The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Art of the Rifle: General

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old August 29, 2013, 04:27 PM   #1
rcase1234
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 6, 2012
Location: Michigan
Posts: 407
Looking for a nice deer rifle

Hey everyone! So lately, I've been kinda looking at some new hunting rifles. I currently have a Remington 700 made in the 70's chambered in 30-06. It is a very nice rifle but I always get bored with things and gotta get a new one! I'm keeping the one I have because it was my grandfathers. Another reason id like another rifle is to keep my gramdfather's old rifle nice. So what would you recommend? I am open to anything bolt,lever, semi, pump, it don't matter! Definetly under $900 but maybe id spend a little more if I fall in love with something. Also, possibly something other than 30-06 just because I enjoy change.
rcase1234 is offline  
Old August 29, 2013, 04:42 PM   #2
Nine the Ranger
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 22, 2012
Location: Florida
Posts: 248
A nice Marlin 336 or Winchester 94 sounds good
__________________
'A Vote is like a Rifle; It's usefulness depends upon the character of the User.'-Theodore Roosevelt
Nine the Ranger is offline  
Old August 29, 2013, 04:51 PM   #3
jmr40
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 15, 2008
Location: Georgia
Posts: 10,792
Nothing more classic than a Winchester Featherweight. Pick your caliber but I'd be looking at 308 or 270. Or just getting another 30-06 would simplify ammo purchases.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...ducts_id/57511
jmr40 is offline  
Old August 29, 2013, 05:01 PM   #4
AllenJ
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 11, 2009
Location: Northern California
Posts: 1,766
I like the idea of a Winchester Featherweight, they are really nice rifles. Cartridge wise I would look hard at 243 Winchester and 7mm-08. Both are very low recoiling and excellent deer medicine.
AllenJ is offline  
Old August 29, 2013, 05:09 PM   #5
steveNChunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 14, 2012
Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns
Posts: 1,520
For an accurate workhorse hunting rifle you can take out in any weather and not hurt it, and stay well within your budget, I recommend the Savage 16/116 FCSS(Weather Warrior). This is not the only good option, you will get many other suggestions and many of them will be good rifles, this is just one good choice. You can get the 16/116 in many different chamberings and I'm going to assume you're hunting whitetail deer so I'll suggest .270 or .25-06 if you go the long action route, if you go short action there are alot of great chamberings for the model 16, .243 win, .260 rem, 7mm-08, 6.5 creedmoor are all going to be great deer getters



http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/16FCSS
__________________
DEO VINDICE
steveNChunter is offline  
Old August 29, 2013, 06:25 PM   #6
Striker1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 22, 2004
Location: TX
Posts: 710
Take a look at the CZ550 American.

I've had one in .270 Win since '03 and it has been great.
Striker1 is offline  
Old August 29, 2013, 07:47 PM   #7
rcase1234
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 6, 2012
Location: Michigan
Posts: 407
I'm liking the Winchester 70 Featherweight! Really putting it into consideration. Thanks everyone for your replies. Anything else I should check out?

Last edited by rcase1234; August 29, 2013 at 08:24 PM.
rcase1234 is offline  
Old August 29, 2013, 08:04 PM   #8
steveNChunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 14, 2012
Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns
Posts: 1,520
Before you buy, check out the Weatherby Vanguard, Tikka T3, Thompson/Center Icon/venture, and Ruger 77 Hawkeye, in addition to all the other rifles mentioned
__________________
DEO VINDICE
steveNChunter is offline  
Old August 30, 2013, 05:46 AM   #9
hooligan1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 18, 2010
Location: Independence Missouri
Posts: 4,582
DITTO: +100 for post #5.
__________________
Keep your Axe sharp and your powder dry.
hooligan1 is offline  
Old August 30, 2013, 07:09 AM   #10
Picher
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 14, 2004
Location: Maine
Posts: 3,694
I'd look hard at the Stainless T3 Lite. They're very accurate out of the box, the action is butter-smooth, the stock is not only really rigid and light, but fits well and has a palm swell. It uses detachable 3 and (optional) 5 round magazines. I carry with the 3, but have the 5-rounder in my pocket. The trigger is adjustable without dis-assembly, using the supplied hex wrench. The safety is in a handy position and it locks the bolt, which is great when walking through the woods. It has a grooved receiver and comes with both decent mounts and sling swivels.

I have a blued model in .243 Win that, out of the box, shoots handloads under 1/2" at 100 yards. I am looking for an excuse to get another one in different caliber, but haven't decided which one. This is the first CF rifle that I didn't have to bed to shoot as well as I wanted it to...and I'm extremely demanding about accuracy.
Picher is offline  
Old August 30, 2013, 07:17 AM   #11
dahermit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 28, 2006
Location: South Central Michigan...near
Posts: 6,501
Quote:
I am open to anything bolt,lever, semi, pump, it don't matter! Definetly under $900 but maybe id spend a little more if I fall in love with something. Also, possibly something other than 30-06 just because I enjoy change.
Haunt the used gun racks at local gun stores. The real treasures are the old classics. .257 Roberts, 7x57 (commercial), .300 Savage, .250 Savage etc. Who knows what you may find. It does not have to be "new".
dahermit is offline  
Old August 30, 2013, 07:52 AM   #12
SteelChickenShooter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 12, 2011
Posts: 863
You have a 30-06 bolt action, so I suggest something different:
Marlin 1895 in 45-70 with the larger loop lever
Marlin 336 in 30-30
Or something unique that would be the talk of the camp: A Henry lever action in 30-30. Now that is something different and a truly nice deer rifle.
SteelChickenShooter is offline  
Old August 30, 2013, 10:24 AM   #13
skoro
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 30, 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,952
A few years back, I got one of the 'new' Winchester 70 featherweights in 243 being made in the SC facility. What a nice rifle! Like it so much I got another in 30-06. Silky smooth and very well made.
skoro is offline  
Old August 30, 2013, 11:13 AM   #14
Pilot
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 21, 2000
Posts: 4,193
What area of the country, and what type of deer will you be hunting?
__________________
Pilot
Pilot is offline  
Old August 30, 2013, 12:00 PM   #15
rcase1234
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 6, 2012
Location: Michigan
Posts: 407
Northern Michigan. Whitetail
rcase1234 is offline  
Old August 30, 2013, 12:28 PM   #16
Chuck Dye
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 28, 2002
Location: Oregon-The wet side.
Posts: 949
Meeting your price limit will mean shopping used rifles, but take a look at the falling blocks.

Ruger No. 1, Dakota Model 10, the various Winchesters and modern reproductions, the Sharps and modern reproductions, they are elegant and functional.

In the "Dream On" category, the likes of Soroka, Hartmann & Weiss, and others will at least fuel some pleasant fantasies.
__________________
Gee, I'd love to see your data!
Chuck Dye is offline  
Old August 30, 2013, 12:48 PM   #17
tahunua001
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 21, 2011
Location: Idaho
Posts: 7,839
I second the Ruger number 1. probably in 45/70 or 7 mauser just because those are the most common it seems.

7 mauser is not much of a step down from 30-06 in terms of power and effective range but is a lot easier on your shoulder and 45-70, though limited in range is a very versatile round if you reload. it can do anything from bird shot to round balls to 600gr slugs. both can still kill anything in north america given proper shot placement.

a nice used one can be had for under $1000.

another option if you want to go for classic and collectable is a springfield 1903A3. great shooters and in 30-06 so you wouldn't have to stockpile a new round.
__________________
ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar.
I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein
You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin
tahunua001 is offline  
Old August 31, 2013, 06:17 AM   #18
Picher
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 14, 2004
Location: Maine
Posts: 3,694
I've had both .270 Win and .30-06. If hunting in open areas, where shots approach 400 yards, I prefer the .270, but if hunting where most shots would be under 350 yards, the .30-06 has the best bullet weight options.

Have you thought about sprucing up the old '06 with a new stock and scope, instead of getting a new rifle?
Picher is offline  
Old August 31, 2013, 11:09 AM   #19
dgludwig
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 12, 2005
Location: North central Ohio
Posts: 7,486
I used to hunt a lot in your neck of the woods, rcase1234 (northern Michigan), and have killed a few whitetails there, in some dense, cedar swamps, using a fifties-era, Remington Model 760 pump, chambered in 30-06 Springfield, with a Williams "FoolProof" receiver sight. However, in recent years I've been using a carbine length, Mannlicher-stocked, Ruger MKII International Model, chambered in .308 Winchester. This is the rifle I'm recommending to you.
The compact Ruger, with its short bolt-action, Mauser-inspired extractor, controlled round feed (crf), integral scope mount with free scope rings and fine auxiliary iron sights, especially when fitted with a good quality, compact scope (1x5 or so), makes for a great Michigan deer-hunting rifle.
The .308 cartridge (I prefer the 165 grain bullet weight) is almost as versatile and almost as powerful as the 30-06 but comes in rifles with shorter actions and offers a little less recoil while being, in my experience, a little more accurate.
__________________
ONLY AN ARMED PEOPLE CAN BE TRULY FREE ; ONLY AN UNARMED PEOPLE CAN EVER BE ENSLAVED
...Aristotle
NRA Benefactor Life Member
dgludwig is offline  
Old August 31, 2013, 07:55 PM   #20
oldscot3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 1, 2007
Location: texas
Posts: 997
Howa in 708, then buy a scope that's really really nice.
oldscot3 is offline  
Old August 31, 2013, 09:06 PM   #21
steveNChunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 14, 2012
Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns
Posts: 1,520
Im sure I'm about to tick some people off but...

I always see an awful lot of .30-06 (in addition to bigger/faster rounds) recommendations in these types of threads, and while the old '06 is a mighty fine cartridge, if this is to be primarily a whitetail hunting rifle, .30-06 seems like overkill to me. Anywhere from .243 to 7mm-08 in a short action, and .25-06 or .270 in a long action is PLENTY. Be more concerned with proper shot placement and bullet construction than muzzle energy or bullet weight. Or maybe the deer where I hunt just die alot easier?

I'll hush now.
__________________
DEO VINDICE
steveNChunter is offline  
Old September 1, 2013, 08:25 AM   #22
dahermit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 28, 2006
Location: South Central Michigan...near
Posts: 6,501
Quote:
I always see an awful lot of .30-06 (in addition to bigger/faster rounds) recommendations in these types of threads, and while the old '06 is a mighty fine cartridge, if this is to be primarily a whitetail hunting rifle, .30-06 seems like overkill to me. Anywhere from .243 to 7mm-08 in a short action, and .25-06 or .270 in a long action is PLENTY. Be more concerned with proper shot placement and bullet construction than muzzle energy or bullet weight. Or maybe the deer where I hunt just die alot easier?
That doesn't tick me off...You hit the nail right on the head. I have killed them with 6MM Remington (many), 7X57 Mauser, .257 Roberts (many), .41 Magnum, .444 Marlin, .45 Colt, .303 British, .308 Winchester, .375 Winchester, .32 Winchester Special, #4 Buckshot (many), as well as 30-06, and came to the same conclusion.

Except for the "bullet construction" part...all the bullets I used worked, even the many times I killed a deer with the 6MM Remington using an 87 grain Hornady varmint bullet. I found that the classic, behind the shoulder, shot always worked, the bullet jacket would be shed, but the core would exit the off-side...so much for the necessity of having the jacket and core not separate. Bullet placement is the key. Even with the diminutive .223 (people are going to hate this). I have not shot any deer with the .223, but I have a brother who has as has his son, and he had good results (bullet placement again).

Last edited by dahermit; September 1, 2013 at 09:22 AM.
dahermit is offline  
Old September 1, 2013, 08:44 AM   #23
steveNChunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 14, 2012
Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns
Posts: 1,520
dahermit- I think we are actually agreeing about bullet construction as well, maybe I should have elaborated more in my last post. Proper shot placement depends on bullet construction. I have shot deer with my 6mm rem using an 85 gr Sierra HPBT (a popular varmint/predator bullet) but it was always behind the shoulder or in the neck. I've also used 85 gr partitions in the same rifle but those shots were right through both shoulders or quartering shots. My next plans are to try out the 80 gr TSX. I like to switch it up and keep it interesting
__________________
DEO VINDICE
steveNChunter is offline  
Old September 1, 2013, 01:35 PM   #24
tahunua001
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 21, 2011
Location: Idaho
Posts: 7,839
I have to agree with 30-06 not being necessity.

I grew up hunting with 243 and it seemed to ruin enough meat as it was without considering the need of a 30-06. heck I though 30-30 was overkill but now that I know a little more about ballistics a 45-70 going nice and slow ruins less meat than a 243 traveling 3200FPS.

however 30-06 is not overkill for deer, it is not the minimum necessary cartridge by a long shot but it is still able to kill without destroying too much meat.
__________________
ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar.
I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein
You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin
tahunua001 is offline  
Old September 1, 2013, 04:42 PM   #25
NWPilgrim
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 29, 2008
Location: Oregon
Posts: 2,340
Looking for a nice deer rifle

These days with short supply of ammo you might look around and see which calibers are available. It seems that the mist popular ammo is out. Get a rifle that shoots what is available. Anything from .243 to .35 Whelen would suffice.
NWPilgrim is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:12 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.15235 seconds with 10 queries