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Favorite Big Woods Gun and Caliber

Billdogge

By Billdogge,
in Big Woods Hunting

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wolc123 Grand Master

wolc123

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I use (3) different guns in the big woods of the Adirondacks.  Two of them have got the job done on every deer I fired them at.   I am still waiting for that first shot at a deer with the third, a Marlin 336BL 30/30 with open sights.   Some day, it may earn the top spot, but the jury is still out.   I can not call a gun that I have not fired on a deer with my favorite, but it is definitely the most fun to carry.   I like how compact  it is, how quick it is to get off fast followup shots (the big loop is great for that), and I like the open sights for rainy and wind-driven snow conditions.   I did not see any of that last season up there, so I never even carried it in the woods.  It did very well on the target range though, popping gallon jugs filled with water almost every time out to 75 yards or so. 

My current favorite is a full-sized Ruger M77 30/06 with 3-X Redfield low-profile widefield scope, and loaded with 150 grain Federal classic bullets.  It has a few issues, including a well-rested clean miss on my first and largest Adirondack buck, back in 2014.  I know for sure it was a clean miss, as was my second rushed offfhand shot, because the autopsy showed only one hole.  I am about 90 % sure that the first miss was caused by a branch strike.   Fortunately the third, well-rested shot struck right on the mark and dropped that heavy buck dead in his tracks.  That rifle also killed my last Adirondack buck very cleanly in his tracks with one extremely well-placed shot, and got the job done in the big woods of Colorado on a mule deer.  The rifle is a bit heavy and bulky for lugging around the heavy cover and steep hills, and I am not overly fond of the scope in rain and snow, so hopefully the Marlin lever-action will fill in those gaps.  My T/C Omega 50 cal muzzle-loader has also gotten the job done every time up in the Adirondacks, but it has the same weight, size, and scope issues as the Ruger centerfire.   

           

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silent death Community Regular

silent death

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4 hours ago, Buckmaster7600 said:


Nice looking gun but I wouldn’t want to tote that bad boy too far!


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If iam walking a long distance I'll use my savage 10fcp sr in 308 but if I just have to walk a couple hundred yards to my spot and sit I'll use this most of the deer woods I hunt is fairly open 

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Uncle Nicky Apprentice

Uncle Nicky

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On ‎8‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 1:06 PM, Doewhacker said:

358 Win in my new BLR. Open sights and lite. Can’t wait to carry it and smash one. 

I have an old Savage 99 in .358. A lot of deer, a couple bear, & a handful of hogs, even a couple fall turkeys have been rolled with this gun. It's always a tossup between this gun and a 30-06. Ammo used to be hard to find (I don't reload), but lately I've found it pretty easily on the net. Sometimes you can find a box or two at a flea market or gun show.

My one buddy has a .300 Savage that he can't seem to hit much with. I think it's the Indian, not the arrow in his case, and when he finally decides to dump it, I may just take it off of his hands.

Edited by Uncle Nicky
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Pygmy Experienced

Pygmy

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17 minutes ago, stubborn1VT said:

I do know some real deerslayers that carry the 99 in .300 Savage.  I really like that lever gun.  I have one in .250-3000.  Someday I will have to take it out and kill a buck with it.  

Good luck aquiring your buddy's 99.  I always thought it would be neat to have "the whole set".

You have the COOLEST one, Zeb  ..A whole set would be a bunch of others...One of my friends has one in 30-30...Another one has a .303 savage..Not sure how many other rounds it was chambered in, but a bunch....

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Buckmaster7600 Mentor

Buckmaster7600

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I do know some real deerslayers that carry the 99 in .300 Savage.  I really like that lever gun.  I have one in .250-3000.  Someday I will have to take it out and kill a buck with it.  
Good luck aquiring your buddy's 99.  I always thought it would be neat to have "the whole set".

You have the hard one to find and one of the best ones. My 250 and the 358 will be the last to go if I ever sell.


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rob-c Experienced

rob-c

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On 8/15/2018 at 3:07 PM, Uncle Nicky said:

I have an old Savage 99 in .358. A lot of deer, a couple bear, & a handful of hogs, even a couple fall turkeys have been rolled with this gun. It's always a tossup between this gun and a 30-06. Ammo used to be hard to find (I don't reload), but lately I've found it pretty easily on the net. Sometimes you can find a box or two at a flea market or gun show.

My one buddy has a .300 Savage that he can't seem to hit much with. I think it's the Indian, not the arrow in his case, and when he finally decides to dump it, I may just take it off of his hands.

You will like that 300...

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