What's your deer hunting rifle

[Cocked & Locked]

Like most, I've got too many hunting rifles. If I had to just keep one it would be this Remington 700 Classic .35 Whelen. Looks strange when I type that as I have not hunted with it for the last two seasons...hmmm

 

[JackSprat]

For the past few years I have been hunting with my Dads old 99 in 250-3000..I have killed turkey,deer,and varmits all with the same 87 gr bullet.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

Nice looking Savage and buck!

 

[Vern Humphrey]

For the past few years I have been hunting with my Dads old 99 in 250-3000..I have killed turkey,deer,and varmits all with the same 87 gr bullet.

In the 1930s, my Dad, who was in oil exploration and spent most of his life in remote regions of the world, killed a tiger in Sumatra with a .250-3000. In Ethiopia, in the '40s, he killed a lion, a lesser Kudu good enough for Roland Ward, and a host of other plains game. He used to say, "The 87 grain bullet is better than the 100 grain bullet."

It was years before I figured out why. The rifling twist isn't fast enough to reliably stabilize the 100 grain bullet in many 99s.

 

[JackSprat]

The twist rate is only 1 in 14..I shoot the Speer Hot-Cors ...Vern you should watch that movie "The Ghost,and the Darkness"...it's a true story about hunting lions.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Savage used a sine bar rifling machine, which while it does the job is difficult to adjust to a precise pitch -- so some 99s have a tighter twist than others. If you get a 99 that's on the tight side, it may shoot 100 grain bullets quite well. But one on the loose side will not stabilize them.

My own 99 is in .308 Winchester.

 

[jack44]

Marlin 45/70

 

[27hand]

I'm guessing my go to gun, if I had to choose one, would be an old 760 pump .06 shooting nosler ballistic tips over 57.5 gr of IMR4350.

This past year however, just for the hell of it, I took out an old Marlin 336 with a 45 to 50 YO Bushnell Banner in 4X.
I did load it with 170gr Speer DeepCurls over 34.5 gr of IMR 4350

Longest shot on almost 50 deer was 95 paces with a Ithaca Deerslayer 20" rifled bbl with Rem Copper Solids.

I hunt pretty thick cover and actually prefer a crossbow

 

[BearBrimstone]

Remington 700 in .308 that my dad gave me. It hasn't been used for a few years now though.

 

[silicosys4]

If I had to be honest,
For deer, whatever is sighted in at the moment and closest to the front of the safe, hopefully the ammo of which isn't buried in the bottom of an ammo box.
Varies between a .270 or 30-06 rem. M700, but last year the most convenient, sighted gun was a 7mm magnum vanguard.
For Elk its the .300 winmag M70 stainless classic.

 

[scchokedaddy]

In rotation Savage 99 in 308 shooting 125 gr reduced recoil Core-loeck, 25 06 Marlin xl shooting 120 gr Winchester pep, 6.5x55 custom mauser 100 gr core-lokt, 243 Tikka 85gr speer bthp, Remington 660 in 308 150 gr core-lokt, Marlin 308mx shooting Hornady Leverlution and last but not least an old Interarms {31 years old} in 308 shooting 125 reduced recoil also. I do try to take them all at least once a season. But due to health reasons they normally do not even get loaded when I go. Reason is I mostly hunt by myself and would have to call somebody to drag for me, and do not like bothering people. On the rare occasion that I do hunt with someone else I will load one. Started not to hunt this year, but I love to watch deer and other wildlife. Have to use bino's to see any distance, but actually had a blast this year. Most of my hunting consisted of backing my truck under tree getting out my chair and walking 15' getting my gear and sitting down!! I was sitting in the middle of farm equipment 20 yards behind his shop, and deer paid no attention to me. Then one night he came out before I left and as I put rifle up he asked if I was going to unload it, told him I never loaded it. He laughed and told me that was what he thought, quit carrying rifle after that. Yeah I miss killing 2 or 3 a year, but at least I can still watch them, for that I am thankful!! Next year planning on "hunting" with camera!!

 

[Cocked & Locked]

scchokedaddy...great post!

 

[MDof2]

Ruger Hawkeye in 30-06 or a Marlin 336 in 30-30.
Once in a while, Savage in 243 or 308.

 

[yugorpk]

Ive been hunting with a Ruger Model 77 in 308 up until last year. Now Ive switched to a Mossberg MVP .308 patrol for long range work on deer and short/long range work on elk. Ive got a 300 BO RARR for short range work on deer. I went with both to be able run a silencer.