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Old October 6, 2000, 12:50 PM   #11
Strayhorn
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 9, 2000
Location: Central NC
Posts: 339
Do you need a new rifle? But of course! If there is an empty slot in your safe or wall rack, it *needs* to be filled!

But let's look at the question overall: Yes, it's possible to hunt deer with a Garand. I've hunted deer with a Garand for a number of years, mainly because cheap surplus rifles were all I could afford when I was young (remember when Garands were $150?). I also hunted with a P-14 in .303 back when those were $75 at a local shop. Much to my surprise, I once hit a deer at 500 yards (measured, later on, with a surveyor's transit) with that P-14. The tanned skin still sits on my library floor. So you don't need to spend big bucks to have a successful day in the woods. What you really need is a rifle you trust, and some practice.

A few years back, when it became evident that my eyes were no longer the eyes of a 20-year-old, I put an S&K mount on my .308 Garand and topped it with a mid-60s Weaver K4, with a "German" recticle. I paid $40 for that scope at a show. I also got a surplus leather cheek pad ($25) for the stock to make up for the offset of the scope mount. This has worked very well for me - I was surprised at how quickly I adjusted to the offset.

However, the Garand is not the lightest rifle in the world. So if you are seriously thinking of a new rifle, I'd suggest one of the newer Remingtons or Steyrs that have the fiberglas stock with aluminum bedding block (does Winchester make these yet?). These cover all the drawbacks of the Garand - lighter, weather proof, no fine walnut stock to ding or scratch.

Frankly, I'd choose the .30-'06 in the new rifle, just to keep the number of ammo boxes lying around to a minimum. But if you want to expand your armory, then .308 or .270 would be good choices - you can buy ammo at WalMart if necessary.

Find something you like - something that fits in your hands, and feels right coming up to your shoulder. Then buy plenty of ammo and schedule many trips to the range _before_ deer season. Practice bringing the rifle up to your shoulder, lining it up, and squeezing off a shot in one smooth motion. Pretty soon it will be second nature.

Best of luck this season,

Ken Strayhorn
Hillsborough NC
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