Decision, Decision. Which deer rifle?

[JKump]

Of the rifles listed in the poll which would you chose for deer hunting. I will get it in 308, and will be hunting woods as well as fields. (Some shots out to 300 yards).
Which rifle would you chose and why?

[David the Gnome]

I find the Tikka to be the best compromise between quality, accuracy, and price. I own a stainless Tikka T3 Lite and it is very well put together and accurate for a gun costing no more than it did.

[JSJ127]

I love my tikka laminate stainless. When I bought mine it was on sale for $499 I thought what the heck. If I had known what I was getting I wouldve bought several more. Mine will put 5 shots in a circle that can be covered with a quarter. Not bad for a factory rifle shooting factory ammo.

[.300 Weatherby Mag]

I would say Model 70 but not the Ultimate shadow, due to the stock it has... Out of those listed I would say ruger... My .270 sporter is MOA accurate with factory ammo... I purchased mine on clearance before they recieved the LC6 trigger models....

[RT]

http://i339.photobucket.com/albums/n443/thorm001/Sako/IMG_0008.jpg
This is my 75 and it is sweet! Action is like butter and trigger is the best I have ever felt. 0.5 to 0.75 MOA accuracy too.

[Darth vader]

I highly recommend the sako a-7,in 270 wsm I have one and it is a tack driver Comes with a guarantee that the gun will shoot five shots moa out of the box,mine shot 1/2 groups at 100 yards,Regards Marc

[Art Eatman]

Which one fits you best? Length of pull is easily made right with shortening or lengthening, but the drop at the comb is a different matter.

Mount the rifle to the firing position with your eyes closed. With a good cheek weld, open your eyes. You should not have to move your head to be looking through the sights or scope. If no sights, your eye should be looking straight along the barrel.

If you have to move your head to have a proper cheek weld, forget that rifle unless you want to restock it.

[JKump]

Okay guys. Why the Ruger and Remington? They have votes, but nothing to support them. We have Sako posters and Tikka Posters, BUT....

[GeauxTide]

I've got Rugers, Remingtons, Winchesters, and a Mark X. Each has merits and demerits. My favorite right now is the Hawkeye SS in 280.

[TRguy]

NO Savage to choose from, you some sort of Savage Racist? :D

I didn't realize anyone else made rifles besides Savage. Whadda ya know!

[hunter33]

I put my vote on the tikka because you can"t beat the price and accuracy. But if you want to spend that extra money go with the a7

[jmr40]

I didn't vote. Most of the rifles listed are way too heavy for the intended purpose. I like the Hawkeye in blue or synthetic, but not the laminated stock because of the weight. Same story on the Tikka. How much do you want to spend?

For general hunting in woods and out to around 300 yards (the same way I hunt), the following, in no particular order, are some that I own and like.

Tikka T-3, stainless synthetic
Ruger Hawkeye All weather
Kimber Montana
Remington Mountain Rifle
Winchester Featherweight.

The Sako A-7 is a good rifle, but I don't see it as a better choice than the Tikka for less money. The Howa/Weatherby rifles are great rifles, but heavier than I like for a general purpose rifle.

The 308, as well as about a dozen other choices is as good as any.

[riggins_83]

How about a Kimber 8400 Montana or a Savage 111?

[NWCP]

I didn't see a CZ on the list. The CZ 550FS in .308 would be an excellent choice. Even though it sports a manlicher stock it is light weight and accurate. I liked the fact they have iron sights as well as grooved receivers for a scope. The nice thing is it wouldn't set you back an arm and a leg. I wouldn't give mine up. JMHO

[JKump]

Why no Kimbers or Savages. I did not see any Savage that I wanted, I know they are excellent rifles for the money and they have a loyal following here. As for Kimbers, I know they are out of my price range, trying to keep it under $1000. (I believe the icon is pushing it). I could not find info. on Howa rifles. An I just forget to look at CZ rifles. Keep up the posting Gentlemen. :)

[rickdavis81]

I have the rem. sps tactical in 308 with the 20" barrel. Couldn't be happier. The short barrel makes it handy when going thru the woods or on and off the 4 wheeler and truck.

[JKump]

I see so far that the Remington Model 700 SPS has the most votes. However, I have only one post on Remingtons (an SPS tactical). Any experience on the Remington 700 SPS? Why did it get the votes?

[JKump]

Was able to handle a Remington VTR yesterday. Not a bad rifle. I see it only has one vote. Why Remington? Is it just the brand name recognition?:confused:

[BusGunner007]

Remington VTR.
Could be a 'dual-purpose' rifle.
I like the Remington 700 platform.

[Abel]

You can't go by the vote count. Read reviews on specific rifles.

http://westernrifleman.wordpress.com/2009/01/30/the-winchester-model-70-classic/

[Art Eatman]

No point in lugging anything heavy when the range is guesstimated to be no more than 300 yards. My next criterion, then, would be whichever is lightest among the available choices.

As to accuracy, whichever is likely to provide cold-barrel three-shot groups a tad inside of 1.5 MOA. Sure, tighter is better, but it's not an absolute necessity.

[jsr76]

I won't vote if Savage isn't on the list, sorry.:(

[CraigC]

Whichever one fits you the best and you like the most. It's really no more complicated than that.

[Maligator]

I voted Tikka T3 because it has a butter smooth action, very crisp trigger and is very reasonably priced with a MOA guarentee out of the box! I bought mine in 300WSM and am very very pleased with it. I get .5 to .75 moa groups when shooting Nosler 180 accubonds :D

[tINY]

Sauer, Ultra-light Arms, Ed Brown, Surgeon, McMillan... There are lots of choices. You have to decide what features you need and then find one that fits.



-tINY

[davlandrum]

I just voted for the Rem SPS - because that is what I own in a 30-06. Rifle was out-of-the-box accurate with every commercial ammo I tried. I am a synthetic/stainless addict, and a Rem loyalist.

I ain't going to try and sell you what I like, which ever stikes your fancy is fine with me.

[flight954]

I second on a Savage

[JKump]

Any advantages does the Remington SPS have over the Remington VTR? Looking at the data the VTR has a 22 inch barrel and the SPS 24 inch. The write up on the VTR states it is ideal for long range shooting. With it's shorter barrel and the design of the barrel it should be lighter and easier to carry.

[Blue Grass]

CZ-550. The set trigger makes it very easy to shoot accurately.

[fisherman66]

The Sako is a really nice rifle. If price is not the main object and you have coin left for a scope deserving of a Sako (and the fit works for you) then Sako might be the nicest rifle listed. Ruger offers tremendous bang for the buck and the Hawkeye stock is great. I just don't like the matte finish, but that's just personal preference.

Good to see the Savages coming out of the woodwork to waste bandwidth. They sure do love their rifle. I wonder if some of them have ever tried another maker's gun. I don't mean to disparage the actual rifles. They aren't junk, but the fit and finish leave something to desire in my book. I do like the CZ, but if the fella doesn't want one there are still 'bout 10 other choices he likes.

[James R. Burke]

Just myself I do like the Ruger rifles, they are all pretty good, and we all have our favorites. I guess it will come down to what you like, and feel good with. You will be the only one to know that. 300 yards is a long one with anything. Make sure you are very, very, good at 100, then 200 etc. Good luck, have fun and keep it safe.

[Scout]

I've got soft spot for the Winchester, but would prefer a Savage/Stevens.