Hypothetical question ; If you were only going to hunt whitetail/blacktail/mule deer (and why not insert pronghorn) and nothing larger with one rifle/cartridge combo, what would it be?

easy one, 270 winchester, fwt!

M70 Classic Fwt in .25-06.

Rem 700 Classic in 300 Savage.

I'm thinking a Remington 600/660 .243 or 6mm. And had they offered that gun in .250 Savage that would've been my pick.

260 Remington...

An 8lb 22" sporter in something .260-ish.

243ai with 105s.

Of what is in my gun room at present, it would be hard to choose between my Sako Finnbear AV 25-06, and a Sako Forester L579 .243. Or, hmmm, neither.
My Sako M85 Bavarian 7x64. For now.

I'd have to say a 6.5x55 in a configuration/weight that you prefer for your hunting conditions. Probably a 22" barrel.

Remington 700 CDL-SF clone in 6.5 Creed bedded in a McM McM Hunter stock.

270 Winchester with 130 grain Ballistic Tip. They work fine on antelope sized game, but they really have the energy needed for a large buck deer that you may encounter and a 25-06 might be just a tad light for....

257 weatherby in something light

270 win because it works Easy to load and accurate , I own everything built but still love my LH 700 , on its 3rd barrel. And 4th stock! 140 Accubonds since they started makin em! I don't think you can have a bad choice!

Deer season must be over for some.

6.5-06 A-Square (Can't get myself to use that 0.277" bullet)

Or it hasn't started yet.

One...that depends what the hunting conditions are. Hunting in Maine where it is so thick a 50 yard shot is a LONG way and most of the time I am still hunting, a long rifle would be a PITA. Where shots are rarely over 125 yards it would be a Remington Custom Shop 7KS in .350 Remington Magnum with a 2.5-8 Leupold VX-3. Load would be 220 Speer FP at 2600 fps.

If all my hunting was going to be in open areas were shots over 200 yards were common and weight/length was not a factor, then it would be a Remington 700 CDL stainless fluted in .257 Weatherby. Gun runs 120 Speer BTs at 3200 fps and .3 MOA...

But if I had to combine the two conditions and only have one rifle then it would be a lightweight .25-06 in something like a Remington 700Ti or Kimber Montana...

Bob

Pre-64 Win FWT in 270 Win or 7x57 in CLR/NULA.

That is what I have left after a safe purge.

donsm70

7x57 140 grain Nosler Accubond or Partition

Bolt .243 of some type

Anything from a .243 to a .308 on the .308 case is good with me.

Calvin's recommendation on the .243AI is about perfect for deer IMHO. I've been thinking hard about carrying nothing but a .243AI this year....but I like variety so I doubt it will happen.

Seems since having my .243 built by Kampfeld Customs 4 years ago that's all I pick up these days so I'll go with the .243.
Otherwise I could slum a 7MM-08 I suppose.

For me, it would be a 7mm/08. I could likely be happy shooting 140 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips over Varget from a Tikka T3 for any of the game listed.

This one...

.223AI shooting 55 TTSX

Hard to beat the old .30-06 in a Winchester or Ruger.

7-08 or 308, 22 inch tube

270 or 6.5x284

For KY Whitetails only, this ^^^^ plus a pile of 95gr Nosler Partitions. Meat in the freezer...

Nothing hypothetical about it.

270 Winchester. It worked in Maine this year the same way it has worked everywhere else I've used it.

308 win

.270 Winchester and 130 gr Nosler Partitions.

Whaaat, no .280 Carbine?

260 Rem with shooting a 120-130 grain bullet.

Followed very closely by the 270 with a 130-140 grain bullet.

Dang it Again - you beat me to it! ! !

BobNh - How big? How Far? How many shots? <G>

Jerry

moose mike - in answer to your OP...

There are too many good cal/cartridges to choose from but...

I could live with A 270 Win (280 Rem) or A 6mm Rem.


Whatever I could choose WILL be capable of flat trajectory PERIOD!!


Jerry

A .25 cal of some sort 250-3000, 257 Roberts, 25-06 and even a257 Bee.

I think the great premium bullets available really make light recoiling, flat shooting cartridges like the 260 pretty versatile. It is a good fit for a lightweight rifle. Then I would think 7mm08, and 308. Of course where I hunt 50 yards is a normal shot and 100 yards is really far.

If I ever get to go deer hunting this year I'll be packin' a Kimber MT in 270 Win loaded with 140 Accubonds.


Little dink was chasing a doe practically through our feed yard this morning. Talk about torture at work!

Of what I've got now? Sako 85 in 6.5X55. Don't really understand all these other choices????

For me it would be a good .243 or other 6MM.

I own rifles for the enjoyment of the possibilities. I have two 300 magnums sighted in and ready for 'deer' along with larger calibers.

Besides, the 358 Winchester has been my woods rifle since 1966. I have more than one of them. I heard at a gunshop that a hunter near here has ten 358's!

Have to be one of my 25-06's.

If I was only going to still hunt tight cover, I think that it would be hard to beat a Ruger 44 International mounted with a Leupold VX2 2-7x33 that had been retrofitted with a heavy duplex reticle.

Basically anything from a 243 to 30-06 works about equally well. I like my 257 robts but I'd be lying if I said it was far superior to a 243 . As I get older I am getting sort of tired of reloading and don't shoot much anymore other than while hunting. So if starting over for a rifle just for deer I'd probably go with a 243 or a 270 and buy a box of ammo every 2-3 years.

I really like my 6.5x55 for deer. Accurate, light recoil and generally puts them right down. No need for fancy bullets, any old cup & core of your choice works just fine.

The 264WM would be ideal. At any range. 85gr to 160gr bullets. Pick your speed and if you want to shoot ground hogs in the off season for practice the 85gr hp at 3831fps will do the job.

I've been using a M77 UL Hawkeye in 30-06 shooting 165 Horn IL. In the future I'll be using a 257 Bob shooting 110/115 NPT or a 270 shooting some form of NPT.

I've used most of the 06 based-case offspring including the 35 wh and they all work. Have also used a 243 and 308, and 7x57. They all work if you put a good bullet in the right place. For an all-arounder it would be hard to beat a 22" barrel 280 rem shooting 140 NPT or 145 LRX.

For me a .257 Roberts would be the ideal whitetail deer rifle, why Winchester never offered the Roberts in a pre'64 Featherweight I never understood. For longer shots on mule deer the .257 Weatherby would be my choice.

If my real name were Evel Knievel, I'd be a stunt shooter too.

Agreed...and especially IF I could only have 1 rifle for deer.


Jerry

8 twist 22-250.




Travis

For typical Southern whitetails, a .243 would be perfect and there's a multitude of factory options available. If you include big Northern deer and big muleys, something a little bigger might be in order; any of the common rounds based on the '06 or .308.

The fast .22s are illegal in a number of places in the East so are excluded, even though they apparently work fine for the folks who can shoot.

Yep.

260



270

.280 Remington BDL

Very likely a 7mm-08 Montana with 120 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips. If ever used for something bigger than the OP described; same rifle with either 120 gr. TTSX or 140 gr. Partitions.

While I would never be without a 30-06 for your criteria it would be hard to beat the 270 Win. With modern bullets you could push it to take larger animals too.

376 Steyr

I'm thinking 25-06 with 115 grain partitions or a 6.5x55 with any god 140 grain bullet.

270 Win. in any of its iterations....

Rem. 700 in .270 Win. and done.

That was my second choice.

260 Faux Ti with 123 Scenars or 243 Montucky with 90 Scenars....

308 win-7.62x51. Ammo is everywhere, ballistics are sound, factory or custom bullets in any weight you deem necessary to kill your prey.
Just had built one by redneck and can’t wait to try it out. Still will need krylon and scope (nightforce NSX) but thats in the works when I get home.

Lee...woulda never figured you for a .308 guy........

358 Hoosier. Just because nobody else has one.

I'd probably opt for one of my small bores like the 35 Whelen.

If I could only hunt deer...


... I'd go fishing.

1-8" twist 243 would do the most with the least.

270 WBY

Mod 70 classic, 6.5x55 swede and shoot 140 partitions

If only deer then probably my 7mm08 Kimber.

270 Winchester
Rifle Tikka T3 Superlite or T3 Lite,Remington 700 or Winchester mod 70.
Make it stainless.

>270

260, probably Rem 700 based

243, 260, 7-08, 308, 270, 30-06

Any of the above would suit me fine.

No love for the .30-30?

This one:

Rem 700 ADL
McMillan Classic
Leupold 3x9x40 LRD
.308 Winchester
Any good 150 grain bullet


I wouldn't be scared to point it at an elk or moose either.

Guys buying rifles are worse than bitches buying shoes. Same can be said for the gun geek squad 270 vs 3006 or Apple vs Microsoft.

My first choice these days is a very slick, well tested M70 Classic in .308. It wears either a 1.25-4X VX-R Patrol or a 4X, FXII Leupold.
If I were starting from scratch, it would be an M70 Classic SA with the same MPI Kevlar stock that the above has but it would be a .257 Roberts, or a 6.5 Creed. E

Pretty much sums it up.

Remington model 700 titanium in 30-06 with Nosler Partitions.

well let see i would take a savage 110 in 270 the first day,then a ruger american in 270 the 2nd day,then a smith and wesson ibolt in 270 the 3rd day,then a mossebrg in 270 on the 4th day,then a 243 rem 700 on the fifth day,then on the sixth day i would start over with day one and continue the cycle until the season ended.

I'd still use what I already hunt with, despite it being capable of taking larger game. Remington 700 chambered in 338-06 throwing a 225 grain TTSX at 2600 fps.

I'm with gay crowd on this one. That situation a 270 would be my choice. In fact it is in a Featherweight Classic.

Backed by a 300 Savage 99F. Hey can't help it, addicted. GW

I'd have to use either my custom 700 in 280AI or my '62 M70 Fwt in 270. The 700 most days, the M70 for sunny days.

Tikka T3 superlight (stainless fluted barrel) in 308 shooting 155 secnars.

If I was going to only deer I would build a rifle around a .220 Swift case with the rim turned off, body blown out and necked up to 6mm. The barrel would be a 26" carbon wrapped ending with a brake. Then I would have an action built for it that would be no larger than about 1" diameter. It would be about six pound ready to roll.

That's pretty much why I started this thread. I wanted to see how many would still prefer a large rifle if there were no good reason to put up with the recoil and muzzle blast. Turns out there wasnt many of you.

Most of the "help me choose a rifle/cartridge" or "X vs Y" threads are generally "for deer sized game and maybe one day an elk". The "maybe" side of the question is what goofs up the equation.

Simply get one you feel is suitable for "deer" and one for a "maybe elk" and roll on. Seems there is something to being (perceiving) "overpowered" for one and "underpowered" for the other.

Go with your gut and wallet. 270's and 30/06's have been taking care of business for eons, but they are "gay" and "boring".

The rifle itself is only 10% of the equation if you ask me. I don't see a fella with a "maybe elk" at 300 yards wishing he'd brought something else to shoot. I don't have a "maybe elk" yet, so maybe I'm wrong. I do have a maybe elk rifle (7RM) and don't see it getting used for whitetail anytime soon with a 260 in the rack.

But maybe for schits and giggles it will one day.....

As i wrote earlier, if I was only going to hunt deer I would go fishing instead - don't care for deer meat much.

That said, if I WAS in a deer only situation, the rifle would depend on WHERE and HOW I was hunting the deer. My custom Interarms Mark X 6.5-06AI with fluted barrel would be an excellent choice for all but long carries. My Ruger Hawkeye All Weather .280 Rem would be another great choice. So would my Ruger Scout in .308 Win. If I was in big bear country I would arm myself appropriately for defense and not worry about what might be more appropriate for "deer only". In swamp country or dense hardwood forests I might choose my AR in .300 Blackout or Marlin .30-30. Nothing "wrong" with using one of my rifles with more recoil, there would be no good reason to do so, either other than the most important one - because I felt like it.

The winner for here in Colorado, though, would probably be my favorite rifle, a Ruger M77 built in 1989 that I picked up used in January of 2004. At that time it didn't even have scratch marks under the tang safety, something I "fixed" the first couple of trips to the range. It is a long-action .257 Roberts with a leade so long the bullets couldn't touch the lands with a stick. Seating bullets to the base of the neck it will push a 100g TTSX to 3233fps and 110g AccuBond to 3163fps. Both loads are very accurate.

Have to say that if elk were never to be on the menu again, I'd go after antelope long before I would go after deer. Or I'd start helping the Texas folk with their hog problems.

It use to be a custom 25-06 but now I have to shoot left handed so it a Ruger Hawkeye in 7mm-08 and I love it.

That's probably how I'd roll... Or maybe even a 243....

Anything short and well balanced works good in close cover. Two of my hunting partners who have recently passed on both used the Ruger 77/.44 stainless synthetic with the Leupold 2-7 Shotgun scope... I also had one (which is why they ended up with them)and a standard .44 Semi-auto carbine.

The reason I like a gun with a little more reach is clearcuts. You come through the woods and there standing on the other side of a big clearcut is a nice buck...200 yards away... And at 7# loaded to go the 7KS is just a wonder...

Bob

Got a Montana in 7-08 that would work.

Basically anything based off the Montana would work.

Montana twisted quick to burp 105's either regular or AI
Montana in 6.5 Creed
Montana in 257 Bob etc...

Keep in mind that recoil is subjective. I don't view the rifle I mentioned as a big kicker by any means. Regardless, I like the piece of mind that I can shoot a deer that is almost squarely facing me and the bullet will still exit the back side, that there is no problm blowing though both shoulders, and hitting a twig or something in route won't push the bullet too far off course. I just like the confidence the a big, heavy bullet gives me. Your mileage may vary.

Ruger Hawkeye.
308 150/165 Accubond.
257R 110 Accubond.

Remington 700 SPS
257 WM 110 Accubond or 115 BT.

I could live with just the 308.

These threads about..."if you could only have one" are about the silliest exercises I know of.

I WORK for a living so I don't have to make those kind of choices. In my earliest days as a hunter, when I began to buy my own firearms, as opposed to using "family" guns.....I didn't have just "one" rifle. I "owned" just a single rifle for a short time, but had access to a number of guns used by family members.

This situation only lasted about 6 weeks before I could save enough money from a part-time sawmill job and begin adding to my small collection of firearms. I was only 13 years old at the time.....so I can see no reason whatsoever for a grown man to restrict himself to one rifle (unless it is by personal choice....not a lack of funds).

Deer hunting covers so much ground and conditions are so diverse that it is virtually impossible to cover all situations with a single rifle. True, you CAN make a single rifle do many jobs, but it will NOT be "perfect" for all of them.

There is a world of difference between hunting in thickets where a 50 yard shot is a long one and sitting in a blind overlooking hundreds of acres and shots may be 500 yards or more. I prefer to choose a weapon that fits the needs and conditions for each type of hunting.....not try to force a single rifle to be all things.

If I had to limit myself to a handful of rifles (and I see no reason to do so) I would likely start with a versatile chambering that could perform at close range as well as reach out for longer shots. This rifle would be light enough to carry all day when walking the hills and fast handling for those surprise in-your-face encounters. Any chambering from .6.5mm to .30-06 (I don't prefer small bore guns for close range and thick brush) would work well in the right rifle. The "right" rifle is the key.

For a rifle to be fast handling as well as have the ability to reach out to longer ranges, there are few that are better than the .308 Win. This is not because the .308 is any "better" than other chamberings, but because it is short enough to be chambered in every type rifle you can imagine. This can't be said of the longer rounds. I would start with the Savage 99 or Ruger Mannlicher carbine chambered in the .308. They are short, light and effective over a wide range of conditions.

True close range work requires a totally different rifle. I prefer a big bore rifle that hits hard and leaves a tremendous blood trail....a big hole in and a big hole out. Long range shooting is unimportant as shots will be under 100 yards, but a fast handling rifle can be critical. Your "versatile" rifle COULD fill this need (and the .308 is certainly no slouch in thick brush), but for me there are better choices.

For thick brush where a longer shot is impossible (more on this in a bit) I have several rifles that fit the bill. The hardest hitting rifle at close range I own is a Marlin 1895 in .45-70. It's performance on game leaves nothing to be desired, but it is just a bit heavy. If lever guns are your choice a Marlin 336 in .35 Remington is pretty close to perfect for this shooting. It is fast handling and hits with authority. Even better, to me, is the Remington Model 14 (also in .35 Remington) that is just a touch faster.

Good as these rifles are, my first choice for close range is a Ruger 44 Carbine. It is light, short, fast and hits as hard as any gun I have ever used at close range. I know ballistics say the .44 magnum is not as "powerful" as some other rounds, but in the real world, I have never found anything to be as effective at ranges of 50-75 yards.

It's that limited range that is the downfall of all "true" brush chamberings. They are devastating at close range, but almost useless at ranges over 150-200 yards. In years past there were many places where you could cover thousands of acres and never have the possibility of a shot over 100 yards. As land practices changed, this became less and less true. With modern timber harvest practices a hunter is more likely than not to encounter a situation where a clear-cut or firebreak opens up even the thickest brush areas and presents a shot longer than the true brush gun is suited for.

This is not true long-range shooting, but a situation requiring a 250-300 yard shot is not out of the question. If I "know" I will be hunting in these areas where the ranges tend to be a bit longer....but there is the possibility of a short range encounter.....my "versatile" rifle in .308 serves me well. However for those time when I am deliberately hunting thick brush...with the "possibility" of a longer shot....I have found something even better. A Savage 99 in .358 Win. This chambering hits as hard as most true brush guns and can easily reach out to 300 yards or so.....and the Savage is fast handling as any I've used.

My final "must have" rifle is a true long range gun. By long range I DO NOT mean 1000 yards. For me, long range is more like 400 or so. This would include pronghorn as well as open range der hunting. The weight of the rifle is less important as most hunting will be done from a stand or stationary position. Fast handling is not so critical, but accuracy is very important. This typically means a bolt-action rifle with a bit more weight than my "versatile" rifle. I can see no reason for a short-action chambering in a bolt action rifle for this use. Nothing "wrong" with rounds like the .260, 7mm-08 or .308 if you like them, but I prefer to let the rifle "be all it can be" and choose a longer chambering for the little extra velocity. My choice is the .30-06, but could have just as easily gone with the .270, .280, or 7mm Mag. and never suffered. I don't personally like the small bores as well, but in this type of open country hunting the .25-06 fits the bill as well (even the shorter .243 or .257 would likely do just as well).

These four. a .308 in Savage 99 or Ruger carbine for walk-about, versatile hunting, a Ruger 44 carbine for true close range work, a savage 99 in .358 for "in between" ranges and a long range .30-06 cover my needs quite well. I own many more rifles than these because....I work for a living so I can......and I refuse to even consider a single rifle for all hunting....because I don't have to.

And then writes a book about it.....

Uber....

As I was reading that, I was thinking the SAME thing.

Jerry

It may be silly, but it makes for a fun(ish) topic. And what else are we gonna talk about? Stick?

Most of us are mostly deer hunters, I suspect. And about anything works, with about anything in .24, .25, or .26 being the sweet spot.

From what I own, I'd choose my Model 99F .300 Savage. If shopping for a rifle, I'd be looking for the same in a clean .250 Savage

Deer hunting is harder than Chinese arithmetic.....

If I was only going to hunt deer here in Indiana, I'd use my 358 Hoosier for gun season. Then my TC Omega for muzzleloader.

If I was only going to hunt deer in KY, it would be my .260 or 6.5 SAUM.

If I was only going to hunt deer out west, it would be my 6.5 SAUM.

But then, if I was only going to hunt deer in Illinois or Iowa, I'd use my 1187 12 gauge scoped slug gun.

Exactly. The Texas version of everything...................

Either my 270 CLR/NULA or my 30-30 Marlin depending on terrain of the hunt.

.257 Weatherby MK5 using their factory ammo with a 120gr Nosler Partition bullet.

Scott

The OP is a good start...

Just needs some photos and another chapter or two...

Just one gun (man, writing that gives me heartburn), it would be hard to beat the vanilla '06. You can load it to do just about anything, although maybe not spectacular, very middle of the road and serviceable.

DF

Who ? I mean hardly! Deer hunting and rifles are interesting !


Jerry

30-06 130gr Barnes TTSX in front of 55 grs of Varget. I've used this load with success out to 300 yards on Mule deer.

As far as rifle brand? I shoot primarily Savage, but the list of rifles I wouldn't hunt with is much shorter than the list of rifles I would hunt with. YMMV

-HaYen

Yep. A .30-30 in the woods or Blue Ridge Mountains is just about perfect.

7mm-08 and a toss up between a Rem 700 and model 7.

I think I'd have to go 280 rem in a 700 mountain rifle due to the potential long-ish range shots for mule deer and pronghorn.

After thinking long and hard about it, or, well, at least gave it a passing thought- if I had to limit myself to but one rifle for deer hunting anywhere in this great land, it would be a classic bolt gun of 7-7½ pounds with a receiver sight and QR scope mount, chambered for the .30-06 cartridge. No matter how often I drive off into the bushes in my quest for the perfect deer cartridge/rifle (to include .22's, .25's, 6.5's .27's, etc.) I keep coming back to this. With the astonishing variety of bullet/powder combos available, the hoary old '06 is just as universally adaptable today as it ever was.

It'd be a 7mm-08 or 280 shooting 120 grain Nosler BT's.

260 or 280AI depending on the distance your average target is engaged at.

260 for 300 and under.

280AI for 300 plus yards

Both have very tolerable recoild, both have great BC's so they fly relatively flat and the mass of each for thier distance the right combination.

That exact load works to 435 yards on whitetails!

It runs very nicely in a Win70 Featherweight. I don't see what I couldn't do with that, when I want.

Remington 700 in 260 Remington, 7MM-08 Remington or 308 Winchester.

.243 with 95 grain NBT's hands down

next question

I own four .30-30s, three .30-06s, two .270s and one each of a dozen or so other rifles.

Of the whole bunch, I have a .308 built by FN for Browning as a Safari on the small ring Mauser with a pencil barrel. The butt is an inch short and it was crudely floated. I bought it as a doner, then I shot it. Wow! Three at 5/8" or less @ 100, using a 4X Zeiss is the norm. This rifle works from fifty to five hundred using the cheapest Federal 150s. What more could one ask?

The above rifle's back-up is an identical .243, except it is in nice original condition and lately wears a Bushnell 4200 3-9. Stoked with 100 NPs, it is also accurate and kills deer size game really well.

These rifles are not perfect. The action will accommodate an '06 length case, but they are close enough for me. Quality production and going strong since 1963, IIRC.

Jack

Mule deer-Kimber 84L MT 270.

Whitetail-Rem 700 ADL 270.
(22" heavy barrel)


6x36LR's on both, 140 Accubonds. Identical point and shoot to 400 yards easy.

The M700 has a longer mag box and feeds super smooth, the Kimber is tighter all the way around.

Different brass so I don't get ammo mixed up.
(COAL...)

In 1988 I bought a like new 700 Mountain Rifle .270 with a Simmons scope at a yard sale for abut $300.

Soon thereafter or before (gettin older) G&A ran a Ross Seyfried piece on ideal rifles for various game. In that piece he held the relatively new MR .270 was the perfect deer rifle.

It was for me for quite awhile, but I went loony. My oldest son is taking the MR out in the morning with a bellyful of Rem Managed Recoil loads; 50 yards is a long poke in our swamp.

I'll prolly take her out for a sentimental journey before the season ends.

700
25-06

Savage 99F in 308 Win. Enough range, enough power, and a joy to carry in the woods.

If I couldn't do the Savage, I'd say Winchester 70 Fwt in 270 WSM. Tracking without snow sucks, and having deer DRT is very attractive.

300 savage

Rem. 760 30-06. The perfect combination for me. A 308 would work just as well.

Nice to know!!! Thanks Dakota

Any 270 win Model 70 Featherweight would be perfect. I know I can get a lighter package in a Montana but in a 270 Winchester, I want a mid weight gun simply because it does everything well.

My classic 1986 Featherweight M70 XTR 270 would be all the gun I would ever need for anything in the northeast from whitetail to moose with black bears in between. I can push this gun out to 500 yards if I have to and 300 yard shots are easy.

Always my first. Second would be 280 AI.

Tvknight, you are right on track!

Jack

Dams Sam. You sure simplified that. Took the fun right out of it. Can't argue with your logic.

Otter, other than upland birds I pretty much only hunt deer so it was an easy question....grin

M70 Classic in .270 Winchester. Left handed of course.

Yep. With a 24" barrel shooting whichever 130 grain bullet the rifle and I agreed upon.

Winchester model 70 pre 64 in 264 mag and a savage barrel band 99 in 250/3000 went with me this year

Steel BLR model 81 308. Factory ordered with no sights and topped with a VX-2 2-7. Been hunting with it since 1987.

left hand tikka t3 lite stainless 243 100 grain fed blue box

06 or 280. Can't decide....

257 Bob - Killed my first deer a mulie with one ,I was 12 then Dad drover for two days to get to Montana, no Interstates then all two lane roads! Best time of my life , been going back ever since I'm 66 now still own one ! I like to eat anything bigger or faster blows up to much meat!

Either a Remington model seven stainless or model 700 mountain rifle stainless in 7mm-08 with 140 grain Partitions or 308 with 165 Partitions

^^^This would be my first choice^^^

My second choice would be my favorite of all the rifles I own. It's a early 1980's Winchester XTR Model 70 Featherweight in 7x57. Mine has the rare Factory Sights and wears a 2.5x8 Leupold VXII. Out of all my hunting rifles, it's usually my go to gun for 90% of my hunting needs.

And in staying with the thread theme, for deer hunting only, and if I hunted in TX, only, my 3rd choice would be one of my heavy barreled AR15's in .223 with a 60 gr Partition. TX Deer have small bodies and are easy to kill, in general. I use it quite a bit for culling does at the Ranch.

I would use my standard Ruger Mark II 06'.
No reason to change with what I am accustomed to, and have learned to shoot pretty well.
Also huge supply of ammo available wherever I go, if I'm not using my own reloads.

If it isn't broke.....

:-)

A custom Remington Model 7 in 260 Remington would be my pick.

Yep.

I have a 20" T3 lite .308 and it seems to do a good job on the typical mule deer and elk around here. They keep tipping over, and my wife keeps sticking the pieces in the crock pot.

The only deer around were I live are white tail,so about any center fire would do.My major requirement is a dependable scope..In the past few years I've used a250-3000 in a 99,and found it to be a pretty sencible whitetail cartridge for my style of hunting,which is open fields.If I were more of a thick woods hunter,I would probably want something a little heavier,not because I think heavy bullets wade brush,but because they provide a little better margin of error

Moosemike: Considering Mule Deer and Antelope I would go with a heavy barrel Remington 700 in 270 Winchester topped with a higher powered variable scope like a 4.5x14 Leupold.
And I would definitely use the wonderful 130 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets!
I just recently killed a trophy 12 point (6x6!) Whitetailed Buck with my 270 Sendero, Leupold 6.5x20 variable and the above mentioned Nosler bullets.
Which brings me to the "difficult" part of your inquiry.
I have Hunted Blacktailed Deer (a lot!) AND Whitetailed Deer (a pretty fair amount) and those two species "normally" would be better suited with a different Rifle. The 270 caliber is wonderful for these two species but the scope and heavy, longer barrel is not normally the better choice.
In normal Whitetail Deer terrain/cover (NOT where I now Hunt them!) and for Blacktails in their normal terrain/cover I think I would opt for the 308 Winchester caliber with a top quality 165 grain bullet (I use the Nosler Partitions).
I have a nifty old Winchester Model 88 (lever action) with a Leupold 3x9 compact variable scope on it that I have used on these Deer in typical thicker cover and their more rolling broken terrain.
Sorry I just could NOT stretch my answer DOWN to just ONE Rifle.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy