Hey y'all, my name's Garrett. I'm 18 and I'm from Texas. This is also my first post on here. I've been looking for a new deer rifle to hunt mainly Texas whitetail, maybe hogs but that's unlikely. That being said, I've filtered it down to three rifles: Browning X-Bolt, Winchester Model 70 Featherweight. I just went to my local Cabela's and handled a Browning X-Bolt Medallion ($875) and the Winchester ($830) and they both felt great. Which one is better? Also, people have been telling me that I should get a rifle chambered in .30-06, .270 Win, or .308. The shots I'll be taking will be 150-200 yards max. I don't want excessive recoil, not because I'm afraid of getting hurt, but because I don't want it to effect my accuracy or give me a flinch. With all of this in mind, what do y'all think of the .243? I would also like a rifle with wood furniture. What scope magnification would y'all recommend for 100-200 yards? I've also been recommended the Weatherby Vanguard S2, is this just as good or better than those above? Thanks!
Help me decide on my new deer rifle
- Thread starter tgtate
- Start date
Welcome Garret. As for your questions:
1. Either gun would make a fine hunting rifle. Both are considered "high quality," and should suffice. Sure, some people prefer one over the other, but honestly, you can not go wrong. Pick the one that fits you better, you like more, or however else you want to decide.
2. If the gun is to be used for deer hunting only, 243 Win would be enough gun using the appropriate bullet, but I personally would not go any smaller. If you do intend to ever use it for hogs, I would go for the bigger calibers you mentioned. Granted I am in OH not TX and our wild hogs are different than yours, they are generally tough animals with good sized shoulder bones and a bigger, more powerful round would be better suited.
3. 3-9 on the scope should be plenty if the longest shot you expect to take is 200 yards.
4. The Vanguard S2 is a fine rifle, but if you want a wood stock, I believe the S2 only comes in synthetic?
Best of luck to you, and let us know what you decide on (with pictures
)
1. Either gun would make a fine hunting rifle. Both are considered "high quality," and should suffice. Sure, some people prefer one over the other, but honestly, you can not go wrong. Pick the one that fits you better, you like more, or however else you want to decide.
2. If the gun is to be used for deer hunting only, 243 Win would be enough gun using the appropriate bullet, but I personally would not go any smaller. If you do intend to ever use it for hogs, I would go for the bigger calibers you mentioned. Granted I am in OH not TX and our wild hogs are different than yours, they are generally tough animals with good sized shoulder bones and a bigger, more powerful round would be better suited.
3. 3-9 on the scope should be plenty if the longest shot you expect to take is 200 yards.
4. The Vanguard S2 is a fine rifle, but if you want a wood stock, I believe the S2 only comes in synthetic?
Best of luck to you, and let us know what you decide on (with pictures
)CarJunkieLS1
New member
I have a personal preference for the .270 Win, but in your case I believe the .308 will do everything you need it to do with the cheapest, widest available ammo selection, and have the least amount of recoil.
For rifle selection you have chosen some very nice rifles, but of them if I was buying it would be the Winchester Model 70 HANDS DOWN.
For rifle selection you have chosen some very nice rifles, but of them if I was buying it would be the Winchester Model 70 HANDS DOWN.
I was pretty partial to the Winchester myself. It just felt right holding it and they have a hell of a reputation! That'll probably be the rifle I pick. But now I'm in even more of a predicament. I talked about getting a new deer rifle with my grandpa and he gave me his old Winchester Model 100 chambered in .284 (It's a Pre-64! And now the jewel of my collection, as it belonged to my great grandfather). It's kinda bittersweet though, because I have yet to find .284 Winchester in any store. I see that Winchester still sells it, but it doesn't seem justified for me to pay $55.00 a box and have to have it shipped to my house! Should I just buy a new rifle, or suck it up and pay $120 + shipping for ammo...
603Country
New member
If you don't shoot much, just buy the factory rounds, expensive though they are. If you plan on shooting a lot, maybe you want one of those bolt guns you mentioned. Like one of the other guys, I like the 270 (and 260) but the 308 fits just about everybody.
Two years ago I gave a favorite nephew my Dad's old 270 Ruger Ultralight and 50 rounds of handloads. I had no idea how much he'd shoot, so this past weekend I asked him if he had much of the ammo left. Yup, he had 49 rounds left. The one round that was used took down a huge old swamp buck in eastern Louisiana. So...if that's all you shoot, just buy a box or two of factory 284.
Two years ago I gave a favorite nephew my Dad's old 270 Ruger Ultralight and 50 rounds of handloads. I had no idea how much he'd shoot, so this past weekend I asked him if he had much of the ammo left. Yup, he had 49 rounds left. The one round that was used took down a huge old swamp buck in eastern Louisiana. So...if that's all you shoot, just buy a box or two of factory 284.
If you say 200 yds max, that gives you tons of choices!
I'm liking 260 Rem, 7mm08 and 308. Typically I think bolt rifle, but at 200 yds max, a lever, pump or semi-auto should be considered.
270 Win is also a good choice. 243 might be a touch small, but fine with the right shooter and bullets.
I'm liking 260 Rem, 7mm08 and 308. Typically I think bolt rifle, but at 200 yds max, a lever, pump or semi-auto should be considered.
270 Win is also a good choice. 243 might be a touch small, but fine with the right shooter and bullets.
Mosin-Marauder
New member
A Marlin or Henry in .30-30 would be a great choice. Bearable recoil, good accuracy out to 150-200 yards depending on bullet. Great deer round, although I needn't say it.
For Texas whitetails, I would think that a 6.5 or 7mm would have bit more ummph than a .243 so that they could be used for hogs.
260 Remington is my personal antelope stopper.
7mm-08 would be plenty fine as well.
6.5 creedmore is apparently big now and has similar ballistics.
Not shooting much, but want pimp factor? Get a 25wssm upper for your AR.
happy shooting
260 Remington is my personal antelope stopper.
7mm-08 would be plenty fine as well.
6.5 creedmore is apparently big now and has similar ballistics.
Not shooting much, but want pimp factor? Get a 25wssm upper for your AR.
happy shooting
Welcome to come he TFL Garrett!
First off you're going to get a lot of answers and none of them will be the right one, because you can be the only one who makes the decision in the end. You'll get a lot of advice and some will be good and some not so much. Anyway you seem to have a good idea of the what you want so stick with what your gut is telling you.
First off is nail down your budget for rifle, scope, mounts, ammo, and other accessories you might want. Try several different rifles in your price range and get an idea of what you like the feel of, work the bolts and safeties, and if the store will let you dry fire them a couple of times. Shoulder the rifle with your eyes closed, when you open your eyes are you looking down the barrel and if the rifle has sights are they lined up. What feels the best to you will probably shoot the best for you as well.
Scopes are another personal choice, but realize that what looks great in the store might not work as well in the field. 3-9X40 is pretty much a standard power scope that works well in a multitude of different situations. Just don't go cheap on optics, Nikon, Leupold, Vortex, and Weaver offer a bunch of great scopes in the $200-300 range that'll serve you well.
First off you're going to get a lot of answers and none of them will be the right one, because you can be the only one who makes the decision in the end. You'll get a lot of advice and some will be good and some not so much. Anyway you seem to have a good idea of the what you want so stick with what your gut is telling you.
First off is nail down your budget for rifle, scope, mounts, ammo, and other accessories you might want. Try several different rifles in your price range and get an idea of what you like the feel of, work the bolts and safeties, and if the store will let you dry fire them a couple of times. Shoulder the rifle with your eyes closed, when you open your eyes are you looking down the barrel and if the rifle has sights are they lined up. What feels the best to you will probably shoot the best for you as well.
Scopes are another personal choice, but realize that what looks great in the store might not work as well in the field. 3-9X40 is pretty much a standard power scope that works well in a multitude of different situations. Just don't go cheap on optics, Nikon, Leupold, Vortex, and Weaver offer a bunch of great scopes in the $200-300 range that'll serve you well.
Welcome Garret. Hopefully I can give you some good information. I have several center fire rifles, including a newer 2 screw FN made model 70 Featherweight. I dont think it gets any better than a Winchester model 70, however the Featherweights are tough rifles to shoot well. They're fantastic hunting rifles once you know what they like, but they can take a while to discover what they need...and you can;t shoot much of it between letting the barrel fully cool. You may be better suited with a Model 70 sporter. At a big savings, a Ruger American is a great rifle. I would look at these also. Whatever you choose, for the 150 to 200 yard range you're looking at, a good bolt is in your future.
Wow, this forum has been the most helpful out of all the others I've recently joined! Thank you all for your replies and advice! I do like to go to the local range and shoot on average twice a month, just to keep my skills honed. The price of the ammo bugs me, but what really bothers me is that I have to have ammo shipped to my house. On top of that, who knows how long Winchester will continue to produce .284? I think I'll buy myself a nice rifle that I can use primarily for deer for a long time. I've already got an AR-15 in .223/5.56 that has taken a few hogs already. I can always collect (accumulate) more rifles!
That being said, the Winchester only comes chambered in .30-06, .270, .243 and .308. I've read the Chuck Hawk recoil chart, but I'm more concerned with felt recoil. Could someone maybe compare these recoils on a chart from 1-10, 1 being mild and 10 being severe? Or perhaps compare it to a 12 gauge shotgun with high brass bird shot loads? Just to help clarify! Thanks y'all!
That being said, the Winchester only comes chambered in .30-06, .270, .243 and .308. I've read the Chuck Hawk recoil chart, but I'm more concerned with felt recoil. Could someone maybe compare these recoils on a chart from 1-10, 1 being mild and 10 being severe? Or perhaps compare it to a 12 gauge shotgun with high brass bird shot loads? Just to help clarify! Thanks y'all!Nope.
For one thing most of the lever actions stocks magnify recoil, a 243 and 30-30 have about equal recoil, but from the 18th century stock designs will hurt you more. With todays better bullets the 243 is just about the perfect deer caliber and suitable for game up to elk. I'd pick 243 by a ratio of 10:1 over a 30-30.
A 30-06 is generally accepted as the upper limit of recoil that just about anyone can learn to tolerate. But realistically it is simply more gun than 99% of American hunters really need. If elk at 400+ yards are on the agenda then it is a good choice.
I'd vote for the Winchester FWT in either 308 or 243. The 308 will give you about 95% of the bullet speed of a 30-06 with equal bullet weights, but with about 20-25% less recoil. The 243 will be about 1/2 the recoil of 30-06 and be ideal for deer. If you ever see anything bigger than deer as a possibility then I might opt for 308.
Some recoil numbers. Remember these can vary quite a bit depending on the exact load and the weight of the rifle.
A 243 or 30-30 will recoil with about 10-12 ft lbs of recoil.
A 308 will have 15-17 ft lbs of recoil
A 30-06 will be in the 18-22 ft lbs of recoil
12 ga birdshot is about the same as 308 at around 15-17 ft lbs.
A typical 300 magnum or 12 ga slug or buckshot load is around 30 ft lbs of recoil.
7mm-08 then 308 would be my choices. I was about your age when I bought my first "deer rifle" and it was my one and only for about 20 years. A 06 is what all the "old timers" told me i had to have to kill deer.
Years later I shot a buddies 7mm-08 and have been a fan of it since. My 06 rarely gets used anymore. As I get older I like the lighter recoil of the 7mm-08 and it kills em just as dead.
Any of the rifles mentioned in the first post will do you fine for many years.
Years later I shot a buddies 7mm-08 and have been a fan of it since. My 06 rarely gets used anymore. As I get older I like the lighter recoil of the 7mm-08 and it kills em just as dead.
Any of the rifles mentioned in the first post will do you fine for many years.
My M70 Feather weight is chambered in .30/06. It's my favorite cartridge and I've harvested quite a few deer with it. Even in the lighter rifle, I honestly don't think the recoil is that bad, even off a bench. In hunting, you don't even feel it. The .308 is also a great cartridge and has lesser recoil still. I like a .308 because with so many .308 AR's on the market, it'll always be available as well as components. Dont be afraid to start reloading...it doesnlt take too much to start and you will save money eventually. Premium ammo is $35 or more for a 20 round box. That adds up very quickly. Of course, my hand loads are far more accurate in both my M70's than even the most expensive factory ammo. So, .30/06 or .308 will server you well as a hunting rifle for many years. As an aside, many people are hunting deer sized game with AR's now. I have a load I made up using Sierra 65 grain game king bullets over H322 powder that is very capable of taking deer cleanly, although I prefer my 30 for that sort of thing