Which deer hunting rifle - lever 357 or AR15 - Page 3

tango1niner · March 10, 2013, 10:55 AM

I'm a lefty and hunt with RH only bolt rifles. Make the first shot count...

For where you are located I would like .243 cal. and up.

alex0535 · March 10, 2013, 03:32 PM

I think that a .357 with appropriate load would be adequate in killing a deer. Shot placement and range is needs to be held at the highest importance. 50 yards, shot to the head or heart should kill one pretty well. Sure it probably has a better effective range than 100 yards, but if I were hunting with a .357 I would feel better about taking the shot the closer the deer would get to me.

.223 is adequate, not the best and not the worse option. Shot placement and bullet choice is just as important as with the .357. I would prefer to go after younger/smaller deer with a .223 than I would if I were hunting for a trophy buck. In the state of Georgia, it is technically legal to hunt deer with a cartridge as small as .22 hornet, although that is not really ethical.

The woods are thick here, and the deer tend to appear out of the brush 50 yards or less away. Marlin 336 in .30-30 or .35 Remington make great deer rifles.

Gunplummer · March 10, 2013, 05:15 PM

Over the years I can think back to all the hunters I have witnessed hitting and losing deer. I will also include reports of loss from the hunters themselves. The 30-30 and .35 REM lever guns win hands down. Thirty years ago it seemed every body and his brother carried lever guns around here. Now that times are changing, it would seem that the .243 and 25-06 are catching up fast. It appears that the reports of lost deer to specific calibers seems to flow with whatever the most popular guns are being carried at the time. This leads me to believe that it may just be the guy behind the gun and not the gun.

L_Killkenny · March 11, 2013, 10:46 AM

Just saying "AR15" leaves a lot of info to be inferred. In today's world it's like sayin "lever action" due to all the cartridge options available. But no one seems to be disputing that the OP means .223 AR so I'm gonna run with that.

The .357 is hands down plenty for deer. I've seen the damage a good .357 load can do on deer from a 4" handgun, the rifle/carbine is just more of a good thing. 100 yards and under not a deer in the country is gonna know the difference between a .357 carbine and a .30-30 with equal shot placement.

And while never having used the .223 on deer (coyotes yes) it's still hard for me to argue with it's use. Way too many successful hunts on the record. Most that argue against seem to have never tried it or used improper bullets if they did. Not a real good track record for those against the .223. Still, if my shots were/are 125 yards or less than I'll take the bigger hole and thump of the .357 over the speed of the .223. Opinion probably skewed since I just plain and simply like a lever carbine over the AR's. Over 125 yards I'd probably look elsewhere and choose neither.

Don't be discounting bolt actions. There are plenty of LH bolt actions around and even in RH configuration it's not that hard for a lefty to master. Especially for hunting. You also have the BLR's and Savage 99's shooting spire point ammo in modern cartridges. And as stated you AR's in better cartridges. Just cause you're a lefty doesn't limit you in the least, just seems like it does.

(BTW, my BIL and another close friend/ hunting partner are both lefties living in a righty's world. Neither of them own a left handed long gun. Short guns being another matter.

jimbob86 · March 11, 2013, 11:20 AM

Quote:

If you use 1000ft/lbs as the amount of energy you need to take down a deer, a 223 bullet in the 70gr range will have that energy out to around 200yards.

At around 200yards a 75gr 223 bullet will have more energy than a 150gr 30-30 bullet

..... just make sure the gun will feed and stabilize a bullet that long.

My thought is still "Happiness is having enough."

A lefty bolt gun off a consignment rack in .243WIN or bigger would likely be considerably less than the cost of a new Levergun ..... and offer much better ballistics and terminal energy. It would certainly be less than 1/2 the cost of a suitable AR at current prices.

For what AR's are running, you could buy a reloading set-up and a lifetime supply of components.

SIGSHR · March 11, 2013, 05:28 PM

I am not a hunter nor do I play one on the Internet. I would check the state hunting laws to see what is and is NOT allowed.

60hp3850fps · March 14, 2013, 11:33 PM

Well the first thing you should have said is what type of terrain you expect to hunt in. it would helpful ...I have hunted deer from age 14 and now at 72 last deer in Ga. this Dec. originally from NJ (not by choice) we basically hunted in the northeast . that being said the possibly of hunting in PA was the reason I did not get a Rem 7400 in 308 ( semi's not allowed for big game in Pa.. Since I always used pump shotguns I'm satisfied with the 7600...
I think that the 308 or 30-06 is on he top of the list.. I have 2 friends and not knowing to either of us we all settled on the Rem 7600 pumps in 308 or 30-06. Two of us are lefties.. why not check out some of the best deer hunters in the northeast... google "Benoit Brothers" you will notice that they all hunt with pump rifles.... For Maine deer / bear you leave the small bores at home ..I hunted in some of the same areas that they hunted and the pump is well suited a quick second shot.
When it is going to be your first and maybe only rifle for quite a while you should get a caliber that can knock down just about anything short of a grizzly charge and a well placed shot could probably handle that too.
It's also nice to have a 308 (7.62 NATO ) in the closet.....

I also have a Rem 700 LH 7mm mag but that is for long range western trips.
also had a Savage 110 LH in 30-06 great light bolt action rifle (stolen)
when I was young (1962) I loaded my 30-06 150 grain pushing 3000fps. well now Hornaday has a 308 150gr light mag load pushing the same FPS as my old 30-06 HOT load..... Good Luck on your choice..

bcarver · March 16, 2013, 09:27 PM

If you don't have one of these rifles none would be my choice.
The encore makes a great lefty gun. The sniper in "saving private ryan" had a slick way of shooting a standard bolt lefthanded.
caliber would be 7mm or .284.
I like the .280 REM or 7x57mm Mauser.

coldbeer · March 17, 2013, 12:38 PM

A 357 mag levergun would make a fine close to midrange deer rifle. Contrary to popular belief you don't need a 458 win to take a deer.

HOGSHOOTER · March 18, 2013, 01:08 PM

AR-15 in the 6.8 SPC with BARNES Tipped TSX .Have shot 6 deer from 40 to 215 meters all one shot kills but one.14 wild hogs all DRT one shot kills five of the deer DRT .The 6TH deer I hit a little high it went about 80 meters and stopped dead on its feet I gave him another to be sure .And none of them were smaller Deer .They were big size corn and soybean fed bucks and 5RD mags are made ,if state law says 3 RDS block them.Best of luck decideing what to get hope I helped.HOGSHOOTER

March 14, 2013, 11:33 PM	#57
60hp3850fps Junior Member Join Date: December 16, 2012 Posts: 3	Your First deer rifle Well the first thing you should have said is what type of terrain you expect to hunt in. it would helpful ...I have hunted deer from age 14 and now at 72 last deer in Ga. this Dec. originally from NJ (not by choice) we basically hunted in the northeast . that being said the possibly of hunting in PA was the reason I did not get a Rem 7400 in 308 ( semi's not allowed for big game in Pa.. Since I always used pump shotguns I'm satisfied with the 7600... I think that the 308 or 30-06 is on he top of the list.. I have 2 friends and not knowing to either of us we all settled on the Rem 7600 pumps in 308 or 30-06. Two of us are lefties.. why not check out some of the best deer hunters in the northeast... google "Benoit Brothers" you will notice that they all hunt with pump rifles.... For Maine deer / bear you leave the small bores at home ..I hunted in some of the same areas that they hunted and the pump is well suited a quick second shot. When it is going to be your first and maybe only rifle for quite a while you should get a caliber that can knock down just about anything short of a grizzly charge and a well placed shot could probably handle that too. It's also nice to have a 308 (7.62 NATO ) in the closet..... I also have a Rem 700 LH 7mm mag but that is for long range western trips. also had a Savage 110 LH in 30-06 great light bolt action rifle (stolen) when I was young (1962) I loaded my 30-06 150 grain pushing 3000fps. well now Hornaday has a 308 150gr light mag load pushing the same FPS as my old 30-06 HOT load..... Good Luck on your choice..

March 16, 2013, 09:27 PM	#58
bcarver Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2007 Location: Jackson,Mississippi Posts: 838	bad choices If you don't have one of these rifles none would be my choice. The encore makes a great lefty gun. The sniper in "saving private ryan" had a slick way of shooting a standard bolt lefthanded. caliber would be 7mm or .284. I like the .280 REM or 7x57mm Mauser.

March 10, 2013, 10:55 AM	#51
tango1niner Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2009 Location: NY Posts: 317	I'm a lefty and hunt with RH only bolt rifles. Make the first shot count... For where you are located I would like .243 cal. and up.

March 10, 2013, 03:32 PM	#52
alex0535 Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 2012 Location: Georgia Posts: 908	I think that a .357 with appropriate load would be adequate in killing a deer. Shot placement and range is needs to be held at the highest importance. 50 yards, shot to the head or heart should kill one pretty well. Sure it probably has a better effective range than 100 yards, but if I were hunting with a .357 I would feel better about taking the shot the closer the deer would get to me. .223 is adequate, not the best and not the worse option. Shot placement and bullet choice is just as important as with the .357. I would prefer to go after younger/smaller deer with a .223 than I would if I were hunting for a trophy buck. In the state of Georgia, it is technically legal to hunt deer with a cartridge as small as .22 hornet, although that is not really ethical. The woods are thick here, and the deer tend to appear out of the brush 50 yards or less away. Marlin 336 in .30-30 or .35 Remington make great deer rifles.

March 10, 2013, 05:15 PM	#53
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	Over the years I can think back to all the hunters I have witnessed hitting and losing deer. I will also include reports of loss from the hunters themselves. The 30-30 and .35 REM lever guns win hands down. Thirty years ago it seemed every body and his brother carried lever guns around here. Now that times are changing, it would seem that the .243 and 25-06 are catching up fast. It appears that the reports of lost deer to specific calibers seems to flow with whatever the most popular guns are being carried at the time. This leads me to believe that it may just be the guy behind the gun and not the gun.

March 11, 2013, 10:46 AM	#54
L_Killkenny Senior Member Join Date: February 2, 2007 Location: Iowa Posts: 2,676	Just saying "AR15" leaves a lot of info to be inferred. In today's world it's like sayin "lever action" due to all the cartridge options available. But no one seems to be disputing that the OP means .223 AR so I'm gonna run with that. The .357 is hands down plenty for deer. I've seen the damage a good .357 load can do on deer from a 4" handgun, the rifle/carbine is just more of a good thing. 100 yards and under not a deer in the country is gonna know the difference between a .357 carbine and a .30-30 with equal shot placement. And while never having used the .223 on deer (coyotes yes) it's still hard for me to argue with it's use. Way too many successful hunts on the record. Most that argue against seem to have never tried it or used improper bullets if they did. Not a real good track record for those against the .223. Still, if my shots were/are 125 yards or less than I'll take the bigger hole and thump of the .357 over the speed of the .223. Opinion probably skewed since I just plain and simply like a lever carbine over the AR's. Over 125 yards I'd probably look elsewhere and choose neither. Don't be discounting bolt actions. There are plenty of LH bolt actions around and even in RH configuration it's not that hard for a lefty to master. Especially for hunting. You also have the BLR's and Savage 99's shooting spire point ammo in modern cartridges. And as stated you AR's in better cartridges. Just cause you're a lefty doesn't limit you in the least, just seems like it does. (BTW, my BIL and another close friend/ hunting partner are both lefties living in a righty's world. Neither of them own a left handed long gun. Short guns being another matter.

March 11, 2013, 05:28 PM	#56
SIGSHR Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2005 Posts: 4,700	I am not a hunter nor do I play one on the Internet. I would check the state hunting laws to see what is and is NOT allowed.

March 17, 2013, 12:38 PM	#59
coldbeer Junior member Join Date: February 21, 2012 Location: Woodhaven MI Posts: 477	A 357 mag levergun would make a fine close to midrange deer rifle. Contrary to popular belief you don't need a 458 win to take a deer.

March 18, 2013, 01:08 PM	#60
HOGSHOOTER Member Join Date: February 7, 2012 Posts: 44	AR-15 in the 6.8 SPC with BARNES Tipped TSX .Have shot 6 deer from 40 to 215 meters all one shot kills but one.14 wild hogs all DRT one shot kills five of the deer DRT .The 6TH deer I hit a little high it went about 80 meters and stopped dead on its feet I gave him another to be sure .And none of them were smaller Deer .They were big size corn and soybean fed bucks and 5RD mags are made ,if state law says 3 RDS block them.Best of luck decideing what to get hope I helped.HOGSHOOTER