What caliber for first deer rifle?

J

jeepster

New member
I am not new to rifles, I have 2 sks's and some .22's. I have never needed a hunting rifle in the past. I live in MA and we can only hunt shotgun. A friend invited me to hunt with him in Maine and I want to buy a rifle for this occasion.

I like big bore anything. I want to know some good, POWERFUL calibers that would be effective for deer and all around use. I was thinking 30-06 but I want something a little bigger and a little faster.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Jeepster
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jeepster:



I like big bore anything. I want to know some good, POWERFUL calibers that would be effective for deer and all around use. I was thinking 30-06 but I want something a little bigger and a little faster.

[/quote]


Sounds like a candidate for a .375 H&H magnum. Lots of good loads, extremely versatile, and not very exotic, so finding fodder shouldn't be difficult. The rifle choice requires more info though. Price range, action type, etc.
Eric


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Teach a kid to shoot.
It annoys the antis.

[This message has been edited by Eric of IN (edited August 08, 2000).]
 
Eric,

I want a bolt action rifle with a synthetic stock. I prefer wood but I am a bull in a china shop.(at least that's what my mom used to call me)

Will, are you from Maine?
If so, where do you hunt?
I will be headung up to Ragged Lake when the season comes.
Thanks guys
Jeepster
 
Jeepster:

No, I am not from Maine and I should have been more specific in my intial reply. The .30-06 can be used on any game in North America. It is at home in timber or in a bean field. There is recoil with it but it is managable. There are numerous rounds available for it and they can be found anywhere.

The recoil of the rifles you have been shooting are miniscule compared even to the .30-06 and I will be tonight's supper that you will find a .375 Magnum. 7mm Magnum or .338 Magnum unbearable.

The thing to do is get the rifle now and start practicing. I shoot all year long so that when the hunt comes, getting off a shot is second nature.

I have been hunting for 26 years since the age of seven but I don't claim to know it all. I have seen .30-06's kill deer at 40 yards and 250 yards.

Good luck on whatever you select and safe hunting.
 
Well I can understand not wanting a 30-06, they are way to common :D

A 358 Winchester or 35 Whelan would be about the same level as a 30-06 but bigger bore.

A 300 Win or 338 Win would be a bit more than the '06.

The 7mm mag is virtually identical to the '06 it uses a slightly lighter bullet at a little more velocity. IF you handload them both there is no real difference between 7 Rem mag and 30-06.

IMHO, if your just hunting game smaller than elk, then a 260 Rem, 6.5x55, 7-08, or such would be a better choice. If your looking at a Moose/Elk gun that you want to use on deer also then I would say either a 338 Win or a 35 Whelan. That would be my choice. The '06 & 7 Rem mag class will work on both but I would never pick either.

YMMV
 
7mm Rem Mag
300 Win Mag
338 Win Mag

Those are most powerful than 30-06, easy enough to find, and fairly inexpensive. My friend uses 7mm Rem Mag to hunt in Upstate NY, I normally use a 308, and once a 338 Win Mag. There is really not much of a need for anything over 308, where I hunt, as shots are RARELY taken at over 50 yards.

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Dead [Black Ops]
 
I like these responses.

Will, I am not afraid of recoil(6'3" 270 lbs) I shoot a lot of 3 1/2 magnums out of my 12ga for geese.

I wish I could try a 300 win and the '06 but you guys have me leaning to the 30'06. Easy to find ammo and a large variety of rounds.

Thanks for all the good advice.
Jeepster
 
Well,

How much do you know about the hunt you plan.
If you will be going for whitetails at less than 100 yards, you already have a rifle.

In Wisconsin the SKS's have been used very successfully for shortrange deer hunt (< 100 yards). (be sure to get ammo legal for hunting. For example, Wisconsin doesn't allow FMJ for hunting. PSP are available in 7.62X39, and others are around.)

Are you planning on one rifle to take anything up to a moose? If so see the larger bores as suggested. (someone has H&H .357 Magnum listed, I think he means H&H .375 ...)

I bought a rifle with the criteria that it must be enough for my first Elk Hunt. I found a used .30-06 and have taken 4 deer with 5 shots in the woods. I have MANY more shots at the range with it (more than 200 in 4 years). But first I was loaned a rifle (in .35 remington) and was able to use my limited experience the first two years I went to figure out what *I* thought i needed. Almost everyone else in camp was shooting .30-06. I said there we go.

Above .308 class cartridges I believe practice is more important than caliber. (FOR DEER) You need to talk to the buddy who invited you, you need to know LONGEST shot ever taken in camp, and AVERAGE shot length. If you are sitting in thick woods where you cannot see 150 yards, you aren't going to need Mr Magnum boomer, of course that isn't saying you don't WANT one. A trip with your SKS or a Borrowed rifle may solve your problems. If you sit there in an open field and see a deer at 400 yards and you have an SKS you are going to be sorry.


to summarize...

How long is you shot likely to be?
really really long or short in the brush?
How big is the game you intend to pursue with this rifle.
If it is only deer sized why buy another
rifle?
If you do buy I suggest PRACTICE practice practice so you know you can shoot it well from field positions. (no benchrest in the woods!)

As always IMHO and YMMV.

Good luck!
Gfrey
 
Gfrey,

I am using this hunt as an excuse to buy a new firearm.hehe I would rather not use the sks. My likely shots will be up to 250 yards in the cornfield down to 40 yards in the forest and along the tree line. I'm used to under 30 yard bow and shotgun shots in the thick Mass woods. I like the idea of a long shot.

I also agree that I need to get the rifle and become sharp with it as I don't believe in taking a shot unless I feel I have the practice under my belt to make it. I want a clean kill. I usually shoot my bow throughout the year so I am always confident if a shot comes up.

I have been looking at the synthetic Rugers and the Remington 700 bdl's.
What do you think?

I need to hang out here more often, Handguns is my only haunt.

Thanks again
Jeepster
 
I would submit that the .308 is a very good cartridge for your purposes. Toss in the added bonus of being able to use less expensive milsurp ammo for practice, and you have a winning combination.

A little less thump than the '06, but only when you get to the higher bullet weights (.308 doesn't really like >180-gr. in my experience). Shorter action. Less recoil.

As to brand, I would urge you to not look past Savage as a manufacturer. It's all the gun that a Ruger or Remington is where it really counts: accuracy. In fact, I would put Savage ahead of the Ruger and at least the equal of Remington in that department. And you can likely get the entire setup (rifle AND scope) for what you would pay for the Ruger or Remington rifle alone.
 
I know this is a newbie rifle question, but where does my Marlin 444 stand on the ladder? I have had this short lever action for years, and although I don't find the recoil to be bad at all, I can't say that it gets much use.

I really don't know what it is capable of.
 
FWIW, my .308 (a 6 month old Remington 700) shoots 180gr better than 150gr or 168 gr. I get tighter groups with the heavier bullets. Probably the individual rifle's preference.
 
Don't go bigger than a .30-06. If your objective is to immolate you quarry, the larger calibers are dandy. If you want to actually have something left to eat (what a concept!)... Hunting is not 4th-of-July display. You want to bring down an animal cleanly and then eat it, yes?

Please don't take this wrong, but I think that some look at the animal as a study in terminal ballistics, rather than a creature killed for its nourishment and for the enjoyment of the hunt.

These posts are all telling you to keep in the .30-06/.308 class. Solid stuff. Consider too a .270 or.280. Unless you want to shoot something larger than deer.
 
Bob Locke. Your comment on .308's not liking 180 gr, bullets strikes me as a bit odd. My Model 70 push feed version will put three 220 gr. bullets into a three-eights inch group, and 180's into .5 inch, as will my pre-64 Featherweight, also a .308. That's with the slower 1 in 12 inch twist. My Ruger RSI in .308 will put three 180 gr. bullets into an into the 1.25 inches, depending on brand of bullet used. I really think that that is more than sufficient accuracy for deer or any other large game.
Paul B.
 
>I was thinking 30-06 but I want something a little bigger and a little faster.<

Can you name one reason why you wouldn't be EXTREMELY pleased with a .338 Win?

This is, in my opinion, the best cartridge designed expressly for hunting together with the .375H&H.

As for the rifle..... Your pick!
 
Let me add my .02 worth of question:

I'm originally from NY (long gone :)) and we use only shotgun there. I'll be moving out to western Nebraska (high plains) in the next 2 yrs and wonder what would be good for the longer range shots out there and for deer, antelope, etc. The kicker is that I'm shorter (vertically challenged is more PC) with short little arms. Plenty of rifle experience in the military though admittedly primarily only with 5.56 M4 carbines.

Any advice??

Bob
 
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