Deer Rifle

[Gordie]

I used to shoot a ruger m77 in 30-06 and it was one fine piece of equipment but that was 25 yrs ago and I had to sell it now I shoot a weatherby vanguard in 30-06 and it is the smoothest, nicest shooting gun in 06 I have ever shot. I shoot 165 hornady boattail bullets thru it that a friend reloads for me.

I love the versatillity of the 30-06

I'am however looking for a 308 or 243 for my son mostly a 243.

[muskyjim]

i can't believe that no one has mentioned the 7mm-08. the bore is .268 cal similar to the 270. i bought the REM model 7 CDL bolt action 2 years ago[also offered w/synthetic stock]. the barrel length is about 20 or 21 in. nice little gun. very deadly weapon.

[boatfixer]

I'll second the 7mm-08. Ive got a Savage and love it. I have to laugh tho every time I see or hear that you need something as hard hitting as a 7 mag or bigger. Just go get whatever you are comfortable with. The freakin' deer wont even know what hit 'em with a properly placed shot. Maybe thats why some shoot canons, no confidence, so if you if you dont hit them right, the big hole will leak enough or break alot of stuff. I'd pay more attention to optics IMO.

[cribbageboy]

I personally shoot a bolt action Remmington model 700 in .270 caliber. For deer season, i sit under a powerling that runs through the woods and can see a good 500 yards both ways. It's nice knowing that if one steps out, I don't have to wait until it gets within a couple hundred yards. My second choice would be a lever action Winchester model 94 in 30-30 caliber. It doesn't have the range of a .270, but the knock-down power is terrific. My uncle owned a Marlin .308 for a couple of years, and he took around 3 or four deer with it. Then he sold it. He said that every deer he shot, ran at least 100 yards before it dropped. The velocity on it was simply too high, and it was blowing right through the animal without shrooming out too much. I dont know what grain he was using, and a heavier grain probably would have helped, but it gave me a bad impretion on the .308. Oh yeah, the Remmington also comes in a 7mm. A great choice if ever want to go elk hunting.

[boatfixer]

Interesting. If you use the argument that .308 is too fast and needs a heavier grained bullet, then that .270 of yours must let deer run at least 200 yards then, right? Check the ballistics. Whats faster and smaller? Both of those calibers are very capable taking deer or elk. If someone has a problem killing with either one, please stop hunting, you scare me.

[cribbageboy]

Boatfixer,

You failed to read the second to last sentence in my post. "I dont know what grain of bullet he was using, and a heavier grain of bullet probably would have helped." He may have been using a 110 grain bullet (not a smart choice for big game) I simply dont know. That plus the fact that it could have been some $10 box of rounds, means that he could just have been shooting with the wrong type of bullet. It is exactly you type of people that are turning people off of hunting. For you to say, "they shouldn't be hunting, they scare me". is completely out of your bounds as a sportsman. In NO way would using the wrong type of ammunition put you or ANY other hunter in danger. It simply makes it a little harder for the hunter to track down the deer. I was speaking solely on MY experience with a .308 caliber rifle, and I'm not saying it is a bad gun or an inferior one. I just prefer the .270.

[yocal_local]

i would go with a 30-06 cause there just as good as a 270 or 308 and 30-06 ammo is cheaper then the other two

[boatfixer]

Thank you for helping me make a point.

[bassNspear]

i have used a 06 and loved it. I dont shoot mine ne more, being that i dont hunt deer upnorth ne more. I shoot a muzzy now in the southern part of the state. You will love to shoot a 06.

[icefishing21]

i would strongly recomend a 30-06. the first gun i ever used was a .270 and that was a good gun but just recently last year i bought a 30-06 and loved it. shot two deer this year and i was very impressed on how well it took them down. if you ever wanted to bring it out west you could easily do it.

[JohnD]

I would go with either the .270, or 30-06

[lient]

Price should not really matter between the .270 30-06 and .308, they are all relatively the same price, usually all three are the same price for the same type of ammo and bullet.

[rockman]

I've taken deer with both the .270, and the 30.06. Neither is any better than the other for deer.Choosing the right bullet(patterning the gun) is just as important as laboring over which caliber to get.Buy the rifle that fits you the best, and the one you get the best price on. As has been posted already,30.06 has more choices for different grain bullets,so it may be a more versatile rifle caliber beyond using it for deer.How come no one posted the 6.5 x 55 Swede, as a caliber of choice for deer? The ballistic coefficient of that round is almost unbelievable. That is why it is used for elk and reindeer, over in Finland and Norway.My next rifle will probably be in the 6.5 Swede caliber.