Know anyone who uses those short, 20 inch, heavy contour barrel tactical rifles that most companies have to hunt deer with? Some of them I've seen aren't much heavier than a standard rifle. I always thought the Remington XCR compact tactical would have been a need gun to have and might have been a pretty good deer rifle.

My youngest boy has taken a spike and a doe with a Remington LTR .308 with a Leupold 3.5-10X40mm LRT M1 shooting Trophy Bonded 165s.

Heavy 223AI

I think a short-barreled varmint-ish 308 makes a heck of a deer rifle for hunting in a blind. I hope to have mine up and running in a few months. I also just set one up for my father and bedded it a few weeks ago.

I used a heavy 25" 223 to take a deer this year, off hand.

I always thought an LTR in 308 would be one heck of a deer rifle.

They make perfect stand rifles but get heavy quick if you gotta carry 'em far.

My FWT .30-06 M70 was giving me fits right before West River deer season this year. That meant the .308 PBR XP 24" came along. It put 4 deer down with 5 shots, from 115 yds to 438 yds. I don't know if I want to take another rifle hunting...

I have taken 3 deer over the years with my Savage 110FP in .308. My daughter's BF took a nice doe this past season using my FNAR with the heavy barrel.

My favourite tactical deer rifle is the m94 Winchester in 30wcf. The RCMP, OPP and many small police forces used them for years.

Just another old timer daydreaming.

Randy

Have a 6.5 Project underway, heavy albeit fluted varmint contour, 23", should handle fine for stand hunting but have some weight for steady holding on any longish shots.

No doubt, they hold easier than light rifles, yet handle better w/o snagging/bumping things than long bbls.

Sounds like it could be a winner.....

I agree fully with the LTR for deer hunting. Only drawback is with a 20" barrel, it is LOUD.

A chunkish 20" tube .308 can cover a LOT of bases.

Still think I'm going to need one. Later.

I do most of my hunting on my North Florida property with a Tika T3 Tactical in 308. It's the perfect set up for the kind of hunting we do on this property. Short, heavy 20" barrel. None of the shots on this place exceed 350 yards and long hikes are a none factor as far as the weight of the gun is concerned.
The rifle is an absolute tack driver with Win. 168gr. BT factory ammo and it's compact size is a dream when sitting in our shooting houses, blinds, climbers, and tree stands as far as mobility is concerned when having to move around quietly in these things. Of course I've got an obnoxiously large objective scope that I'd probably get crucified on here for, but I don't care because it was free.

I think that there is a difference between "shooting deer" and "hunting deer".

I think that "shooting deer" is what happens when you over-watch a particular area, usually a field, pasture, clear-cut, or powerline right of way, with the expectation of taking long(er) shots at animals that are not aware that you are there. For "shooting deer", heavy barrel rifles are a great choice, 'cause the shots are likely to be long(er), you'll have a steady rest, and you aren't moving much. I have a Savage 11 A/T in 260 with a 26" heavy barrel that is a great shooting rifle, but a little too heavy and long to be an optimal stalking rifle.

I think that "hunting deer" is more in the style of stalk/still-hunting, drive, and stand of opportunity type of hunting. If you're moving a lot, a lighter rifle is easier to carry. If you expect to shoot running game at short(er) ranges, a lever, pump, or semi-auto might improve your odds of hitting/killing your deer. I have a bunch of light rifles with barrels 24" and less that are, mostly, handy enough for still-hunting tight cover, but heavy/steady enough to take a long(er) shot if the situation presents itself.

I like the size of the Remington 700 LVSF barrel, in terms of length and weight, and think that a rifle in the .257" to .308" bore range with an LVSF barrel would work pretty well for both styles of hunting.

Jeff