choose one deer rifle

triton

triton

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If you had to choose one deer rifle. What would it be? One day you might the brush, The next a hardwwod ridge. The week after an agricultural field or a clear cut. What calibre would you choose and why. Shots could range from 10-250 yards. What do you think?

Dave.
 
I like these questions. I think a do all rifle would be any standard length rifle. It can be used anywhere. Though it's not perfect for every situation, like heavy cover, it will work for any. A good cartridge from the .270/7mm-08 up to the .308/.30-06 on the heavy end. This is a deer rifle, and no more power is required for any shot a responsible hunter should be taking. A variable scope isn't a must either. A fixed 4 or 6 power has worked well for decades, and will continue to do so for many more.
 
Given your stated conditions, I would likely use my .308win...or maybe my 350 Rem Mag...then again, my .358win would reach out to 250...:confused:

I guess I would just have to bring them all and decide when it's time to hit the field.:D
 
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I fi was to hunt deer, and deer only, and no chance of running into other creatures, I'd pick something sub .308 caliber, like a 257 Roberts, 25-06, 25WSSM, 260, 270 or 7-08

I'd load it with an Accubond.

I prefer CRF rifles, but I'd take any rifle that was accurate and reliable, as long as it had a hinged floorplate!;)
 
I'll do better. Here is my choice for all big game hunting in Canada in the varying conditions you describe:

TrophyShots.jpg


You can see that the Muley was not too fond of it!

Remington Model 700 Stainless Mountain Rifle in .30-06, topped with a Bausch & Lomb Elite 3000 2-7X, pushing a 168-grain Barnes TSX at a chronographed 3,000+ fps into 3-shot groups that hover around 1 inch at 200 metres. (The secret is in the powder: Vihtavuori N560.)

I love to play around with different rifles and loads as much as the next guy. But this is my serious rifle that I rely upon almost every time I venture out to do big game hunting. Many of you may disagree with my choice (and that's the beauty of a free country), but I doubt that anyone is going to suggest that I'm incorrect to claim that this rifle/load combo will do it all in any deer hunting situation, from close in, low-light timber, to long-range sniping (the Muley above was taken from 300 yards across a deep draw).

There are also about a million other equally excellent do-all deer rifles out there. At the end of the day, it's what works for you (within certain paramenters, of course).
 
I chose the Tikka T3 lite in 7mm-08 just recently (I am by no means an expert as I have never shot a deer but plan to)

The caliber for it's flat trajectory and the rifle because you can carry it all day and it shoots half MOA out of the box (with handloads) I fitted it with an Elite 4200 2.5-10X40 2.5 for the bush and 10 for the fields.

I also have a nice Marlin 30-30 for the bush but I may never use it. Mind you with the new Lever-evolution, it may als be a great gun for what you are looking for. Accurate and relatively flat. I get 1 hole groups at 50 with it, I may try a higher X scope someday to really test the accuracy.
 
If I Had Only One Rifle

I would go with my Remington 700 BDL with a 22" stainless Mountain Rifle Barrel in 7mm 08. It's a light, handy and compact gun and it will fill all my requirements. I am saving a new 24" stainless Remington 7mm 08 medium weight barrel for a future project if the opportunity presents its self.
I like 7mm's but not the magnums they have too much recoil for my back, would love to be able to shoot them again.
 
I'd take a Remington Model 700 stainless mountain rifle in 260 Remington, with a laminated mountain rifle stock. I'd mount a Leupold VXII 2-7x33 with the LR duplex, in Talley lightweight rings. Buck the barrel to 20 inches for hunting in the brush.

I'd load 130 grain Nosler Accubonds @ 2750 fps. +2" @ 100 should give a 200 yard zero, and down around 8 inches @ 300, plenty far, and it hits with good energy.


Plan B would be a Ruger No1-A in 7x57, topped with a Leupold FX-II fixed 4x33. 154 grain Interlocks @ 2500 fps, zero'd for 175 yards. Nice gun....someday ;)
 
If I could only have one and it would only be for deer, either a Savage 11 series or a Rem model 7 in 7-08 or something similar in 7x57. Since I'm not limited to only one rifle and none of them are used only for deer, I don't currently own any of these. The closest is a Savage 111 series in 7mm Rem Mag.
 
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