What is the Ultimate Deer Rifle?

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For me it is a Tikka T3 Lite.In .270 Win. with upgraded aftermarket mounts and a Nikon ProStaff 3-9x40 scope.But you will get alot of different answers here.;)
 
The best answer: it depends! You have to factor in hunting conditions (densely wooded vs open plains, flat terrain vs mountains/hills, etc), the size of the deer in your area, your personal preferences for how a rifle handles, your tolerance for recoil, etc.

I'm going to be using a Remington 700 in .308. It has a heavy bull barrel so it's a big boy, but in VA we typically hunt from fixed positions.
 
20 to 300 yards? Most any non-magnum from .243 to .30-'06 will work just fine. I know an '06 will work, on out toward the 500-yard vicinity. I've never gone beyond 200 with my .243 or the .270 I once used, but that's just circumstance.

I happen to mostly use Sierra bullets, but there are bunches of equally-good options available.

As far as the rifle itself, the most important thing is how it fits your body's dimensions. After that it's aesthetics and $$$.
 
The Ultimate Deer Rifle is the next rifle that I intend to purchase. And so is the one after that. And the next one, etc.

I'm getting a lightweight gun this time. I'm looking into a Rem 700 Titanium or a Kimber Montana in 260. Very lightweight, little recoil, great range and bullet selection. One in 7mm-08 would also work.
 
Again there is very little that a 30-06 won't handle. The action type is a personal choice.

My personal choice is the 308, simply because I like the shorter action.
 
My pick would be a Rem Model 7 in 7-08 with a 2.5-8 Leupold. Almost as handy as a .30-30 lever carbine but with the ability to reach out and touch beyond the .30-30 range.

Drue
 
Of course, it depends. I hunt deer in dense woods where it would be hard to get a 100 yd shot. So I have 3 favorites 1) the heirloom Savage 99 in .250/300, 2) the brush buster 336 in .35 Rem and 3) the handy as a pocket on a shirt cz carbine in 7.62x39. All three have iron sights.
 
vanguard in 270 win,leupold 3x9x50,timney trigger,hogue stock. whitetail's worst nightmare. as far as ammo it loves hornady 130 gr sst.
 
my favorite for deer

A 243, hands down. WHY? Well, it can readily handle the deer out to 300 yards. My exclusive bullet for hunting is the Nosler Partition. But more than that the 243 can handle down to 55 grains and up to 100. This makes it an excellent choice for varmit all the way to deer. Most 243's are inherently accurate. There are some excellent new rifles as well as used ones. If you reload you can make cases from the 308 Military.
 
My favorite is a .30x06, I shoot a savage 111 w/ a 3-9x40mm Simmons scope because it is much more accurate than I am and I don't want to spend any more on a rifle that will get banged around while chasing whitetails. I spend my leftover cash on more interesting weapons.

My cheap .30x06 savage gets it done for anything that walks on four legs in North America. The only improvement I ever plan on doing for this rifle would be better glass(maybe a leupold rifleman 3-9x40mm).

I would love to have a nice, high dollar hunting rifle but I don't know if I would ever use it for fear of damaging it.
 
It all depends on what you can afford and what you are comfortable with. For me, it my Mosin 91/30. I took my first deer with it and when I need to, I can cycle the bolt faster than anything else I've tried.

Its far from "ideal" but it works just fine for me out to 100 yards with open sights.
 
I have no "COLLECTION" because my .243 Winchester solves any problem afield

No, I never consider myself over-powered, but merely adequately powered for whatever I'm hunting. Elk generally require a .270 Winchester round from a mediocre hunter, but a properly-placed .243 performs "miracles." Bullets are more important than caliber selection. A Nosler Partition is friend to no animule. As ALWAYS, practice makes a better shooter. Ever watch a good shooter place EVERY bullet inside an inch at 100 yards? Please do so, to realize how important accuracy really IS. A great shooter will shave this group down to 5/8, and not by wishful thinking." cliffy
 
i guess even though i'm young, and even younger at heart, i have to go with a golden but proven oldie, the Win '94 in .30-30. while not hard stats exists, i'd guess its in close running with the .30-'06 for most deer taken in America. i'm not a hunter, but the territory that i would hunt if i did, would require a max of 150 yard shots. there's not many non-semi auto rifles that are more useful an versatile rifles than a lever action .30-30.

Bobby
 
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lol
 
Within your scope from 10 to 300yds, I use a Ruger #1 RSI in 7X57 launching 175gr Remington SP. She sports a Weaver K3 and a leather butt cuff holding 10rds. Nice, light, and very controllable. I have other rifles from a 700 DXLH to as small as a Marlin 1894C, but that little RSI just seems to call every season.
 
Try a scoped M1A using 7.62 NATO National Match ammo. I'd use a 4 to 12 power Redfield scope. Short of the really big bears, that should drop any feral animal on the North American continent. I miss my old XM-21 rifle I had overseas. That was such an accurate shooting piece! Now I'm going to HAVE to get me another 7.62 NATO tackdriver in the form of an M1A. Now look what you've made me do.... The wife will NOT be sending you any Xmas cards this year...
 
Anything you shoot well from .243 to 30-06. With the right bullets any of them will do a fine job, if you do your bit. Let's be honest, any difference is all in our mind and the deer will not notice the difference with a well placed shot.

I currently hunt with .243, .270, 7x57, 7x64, .300 Savage, .308, multiple 30-06's, and several larger and smaller (from .223 to .458 Winchester). Sometimes I use my .300 Winny, but that's just so it doesn't feel left out, you really don't need it for deer hunting.
 
Scopes and Rifles

4.5-14x40mm Nikon Buckmaster on my .243 Winchester, 10x hits all day long. 6-24x44mm Burris Signature Select on my .223 Remington, 10x hits all day long. Not meaning to brag, I've earned this accuracy pagentry via practicing three-times-a-week at my range. Fighting August mosquitoes whilst aiming requires holding one's concentration downrange: great practice. Having a range site all to one's self: priceless. The bullets, powder, and primers, I place on my credit card. Being Retired: Priceless. Cliffy
 
I'll say it; a mosin m38 with a mojo peep site. it is light, it is easy to carry, you can carry 5 round stripper clips if needed, it is fool proof, it hits like a hammer of God, it is inexpensive, the rounds are inexpensive, and you don't mind beating the hell out of it, because it can take it.
 
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