Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Close Range Deer Rifle

I'm a long time user of leveractions for this type of work but am interested in putting something together very similar to the rifle above.

You got me. I stand corrected. My rifle had those things and I overlooked them.


Okie John

Here in the Northeast you don't have to go far to find thick woods. I hunted with leverguns, in particular Marlins in just about every configuration and caliber they made. They worked well and then started shooting and hunting with lighter weight bolt actions, especially in a carbine version and have never looked back. Good balance with a little weight forward that fits you well. As for cartridge, I use to believe in the bigger is better and the learned a a good bullet from .243-.308 in the right place takes them down just as quick. Favorite being a 7mm-08. For speed on follow up shots, its amazing how fast you can work a bolt action when adrenaline is pumping and deer are running

How about a 30-30 or a 35 Remington?

All over the place on this one...

Deer in the brush says to me:

A compact bolt rifle like Rem 7 7-08 with Leupold 1.5-5 Heavy Duplex.

or

Rem 722 300 Sav with receiver sight.

No need for medium bores. Just deer? 223, 22-250, 243.


2013 Whitetail rifle thread

Remmy 760/7600 in 35 Rem ought to do it well, just make sure you get lits of practice shooting rabbits with an 870 prior to deer season 😀

You lost me at "75 meter".....

Close range/thick brush...this is what I use.



If I was buying new I'd give the Mossberg 464 a look. I've handled a couple and they seem to be dandy little rifles.

Or in an 06 or 308, they kill as good close as they do longer ranges

Just to keep the discussion going, another option would be a Ruger Mini 30.

But what happens if you have to make a long shot with a close range rifle? Or a close shot with a long range rifle? Or a timber shot with a bean field rifle? Or a bean field shot with tree stand rifle? Or a ground blind shot with a truck rifle? Or a husband shot with a wife rifle? Or a wife shot with a kids rifle? Or an expensive shot with a budget rifle? Or a light rifle shot with a heavy rifle? Or a rainy shot with a blued rifle? Or a varmint shot with a dangerous game rifle?


Quite a conundrum....

Not really an issue. Just pick the best tool for the job at hand and stay within it's limitations and your own abilities.

Browning BAR

http://www.browning.com/products/fi...n/bar-mk3-mossy-oak-breakup-country.html

True dat' I just have a penchant for 35 Rem pumps, ideal platform for the 35...

Just to throw something out there: here in Northwest Louisiana, the cover is very much like it is in East Texas. By that I mean thick, heavy, dense pine forest. This requires a rifle that is small and maneuverable as well as powerful enough to drop a deer or a pig fast, as it's a pain in the rear to track them down through the undergrowth. Shots are rarely more than 60-70 yards. I use an H&R Handi Rifle in .444 Marlin for most of my hunting in such conditions. Topped with a fixed 2.5 power Leupold, and with a pretty short overall length, it's the perfect brush boppin' gun. I don't have to worry about it being anything fancy that I'm dragging through the pine boughs, and it forces me to value each and every shot, since it's a single shot. The .444 is way more than enough for medium sized whitetails, and in fact, cast bullets will punch right on through, so bullet choice is important. I like the setup a lot for what it is, and it does exactly what I ask of it (which is the same thing you seem to be describing). I'm not comfortable with it past about 120 yards, honestly. For the sake of comparison, another of my rigs is a Remington 700 chambered in 308 Win. It's got a Leupold 2-7x33 on it. It's a much longer rifle, and it's got more weight than the H&R. Obviously the 308 is a terrific cartridge and it's got enough "ummph" to bag most North American game at pretty respectable distances. Now then, I have toted the 700 around the woods and does it work for deer at 60-70 yards? You betcha. Does it work for deer at ranges out to 200 yards or even farther? Also yes. Is it in general a more versatile weapon than a single shot shorty in 444 Marlin? Heck yeah. If you choose a long, heavy 30 caliber bullet, it has plenty of energy out of the muzzle and under 100 yards, just like the 444 does. So, even with the 308, bullet choice can be very important and make a big difference. Basically, I prefer the 444 Marlin for the kind of shooting you're talking about, but with some smart load development, there won't be any noticeable terminal issues with using a 308 instead. Despite being a bit longer, it's by no means impossible to tote a Remington 700 through even the nastiest cover. The added benefit is being able to have a little extra versatility in case you get the chance to take some longer shots on deer/hogs or to try popping some 'yotes at longer ranges. You won't go wrong with it. However, if you're certain that you won't be doing anything like that or if you already have a rifle to do that kind of shooting (in other words, you're looking for a completely dedicated short-range deer rifle) you cannot possibly go wrong with a straight walled big-bore cartridge of some kind or another. Short barrels won't significantly hurt ballistics and they pack the up-close energy to drop any deer in its tracks in heavy woods.

I didn't think it was all that difficult. And nobody has mentioned scopes yet....

Or is it open sights? Or peep sighs? Or a red dot?

See through rings. Allows the use of iron sights as well as the 6-24x50 AO scope which has an extra ring with small pic that a red dot mounts to above. Needs to be quick detach for the fixed 2.5x backup scope.

TFF.



Dave

I'd be hunting with an AR.





Clark

Arkansas?