Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Your go to deer rifle?

.35 Rem Marlin Marauder. Williams peep.

Maybe one of these days I'll have a favorite go-to rifle but I've haven't found it yet. I've only gotten big into rifles, collecting and reloading, over the last 5 years or so. I'm still in the collecting and trying new loads phase. Once a rifle gets bloodied, it goes back in the safe so I can bloody another one. I've still got several to go.

I'm really liking lighter rifles. I don't have any ultralights, but I do have a few in the 7 1/2 to 7 3/4 pound range ready to hunt. Among those, I'm really favoring my two Marlin XS7s in 22-250 and 7mm-08 and my Ruger M77 UL in 223Rem.

I have several deer rifles but the one with the most miles on it is my Remington Model Seven SS in .308 with a Leupold VX3 2.5-8X.

I don't have any pictures of deer I've taken over the years, or of my rifles on fence posts. I've taken more deer with my old 25-06 Rem 700 BDL and a few with my Browning 300 Win Mag. But, If I could only have one deer rifle, it would be my Ruger M77 All Weather 358 Winchester. This rifle works as a bush gun, and I feel confident with this rifle at well past 200 yards. Virtually all deer I've taken over the years in OK, South Dakota and TX have been under 200 yards.

Classic classic.

For still hunting in thick stuff like creek bottoms. Just a Rossi in 44 Magnum, but it's a lot of punch in a very light, little package.

Here are three 264 Win Mags. I use these a good bit.

Exactly.

I always seem to grab the 250 Savage T/C pro hunter. The little 250/3000 is the little cartridge whose game performance outperforms its case capacity.

Doc

7 Rem mag, Kleinguenther K-15 improved

Ruger Hawkeye All-weather ultralight 7mm-08 w/Leupold 2-7x33. It is accurate, nearly indestructible and fits me like it was custom made for me.

I enjoy using various arms.
This year I think I am going to try to get my deer and antelope with either my Marlin 336 rifle (long barrel)
or my little Mannlicher 6.5X54. I hunted with them last year, but never got to shoot and when I did get the opportunity, I was carrying my 8X57 Mauser. So I made my year's meat with that. Same one I used to get my elk. Or I may go after my deer and antelope with my 50 cal flintlock.

I may even use the 6.5X54 on elk, but I am going to be taking out 2 good friends of mine for elk, and I'll carry a rifle too, but I'll let them have the shots first because they can only hunt for 1 week. I have 2 months.
So I will carry my iron sighted rifle (maybe my M95 Winchester in 270) So they can shoot to longer ranges, but I'll limit myself to about 200 yards, at least when I am with them.

20" T3 .308 with a Nightforce.

McWhorter 7mm08 and 140 AB's @ 2820fps.

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its wonderful so many different hunting rifles and cartridges in what we hunt with and we all kill deer! I have killed them with a 223 to 300WSM and seen no difference in performance at ranges under 100 yards. These last few years I have become quite fond of hunting with my Kimber montana in 308win with an old Kahles on it. It's lighter and more than accurate enough.

The first year that Remington manufactured a 700 Classic in 35 Whelen I had to have it. I have never regretted it.
It never needed bedding, but I did adjust the trigger pull with a screwdriver to 4.5 lbs.
It prefers 250 grain bullets and IMR 4320 or Varget. 55 grs.

It works on caribou and black bear and someday a moose or elk
might be in the crosshairs.
If I was hunting something that might be ornery I would use the Nosler 225 grain Partition at 2681 fps.
Whelennut

I like Savage 99's, I have 250-3000,.243,,308 and .300 sav. Picture is the .300 with a Lyman scope

BLR stainless 7-08 with a pistol grip is my latest. My favorite is a 181/2 inch model 7 in 7=08. Killed a 7 pt last year with the first and a 8 pt with the second. Both shoot IMR 4320 over a 140 NBT better then I can shoot

kimber 260

257 roberts win featherweight is mine