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

Weatherby vanguard, 6.5 creedmoor

Ohio has been a shotgun state for a long time, and only went rifle in the last few years. Since I only have one deer caliber rifle, it would have to be my AR-15 .450Bushmaster. And it has yet to even be fired at a deer.

A "go to" deer rifle depends on where I "go to". Thicker woods call for a Marlin 30AS with a 1-4x Leupold using Speer 170 gr. F.P.'s backed up by a suitable dose of IMR-3031. In more open locales there's a nice little Kimber sporterized Mod. 96 Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55 with a 3.5-10x Leupold that has a "go to" load with a 129 gr. Hornady Spire Point driven by IMR- 4831. If I go to a shotgun zone it's a 12 ga. "rifle". An 870 "Special Purpose Deer" slug gun with Remington fully rifled replacement barrel and a 2.5x Leupold. That one can take 3" stuff but works best with Winchester 2 & 3/4" BRI Sabot slugs. If I ever "go to" Wyoming again my two "go to" rifles are a Ruger 77 Mk. II in .25-06 with a 6-18x Leupold and 117 gr. Sierra Pro-Hunters fueled by RL-22 and a Savage Mod. 10 in 300 WSM with a 3.5-10x Leupold shooting 150 gr. Accubonds with Nosler's accuracy load of IMR-4064.

My go-to rifle, for deer, is a Remington M7600, 270 with 150gr Speers.

My Whelens are for bigger stuff!

Nice buck WN, I've had the crazy thought as of late to find a 760/7600 in 35 Remington for some strange reason, thinking it would be a fun gun to work up a good hunting load with and smack some deer and pigs this year.

Beautiful rifle and buck. What more could a guy want? Congrats...

Very nice buck indeed!!!

Gunner...like this one?

About 2 yrs. ago, the LGS had 2 760's in the 35 Rem. One wore the stock like the one on my 760 I inherited from daddy that was bought in about the mid-60's with the smooth pistol grip and the metal buttplate. Not sure how old the other one was as it had the after market black, plastic on stock and forearm. Wished a 1000 times I had bought the one with the old wooden pieces on it. Maybe I will find another one at some point.

Be danged WN, was thinking blue steel and walnut, didn't know they made them in that configuration, or did you have that done?

Talk about a hardwood creek bottom Thumper, that is one!

Hate it when that happens, and I've done it too, betting one like that is gonna be hard to find again.

Oh well, we'll always have yard sales, now to only learn to stomach going to them.

I'm over 80. Been hunting Deer since I was around 35. Had a bunch of different rifles and calibre's. I now have it narrowed down to two. Both Tikka's T-3 Lite's. One is a .270 and the other is a 30-06. I put a Vortex Diamondback 6-12X40 on both and I use any name brand ammo. The 30-06 likes Federal Fusion 185's and the .270 like's 150 grain Hornady Interbond's. I hunt mainly in the North Woods of Wisconsin. Hardly ever more than a 200 yard shot.
Some of you guys have fine Rifles. I envy you, but i"m resolved to keep it simple.

Gunner

Grice's did a special run of them about 10+yrs ago. Bought two and, in a weak moment, sold one to a buddy.

It's the only 'synthetic' one I have but it has it's niche.

WN

10-4, thanks WN, bet it ain't going anywhere but to the woods with "You" either.

Gunner, when you discover how well they shoot, you will be able to stomach them.

No doubt, this one might be more to your liking. Wood/blue, carbine, rechambered to .358Win w/1.5-5 Leupold. My other go-to swamp deer thumper.

You know you need one!

These swamp thumpers amuse me. I went that way one time too... ended up 50 beowulf which is about like a mild 45-70... due to hunting in the brush in east texas on public land at the tiem, where I had a223 deflect off unseen brush.

Shot a few deer with it, as far as I can tell over the years, the 223 kills as well as the big round.

But if you like short guns, they sure are handy, I ended up going back to a shorty 223 AR for East Texas and have never had an issue. Have had a few bang flops with non CNS hits with it. NEVER had that with the big round.

Strange in a way I think.

Winchester 54 .30-30 bolt gun. 190 grain cast lead flat nose at 1900fps, Lyman receiver sight. Tickles me sh*tless for the eastern woodlands I loaf in.

gnoahhh. Sweet. What hardness of lead do you use?

bhn 11-13. Basically clip-on wheelweights with a pinch of tin added as a sweetener.

LOL on the want vs need deal, I do know I'd like to shoot a big whitetail deer though, dang, you post some pics of mighty fine bucks.