Deer Hunting Rifle Recommendations?

[ricbak]

I have to agree with PascalFleischman, The 30/30 has taken alot of deer. My dad, Brothers and brother in laws all carry 30/30's Mostly Winchester Lever Guns. Michigan is divided in to 3 hunting zones. The lower thirdis shot gun or hand gun with straight walled cartridges. That is why I got a .44 mag to hunt state wide. Out of the 4 deer I have harvested were all under 50 yards. In a lot of this state that is a long shot.
This year my brother in law with his 30/30 and I, with my .44, were using the Hornady Leverevolution. Neither of us had shots this year, so I do not know how good this ammo is on a larger animal. I know I hold good groups at 50 yards, great stuff on paper.
So with that said, Either 30/30/ or 30.06 (.44) the question becomes what load are you thinking about using?

Good Luck Enjoy the season...

[PascalFleischman]

I shot CoreLok and scored a pass-through on my deer this year at 25 yards or so...I'd stick to it, unless you're going out & beyond 100 yards. You just don't need the LeverRevolution (and $10 or so extra per box) within 100 yards using a .30-30

[elkhuntCO]

If your friend still has the 7mm-08, I would take a serious look at that. It is an excellent caliber for deer and is even a good caliber for elk out to 300 yds with 140 gr ammo. My son has been using one for the last few years during elk season and it has been great. It hits hard on the other end without much recoil, so its very easy to get good with and become confident quickly. As an all around caliber the 30-06 is hard to beat in a bolt action rifle such as the Remington 700. You may also want to look at the Savage rifles, as they are very accurate and less pricey than alot of the high end rifles. I have a Rem 700BDL in 30-06 and love it.

[Stiofan]

I have to add the Blasers normally runs upwards of $2,500 or more new. They are owned by SIG Arms. I have an older SIG SHR in .270. It's nowhere near the class of the Blasers, but it's a very accurate gun. I use it for just about everything, deer, antelope and elk. If I'm lucky enough to draw a moose tag I'll use it for that as well. Good round.

Most popular rounds for bolt actions will be .270, 7mm., .308, and 30.06 but anything in that class will work fine.

[DarrellM5]

I use a mid 80's Savage 110 in 30-06. I like the 30-06 due to the huge range of bullet weights and combinations as well as the availability almost anywhere. It works great all the way up to elk, which is the largest animal to hunt in my area.

[festus]

SAVAGE makes a great .308 with a varmint bbl. It is tack driver accurate, light enough to be useful, easy on recoil, and you don't have to put a kidney up for sale on E-BAY. ($600-ish bucks)

[Shooter Mike]

One more vote for the Remington 700 .270.

[lukem]

Well I've got the Blaser R93 in a 30-06 with a Zeiss Diavari 3-12x56 T with Illuminated Reticle. I need to get the right scope mount for it though. I'm hoping I can pick it up this week and take it hunting once before the season ends.

[Austin]

Remington 700 BBL or 710

In 7mm Remington mag.

[pattonka]

The Blaser is a fine rifle if but quite pricey, you can still pick up Rem. 700 and even the 788 very reasonable. If you are hunting whitetails the .270 is superb but I would not overlook the 7mm-08. a very fine and effective choice. Good luck on your hunt.