need help finding the right deer rifle for me.

I'm a missourian too. (joplin) Trust me, there isn't anything in this state that can't be taken easily with one of the 6 mm or 25 caliber rounds, and there is no need to magnumify a rifle to take these deer.

A 12 gauge slug is hard on a person, but if you handled it well, I can't see why you couldn't handle a 270 or 7 mm round.

I'm sure that you can find the opportunity to try out a few different rifles. If you have a gun club nearby or any other sort of range, they may have a "deer season sight in day" with hundreds of deer hunters there verifying that the rifles are on target. Go to that, ask questions, and I'm sure that dozens of people will let you do a few rounds out of their rifles.

Have a great day.
 
If Whitetail is the planned top-end, you don't need anything big.

I would put the upper limit at .308 Winchester (power level / recoil level), and stick with readily available ammunition.
That leaves:
.35 Remington*
.308 Winchester
.30-30 WCF
7mm-08*
.257 Roberts*
.243 Winchester

*(Ammunition availability may not be ideal, in some areas, even though these are common cartridges.)

And:
.357 Magnum
.44 Magnum

The type of rifle you prefer will determine which cartridges you can choose from.
 
If you handled a 12 guage slug, then just about any common centerfire rifle caliber would be a good choice for hunting deer .... within reason, of course.... .223 being too small for most deer hunting in northern Missouri/ southern Iowa, and the various magnums being excessivley expensive and hard recoiling..... I'd go with a .243 if I was picking....

I just bought a deer rifle for my kids to use (except for Eldest- she already has her own) ..... daughter Jac (13 years young and 97 lbs soaking wet) will be using the new one this year: a Ruger Frontier in 7-08, which I have handloaded some reduced recoil loads for: 150gr bullets @ 2500 f/sec...... milder recoiling than Eldest's 30/30, with more muzzle energy and better ballistics.

Whatever you choose, practice with it, and not just from the bench- learn to shoot in field positons, because there are not many shooting benches in the deer woods.
 
I have also been giving some thought to tuning an old 93 Mauser in 7mm into a .257 'Bob, as TheBoy turns 10 next year right before deer season ..... the 7mm has headspace problems, has a pretty dark bore and is not the strongest of actions anyhow.... and a 7 to 8lb rifle in .257 Roberts, pushing a 120gr boat tailed soft point to 2500 f/sec might be just the thing for him.....
 
bj-

My new Frontier is basicly the same rifle ..... in 7-08, but with a forward mounted (IER) 2.5x scope ....... and with that short barrel, is sure barks with factory loads..... thumps a bit, too. I clocked 140 Remington factory loads at about 2660 f/sec......

I loaded up some 150 grain bullets to 2500 (with IMR 4064, a bit quicker than the "top powders" in the manual) and the recoil and muzzle blast were reduced quite a bit......

For someone looking for a light recoiling rifle, a .308 in a short barrel (with factory loads at least) probably ain't "it".
 
a .223 or a .243 would both be very nice beginners rifles. I started shooting when I was about twelve years old and about 110-120 pound and I started out with my fathers remington model 700 in .243 centerfire. I flinched for a while and eventually I broke myself of the habit through lots of practice. a .223 would have a very mild recoil and still be a good deer rifle
 
If the range is less than 250 yards, 243. The 260, with 120s, will give another 100yards.
Click to expand...

???? 250 yards for a .243?

A 100gr Sierra SBT launched at 3,000 f/sec is still packing over 1,000 ft/lbs of energy at 400 yards ....... more than enough for deer.

I wish I knew that a .243 was not able to take deer past 250 ...... before I killed one at age 16, a bit further out than that.
 
I watched a show the other day where a young man probably around 14 years of age, dropped a very large elk at a lasered 548 yards.

I was very impressed. Cartridge in use... 243Win :)
 
My now "EX girlfriend" (still a friend however) is 5' 4" and weighed 96 pounds. She LOVES to hunt.
So I made her an AR-15 in 6.8 SPC

Such rifles are not cheep, but not horribly expensive either. Hers came to about $1100 finished, with a lot of refinements.

I made her a rifles with a 17 inch light weight barrel, free float tube, match trigger and a telescoping stock. It's got both irons and a scope. She loved it. It shoots well under 1" at 100 yards and kills deer and antelope very well. Ballistics are about the same as a 257 Roberts.

The cool things about this rifles are that it’s very short and very light, it fits her perfectly because the stock can be set where she wants it, and the recoil is as light as the 223 in any AR-15, which is to say it’s super light.
Something to think about
 
Wyo- I thought about that very route for the family "kid rifle", but I didn't/don't have the $1100 laying around. That, and if I did drop that kind of scratch on one kid, I'd have to do the same for the other 4.......... gets spendy in a hurry, don't it?
 
Some people suggest a .270 Win but that has a fair amount of kick to it for a small person. I'd go with 7mm-08 or .243. Both are good deer cartridges.
 
I live up within 40mi of the Iowa border in Missouri. Thanks again to everyone for the suggestions
Click to expand...

Let's get real, hardwood forest 25 to 125 yard shots on whitetails in the 200 to 250 lb range.

What you need is a 30-30 lever action. You have a 12 gauge then the 30-30 will be like shooting a 22 LR. If you want more power then go up to a 35 remington in a Marlin 336C.

30-30 has taken more whitetail than any other cartrage with the exception of the 30-06 Springfieldl (not recomemded).

30-30 ammo everywhere.
Jm

35 Remington Marlin 336C

SAM_0319.jpg
 
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After the location was revealed, I couldn't answer well. I was leaning toward a .30-30 or .35 Rem Marlin 336, but wanted to defer to some one that knew the area better.

Jim243 said:
Let's get real, hardwood forest 25 to 125 yard shots on whitetails in the 200 to 250 lb range.

What you need is a 30-30 lever action. You have a 12 gauge then the 30-30 will be like shooting a 22 LR. If you want more power then go up to a 35 remington in a Marlin 336C.

30-30 has taken more whitetail than any other cartrage with the exception of the 30-06 Springfieldl (not recomemded).

30-30 ammo everywhere.
Jm

35 Remington Marlin 336C
Click to expand...

Thanks, Jim. ;)
I'm glad to hear my gut instinct was right on (in at least one other person's opinion).
 
The 30-30 lever is a good and effective combination for hunting on the ozark plateau and surrounding areas, and it's immensely popular, but it ain't the only good answer to a an otherwise simple question. if it was the only answer,everyone would know it, and walmart wouldn't even bother putting them in a display case. People could pick up the box off of the end of an aisle.

I used to get into this same old argument with my old man about his remington 742 in 30-06.

"son, this is the best deer gun to use in this kind of area."

"Dad, autoloaders suck. The only rifle worth shooting is a 1 moa bolt gun."

"Son, you just lost your allowance. I hope you already bought your deer season ammo."

"gee, thanks, dad. While I'm at it, your fishing rod sucks, too."

I've never understood why old men resist the wisdom that only new, fresh minds can teach them. :rolleyes:
 
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