Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Tree stand rifle

I feel a long action 241n barrel rifle is to long in a tree stand and the feelings come from using such guns out of tree stands,but I am talking about small portable stands.A heated shooting shack hell ya bring your heavy 26in long gun.

Although preferring the shorter barrels, I have used rifles with barrels as long as 24" without issue.

Ithaca Deerslayer II 20 gauge fixed barrel. Simmons Whitetail Expedition scope in 1.5x6. I feel this scope is under appreciated. Never had a problem with it and the clarity is pretty damn good.

If rifle then Remington 7600 22 inch barrel in 35 whelen with the same scope

I always felt the Marlin 336 .30-30 I had for many years was the ideal tree stand rifle. But I probably logged most of my tree stand hours with a Remington 760 .30-06 across my lap.

Last deer I shot from a tree stand was with a 26" barreled .300 win mag...didn't kill it any deader than a turdy turdy would have though...I generally just grab whatever rifle is handy.

T/c encore .35 Whelen

All of my rifles will potentially be used in a treestand. I do not feel the need for a special rifle type. I use my 24-26" barreled bolt actions as well as smaller lever actions. They all get it done.

I don't have any dedicated "stand" rifles, but do hunt with certain rifles that I might not use when hunting on foot.

Since in a stand you aren't carrying your rifle, light weight weapons have no real advantage. In fact a heavier gun might actually be an advantage. When hunting from a stand where longer shots are possible, or even likely, I will sometimes carry a rifle that is longer or heavier than I would consider for everyday use. Quick handling is seldom needed from a stand.

In certain stands where ranges are short, particularly if there is thick brush surrounding, I will often use rifles chambered for rounds that are too limited in range for general use. Even when hunting in thick areas, there is always the risk of stepping out onto a woods road, clear-cut or right-of-way and seeing game at longer range than certain rifles are capable of. It is a really frustrating feeling to see a deer at 250 yards...and you are holding a .44 magnum carbine.

With a stand....what you see is what you get. The opening you are watching isn't suddenly going to pull back and offer a longer shot. There is no need for a rifle capable of reaching out to 400 yards, when you can only see 75 yards. What is needed in thick areas is a good blood trail if the animal gets out of sight. On those close stands I will quite often use rounds such as the .44 magnum, 45-70 or .35 Remington all with a bigger bore size but limited range. Just the thing for a stand where you can only see 100 yards or less.

Since in a stand situation the distance is known and the animal is undisturbed I will sometimes use a rifle chambered for rounds that are marginal for day-to-day use. While I normally use and champion using rifles that are chambered for more powerful rounds than I might use from a stand. This because shots may not be "perfect" with unknown angles and often quick moving targets. In that situation the "advantage" of something like the .270 or .308 "might" save you on a slightly misplaced shot you where a smaller round like the .243 really needs to be placed "exactly" to kill properly.

In a stand your deer is usually standing still or moving slowly. There is no hurry and you can wait until the shot is "perfect". Shot placement should be easy and exact. With distance known and a "perfectly" placed bullet, almost any round will kill effectively (deer just aren't that hard to kill when hit just right). I will use almost any round I want on a stand including the .243, 22-250 or .223. I have even done some "stunt shooting" with things like the .25-20, .22 Hornet, .38 Special and .32-20. I would never consider this under normal circumstances, but from a stand The distance was close and shot placement exact.

The other consideration is the type of stand I am hunting. In an open ladder stand or climbing stand almost any rifle will do as you can maneuver it without restriction. However in a tight box blind you must keep the rifle short. Just try to cover all 4 sides of a stand with smallish windows....and with a 26" barreled rifle and I guarantee you will wish for a carbine.

I don't have a certain "stand" rifle, but stands do influence what rifle I use on a particular hunt.

for our family the old style 18" rem model 7s are perfect

light and easy to move around in a stand.

For anyone reading this thread for advice on setting up a rifle for this purpose, I suggest a youth size stock as it's easier to shoulder for extreme angles and especially needed if you need to shoot from your Weakhand side.

You should include Weakhand practice as well. The ability do come handy...