Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles which compact deer rifle to buy?

Hi, I am wanting to get a short lightweight rifle for deer. I am thinking right now either 7mm-08 or 308 in either a Remington model 7 or a Ruger compact.I am interested in not only choice of caliber (7mm-08 or 308 ) but in comparisons as far as accuracy and reliability and price.I am curious as to how much velocity loss the Ruger compact would be compared to the Remington. Also I am not tied to either the Rem or the Ruger and would be more than welcome to listen to other options.Thanks ,Craig

Hi Craig, Either one of those rifles or calibers are great lightweight rifles. I don't know the exact weight of either but handle them and make your choice. There ain't ten cents worth of difference in the calibers if you are hunting deer. There are plenty of factory loads for both that will thump any kind of deer you can find at quite a distance. Invest in a good compact scope for whatever you chose and practice. I prefer the Model 7. I have one in 7-08 but it is a laminate stock and it's not exactly lightweight with a 3 x 9 aboard. It is compact though. I think they have improved the triggers too since I bought mine. The trigger job cost me extra. As far as velocity lost, at 300 yards either will still be moving along swiftly enough to do what you want. If you want super velocity, buy a magnum with a 26" barrel and suffer the weight and blast. I have those too and I love shooting them all! Good luck man and good deer hunting! BT

Rem Model 7 in 7mm-08...


And DON'T ask these guys which is better....a 7mm-08 or a .308....

You'll have to trust me on that one....

Ingwe

Another compact gun to consider is the Ruger #1 in 7x57 Mauser or 270 Winchester.

Both would work fine. Somebody will probably mention the kimber. I like the ruger number one idea as well. Another one I am particularly fond of is the rem 600/660. Also the tc encore. In its typical 26-28 inch barreled factory form is not real light or compact but throw a carbine barrel on and its a completely different story. For close range whitetails the contender carbine can be had in several cals that would work fine. Another handy little whitetail gun is the cz carbine in 7.62x39. You didnt mention where you would be hunting or how. So some of these may not fit the bill but a couple different options anyway.

I would also go for the Rem M7 in 7-08. I have one in a stainless syn but it has a 20" barrel. I had a 308, but that barrel seemed very short for me so I sold it. The barrels are very thin in the 7 and the 7-08 will give you just a little more meat than the 308. The 7 is sooo easy to carry and points fast. I saw a M70 compact about 3 wks ago at a local shop, and I really liked that..it was a 308, and it was the first one I have ever seen..might be hard to find one of those..The one here sold fairly fast..think it went for $525? My 7 will do 1-1.25" with a 154 Horn RN..great in the woods. The bottom line is to pick the rifle that feels best in your hands.

for me it'd be the Rem Model Seven, not basing that on any experience but the next rifle I purchase will be it's big brother the 700 CDL in 25-06.

I love the way it looks and feels

I did handle a Model Seven the other day at Bass Pro and I instantly fell in love with it... I'll prolly have one in a .223 one day

good luck let us know what you get!

Brett (Mac)

M7 for me, from the two you mention. Or, add a few hundred bucks and get a Kimber Montana. If I was starting over I'd do that. But, I love my M7...

This was the first year I used my new Sako 85 Finnlight 308.What a joy to carry.I also harvested an eight point buck.Eighty yard heart shot.The first deer I see,down with one shot.How cool is that.Outstanding performence.
Add Sako to your list.

i'd go model 7. my FIL has the ruger and i have/have had numerous model 7s. no comparison in my opinion. i just prefer remington to ruger almost every time.

I like the 7mm-08 myself but any short action will do based of the 308's case. I would also consider the Weatherby Vanguard Carbine. Good gun for the money and usually pretty accurate right out of the box. Rem Mod 7 is another good gun and a classic whitetail rifle.

I'd say the Ruger Ultra Light, but the barrel is too thin, so between the 2 mentioned go with a Model 7. Have and love both the Ruger and Remington.

Now for a suggestion, if I were you I'd take look at a Kimber 84M. I have one in 308 and it'd be hard to find a better compact rifle.

Get a #1 Ruger RSI, and be done with it.

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/products/no1International/models.html

A pic of my "compact" a Rem 7...but in .22-250

Loaded with TSX...deer hate it...



Ingwe

I've owned two #7's in 7mm-08 one Lam/stainless and the other stainless/synthetic.

They both went down the road after getting a Ruger LSS compact in 7-08.

Also have a LSS compact in .223 so that my varmit gun feels the same as my deer rifle.

These are my all time favorite bolt guns.

Have 6X36mm Leupolds on both.

Virgil B.

I love my Rem 7 in 7'08. Its a deer killing machine. But I also have a new toy thats really working out, a Savage 308.

rej

I have 3 bolt action carbines, and all were made before carbines were cool. Oldest is a Winchester 670, 20", in .30-06. Just bought it used this year. Great shooter. Weighs just under 8 lb with a 2-7x Leupold, and a Winchester synthetic stock.

Next is a Remington M600 Mohawk in .308. Replaced birch stock with a Numrich checkered walnut stock because I liked it. Very accurate, short, and light. Under 7 1/2 lb with a 2-7x Leupold.

Last is my Winchester M70 short action .308 carbine. 20" barrel. Weighs just under 8 lb with a 2-8x Pentax Lightseeker. Had this over 20 years, shot a lot of deer with it. Decently accurate with loads it likes. Lots of fussing after Reloder 12 was discontinued, but I eventually found new combinations it liked.

This being said, my Tikka T3 lite stainless is as light as any of these, shoots as well or better. But the barrel is a little longer. 22" plus.

Here in Penns woods, a shot over 100 yards is rare, so an accurate carbine always appealed to me. I prefer bolt actions (over lever or pump) for accuracy, and better triggers.

From the two you mention, the Remington Model 7 would be my choice. To keep the size proportions and scope power for shorter ranges, I would put a Leupold 2-7x33mm on top in VX-II series with an LR reticle. Caliber would be 7-08mm. I had one if these for years and loved it. It was as one poster already said, a deer killing machine.

If you find the the fit and balance not quite to your liking, then consider the Remington Mtn Rifle or fior a standard weight rig, go with a Remington CDL. Same caliber and same scope as above or go to a 3-9x40 scope. Some love the Rem 7's short 20" barrel and some don't. The Mtn rifle give you a 22" barrel but it is very skinny. I prefer sporter weight 24" tube and that is why I now use a CDL.

A lot of guys have mentioned the Remington 600, 660, Mohawk line but you didn't give me that choice! Those are my favorite rifles and they are very accurate. I have a bunch of them. They were the utmost in compact, short, at light. They seem to shoot more accurately than my M7 though I think the action is roughly the same. I also have a couple of 673's which I love. One is a 6.5 and one a .350. These are nice choices though guys on here talk about puking when they see the vent ribs. They don't bother me. I think they would have been more successful without the ribs and better trigger. All the Remington triggers made at the time of the 673 suck. These are basically M7's / 600's. I saw a couple of new one's yesterday at Gander Mountain. One in .300 Ultra for $500. That one would be a smoker! If I didn't have so much stuff already, I would have brought it home. The Model 7 seems to be the choice here and I agree. All the rifles I mentioned above are really M7's so I guess I have a bunch. I love them all! BT

P.S Ingwe - Your M7 is beautiful! The straight tube scope really sets it off.

I get the one that was lighter and for which cartridges were easier to find for it unless you reload.

Its a fair amount of pain to buy 20 rounds for $39.00 + tax, versus $18.00-$20 or so for Rem Corelock's at Walmart.

Unless you have a medical problem the difference in recoil between 140's and 150's cannot be a factor. If a medical problem go 223 or 243.