Second Deer Rifle Time......

Which Deer Gun?

  • Remington 700

    Votes: 30 31.6%

  • Savage 110 (or Stevens)

    Votes: 32 33.7%

  • Weatherby Vanguard

    Votes: 13 13.7%

  • Marlin 336

    Votes: 20 21.1%
  • Total voters
    95
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HB

HB

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Joined
Dec 18, 2007
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2,378
I'm in the market for a new deer rifle with a few parameters:
1. My max range will be about be about 200 yards
2. I don't mind recoil but I shoot softer kicking guns a lot better
3. Cost can't be more than $400 without glass
4. It must come with sling studs!
5. The cheaper the better

I have been hunting with a 30-30 for a few years now but it limits my stand location quite a bit. The M94 is great to carry and will certainly continue to be used but the sights stink and it isn't the most accurate rifle but it is PLENTY powerful. I guess the bigger issue is that the Winchester will never be allowed to wear a scope and with a 200 yard shot and antler point restrictions, a scope will be nice. That being said my last few shots have been at 50, 30, and 20 yards :D

Also recommend calibers please.... 22-250, .243, 30-30, .308, .270, 30-06.


Thanks

HB
 
For 400 plus a little you can pick up a used Savage 110 or a new Stevens 200, and add a decent scope. I'd consider 7mm-08. For example a new Stevens 200 7mm-08 with a Nikon Buckmaster 3-9 would still be under 500 I think.
 
Out to 200 yards, a 30-30 can do the job. The reason I voted for the Marlin, is that the shots you have taken recently have been shorter range, the longer ones would be the exception rather than the rule. I would be looking at a short-medium barreled carbine, in a intermediate-powered cartridge, which can be set up in a way that you can use the iron sights UNDER the scope.

I was talking with my dad this weekend, I'm thinking my next hunting rifle might be a used Remington 760/7600 pump with the shortest barrel, in either .243 or .308, with peep-thru mounts and a flat 4x scope. Sometimes we go out in thick brush, and the terrain and cover varies quickly. I'm not into lever guns, maybe if I were a little more familiar with some of them I would consider similar options.
 
Not a bad one on your list, I'd say. My only centerfire rifle is a Vanguard 30-06. Well made, fits me very comfortably, very accurate, and very affordable. I can't compare it to the others, as I don't own them. But the Vanguard is everything I wanted it to be. I like the 24" barrel, that maximizes the -06 ballistics.
 
If your longest shots will be 200 yds there is no reason not to go with the Marlin 30-30. It will be shorter and lighter than all but the ultralight bolt guns and is still a good bit handier than any bolt rifle. Nearly all of the Marlin 336 rifles I have owned were quite accurate, with some rivaling my best bolt guns. Slap a nice trim Leupold 2-7X scope on it mounted low and you will have an awesome deer rifle. Why carry around a rifle that is heavier and more cumbersome than you need?
 
Just my two cents also, but I would stay away from the see-through mounts for the 30-30. There is no way to get a proper cheek weld with those high mounts and I have never missed a shot at a deer with the scope set on 2X. Keep it on 2x all the time unless you see a deer further off, have a good rest and need the extra magnification.
 
"Slap a nice trim Leupold 2-7X scope on it (Marlin 30/30) mounted low and you will have an awesome deer rifle. Why carry around a rifle that is heavier and more cumbersome than you need?"

Amen to THAT !

:cool:
 
Vanguard in 270. put a decent scope on it. pick the spot on the deer & shoot it. leave a gutpile & enjoy the backstrap.
 
Deer are NOT hard to quell, so why a second choice?

Less power to destroy less edible meat might prove a sensible answer. Most .30 caliber rifles are FAR ABOVE the task of putting healthful venison into the pot of a starving American family. Some politicians do not actually starve regarding hunting as a necessity, since restaurant fare many be pricey, but delicious. I've learned that a .243 Winchester provides sufficient deer-harvesting ability under nearly EVERY circumstance. I've seen the shoulder aftermath of .300 WSM shooters, and it ain't pretty unless black-and-blue are your favorite primary colors. Still Americans still are allowed their God-Given Rights to shoulder coloration as their badge of manhood. Lets keep it this way forever. cliffy
 
+1 for Stevens Model 200

I'm a firm believer in these rifles. They are ugly, but you can go crazy on the paint and it'll look better than the day you got it out of the box. For 200 yard shots, 7-08 is an all around deer killer, much like the 30-30. The Model 200 is a light gun, but even my 300 Mag doesn't kick as bad as one would think. Short action calibers, for what you've described, would be the 7-08 and .308. Long action would be the 25-06, .270, and 30-06...just to keep recoil to the minimum. I just picked the 300 Mag to get more BANG for the BUCK.

Brand new, without a scope, these rifles sell for around $300...give or take $10. Wally World has priced them at around $270 I think, but don't quote me on that, been a year since I shopped for mine.
 
For 400 you can get a new Savage 110 if you look around. They're very accurate guns.

As for caliber, since you already have a .30-30, I'd with with .270, .308, or .30-06.
 
id go with the marlin

get a good scope and thats it

i love mine and have it sighted in for 175yards which is the zero in the ballistics so it will be like .25 high at 200 but that is insignificant on a deer in my opinion

ive used the mossberg and for me the stock isnt comfortable idk why but it just doesnt fit well

i do like the marlin xl7 in .30-06 and its only 300bucks
 
All of your options in the poll are good choices. I voted for the Vanguard because,to me,it has the smoothest action of all of them. It is a bit heavier than the others but that helps steady the rifle and absorbs some of the recoil.
 
I voted for the M700 but how about a decent low to mid power scope for your 30-30 and save the $$ for a hunt in the future that you ordinarily might not take...

I just put a Leupold FXII ultralight 2.5x wide duplex on my Marlin 1894ss with Warne qd rings and will swap that scope between the 1894 and 336 marlins. I really like to compactness of the scope but the quality is better than I expected for $240 new delivered to my door from Optics planet...

Also, I just bought this for general deer hunting, backup/loaner rifle:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=111429873

Pretty inexpensive, as easy to handle, as your '94, shoots very well with PLENTY of power for most likely anything you will ever encounter and ammo is as common as pimples on a teenager... Lot's of possibilities...


Enjoy the quest
Patty
 
Last edited:
Here's a thought, just don't take any 200 yd shots. The vast majority of deer are shot at under 100 yds as the OP's own experience states. No-one has to take long shots. Some have even been known to stay out of the trees and actually use some skill to get closer.
 
S&W I-bolt in 30-06. $279 new.

If you want a quality rifle buy used. you can find a number of great old rifles for 400 or less.
 
My favorite soft recoiling deer rounds:
6.5x55 swede
.260 Rem
.257 roberts

I would suggest either the Tikka T3 or the Remington 700 with the nod to the Tikka
 
I have a Remington 700 in .243 which I really really like. It's plenty for the game we have here in the southeast. If you have bigger game you might need to go a bit bigger but if not the .243 is a fine cartridge. It has a little more energy than the .30-30 but not by much. It also shoots very flat. And with lighter bullets you can go after varmints as well.
 
"It (the .243) has a little more energy than the .30-30 but not by much. "


:confused:

Comparing the 100gr. .243 to the 150gr. 30/30....


The .243 15% more muzzle energy

The .243 has almost the same energy at 100yds, as the 30/30 has at the muzzle.

The .243 has three times as much energy at 200yds. as the 30/30

The .243 has as more energy at 300yds. than the 30/30 has at 100yds.


Methinks the energy difference is more than "a little but not much". :rolleyes:


:cool:
 
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