What is the best deer gun available?

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Sounds like he's already got good guns aside from not having a savage in there:D.
I would invest in a good scope for a gun he has already I just can't explain the difference in looking through a bsa and then looking through a leupold it's just indescribable. A nice leupold in a 3x9 would be GREAT good for close to mid-high range shooting.
 
Best on what budget?

A case could be made for many rifles, but a Weatherby Mark V is a nice rifle - so is the Browning A-bolt. Steyr and Sako make really nice rifles too. The Sako 85 is a classic.
 
He hunts with a semi-automatic 270. And he has a semi-auto 30.06 and a semi-auto 12 gauge. So, I was wondering if there were deer guns better than the ones he already owns.
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Jeannie, welcome to THR. No, there aren't better choices than what he already has- those are GREAT choices. You could consider giving him a different choice, though. It might not hurt if that choice was something you might enjoy shooting, as well.

A very neat little rifle that most people love, and which shoots inexpensive ammunition, is the CZ 527 7.62x39mm. If you decide to buy one of these, be sure to order the scope rings, too. Get some Wolf 150-grain soft point ammunition, an inexpensive low-power scope if you like*, and you'll be set for a great little woods gun that can cleanly take deer out to 150 meters or so with almost no recoil.

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*like this or this

John
 
Just suggesting inexpensive low-power and light weight scopes to go with the 527. There really is no need for anything over 5x, max, on a little carbine like this.
 
Jeannie29

Where in AL are you? I hunt mostly in Northern Alabama, specifically Black Warrior WMA (Zone A and Zone B), Skyline in Jackson County, and occasionally the St Claire Community Hunting Area. Most of N. Alabama, as you may well know, is full of dense woods. I usually hunt with a bolt action, but this year a lever action 30-30 is going to get the nod.

It's compact, light, very handy, and the 30-30 is just fine for the ranges deer are shot at here (mostly under 100 yards).

If you want to get him a rifle, make it a lever action 30-30.
 
as you can see there is no "best" only individual opinions. your best bet is to ask him:"hey honey, if you ever got a different hunting rifle what would you get?"best of luck & note your a great wife.
 
if you are northern alabama . . . . .

say, somewhere between the Coosa and Cheaha Mountain I'd take a look at the new Marlin lever action in stainless. Either the 30-30 or the newer 308 Marlin is more than enough gun for those piney woods and good medicine for hogs to boot. A good lever action is easy to carry and quick on the target when the time comes. A lower power scope is a plus - either a 2x6 variable or a 4x fixed power is just about ideal IMHO. Good luck and good hunting.
 
I hunt in walker county area. Such as back,woods by my house and such. Down close to jeffersohn county, and with friends in hoolly pond and blount county. Different areas.
 
jeannie29 - What is the best deer gun available?

Jeannie, we all have our favorites and for valid reasons, for us. Our choices often don't fit what someone else would like best.

Let me guess; you don't have a lot of experience with either hunting or rifles? If so, getting a long barreled rifle with a long range cartridge will be a handicap, not an asset. If we eliminate long range then we can easily eliminate bolt actions. That leaves us (you) with either an auto loader or a lever. Autos are fine but can be hard to live with, so I think you would be best served with a lever. That means a Marlin in either .30-30 or .35 Remington, at least unless you buy a used Winchester which I would not suggest for a newbie. Either of those cartridges will serve you fine out to at least 150-200 yards. That's a long way to shoot, especially in Alabama wood country.

The old lever rifles are made much like a shootgun, meaning they are stocked for easy and fast shooting moving targets. Woods deer do tend to move quickly!

I have several bolt action, long range deer rifles but my choice for the woods and across many small bean fields is a Marlin 336 in .35. I love it, deer hate it, but never for long! ;)

I have a good quality low power scope mounted low over the action, not in those god-awful "see-though' mounts.

Maybe you should ask a few of your local hunters what they think about the Marlins too.
 
Savage model 99 in 300sav
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I cannot argue with that, but I feel as though I myself own the ultimate deer rifle. Swede Mauser 94, customized/sporterized, in 6.5x55 swedish. 20" bbl, Timney trigger, Herter's stock. Short shots, long shots, big game, small game, anywhere in between, it's good to go. :)

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=78162&d=1210734763

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=78163&d=1210734772

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=78164&d=1210734784
 
Ruger 44 Carbine?

I'll bet that I know of a gun that he'd like to have. With a .270 and 30-06 semi-auto he's covered for hunting pretty much anything BUT those guns are heavy(unless it's the new BAR Longtrac) and fairly long. Seems to me that he might like something very small and lightweight, but he likes semis. Truly lightweight/small deer capable semi-autos are rare but I just thought of a classic. The old Ruger 44 Carbine. They weigh just over 5 lb and are the same size as a M1 Carbine or a 22 rifle. I found this one in Georgia to use as an example. http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11074284

Avoid the newer ones they arn't much lighter than a quality rifle like the Browning BAR Shortrac in .308. That Shortrac is also a very good idea because it weighs about 6 1/2 lbs and it has a much better reach than the 44. But I figured that other than the lighter weight it's not very much different than his current guns.
 
I hunt in walker county area. Such as back,woods by my house and such. Down close to jeffersohn county, and with friends in hoolly pond and blount county. Different areas.
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Holly Pond, eh? That's not too far from Arab and Guntersville. Lots of dense woods here, and in Blount County.
 
I was raised in Holly Pond..lol.. I live in walker county now. I miss Holly Pond. We had alot of females who were into hunting and fishing. It seems like I can't find any women down here to go. I'm glad I have daughters, they will hunt with me. So will my son. Yeah it's not to far from Albertville, Arab, places like that.
 
The best deer gun?

It is always the one that shoots the best. :D which for me is my 7mm Mag. I have tried to replace it many times...I am tired of it kicking my b*&t. But although I have bought multiple smaller caliber rifles it just always seems to take it personally and out shoots the wannabe replacements.:D

Really depending on the distance of the shot it could be anything from a 30-30 to a 243, 270, 7mm-08, 280, 6.5x55 Swede or the old venerable 30-06 and more. Have you ever thought about getting him a gift certificate and letting him pick it out?

Good Luck,

He is a lucky man to have a wife that will buy him a rifle!
 
just depends

i use my .30-30 every where but if i was hunting wide open fields like the bean field i have that i plan on bieng on many days this year id probably use something with more range like a 270 or .308 but a .30-30 is what i got and it hasnt let me down yet....except that doe i missed opening day last year but that was more me than rifle

cant go wrong with a .243 .....unless your from thr and like the idea of "ive never fired one but you need atleast a .300winmag for anything bigger that field mice :)
 
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