range fun duty. It ain't much for accuracy, but it'll get the job done to 100 yards. A 94 Winchester would be a superior hunting rifle just from accuracy alone IMHO. Heck, I have an iron sighted .357 Rossi 92 lever gun that'll do about anything that scoped SKS will do, but I've only killed one deer with it, that at 80 yards. No lack of choices, though, in my house. LOL

 

[paintballdude902]

i love my .30-30 id be willing to go after anything with it (except maybe bear and then it depends on which kind of bear)

for deer the model 94 will work fine

 

[BuckShotBilly]

well im back. i used my 30-30 but only saw a single doe, it wasd to small for me, so i held off. i actually got rained out. it poured all saturday day and night, and sunday morrning was slow. also when i got there someone moved a stand of mine, so i had to build one before i left.

But thanks for all the help!

 

[ArmedBear]

Favorite weapon? I like to run them down and kill them with a Bowie knife. Chasing a running deer on foot for 15 or 20 miles through the mountains can really get your heart pumping.

(In all seriousness, though, that tactic would net about the same success rate we had with .30-06's here this year. )

 

[BIGR]

Armedbear, you not see any deer or are you claiming the 30.06 did not work well for you. It sure worked for me 5 shots 5 deer and the fartherest one ran after the 06 hit it was only about 45 yards. 2 of them feel in their tracks. Its hard to beat a good ol 30.06