idahohuner
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- May 23, 2009
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thanks. And man you tell the truth about hills, we own some property thats perfect for deer hunting, but it's veeeeery hilly haha
looking for rifle for deer hunting
- Thread starter idahohuner
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God bless you young hunter.Of your caliber interests, any will do do well on deer. but I will reccommend a 30-30 lever action, because it carries well in the field, and will get you a deer, if you practice and know your distance limitations. A man's got to know his limitation. That's being wise.
logjam
Member
Go to a gun show. Find an old Savage model 99 in 300 Savage, 308, or 250/3000 Savage and have a ball.
Idahohuner,
Based on your location, I'd think there is a strong possibility you'd eventually want to hunt mule deer and maybe elk. For this reason, I'd consider 7mm-08/.270 as a minimum. I'd look at getting a 7mm-08, .270, .308 or 30-06 and shoot Remington managed recoil ammunition for a few years, being mindful to not shoot at any deer greater than 200 yards or so away (which you probably shouldn't be doing anyway, without a lot of practice). Buy an adult sized rifle from a common manufacturer (for ease of finding aftermarket parts) and throw a youth stock with a good quality recoil pad on it sized to fit your LOP (lenght of pull). Now you have a rifle you can grow with and which will be useful for multiple kinds of big game. As you get older and larger, put the adult stock back on and start using standard powered ammunition. Oh, and budget $200 minimum for a decent scope. You can't hit what you can't see!
I hunt whitetail with a 7mm-08 and it drops them like the Hammer of Thor! I generally use 140gr Remington Corelokts, but for shooting at longer ranges I'd probably look into the Hornady 139gr light magnums. The Nosler Partition is designed for heavier muscled and thicker boned animals like elk and would probably be somewhat inferior to a standard soft point or ballistic tip for smaller, lighter game like whitetail (too much penetration, less expansion). On the other hand, a Nosler Partition or Barnes TSX would be a good choice for elk, moose and maybe larger mule deer.
Based on your location, I'd think there is a strong possibility you'd eventually want to hunt mule deer and maybe elk. For this reason, I'd consider 7mm-08/.270 as a minimum. I'd look at getting a 7mm-08, .270, .308 or 30-06 and shoot Remington managed recoil ammunition for a few years, being mindful to not shoot at any deer greater than 200 yards or so away (which you probably shouldn't be doing anyway, without a lot of practice). Buy an adult sized rifle from a common manufacturer (for ease of finding aftermarket parts) and throw a youth stock with a good quality recoil pad on it sized to fit your LOP (lenght of pull). Now you have a rifle you can grow with and which will be useful for multiple kinds of big game. As you get older and larger, put the adult stock back on and start using standard powered ammunition. Oh, and budget $200 minimum for a decent scope. You can't hit what you can't see!
I hunt whitetail with a 7mm-08 and it drops them like the Hammer of Thor! I generally use 140gr Remington Corelokts, but for shooting at longer ranges I'd probably look into the Hornady 139gr light magnums. The Nosler Partition is designed for heavier muscled and thicker boned animals like elk and would probably be somewhat inferior to a standard soft point or ballistic tip for smaller, lighter game like whitetail (too much penetration, less expansion). On the other hand, a Nosler Partition or Barnes TSX would be a good choice for elk, moose and maybe larger mule deer.
txman321
Member
I recently got my first deer gun about 2 months ago (now I have 2)
I went with a .270 because where i hunt you can get some pretty long range shots and the .270 is a very flat shooting bullet and I know it will still pack a punch when it gets there. the recoil is very mild on a .270 its not very bad at all in my opinion However my rifle has a fairly nice recoil pad on it already that came with it when i bought it. It is a mossberg 100 atr. If your hunting deer with a .270 you'll probably be using 130 grain bullets and they arent bad at all on the shoulder if you tuck it in and practice with it you wont even notice it after a while. If your still a little bit small id get a .243 or a .270 they are great cailbers. I am probably getting myself a .243 next to compliment my .270
The other gun I just bought was .30-06, Its a little over kill for around here in texas where i live but I really liked the stock on it I bought it used its a savage I havent shot it yet so i cant say how the recoil is on it, I plan on using this rifle for a hog gun and a truck gun as its a little bit beat up but i am sure it will still shoot dandy.
As for optics check out nikon scopes they are very nice and not too expensive.
I went with a .270 because where i hunt you can get some pretty long range shots and the .270 is a very flat shooting bullet and I know it will still pack a punch when it gets there. the recoil is very mild on a .270 its not very bad at all in my opinion However my rifle has a fairly nice recoil pad on it already that came with it when i bought it. It is a mossberg 100 atr. If your hunting deer with a .270 you'll probably be using 130 grain bullets and they arent bad at all on the shoulder if you tuck it in and practice with it you wont even notice it after a while. If your still a little bit small id get a .243 or a .270 they are great cailbers. I am probably getting myself a .243 next to compliment my .270
The other gun I just bought was .30-06, Its a little over kill for around here in texas where i live but I really liked the stock on it I bought it used its a savage I havent shot it yet so i cant say how the recoil is on it, I plan on using this rifle for a hog gun and a truck gun as its a little bit beat up but i am sure it will still shoot dandy.
As for optics check out nikon scopes they are very nice and not too expensive.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
Regardless of cartridge and brand/model of rifle, the fit to a person's body is very important. The deal is to mount the rifle to your shoulder with your eyes closed. Your cheek should have a proper "weld" on the comb of the stock. When you open your eyes and without moving your head, you should be looking through the sights or scope--or directly down a line which is aligned with the bore.
If a stock is too long, it's easy enough to shorten it. If too short, a spacer can be added. For many rifles, the primary difference is in the height of the comb, for which modification is a bit more difficult.
As far as a scope for deer hunting, my own opinion is that "need" is met by using a decent quality of four-power scope. It's not as though one needs the precision of more magnification, as when shooting prairie dogs at 300 yards or more. Variables are indeed nice, but they're an item of "want". And I note that my 3x9s have spent years on 3X when hunting and maybe a few hours on 9X when sighting in or load testing.
If a stock is too long, it's easy enough to shorten it. If too short, a spacer can be added. For many rifles, the primary difference is in the height of the comb, for which modification is a bit more difficult.
As far as a scope for deer hunting, my own opinion is that "need" is met by using a decent quality of four-power scope. It's not as though one needs the precision of more magnification, as when shooting prairie dogs at 300 yards or more. Variables are indeed nice, but they're an item of "want". And I note that my 3x9s have spent years on 3X when hunting and maybe a few hours on 9X when sighting in or load testing.
idahohuner
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- May 23, 2009
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thanks for the info, this summer the gun shows coming to town! were gonna go down and check out all sorts of different rifles and see which one feels best, then possibly purchase a rifle if its what we're looking for. I can't wait!
+1 for 7mm-08. A very versatile round that can grow with you, flat shooting and goes from varmints to elk, not as muck kick as a .308. The other calibers you mention are also great deer cartridges, but the .243 will limit itself as a varmint to deer round... the 7mm-08 and the .270 will take you up to caribou and elk if you do your part
+1 for Savage (Stevens if you want to save some bucks).
+1 for Savage (Stevens if you want to save some bucks).
a-sheepdog
Member
A Tikka T3 Hunter in 7mm-08 and put a Limbsaver on it. Very little recoil to start with and even less noticable with a Limbsaver. Not an expensive rifle and a great caliber for out to 400 yards.
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