Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Semi-auto deer rifles

I tend to prefer bolt and lever guns but my brother-in-law uses a Remington auto in 30-06 and has done very well with it for thirty years. To him a rifle is just a tool but he is one of the best hunters I have ever known. A man needs to be careful before being critical of someone's choice of hardware. Oh, I did borrow his rifle once and took it to the range. I shot a variety of factory ammunition through the thing and it grouped everything I put through it under two inches at 100yd. Not anything to brag about but good enough to consistently get the job done.

What I didn't mention is that I shoot left-handed, so that changes things significantly in terms of finding a bolt action. Again my option is Browning in bolt action, perhaps in a 25 WSSM. Where we hunt in the Southern Tier in NY and how we hunt (drive as well as sit in a stand), a multi-shot gun makes sense if you stick with only one gun. If I want to save weight, I could go with a Browning BLR.

Hey guys & girls,
I walked by the magazine rack at the grocery store and saw a 2006 gun buyer annual that had a remington auto on the cover. These rarely get press time, except this a rem 750... A new model. Wonder what that will bring?
h

Probably more business for me in the fall... Best guess.

JeffS

FWIW I've seen left handed folks run a right handed bolt gun so fast it'll make you blink. You just have to get used to it. IIRC some national records were set, at least the nationals at Perry were won by a lefty shooting a righty bolt. And this includes 50% rapid fire strings.

Also worth looking into very hard-- AR15 and AR10 platforms and tons of calibers. Accurate and fast.

Jeff

In any shooting conditions where a second shot is likely (heavy cover and wanting to avoid a messing tracking job, or multiple tags) the semi-auto has a lot going for it. It only makes one sound, and requires no movement on the shooters part; no working a bolt or a lever to give yourself away. I have noticed that the hardcore, serious coyote hunters are going to semi-autos- a lot of them are using HKs. I western open country, the extra weight and accuracy disadvantage is just that. No need to have a semi-auto when you are blazing away at 400 yds.

As far as not chambering a 260 Rem in a Winny or Browning because it says Remmy on it, it means nothing. I hunted with a guy last weekend that was carrying a Win mod 70 in 300 RUM! This was a factory rifle that he has had for 3 years!

I don't think they chamber them because the figure they won't make enough profit to make up for the additional stocking needs.

just my 2 cents

Jeff S., I'm left-handed too, so I bought a Remington 742 Woodsmaster carbine for hunting. I like it; it's at least as accurate as I am, has been totally reliable, and I have absolutely no intention of selling it (even though a friend has offered several times to buy it from me).

I've since acquired a Savage 110-L, and I shoot it pretty well, but I sure like the look and feel of that 742.

I hunt NY's southern tier same as you and never needed anything but a single shot. Even last year when rifles were not legal here. Single shot Encore pistol and 50 cal. muzzleloader then and now a #1 25-06. Guess that comes from my youth when dad gave me one 20 gauge slug and a HR single barrel and told me to go kill a deer. He had a reason for that, not just to make me a better hunter but a better marksman also. Am i better than you? probably not, just don't run yer deer drives on my place with your semi autos.

Oh...did i mention i have a lefty bolt too? Good shooter, many one shot kills in other states. That remmy's been with me through two wives.

In some places 'party hunting' is almost mandatory. One guy has a very hard time by himself collecting a deer in these areas, but a group of 3 or 4 can do very well. But it means that sometimes one guy has the opportunity for multiple deer, like a group coming out of the bush ahead of a drive. So it's a pretty easy decsion who to put on stand; a guy with a single shot Ruger or a guy with a semi. The guys working their butts of through the thick bush aren't gonna turn up their noses and miss out on a couple of deer just because someone shoots a semi.

grouseman

To MOGC and all the others who took offense to my opinion-I've seen enough Remington's jam to know what I'm talking about here. Of course, there's some that can shoot-heck you can say that about any gun. Now, that you've lambasted me, go ask a few RANGEMASTERS their thoughts. I think you'll understand where I'm coming from. If you've got a 742 that'll shoot decent groups, good for you. For the most part though, these guns are not as accurate, or dependable as a good bolt gun. If you want to lug around gun that's as heavy as a boat anchor, and shoots poorly, that's your business. Knock yourselve's out.

Here is the original post I called BS on. My problem with your post is in the fact that you seem to lump semi-auto shooters into a slob hunter catagory based entirely on the type of rifle they choose to hunt with. All that bullshit about, That just doesn't sit well. You make a blanket statement such as that and expect to not catch flak over it? Get real... You also assumed that I own a Remington semi-auto. I don't, I do however own two BAR's two Colt AR's, and have owned in the past a host of others to include rifles made by Springfield Armory and H&K. BTW, for what it's worth I shot two deer this year with one of my two Browning BAR rifles and expended a total amount of TWO SHOTS. I routinely hunt with one of two rifles as my favorites for deer hunting. One is one of my BAR's chambered in .30-06. The other is my Ruger No. 1 also chambered for .30-06. Either suits me fine. I suppose using your mindset that since I often hunt with a single shot rifle that makes me a better more suitable and refined hunter than you because you choose to hunt with a bolt action holding multiple rounds in the magazine? Get over yourself.

Whats all this about anyway? Pull the trigger fast and shoot many times? Don't ya have to aquire that next target after recoil for each shot and make a humane kill each shot? Thats hard to do unless you practice a lot and i mean a lot.
Jeesh... the only time i seen that done, four deer down, was a long time ago by a guy with pump 16 model 12. (he hunted chucks with iron sights on his .30-06) The rest of the time i ever heard multiple gunfire going on close i was ducking for cover. Hell it's a joke laughed about in deer camp anywhere i've ever been.
AND, of course it's "hollywood", but on one of those hunting channel shows a while back they did a "test" of sorts with two guys shooting a rapid fire string of five shots. They each had to hit a mellon or something at 100 yards each shot. The guy with the bolt did pretty good but the guy with the Encore beat him.
AND, I won't bet any Camp Perry people but I'll put my #1 up against any semi auto deer rifle betting on leathal hits in a limited time. Had a guy bet me 20 bucks one time i couldn't snap shoot a 8 inch steel gong twice at 250 yards offhand, took my lady to the steerhouse for supper that night. I know there are some old hands here that probably could whip me, I'm just trying to weed out the loud mouths who need to put up or shut up. Can't tell me that a single shot is not capable of multiple hits quickly and accurately. I put the nomex on before i started writing this......

I just turned away from my Remington 742 after 20 years of service. It acquired problems the gunsmith did not want to fix. It came to me used, so I have no idea what kind of life it had prior to 1984. It was a good rifle and it got me going in hunting. I got my money's worth out of the rifle. It was a sub- 4" grouper with factory ammo, and a 1-2" incher when I started reloading for it. It was a minute-of-deer and minute-of-boar rifle by any estimate. We were preparing it for use by my 13 year old, when we discovered it had acquired feeding problems. The old 742's have a weakness in the design that was taken care of in the 7400. Once encountered the rifle is terminal.

OK, so no 742 this year. If you look back on my posts for the past six months, you can get details. Also, it's all on Genesis 9:2-4 -- see my signature link.

Now this is not meant as a flame for anyone in particular. If you can shoot an Encore or a #1 and all your deer have gone down on the first shot, that's just fine. What does gall me is when people pontificate on the unethical nature of hunting with a semi-automatic rifle. It is as though, by handling a semi, your hunting ethics are believed to go out the window. Perhaps they theorize that it is that a semi- hunter just does not have any ethics to begin with, and that's why they gravitate to the rifle. Perhaps all semi-automatic rifles should be outlawed from hunting. Perhaps the owners should have to register them . . .

Hoooey! The semi- is a great gun for hunting deer. I also used it on boar. The only thing it does is remove the need to cycle the action. Target re-acquisition is still going to be an issue, no matter what rifle you shoot. It still takes practice, and not the sort of practice that I see at the range either. Nobody learns to shoot a deer rifle sitting at a bench, letting the barrel cool between shots.

Here's the trick that some bolt-lovers and break-open snobs miss: That heavy gas-operated semi- has far less recoil. You can re-acquire that target a lot faster, because your bells haven't been rung quite as hard.

After the 742 was declared a fireplace ornament, I went scrounging for a rifle for #2 son. It dawned on me that the M1 Garand had been gathering dust for a few years. I took it out with #2 and we shot some standard ball ammo, and then I gave him some of the rounds I had loaded for him that were to go in the 742. This was his first rapid-fire group:



I went ahead and ordered some 5 round enblocs and we went hunting.

So basically, it comes down to this:

1) Gas-operated semis- are perfectly decent deer rifles
2) One shot kills are everybody's favorite. Everybody dreams of them. Everybody just knows their buck is going down on the first shot. Me? I'm a realist. I'll take a three-putt on a deer if I can. Most times I don't need to, but the sights stay on the deer until they're down. I shoot, and If I can pull off another one, I do it again. The insurance shot is for the deer, not for me.
3) When the buck doesn't go down on the first shot ( sorry guys, it does happen) Mooseboy and I have another round in pretty close to the same hole just a tad faster than somebody who's fishing around in his shirt pocket. That's it. That's all of it.
4) When you buy your clothes from the right side of the rack (when they start putting X's in front of the size) an extra pound or two of rifle is no big swizzle.

At one point in my hunting life, the only centerfire I owned was a Belgian FAL in 7.62x51mm NATO. Great deer or hog rifle, especially stalking on the ground with multiple wild boar inside 25 yards.

I have an A-Bolt S/S in .25 WSSM. It's a nice shooter and my goto Deer rifle.
You could always try a SKS. It's a cheap gun with cheap ammo. If a 30-30 can take a Deer then so can the 7.62X39. I think it falls in between the .243win and the .308.

I put a Deer down with one once. It was around 50-70 yards. The SKS had a muzzle break and I could see bullet inpact. Upon firing I could see dirt fly up on the far side of the Deer. Then I heard a load smack of meat and bones. I then knew I didn't miss. I have not heard that sound from any other cartridge. Very memorable.

I just don't care for 2 piece stocks.

Wildy- you're misinformed. A semi-auto is ALWAYS going to be faster than any other action. The pump would likely be second fastest. I have proven it time and time again against all the 870 afficionado naysayers. A semi in the hands of a true professional is something to behold.

I don't hunt with one, but I wish I had a sweet shooting .223 semi-auto ( I don't like the way AR-15 style rifles handle) for coyote hunting. Very few stands does one kill all the animals that come in. Lucas McCain was one fast shooter with his modified mod 98, but like you said, it's Hollywood...

Hey there "denni", i didn't say a semi auto is slower than any other action, just that i could prolly out shoot the majority of the lead slingers in the woods with quality hits in a limited time. It's a matter of marksmanship not trigger finger jerk. Wanna step up big boy an "shoot what ya brung"? Seein how you are implying you are a true professional?

The hollywood thing was a bolt gun against a single shot....reading problem?

I also admitted there are some old hands who could whip me, though I doubt you are one of them.

I was defending single shots against semi's. Ya know? A quick second shot? I won that one shootin' bet back then argueing this very topic.

How big an' ol' boy are you anyway........?

If you are not sure about the semi being faster, take a few .22's to the range! Take your 10/22, your bolt action and your single shot. It takes recoil out of the equation, and sight requisition time is almost nil.

It is true that somone who practices and KNOWS with his rifle or rifles (what, you only have one!) can get some real fast shots off with a single shot, bolt, sling shot or whatever, but here is what matters.

The action or the gun you use really has nothing to do with Ethical Hunting. It is all about what are you going to do with that first shot that comes with that first trigger pull. After that you have every responsibility to put the animal down quickly and cleanly. If you can do that with the rifle in your hands at the time you pull the trigger, end of discussion.

I took my Remington Model 8 hunting for the first time this year. Turns out I only needed one shot to put down a deer, and I am glad cause that ammo t'aint cheap. Anyway you slice it the next round has to be in the chamber and ready to go just in case, does it really matter how it got there?

We really need to be more concerned about the proliferation of see through scope mounts! Those guys shouldn't be allowed in the woods.

I'd be willing to bet that I can put 5 bullets into an 8" bullseye, or even 5 different 8" bullseyes, at 100 yards from the off-hand position with my Winchester 100 faster than than you can with the manually operated rifle of your choice. If I win, I get your rifle and scope, if you win, you get my Winchester 100 and Nikon 2-7x ProStaff. We can use the ENGC range and Calhoun and Nebraska can be the timer and judge. Fair enough? If you have a 2nd rifle and scope you'd like to part with, maybe Dennisinaz can catch the BOP con-air flight from AZ to NE and take his chances against you with my crappy old Winchester 100.

Jeff

LMAO.... All these 'speed' raves.


You're all assuming, of course, that the firearm will WORK properly.


ROTFLMAO..


No offense to ANYBODY, honestly. Whatever firearm you choose is up to you and the very best of luck to you all. In as neutral a statement as I can make, semi-autos fail USUALLY because the owner cannot/will not keep then spotlessly clean. For all semi's, cleanliness IS godliness.... Trouble is, the basic designs of most semi's prevents a full and proper cleaning of the chamber which will translate into feeding issues and/or light strikes; if not full misfires..

For example: BAR comes in yesterday. "Won't cycle ammo" the guy says. I remove the forearm and the gas oriface plug. The gas piston is immovable. It's so full of crud and something nearly resembling tar that I had to soak it in penetrating oil for a half day just to get it to move. (here's your sign..)

I cleaned the parts, reamed the barrel port to proper dimensions, cleaned the gas block, reassembled and test fired.
All rounds fed/fired/ejected normally.

Now all that, so far, is stuff any owner can do. They refuse to try and then cannot understand why the firearm fails. Now a bolt, pump, SS, whatever, will take a LOT more cleanliness abuse before anything fails.

BTW, those of you with Winnie 100's.. When they break (not if) be prepared for megabucks in repairs, IF you can get parts....

The 740's/742's, over time (Remmie says this firearm was built for about a 600 round lifetime) , develop chatter marks on the receiver rails behind the bolt where the head over-rotates. When they become deep enough, the bolt locks back and you have a wall-hanger.. There is no repair for these. You MIGHT get lucky and have it work a bit longer if you convert it to a pump. A spendy option and the money is probably better utilized in obtaining another firearm.. Many gunsmiths now refuse to work on them. I'll keep at it as long as I can get parts. Hard to look a gift horse in the mouth.

One of the main problems with the BAR's, other than cleaning issues, is the timing latch pin which breaks and locks up the action. Trip to the gunsmith is in order. I keep several pins on hand just for this eventuality.

I have several BINS of parts on hand for 742's, BARs etc.. and I'm digging in them on a near daily basis. For every bolt, SS or pump that comes in I get 20-30 semi's...

It's just a fact and I have the BATFE log sheets to back it up.

For those of you who have them and love 'em.. bless your hearts and Godspeed. It ensures good business for guys like me.

A very Merry Christmas to you all!