What is your go to deer rifle?

D

Deja vu

New member
Been getting an odd deer hunting craze the last little bit and if I can hunt deer at the moment may be I can talk about it!

What I would like to know is what rifle have you used the most for deer hunting? Why do you use that rifle?

For me it was a Marlin Lever action in 357 magnum. The reason I used it the most is because I got the gun the Christmas after my 10th birthday. Earlier that year I had taken my first deer with a 30-06 with down loaded ammo and the recoil was still too much for me (I was small and thin). So my dad bought a marlin in some caliber other than 357 and had my grandfather (he was a gun smith is his earlier years) cut the barrel to 16.5 inches and trim the stock to be my sized and rebore the barrel to 357 magnum.

As I grew up I still used this gun a great deal for both plinking and hunting. I got so I was better with it than any other gun I owned. That is why I used it up until last hunting season. My son graduated from high school and all he wanted for a gift was the marlin. It made me sad and proud at the same time. Its good to know that it will be in the family for another generation. My grandfather has passed but a piece of him lives on in that little Marlin. About 12 years ago I even discovered where he scratched his name on the inside of the receiver.

All of my children used this Marlin as there first center fire rifle, when learning to shoot or hunt.

Now I have a bolt action Ruger 77/357. I recently got it glass bedded, re crowned. I got the barrel cut to 16.25 inches and threaded. I also got the stock trimmed to match my marlin. I did then put a 2-7 power scope on it (my marlin never had a scope). I hope this gun will prove as fun as the Marlin was.

So what gun is your "deer" gun?
 
I have plenty of choices and I dont have a favorite.
I guess my main stay would be a Savage model 11 in 308 win.
Thats its main job any way.

But I catch whims allot and I try to work in a few during the season.
This last year was AR year. I took my AR10 in 308 win, AR 15 in 7.62x39 and AR 15 in 300 Black out.

Next year I may go 45-70, 8mm Mauser, and 303 British. Will see
 
For over 20 years my model 70 featherweight in 308 was the meat getter. Then came a browning abolt II in 300 wsm. Now I hunt with a multitude of dif rifles. No sense in owning them if they don't get a chance to earn a notch. No I've never scratched a notch in any of them and mostly I pick up my late father's and grandfather's old rifles to hunt, At least at the beginning of season.
 
I carried a 30/06 for many years as my "go to" deer rifle. If I were hunting a really big buck in tough conditions/heavy cover, I'd go back to it. For everything else, I confidently depend on a 25/06. While the 30/06 will hammer any deer big or small, it's long range capabilities require good range estimation. My 25/06 has a flatter trajectory and longer "hold on brown" range. In addition, the lower recoil gives me a better chance of seeing the hit.
 
Since I only have 1 rifle now, it's this one:

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I don't usually take the same arm out 2 years in a row anymore, but the one that I have killed the most deer with over a 50 year span is my 270. I hunt deer, elk and antelope every year and it's common to kill 4-6 animals every year.
Last year I used a 308 bolt action my 9.3X74R my 270 and a 62 cal flintlock.
The year before I used an AK47 a S&W 357 (M27) and an AR in 6.8SPC.
This year I think I'll use my new (built by me) 6.5 Mannlicher and my marlin 30-30. Both with irons only. For elk I may use my 300 H&H, or my 9.3X74R.

I like to use whatever trips my trigger at the time.

That's part of the fun to me.
 
Hmm, that would depend on my mood and where I was going to hunt. Walking around I would opt for my Rem Mdl 7 in 7-08, if sitting in a stand and killing something was my foremost thought I would bring my old Rem 700 BDL in .280, most boring rifle I own but a stone cold meat getter. Seldom to I take either one anymore though as killing a deer is usually not my biggest worry, my wife shoots a couple for us so its more of a reason to go sit in a stand than anything. have carried everything my a single shot .223, to my AR, to a ML, and most importantly a pair of good binos so I can watch and sometimes laugh at the deer who want to get shot.
 
.270 Win if I have an elk tag in my pocket as well. If I'm just hunting deer usually it's a .50X209 Encore ML on the plains, and .243 Win if I'm mountain hunting deer. White tail out of state from a blind/stand my 6mm-222 Rem Mag usually gets the nod as it's 20" barrel makes it easier to maneuver.
 
whatever my latest obsession is.
for many years it was the only right I had: a remington 700 in 243 win. afte I started buying up guns left and right I started switching it up. one year was a 9mm carbine, and afew random little fellers. the latest go to is a 6.5 grendel which also pulled elk duty last fall as well.

this year is likely going to be a 223 or 243 depending on if I manage to sell the 223 and get a replacement in time to work up a decent hunting load. I also have 6.5 swede and 30-06 that I would like to experiment with as well.
 
I killed my first buck Co 1977 with 270 and last year buck was taken 270 and those tags were in separate season. If I draw bull elk/deer same season then I might use 30-338mag. This year I drew cow elk and buck tag same season and I've got 30-06 I had build for cow tag and I'll use that for both.
 
For many many years it was my Sporterized Enfield, Longbranch No.4 Mk1 (first rifle got it when I was 14) it put alot of meat on the table. I still take it now and then, but for the past 10 years it has been a Marlin 336 in 30-30. I shoot that rifle really well within its capabilities it's a deer killing machine. This year I will most likely remove the scope from the ole dirty dirty and give the iron sights a go. And use my prestamp TC Hawken .50 with patched roundball.
 
My go to deer rifle is actually a pistol ( Monroe County, NY is not a rifle zone for big game hunting )

I use a TC center encore and use several 15" barrels - my favorite is a 243 win, followed by a .260 rem barrel. I occasionally use a .308 win barrel with a muzzle tamer brake, but its obnoxious to shoot.
 
Kraigwy I love your choice. I picked one up earlier this year at a gunshow. I absolutely love it but I havnt hunted with it yet. It will no doubt get some woods time this year.
 
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