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Old March 3, 2013, 06:58 PM   #1
Mauser8mm
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Best Semi Auto Deer Rifle For Best Price?

Hey I'm trying to help an uncle find a semi automatic deer rifle and he doesn't want to spend to much, maybe under $500? Any suggestions are welcome, thanks!
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Old March 3, 2013, 07:06 PM   #2
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You might be able to find a used Remington 7400 in 243 or 308 in your price range.
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Old March 3, 2013, 07:24 PM   #3
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How about a shotgun? A used Remington 11-87 with a deer barrel should go for less than $500.
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Old March 3, 2013, 07:29 PM   #4
Brian Pfleuger
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Best Semi Auto Deer Rifle For Best Price?

No way in hell I'd choose a shotgun if I was legal to use a rifle. I HATE shotgun hunting for deer.

I can't recommend an exact model in semiauto but I will say that I wouldn't be the least concerned with using a bolt. I've hunted with pump or bolt guns for 20 years and I could count on one hand the number of times it cost me a follow up shot.
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Old March 3, 2013, 07:37 PM   #5
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Quote:
No way in hell I'd choose a shotgun if I was legal to use a rifle. I HATE shotgun hunting for deer.
X 2
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Old March 3, 2013, 07:37 PM   #6
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Your uncle could probably find a used Remington 742 at that price, probably less. But for the same money there are an awful lot of new and used bolt guns that are far better rifles. If I had one of the Remington auto's that had family history I'd keep it. I wouldn't buy another. Made that mistake once. They are very spotty on perfomance and even one of the good ones is not in the same league as a budget bolt gun.
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Old March 3, 2013, 08:12 PM   #7
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I love my 7400 30-06 and I just looked at one in a local shop for $399. Get a few spare mags with the extra $100 and your good to go. I would recommend staying away from the after market KKK 10 rd mags though. I bought 12 at a gun show and none would function SAFELY. They would jam every time. Often damaging the PRIMER!. I don't use anything that doesn't work safely every time.
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Old March 4, 2013, 08:31 AM   #8
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I dont know where you hunt. But, you may want to consider that some states (like PA) dont allow SA for hunting. I shoot a Remy 7600 and I have never had a issue with follow up shots. Actually I only needed a follow up 1 time. 30-06 drops them in the tracks if you hit them right. For that matter so does a 30-30, 243, 270, etc...
You can find a gently used 7600 for $300 or the SA version 750 in your range.
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Old March 4, 2013, 08:38 AM   #9
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Remington 7400 w/factory mags, in your choice of caliber, that's the ticket !!
More refined Browning means more money, but available in magnum calibers.
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Old March 4, 2013, 09:23 AM   #10
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Nevermind. I missed the part about the price range.
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Old March 4, 2013, 10:03 AM   #11
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I believe the ONLY 2 semi-autos available in "deer calibers" at $500 or less would be a used Remington 740s, 742s or 7400s as well as an SKS. I have had dozens of Remingtons come through my shops in the last 45 years or so. (I have been a gunsmith now for 42 years)
These rifles get mixed reviews. Some are accurate and trouble free, but others are not very accurate and jam a lot.
You take your chances with them, and what's more, Remington’s customer service is legendary as being almost non-existent. So if you get a bad one……….oh well..!

Now the SKS on the other hand is ugly and fires a shell that is about like a 30-30, but they shoot pretty well, and are super rugged and reliable as a rule. If you are hunting at 200 yds and less, I’d take the SKS over the Remingtons even if both were offered to me for free. The SKS falls down if you need more power than a 7.62X39 can offer.

In sporting (non-military) rifles for hunting I’d put the Browning BARs at the top, but you are not likely to touch one for $500. Good used ones go for about $750 around here. Not all of them are super accurate either, but most are quite good. 2 MOA or a bit less is average from them. If you get one that’s not accurate Browning is a good company to work with in its customer service. They take good care of you.
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Old March 4, 2013, 10:11 AM   #12
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Wish I still had my Remington Model 8.
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Old March 4, 2013, 08:35 PM   #13
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The Browning BARs are probably good deals right now. They're wood/steel with internal mag, so they probably aren't super high demand like other tacticool models. When things were sane, the FNAR (tacticool BAR) was a fabulous deal at around a grand.

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Old March 4, 2013, 08:38 PM   #14
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^^^^BARs are a good choice, but hard to find at that price.

Last edited by WillyKern69; March 4, 2013 at 08:38 PM. Reason: spelling
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Old March 4, 2013, 08:57 PM   #15
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I was thinking a Remington Model 8 but don't know if you'd be able to find one in your price range. I'd look for one in .35 Remington. I saw one at the last gun show for around $600 (I think it was) and it was in pretty nice shape. Wasn't in the market for a new rifle at the time since I had cash earmarked for a CMP Garand.

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Old March 4, 2013, 09:52 PM   #16
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How about . . .

SKS.

Good woods gun; similiar to .30.30, and can fire spitzer bullets.

Virtually no kick to speak of.

And the paratrooper is so sweet.

Rmocarsky
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Old March 4, 2013, 10:24 PM   #17
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Quote:
SKS.

Good woods gun; similiar to .30.30, and can fire spitzer bullets.

Virtually no kick to speak of.

And the paratrooper is so sweet.

Rmocarsky
The paratrooper's short barrel saps a bit of the x39's velocity, which it desperately needs to be compared to the 30/30 .......

30/30 gives 150 gr @ 2300 from 20" barrel.

7.62x39 gets you 123gr @ 2400 from a 20" barrel.

Lop 4" off that barrel and velocity (and energy) falls pretty fast.

Why does the gun need to be semi-auto?
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Old March 4, 2013, 10:59 PM   #18
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SKS Maybe

I recommended the SKS to him and he thought it was cool, but there is a nice Remington 742 Woodsmaster on www.floridaguntrader.com going for $400 OBO with no scratches on the wood or metal and has a scope mount. I'll see what he thinks. Thanks for the suggestions!
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Old March 6, 2013, 08:47 AM   #19
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Remington Woodsmaster.
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Old March 6, 2013, 09:17 AM   #20
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You didn't say what cartridge that 742 is in and we don't know the hunting conditions he will be under but in the general scheme of things I'd take a 742 over and SKS any day of the week. Times 2 if it's a short action cartridge.
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Old March 6, 2013, 10:38 PM   #21
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The only thing the sks has on the 7400/742 is the ability to use higher capacity magazines which are not legal to hunt with anyway. My 7400 30-06 has never fail me with stock mags in over 20 years.
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Old March 6, 2013, 11:56 PM   #22
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Best Semi Auto Deer Rifle For Best Price?

A used Browning BAR in .300 Win Mag if you can find one for a really good deal.

In reality it's probably not within your budget due to the current situation, but it's my favorite semi-auto hunting rifle of all time. I have seen them sell for as low as $500 but they generally go for around $900. The nice thing is that even if it's one of the jambers, Browning will go through it for free and make it run like a clock. That's what they did for my pop's rifle.
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Old March 7, 2013, 01:02 AM   #23
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Yes the BAR is superior to the 7400 by about as much as it's price tag .
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Old March 7, 2013, 10:02 AM   #24
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Oh yeah, a 300 WM is a must in those Florida whitetails!
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Old March 7, 2013, 10:50 AM   #25
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Best Semi Auto Deer Rifle For Best Price?

Quote:
Originally Posted by globemaster3 View Post
Oh yeah, a 300 WM is a must in those Florida whitetails!
I hunt deer with a .300 RUM.

.300 Win Mag or 7mm Mag is a perfect deer caliber for anywhere. Are you even a hunter?

This is my Muley buck from 2012 and my partner's from 2011. He used my rifle due to it being a bit of a poke.



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