best starter deer rifle

Dremel, no rifle manufacturer makes a deer rifle. The shooter makes it a deer rifle. :)
lots of folks here believe in Savage. But to me the workmanship is not there, thats my opinion.

I suggest an older winchester or remington with a real wood stock with the pride and workmanship that is evident even under close inspection. If its 25-06, all the better.
 
I just got my first deer rifle it's a savage axis ii xp in .270 win. I haven't gotten to shoot it yet and there aren't many reviews of it but the only difference from the old savage axis is the accutrigger. It comes with a weaver Kaspa scope bore sighted not the best but it will do until you get a new one but I rather like it.
 
Remington 700. It's an iconic gun and it's been made all these years for a reason. You can pick one up brand new for $379. You can't beat it at that price.
 
I also hunt Michigan. There are not too many places that you will shoot more than 100 yds. I will put my recommendation behind a JM Marlin 336. Perfect gun for Michigan. 30-30 or .35, doesnt really matter. I wouldnt feel undergunned for anything including elk and bear. I love my .35 Marlin.

You will also find that with either, recoil is very light. Since you only own your AR, that may be something to think about. I get an honest 1.5 MOA with lever evolution ammo with my .35, and I think it could do better.

Bolt guns are great, I have several. I have a Ruger American in 308 also. It is a nice, lightweight, accurate rifle that you dont really worry about dinging up. Very cost effective too. I also have a gunsite scout, which is also a really slick little rifle you might consider. (just not cheap)

My Marlins just feel better in the woods, and I have a ton of confidence in my .35.
 
30-06 in any flavor you like or suites your fancy, personally I like Rem. 700's from the 70's. Just bought a gorgeous ADL from 70's for $325.00 off G.B. ;)
 
I to recommend the Savage 110. It's a fantastic rifle for the money. .308, 30.06, .270, .243, or 7mm Mag make for a great dear gun!

Wish I never traded my 110 in 30.06.
 
Marlin XL 7 what's not to like about it. It has some really nice factory installed accuracy extra's. Check one out sometime. BTW as far as a suggested caliber. 270 Win seldom if ever lets anything run off after being smacked with a 130 gr. Jack O' Connor wrote and promoted the 270 Win to be the best caliber to carry afield for medium size big game. I wonder how many other calibers can claim the same notoriety.


http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?i=417343
 
Savage makes an accurate rifle but the components are not pretty. For the same money you can buy a used Winchester model 670 - try GunBroker.com

Jack
 
For a rifle I would go one of the many bolt actions out there. For the round I would go 30-06, 270 or 30-30. Those are very common very capable deer rounds that can be found nearly any where.
 
for its the Savage 110 is tough to beat. Remington 700 are great too, but the triggers on the Savage are nicer in NY opinion. .243 is relatively mild in the recoil department and a 30-06 gives you versatility if you hunt elk or moose.

nearly everything mentioned in previous posts would work. handloading makes it cheaper yo practice in the long run.f
 
My brother started with a 30-30 Model 94. I started with a Remington Model 700 in 30-06 and now use a BAR in 300 Win Mag. I love my BAR so much that I rarely shoot either my 700 or my H&k 06, 7mm Mouser, 30-30, 300 Sav or any of my dear rifle caliber size rifles.

I also really like my 45-70 BFR for anything large enough. I have become more of a handgun hunter lately.

Probably because I have more room in my safe if I get rid of the long guns and get more handguns.

Mel
 
Best Value, Longevity, Versatility

Several have mentioned the Savage Bolt action and I would agree. I am no fan of any small opening bolt such as Tikka's and the Savage Axis. The Savage standard bolts such as the 11 and 111 series are awesome values. The 270 Winchest is excellent on deer and very versatile. The Weather Warrior 16 and 116 series in stainless are also great in humid or rainy areas.

The truth is there are many fine bolts today. I have owned many of the mid-grades and a few high end ones and the Savage is the best for the money. I consider the Axis as a flawed design along with the Tikka but if you never hunt around bears or cougars (not old ladies you meet at the bar) they are still ok.

Like someone else stated the venerable 30-30 in a Marlin 336 is also a good choice. When you bring one out people seem to be drawn to them more than a common bolt gun so they have a certain cool factor as well.

Stay away from Remington 710's, 750's, etc. They have been in product liability suits and IMO are junk. If you go used look at the rifling carefully and check the throat for excessive erosion. There are so many value priced bolts and deals out there I personally would start with a new rifle unless you found an excellent buy.
 
My first serious rifle in 1963 was a Springfield 1903 high number 30-06. It cost me under $20. I have shot a 243 and 7X57 for over 20 years, both are Mauser actions, really like the 7X57, and have a 700 in 30-06 that is my fall back. My vote is for the 30-06....
Clarke
 
You did not say whether or not you hand load. Assuming you don't the choices you mentioned are fine. If you do then you have a much broader range of choices. I assume you are only talking of calibers since you don't specify brands. Many mention the Ruger American. I have had and still have several Rugers. As far as the American goes I will say what one reviewer said about it. Too much of it, for instance the trigger guard, looks a little too inexpensive. I know plastic/polymer is the latest fad but when it comes to triggers and trigger guards I just don't trust it as much as I do steel. I have seen too much of it break under pressure in subfreezing temperatures. Yes I know I am biased in this but so what? Isn't everyone about different things? As far as calibers I would suggest 243, 7mm08 or 308 in short action. In long action, 270, 280 or 30-06. These are all old stand bys with the youngest being the 7mm08. The point is that they are all easily available in both rifle but especially in ammunition for the non hand loader. Looking at the used market you should be able find all of these quite easily especially at gun shows. There, at pawn shops and the used rack at gun stores you will just have to know what you want to pay and what is reasonable. For the new ones you can browse the internet and see what the going prices are. For the new ones, the Ruger American as others have mentioned is less expensive. Savage is not as inexpensive at it used to be but still a good deal if you look around. Howa is probably one of the better deals out there as far as price and quality also. Looking around will be a lot of fun so good luck to you.
 
Last edited:
As others have said don't underestimate the value of a used rifle. There are many great rifles out there on the used rack for great prices and if you really have to spend full/new price you can spend the rest of the money customizing it.

Thinking deer in Michigan I have never had to reach out and touch a deer across a field, through a ditch and up a small hill. Most deer I have shot have been in the 30 yard range. Hell once I even shot a spike at 8 feet.

Sure bolt actions as we know them are great but I started with lever guns and still use my 1894 winchester in 30-30, my dad had an identical 32 winchester that he used for years and then got a 336 Marlin in 30-30.

This year I took my buck with a Remington Lee 1899 Michigan National Guard gun in 30-40 krag. Almost felt like overkill but I handload and it's a family heirloom.

Last month I bought a sporterized Type 38 Arisaka in 6.5 jap from my grandpa and it's dead nuts on the bullseye every time. Light, easy to carry, pretty good recoil and I only paid $125 with 5 boxes of norma ammo.

There's also good milsurp rifles out there. Why hunt with what everyone has. Be unique. Anything Mauser is good. Followed by a lot of people that copied the design.

But if you don't reload don't get something odd that you can't get ammo for.
30-06, 270, 243, 308, 30-30 are pretty abundant even during an ammo shortage. Try walking into a store and finding 30-40 krag or 6.5 jap and you won't be going hunting or to the range but many people make the components if you reload.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top