New Hunting rifle suggestions

.243WIN is fine....... though just about any common caliber would be fine, too, within reason.

With your budget, one of the Savage scoped entry level rifles would work just fine for your purposes.

Check the used racks, as well- this time of year, especially- Christmas bills hit about the same time construction work is at it's slowest, and the Income Tax refunds have not hit. Deer caliber rifles don't get shot that much, generally (varmit calibers are a different story!), so as long as it's in working order (nothing broken) and well taken care of (not rusted and the bore's in good shape) then it'll likely be a better deal than new rifles.

If you learn to handload, chambering becomes even less important- you can make a .270 perform like a .30-06 (only flatter) or a .30/30, or turn near any deer rifle into a prairie dog gun ...... all depending on how you tailor your loads ..... and shoot a whole lot more for the same money.
 
Good enough for deer

the .243 was an attempt to sell one rifle for two tasks- deer sized game and varminting. If you want to hunt a wide variety of small and medium sized game then it makes sense. If you are only hunting deer I'd look at something a little heavier than a 100 grain bullet.
6.5 mm bullets are awesome performers on deer and elk. Various 7mm non magnums are equally good.
.300 bullets Are good, but won't accomplish anything more than the lessor calibers besides additional blast and recoil.
For a new hunter I would highly suggest an easy recoilling rifle. Anything mentioned above will kill a deer dead out to 300 yards, if you have the skill to make the shot.
 
Didn't see anything about where you and what size deer? Might make a difference between a dinky 75lb critter, or a 250-300lb mule. Anyway, I think a 7-08 has enough bullet choices for either.
 
If $500 is just for the gun:

Weatherby vanguard, Ruger Hawkeye, Howa 1500, will all have squared flat bottom actions that tend to weigh a bit more than rounded models. As a result these should produce less felt recoil. The 7m-08 is an ideal cartridge for performance with low recoil.

I own all three rifles, all three are quality pieces. In my opinion, th most bang for the buck with aesthetics considered has to go to the Vanguard S2. It is essentially an Howa but in a 24" barrel format. Like the Howa, accuracy out of the box is considered very good - excellent. It falls in the middle price-wise and ties for first aesthetically-in my opinion.

I also own a Win Model 70, which also fits this same catagory but most likely a good bit more expensive.
 
Got my eye on a 336 in 35 remington at the LGS that nobody seems to want. I'm waiting for the price to dip under $400 and I might spring for it.
 
These days, advances in ammunition are proving that smaller bores can provide performance that was unavailable when I started hunting. Choice in cartridge from .243 Win through 7mm-08 can provide quick kills up to 300 yards with the right ammo, the right game angle, and the right shot.

I really like the 7mm-08 as nearly the best compromise deer cartridge, but have seen ammo availability and cost being factors, along with other cartridges like .308 Win, at least here in Maine. (I never thought that would be the case, being a military round, but didn't find any Core-Locts in any store last season.)

That said, I'm a .270 Win and .30-06 fan for hunting where both field and woods hunting can be encountered on any outing. Reduced recoil rounds are available for both cartridges and they should be considered for practice and ranges up to 200 yards. (Re-zero may be necessary for those rounds.)
 
I live and hunt in Maine too--rarely get a clear shot of 100 ft, let alone 100 yds. : ) More often than not my rifle carry is my 44 mag lever gun. Otherwise I use a bow.
 
It's mostly subjective

I would recommend that you see if you can shoot a few rifles before buying to see what your tolerance to recoil is. If you don't have buddies with rifles, go to your local range and introduce yourself to a few guys and tell them what you're doing. I bet they'll offer you let you shoot their guns.

Recoil bothers some more than others. I personally have a .270 and a 7.62 X 54R sporter (between .308 and 30-06 in power/recoil) and find them both pleasant to shoot. Both have synthetic stocks with good recoil pads, both of which really help dampen recoil. I used to have a .300 Win Mag and it was a bit much for me after a range session in the summer with nothing but a t-shirt for padding. My son has a pre-64 Winchester Model 70 in 30-06 with a steel butt plate that he wants to leave stock. Needless to say, it hurts a bit to shoot with 180 grain bullets and no recoil pad. He puts a towel in his shirt to shoot it at the range.

Ultimately, get what you can shoot without flinching. Bullet placement trumps caliber. A .243 is great starter caliber. A lot of people start with a .243 and never buy anything else.You can also train yourself to accept recoil, but it takes trigger time and practice. Easy to do if you like shooting and reload, but expensive if you buy your ammo.
 
I used an '06 for the first few years of hunting, but did more woodchuck/crow hunting than deer, so sold the rifle and bought a .22-250. I killed several deer with it, using 55 grain Nosler solid-base bullets called Zipedos. It was necessary to assure a clear path to the animals, since bullets were easily deflected. If that's the only thing you have, it will do the job, but be very selective on shot placement, distance and ammo used.

In the past few years, I've started shooting rifles in .243 Win and am very impressed what it will do on deer at ranges under 200 yards, provided the right bullets are used. I like Barnes and Hornady GMX bullets (handloaded). (Factory 100 grain Core-Locts are also impressive, but we haven't killed any deer with them.)

A couple of times I missed nice bucks because the bullets wouldn't penetrate even light brush close to them. That's when I gave it up and went back to an '06 and subsequently, to the .270 Win, but kept the .22-250 for varmints.

We're blessed to have permission to exclusively hunt areas that allow shots from 20 to 400 yards, which I've had the good fortune to make at both extremes.
 
For your general purpose "deer rifle" I would suggest something that feels good to you in 270 win, 30-06, or 308 win. The 243 is fine. It was my very first rifle that I bought in high school for deer hunting. I used it for wood chucks and whitetails. It was in my opinion a bit much for wood chucks although it was a great long range caliber if that is your thing.

A few years later I bought a Remington M700 in 270 win and have been satisfied that I can handle most any normal game with it (elk, deer, black bear, etc.). Same would apply to the other calibers mentioned. When it is your first, you want flexibility. Savage makes a good rifle. Rugers and Browning are fine too. I would choose a bolt action rifle personally.
 
Deer cals.

I here this BS all the time. A deer is not a Cape buffalo, it doesn't take a cannon
to kill one. The make and model of the gun I won't comment on. But to advise
a guy on his first deer gun you don't point him to a bastard cal. While any of
the cartridges in above posts are sufficient to kill a deer. Some of them are kind
of cult cals. First timer better off with a standard cal. 243 will kill any deer in
U.S. and probably more useful in other prosuits. Also keep in mind a lite rifle
has more recoil than heavier gun in same cal. common cals 243, 270, 30/06, 308 would be my first choice for first timers.
 
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