The Deer Rifle

[steve863]

Keeps bringing me back tothe 308. short action i you are leaning to a bolt gun. Military ammo is available. components hae a wide variety. It is a proven parent case. you can load up or down. what other rifles are you reloading for now Doc?

Yes, if I had to pick ONE caliber it would be the .308 for all the reasons you state. Eventhough the 7mm-08 is just as good or maybe even better, one will not find as many factory loads available nor will they be as cheap. For an equivalent load, in most cases you will be paying more for a 7mm-08. Doc has admitted to being cheap numerous times on this forum, so this will be of importance to him.LOL

[Doc]

When it comes to recoil, my main concern is that I never again have to put up with any recoil that even comes close to the beating I've been taking over my lifetime from that 12 guage Ithaca. I will guarantee you that I have never spent a lot of time trying to target practice with that 12 guage, and I'm probably not alone on that. Most years it is 3-5 shots to ensure the scope is still good and then 1 shot per deer. I would much rather be able to shoot as long as I want with some degree of comfort. I no longer want my target sessions with my deer hunting weapon to be shortened up because of recoil. That is why the emphasis on recoil. And that is the main purpose of using a rifle rather than the shotgun that I have been using for the last 40 years. A two hour session on the bench is not uncommon with my other rifles, and I would like to be able to do that with my deer rifle.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

LOL. I was actually tryign to find a 7mm-08 when the deal on the 308 came up. I couldn't pass it up and once I found a good but fairly cheap 130 gr bullet in the 308 I went with it.

[Doc]

Keeps bringing me back tothe 308. short action i you are leaning to a bolt gun. Military ammo is available. components hae a wide variety. It is a proven parent case. you can load up or down. what other rifles are you reloading for now Doc?

30-30

.22 hornet

.222

.223

Yes, I am leaning toward a bolt action.

[jim335]

Totally agree with you on the 12 ga. After 5 - 10 rounds of the 12 ga sabots, shooting the 30-06 seems like nothing.

Lots of good choices been said, 260, 270, 7MM-08, 308 and even the 30-06. Like I said above, after shooting the 12 ga, I could shoot the 30-06 all day!

But for your reloading I guess it's what's most available for your components. For factory loads, you always see the 270, 308, 30-06 on sale.

Agree on the bolt action, much easier to clean also.

Edited November 13, 2012 by jim335

[Culvercreek hunt club]

FYI if anyone is interested in reduced recoil loads for reloading some popular calibers, I suggest viewing this sheet for H4895.

http://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/H4895%20Reduced%20Rifle%20Loads.pdf

[Dan92]

has anyone heard or have any reviews on that TC dimension rifle? i keep seeing it on outdoor channel

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Totally agree with you on the 12 ga. After 5 - 10 rounds of the 12 ga sabots, shooting the 30-06 seems like nothing..

2 words.....Lead Sled...lol Worth every penny when dealing with the 12 guage or heavy rifles.

[jim335]

2 words.....Lead Sled...lol Worth every penny when dealing with the 12 guage or heavy rifles.

I've got one and totally agree with you on the lead sled. Also ear muffs reducing that blast seems to help, if you know what I mean. lol

[Doc]

I've got one and totally agree with you on the lead sled. Also ear muffs reducing that blast seems to help, if you know what I mean. lol

Ear muffs or plugs are recommended target shooting equipment regardless of caliber. I know a lot of older shooters who used to laugh at ear protection. Now anytime you talk to them, the first reply out of their mouth is, "huh?"

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Ear muffs or plugs are recommended target shooting equipment regardless of caliber. I know a lot of older shooters who used to laugh at ear protection. Now anytime you talk to them, the first reply out of their mouth is, "huh?"

What?

[Doc]

Well guys, I sure did get a lot of info to think about. I have a few more things to look at and a few guns to try out, and then I will be ready to start looking at prices. Thanks all for all the help. It's appreciated.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Between loud construction equipment and guns I am probably a few years away from needing some help. On the bench I use plugs and muffs now

[jim335]

What?

I new that was coming! lol you beat me to it!

[jim335]

That's great your able to try out a few guns. Good luck Doc!

[WNYBuckHunter]

What?

"Hey, did you hear that turkey gobble over there?"

"Huh? No. Is he still gobbling?"

[Guns&ReligionCop]

Lead sled puts a lot of pressure on the weakest part of the gun, the stock right behind the grip. It doesn't allow the energy to dispurse like hitting into your shoulder. Not a big deal with a plastic stock but if thats a good wood stock I wouldnt' use one.

Steve why do like the 308 so much? 270 is flatter shooting and equal punch. Also you call a 223 the bottom of the barrel but I think you forgot about handguns during rifle season that have less than half the velocity of a 223 but people use religiously. The best deer wounding rifle I've ever seen is the 30/30. At least its a little better with new ammo. Have you ever tried a 223 on a deer? I think you would be impressed and it might change your mind. I use to use a single shot contender in 223 and never had any problems with it. As for the military use of the 223 they are using full metal jackets that just punch pinsholes through people. If you read books about vietnam snipers they had the same problem with the 308

[Gthphtm]

Doc, here goes the ones easy to clean worst to easy, Semi auto,Lever action,bolt action,Brake action as in Ruger #1,Tompson Center Encore,or other brake action rifles And Hand guns.And Shotguns.At an age where you are going to buy Your Last Rifle.Go for something easy to brake down and clean is what you would want.,At your age and older (and it is a fact) You and I are not going to shoot as well as when we were 20 years old.So going for the most accurate rifle and caliber does not mean Squat.As it would for a 20,30 0r 40 year old.I still say the Brake action type rifle would be the way to go and you can change calibers,just by removing the for end stock and replacing one Barrel for another.Anything from .17 caliber to 50 caliber.

[landothespikehorn]

30-30 would be an ideal gun in my opinion, if your hunting the woods for the most part put a scout scope on it, or get look through rings and put a scope on it, then you can use your iron sights in the brush. i read somewhere the 30-30 has 11 ft.lbs of kick where as a 30-06 has 21, pretty easy on the shoulder. youll also be able to get another round off before any bolt action.

thats what i use sometimes is a winchester 94AE 30-30, i put a scope on it and my point blank range is 250 yds with hornadys leverevolution. not going to find much longer of a shot in new york i wouldnt think.

[Guns&ReligionCop]

I've noticed no one has mentioned a semi-auto???

[bubba]

asking what caliber to buy is like asking what is the best truck or blonde or red head. Everyone has an opinion based on their personal experience. Now my opinion. If you want a deer killing machine with little recoil, look at the 25-06

[eagle rider]

Yeah, one can wound a deer with any caliber, but I will not be convinced that a .24 caliber bullet will slow down a poorly hit deer as quickly as a deer that has had a .30 caliber round sizzle thru it. Eventhough it's better than a .223, I am far from a .243 fan also. In the hands of a really good shot it will surely kill deer. Most of the time it's given to a young hunter, and it leaves little room for error. A round like a 7mm-08 or .308 would be considerably better, yet not have a hell of a lot more recoil. As with the .223, the .243 is at the bottom end of deer capable calibers, thus in my opinion is NOT the ideal choice for someone choosing a rifle specifically for deer.

Couldn't be more wrong the ballistic coefficient is as high in a 243 95 gr Nosler as it is for a 30-06 150 gr Nosler. You can check it out yourself. Listen you can shoot what you want, the facts and the venison speak for themselves. I've dressed too many deer to count shot by 243 in the vitals. The lungs turn into soup. As far as kids shooting it due to recoil,.... I'm 43, 6' tall and way 200 pounds. I'm hardly recoil shy..... I have everything from 300 Wby Mag to 22/250 in my safe. The fact is, I'd take a 243 to the deer woods as fast as I'd take a 30-06.

[Pygmy]

I've noticed no one has mentioned a semi-auto???

Going to a semi-auto is one way of getting less recoil. Gas operation lightens felt recoil and many semis are on the heavy side, which also tends to lessen recoil. My 10 pound Garand M1 in 30-06 is a pussycat to shoot, even from the bench and with a steel buttplate..It's heavy to carry, though.

Semis tend to be a bit more expensive, more prone to malfunction and are sometimes more finicky about handloads. It's a pain in the butt to chase your brass. They are not everybody's cup of tea.

[ATbuckhunter]

I have heard that 25-06 is pretty light on recoil and does a number on deer. I know the T/C venture is under $500 and a superb rifle.

Edited November 14, 2012 by ATbuckhunter

[fernnj]

As I replied in another post, I got the wife a Remington Model 700DM (detachable mag) this year. I went with 7mm08. I love it, very very accurate, very little recoil. Its a little more pricey, but has a nice raised stock, crowned free floating barrel, and adjustable trigger. This puts it slightly above those rifles in the 4-$500 range. If you really want a 270, you should look into the reduced recoil ammo like hornady custom lights ect. I also have a 308 and would recommend it as well. Ammo is much cheaper, better shooting into brush.