Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What's your main deer rifle this year ?

Nice Featherweight. Great shot.

Ruger Hawkeye .223 with a 3-9 vxII. buncha BL-C 2 and 55gr TTSX or 60gr Vmax depending on circumstances.

Kimber MT, 338 Fed. Probably 185 TTSXs.

Winchester Model 70, 300 WSM. McMillan compact pattern stock and a Leupold M8 3x.

I would like to take this 1886 in 45-90 on a few walks in the woods this deer season. It's an 1891 gun with a half-round barrel and some nice wood. I loaded some 300 gr. casts and it functions fine, it would be nice if a buck would now just give me a shot.....But this would not be my main rifle this year, that would be a Kimber Montana in .257 for the Adirondacks and a Ruger #1 RSI in 7x57 for the southern zone hunts. Good luck all.

My DIY special. Savage/Stevens action, match trigger, Pac-Nor barrel, B&C stock with other target goodies. I refinished the metal in Cerakote, camo'd the stock. Caliber .260 Rem. A Nikon 3-9x40 with some sort of BDC reticle I had handy. I just put it all together a few weeks ago and have been working on some handloads for it. I think I'll settle on Nosler 130gr Accubonds, over a yet to be determined load of RL 19. I've been hunting with a couple different .308s over the past several seasons, with an occasional outing with my old model 94 30-30, but I think this new build will be my go-to gun for a while, at least until I finish tinkering with one of my .308s. I don't think the quest for the perfect rifle will end; I'd suddenly be bored if it did.

Wow. I'd be honored to hunt with that rifle. Sorry, to hear about your friend passing away. A nice deer killed with that rifle would be a special event.

My Hawkeye in 30-06 using 59 grains of H414 to push a 150 grain TTSX around 3000 fps.



With my Pronghorn sling on it, that thing is deadly.

Rock River LAR-8
Sightron 6.5-20
Sierra 165 Hollowpoint Boattail
Forgot just how much powder but use IMR-4895
2600 fps
Keeps me healthy dragging it around

Probably same as last year, 303 Savage 99:

I tend to carry different rifles on different days....depending on where and how I will be hunting. While there are some 40 rifles that "could" get some woods time this season, the one's I actually shot this week to confirm zero are likely to get the most use.

The Savage 99's will certainly go hunting including an EG in .250-3000, another EG in .358 and an F in .308. The Ruger Mannlicher ("Brenda") is a favorite that will be get a few trips. For those "slipping" hunts in the really thick stuff, the Ruger 44 Carbine and a Marlin 1895 in .45-70 are ready to go.

Of course if things don't go well early, my "old faithful" main rifle will come out to play. It's an FN Mauser custom in .30-06 that has over 80 kills to it's credit. It too, is one of the few "named" rifles I have....Diana!

LH Rem 700 6.5x47L. 2.5-10x32 Nighforce NXS ( picture has the 5.5x22NXS), 21" Lilja 8 twist, 129 Hornady SST's over 37 g R-15.

Most of my hunting will be done with a Model 7 SS 358 Win and the load will be 200gr Hornady SP. May also use several other 358's that I have. I'm sure the 700 Classic 250 Savage will find its way into the field at some point also with factory 100gr SilverTips.




Ken

Here's mine: LH Ruger Hawkeye 30win



McMillan stock with Burris low rings


Leupold FX II 6x42

Dads old 670 winny with fw contour barrel chambered in 280AI. Edge stock and prolly run 139gr gmx's since they had blems on sale. May swap scope for somethin with a turret or dots?

Browning X-Bolt Stainless Hunter in .300 WM, 130TTSX cruising around 3530fps......

Well, I ended up using my FN PBR XP 300WSM since I knew I'd be shooting long range at my buck. I'm very glad that is the rifle I took this year:




This target was shot a few days before I took my buck. The day before the hunt I set it so it was zeroed for 240. 32 clicks up (8 moa) got me the rest of the way for the one shot kill (total clicks up= 42):


10 shot group in windy conditions......

My Left Hand 700 in 6.5-06 , Rel 22 and the Nosler 120 gr BT

Great thread. Thanks to all who posted pictures. (Except that Gawd Awful Yellow thing a few pages back! hahahha)

In NY, I will be carrying my Savage 110 in 30-06. First year we can use rifles in my area...used it before in the Dacks and in the neighboring county...bled 1 deer with it.

Hoping for another this year!