My first deer rifle was 35 rem. lever action with peep sites. Shot 3 bucks my first 3 years. My dad's first gun as my grandfather's old 30-30. He was 12 or 13 and got his first buck with it and was a 10 pointer.
What was your first deer rifle? And did you get a deer your first year?
788 Remington in 6mm Rem. with a 3x9 Bushnell scope
Good Shooting,
HBB
30-40 Krag. got passed down to the youngest son finally. He doesn't even hunt and married a woman who won't even allow him to keep it in his house! I have tried to beg, buy or trade him for it and he won't do either. It sits in a closet at my mother's house gathering dust.
Marlin 336 30-30 with open sights. Killed my first deer, an 8 point, my second year hunting by myself at 14. Stupidly traded away when I was 17 or 18.
Ruger MKII .338 Win Mag. It was the first centerfire rifle I ever owned, but I didn't get it until I was 22. I deer hunted from 10-12 with a 20ga and moved on to a 12ga from there.
My first deer rifle was a M 94 30-30. Didn't kill a deer with it. First centerfire I bought was a Savage 99 in 308, and killed my biggest deer with it, a year after I bought it- over 35 years ago!
I started hunting small game as soon as I could walk. I didn't have a choice, my Dad made me go. Mostly I remember falling down after tripping on stuff the like of which didn't grow in our yard. My obsession with deer hunting didn't come until I was about 14 or so. Here in east Texas (30 something years ago) you only had two guns (if you were lucky), a .22 rifle and a shotgun. If I remember correctly, I hunted deer with a .20 gauge shotgun for 2-3 years (unsuccessfully) before winning a 30-30 Marlin in a fishing tournament. A year or two later I shot a doe and was astounded to see her run off after what I was a sure shot at 30 yards or less. In my youthful ignorance, I never realized a large game animal could run away after a lethal shot, apparently unharmed. . I found the deer the next day, shot perfectly, but only because I hunted the same area. A lesson that hurt me deeply. I am still incensed with deer hunting and have killed scores. I have owned many deer rifles and, in hindsight, can say that none are more effective than my first. It is knowledge in "the game" and experience that make a hunter successful.
444Marlin,4x Leupold. That thing kicked the crap out of me and killed at least 20 deer before I got out of high school.
1920s-vintage M94SRC in 32 Special that I bought in the mid-60s. Still have it, still kills deer deader'n hell. Seldom hunt with it now though. Sumbitch turned into some sorta valuable heirloom somewhere along the way, so it's semi-retired.
Lever gun of choice the past few years, is an old Marlin 336SC in 35 Rem. that I picked up cheap and put a Williams "peep" on.
That thing has the sweetest trigger of any lever rifle I've ever fired and is far more accurate than anything that stumpy should oughta be.
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />
.257 Roberts, custom-built on a 722, with a short stock- it was the "kids' gun" and I was the fifth kid. I'm not certain, but it's quite possible that we all got our first deer with this rifle.
I missed on my first attempt but I don't have to count it because I was a month short of legal but Dad let me hunt anyway. Since I was the last child, and the shortest, it became "my" gun and has accounted for quite a passel of deer and pigs.
It wasn't until '98, when a monster mulie ran after being hit, scaring me about losing 'un muy grande burro', that I considered anything else.
Rem 243, it got stolen before I could score my first deer.
Learned how to handload on that caliber. Love'd it ever since.
Winchester M70 30:06 I shot my first deer in 1973 at age 19 and haven't missed a season since.
First was a M92 Winchester in 44-40 that belonged to an uncle. Loaned to me for the duration until I could (litterly) shovel enough chicken s**t, clerk in a store on week ends, (made $4.50 cents for working from 7am to 8pm) and pull enough watermelons to buy my own deer rifle.
Never killed a deer with it. Deer were few and far between here in the late 40s early 50s. Went any way occasionly saw tracks. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
BCR
Mauser 98 8x57 (Polish mfg). Heavy thing that I hauled around without seeing a deer. Cost me $17.50 at the downtown Eatons store in Toronto. I still have the price tag around somehwere but the gun is long gone.
I'm from Cincinnati, and Ohio and neighboring Indiana are shotgun states. My first deer rifle was a Remington Model 1100 TB Trap with a deer barrel and rifle sights. It put Remington Sluggers into a 4" circle at 50 yards with the holes touching. It's still one of my favorites. The only time I have wished I'd had something different was back in 90. A monster of an 8 pointer came out of the woods and walked across a pasture at 120 yards. All I could do was watch. Generally speaking, if you're primarily a bow hunter, the limitations of a slug gun are not a problem. In the dense woods of SE Ohio, if I saw a deer, it was dead.
My first real deer "rifle" was a Remington 742 in 30-06. It comes up just like the 1100. I didn't have a chance to use it on deer the first couple of seasons-- had no place to hunt in Kentucky. I'd bought it for boar hunting in Tennessee.
When I finally got a chance to hunt Kentucky, I took it out on opening day of season and bagged my first one. You've all heard my story of the big deer stampede.
A Rem. 22 lr. Did not kill my first deer with it though. That was with a 6 mm that belonged to an uncle. I'm not sure of the make or model as that was a few years past.
BP...
A model 94 Winchester in .30-30. Never killed a deer with it because deer went missing from here in the late 60's. That rifle was built in about 67 or 68, and it was a real piece of junk. Stamped pieces instead of machined pieces. It used to let a round out under the lifter mechanism and effectively make the rifle a 6.5 pound club.
I did kill a couple moose with it before I got so frustrated and sold it to someone who just "had to have it." If I had kept it another season, I would likely have bent the barrel around a good sized tree.
Settled on a Tikka 30-06, and it has fit for many years.
35 Marlin lever-action. Wish I had kept that rifle.
M94 30-30. My first deer rifle I bought was a Rem 760 30-06.
A 1972 vintage Winchester Model 94
that was won in a big buck contest by
my cousin in 1972. I got probably ten
deer with it 'till I moved to Texas from
Wisconsin in "82".
NrtWICheezehead, What part of Wi
are you in? I trek back home twice a year
to bow & rifle hunt deer in Bayfield and
Douglas counties.
Hunt Safe, Bruce
Winchester Model 670A 243Win, 4x Tasco. Bought in 1975.
It was a budget priced, pushfeed, blind magazine, RH bolt version of M70. (I'm lefty)
Took 3 mulies with it without any trouble.
My first deer season (12 years old) I used my grandpa's octagon barrelled 25-35. Killed my first deer with an open sight Winchester .220 Swift (13 years old). Then I recieved a new Winchester M70 Featherweight .270 for my 15th birthday.
Model 700 adl 308. weaver C4.
Ditto on the Marlin 336 in .30-30 when I was 14 (but with a Tasco 3x9 scope); same ditto on stupidly trading it away when I was 17 or 18. Killed my first two deer with it (little 6-pt, and a doe). Wish I had it back; then again, I wish I had back the .30-06 that I traded the .30-30 away on, too.
Once you have a fire arm, never never get rid of it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
first deer rifle was a TVM 40 cal tennesee rifle. Shot at alot of deer with that thing but never drew blood. Those first couple of years buck fever was really hard on me. First deer I shot was with a Lyman Hawkins 54 cal. Whenenman I gotta agree with you for the most part. However I sold a NavyArms SxS muzzleloading 12ga. I hated that thing somethin awfull. Took the money i gotfrom it and bought 2 GUNS. Havnt regretted that desicion yet
My first deer rifle was a Win m94 in 30-30. I still have that rifle but I didn't kill my first deer with it. I killed it with a Browing Bow.
I killed my first rifle killed biggame, an Antelope in Wy, with a Remington m700 Classic 270. I still own that rifle too. It still wears the same Leupold Vari X II 3x9.
CM
First deer rifle was a Pre-64 featherweight in .308 winchester that my dad bought from a friend for $200.00 and the promise that he could borrow it if he got an elk permit. It got me hooked on three things- old model 70's, the .308 for deer, and hunting. BTW, my first year hunting, I killed a deer with my Bear recurve, and the winchester. I could not understand how dad could ever have come home without a deer. I've become a lot smarter since I was 15, and understand beginners luck much better too.
My first deer rifle was a Rem. 600 in 6mm that dad bought for me in 1964, the year I turned 12 and was legal for deer hunting.
I never killed a deer 'till I was 22, but got my first one with this rifle.
The action from this rifle was used to build a custom 25-284. a much nicer rifle! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />
My older brother got to hunt with moms Win 94 in 25-35
And I was GREEN with envy! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />
Guess I came out OK in the long run.
Virgil B.
Remington 700 ADL Synthetic in .243 Win. Had a Weaver V9 in weaver Med. QD rings and Weaver Bases. It was a great rifle at the right price for a beginner. Sold it to buy a Model 7 SS in .308 Win about 2 years later. The .308 was a shooter! 3 shot groups in one hole at 100 yards with 168 gr. Win. Ballistic Silvertips. Ended up trading it for a 3 1/2" Browning Citori. Now I have a Syn Mnt. Rifle in 7mm-08. It's amazing looking back how many rifles and shotguns that I've had and wish I still had now.
Remington 788 in .243 Winchester with a 3x9 Bushnell Banner. Like most 788s it wasn't pretty but sure would shoot. Shot a lot of coyotes with it and several deer.
Jeff
A Carl Gustav Model 94 Carbine in 6.5x55. Never did shoot a deer with that gun. Later on, my dad re-stocked it and installed a longer barrel. When I was 35, I used it on a wild pig-its first kill.
rimshot
Yeah, I know (now), having learned my lesson over the years. Of course, the last recent departures were justifiable (almost) - either keep all my toys or keep a roof over my head (between jobs). Figured I could always find new guns, bows, flyrods...
Still hard, and it ain't happenin' again.
I traded mine on a .308 and like you traded it away also. I don't even remember what I swapped that one for.
Tang safety Ruger 77 in 257 Roberts with a 4X Leupold. I had to work my butt off from age 10 to 12 to buy it. I think working for that gun made me into the conservative that I am today!
I think working for that gun made me into the conservative that I am today!
Hmmmm, liberals and some conservatives made me into the libertarian I am today...
I know what you mean, I can't imagine how many miles of irrigation pipe I moved to save money for my first rifle. It does kind of have a long term effect on how you look at things.
Jeff
.30-06, sporterized 03-A3 Springfield. Fitted with Redfield peep sight. Took the first 4 deer of my big-game hunting career with this rifle. I still have it today. It was given to me by my folks, for my 14th birthday.
A borrowed Marlin 336 30-30
The first was an 1100 Remington with a peep sight added. Shot ok to about 35 yds. Never took a deer with it but that wasn't the guns fault. (A guy can get "doe fever" too ya know). The first rifle was a 760 Remington in .308. Hunted the Adirondacks with it but never connected. There's been MANY since then.
to answer the second part of the question, no I did not get a deer my first year, I had to hunt for deer from 1986 until 2001 before I got my first one. I even went to colorado 3 times and did not get one!
I was good at hunting other game just did not have the "knack" for deer yet.
finally got one in Oct of 2001 with my 30-06 Garand in GA.
Nice 8 pt I have mounted in my house!
The following year (again in GA) I got a 9 pt with my 50 cal muzzleloader and then an 8 pt with my 357 mag rifle in NC (my home state! finally)
My first deer rifle was a remington 788 308 win. with a 4x tasco. With help, I refinished and checkered the stock, floated the barrel, bedded the action and lightened the trigger. That gun was a tack driver.
I shot a few mule deer with it, some of them way out there.
A few years ago,I traded my dad the 308 for a 35 whelen.
Savage 99EG in 300 Sav. with peepsight. Shot 6pt blacktail in SW Wa. in 1970. Still have the gun, as it's shot many other deer over the years.
Model 340 Savage in 22 Hornet. Dad bought me this rifle in 1960 for my 7th b-day. this rifle has a special corner in my gun safe the cut off piece is now back on the rife He cut the stock down by about 5 " I killed my first 4 deer with it in 1961. At that time I lived in SE Alaska and the only limit on rifles was they had to be centerfire. The limit on deer was 4 per person. No tags required. We ate a lot of venison in thoes days.
Bullwnkl.
M70 featherweight push feed bolt, 30-06, still use it.
I bought my first deer rifle at 21 years of age (31 years ago). It was a new Kleinguenther K14 Insta-fire in 7mm Rem Mag with a 7.5X Leupold scope. That was a hard act to follow.
Pre-64 Model 70 30/06 that my father bought shortly after returning from WWII. He handed it down to me when I turned 14. That rifle has been my prized possesion and constant companion for over 30 years. My son turns 14 this Thursday and I will turn over the old girl to him. Of course that gave me an excuse to get myself a nice custom 7x57 and a Super Grade .338 to take it's place <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
Jeff
1960- 6-pt Eastern or Western count? If Western, sounds like a treasure!
Browning BPS 12ga w/ a Hastings fully rifled barrel and cantilever scope mount. I still use it more than anything since around here we have to use shotgun slugs. It put 3 shots into 1.5" @ 100yds.
Didn't get a deer the first year, had to wait till the third year.
First rifle I bought for deer was a 700 Mountain rifle in .270 Win. Have been tricking it out for years but have never shot it.
The next rifle I bought was a BLR in .308. Have taken deer with it.
Remington M700 in 7mm Rem. Mag witht a 2-7 Redfield Lo-Profile scope. I was 14 and it kicked the crap outta me.
Remington Model 722 in 300 Savage bought in the early 50's. Shoveled a lot of snow and mowed grass to save up money for it. About two years later I traded up to a 721 in 30-06.
Don
Ruger M77 in 250-3000.
Killed a buck here in Maine with it in the first 15 minutes of my first day of deer hunting. Hasn't happened again like that in the next 25 years.
Winchester Model 95 in .30-06 given to me by my grandfather when I was just old enough to hunt. I'd had given to me a .22 rifle for rabbits and a hand-me-down H&R Topper 16ga for rabbits, but no deer rifle. Tried slugs out of the 16ga, but recoil was extreme and accuracy was inversely proportional.
So, Pap took me upstairs and gave me his deer rifle. It's a Model 95, takedown model that was made in the 1920's. I don't know if Pap was the original owner (doubt it, because "CAK" is carved into the stock...not Pap's initials). He'd never taken a deer with it.
I carried it for 3 years and didn't get an opportunity to shoot at a deer with it...a couple close times, but no chance to get the gun up.
Even then, Dad and I knew that the rifle was worth something. We were in a shop and Dad was looking around the used rifles and then asked me if I wanted a .300 Savage (Model 99) like his. Like any 15 year old, I said "YES!"
I've hunted with that 99 for 20 years now and have only recently taken an interest in using anything else...and not for "modern" (our 99's are 50 years old) rifles...for using other types of firearms (hunting with flintlock muzzleloader, hunting with my Enfield No5Mk1 "Jungle Carbine", hunting with my Ruger Super Blackhawk and the like).
The 99 is still my "Meat Gun".
Aqualung
Second-hand Ruger M-77 Round Top, .30-06, older Weaver K-2.5 in Weaver rings on Weaver bases, Brownell Latigo sling. Load was 150 gr Hornady Spire Point, 51 gr H-4895, Federal 210 primer in LC 65 cases. I shot a 1.5 inch group from the bench at 100 yards. NOW I know that load is too hot. Anyhow, I took the rig hunting in Fall 1972 and I didn't even get a shot, let alone a deer. I sold that rifle in 1984, after years of unsuccessfully trying to master its brutal recoil. Yes, I'm a recoil wimp. Got my first deer in 1989 with a borrowed Browning BAR, topped with a cheap 3-9 variable (brand forgotten), in .243 Win shooting 100 gr Power Points in Winchester factory loads. That deer dropped at my 70-yard shot. But his lungs must have been really tough. The lungs were transformed into runny jello, but the Power Point utterly disintegrated without hitting any bone at all. By the way, the venison was delicious.
The first rifle I used was a Savage 170 in 30-30. Thank god my dad still has it. The first rifle that I bought was a Marlin 336 CS in 30-30 with a cheapy 3*9*40. Like a dumb #$% I sold it when I was about 16 or 17 to a cousin. If I knew then what I know now, I would have kept it because it would have been all the rifle that I would have needed for EVERY deer I have shot so far. I have never shot one over 75 yards yet.
My first deer rifle was a late 1950's era Model 94 Winchester .30-30 carbine with a Redfield receiver sight. It was a used gun with a very nicely figured walnut stock that caught my Dad's eye. He made a trade for it, gave it a beautiful, hand-rubbed oil finish, and then gave it to me. I was going on 12 years old at the time, and was looking forward to my first trip with Dad to the "deer camp". Heady stuff.
It wasn't until my third season that I had a chance to fill a tag. A nice 5-pointer (Eastern count) trotted toward my stand on a hardwood ridge on the last day of the season. A single shot to the neck sealed the deal. Dad watched the whole episode unfold from the top of another ridge. We was proud.
I still have that little carbine, and it has been a wonderful and trusted companion through the years. Still makes meat as well as ever, and still sees a fair amount of use. She's part of the family! Can't say that I ever really needed anything else, and I expect Dad felt the same way about his 94.
First deer rifle was a Husky .243. My father still has it in a case someplace, at least he better.
My first deer "rifle" wasnt a rifle at all but an old single shot Winchester Model 12 12 guage and pumpkin balls. My grandfather "loaned" it to me when I was 8 and I still have it a quarter of a century later. He passed on in 1995 and I treasure that gun as if it were made of gold. I still take it out atleast one day every deer season in his honor. I harvested a nice fat doe with it this past season. I know I have harvested 20 plus deer with it over the years.
My first true rifle was an old beat up Marlin 336 in .30-30 I bought at a local pawn shop the day I turned 18. Although my father had lots of firearms ( and has a collection numbering 100 plus these days) my mother would not allow him to buy me a high powered rifle until I was 18. I still have it but it is not in shootable condition these days as it has some feed problems. I have relegated it to a posistion of honor above the fireplace.
A very old sleeve barrel Remington, I believe a model 4 in .35 Rem, open sights. Gun wrecked me for life. Aren't deer rifles suppose to weigh over 10lbs? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Shot a spike buck 2nd year hunting, 1970. Funny story was that a wounder buck walked within 20 yards of me my first season, never saw it. Guess I shouldn't been sleeping <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />
My actual first was a Spanish Mauser in 7X57 that couldn't hit the walls of a barn with me in it! Apparently, the barrel was a bit on the worn out side. After that, it was a Savage M110E with a factory synthetic stock in 243 Win. I killed my first deer with it and still use it to this day(almost 15 years later).
Ruger tang safety in 30-06 topped with a Simmons scope.
Marlin 336C 30-30 with a el cheapo 4x32 K-Mart scope. Bought it in 1973 and still have it. The scope now resides on an old Marlin .22 but for the $25 or so dollars it cost me it has served it's purpose.
Droptine
I had bought a few rifles while a teenager (I had a great paying summer job in a control panel factory and worked part time as a cook during school and still lived on a farm WHEW!) These were all stolen while I was serving in the Marine Corps. Never had a chance to shoot a deer with one in my teens. Well, when I got out of the Corps, I promptly went down to the local Gun Store and bought a pre WWII Savage 99R in .300 Sav., a Remington 721 in 30-06, and a brand new Ruger 77RSI in .308, and other necesssaties. Made the owners day I am sure. That season I rotated rifles every day and bagged a nice 7pt. buck about noon on the last day of the season with the model 99. Still have the 99 and the 721 but the 77RSI went on the trade block after a couple years. Just never really cared for the fullstock look.
Good luck and good hunting, Rob
Savage99 takedown in 250-3000 that I recieved in trade for a go-cart, when I was 12. (42 yrs ago). Shot a forked horn buck first hour of my first ever deer hunt. This was after missing a big 4- point with 4 shots as he hauled butt further and further away. I guess all that shooting woke up the forked horn who jumped up in front of me about 75 yds away. After that, I was hooked. But what a mess 2-12 yr. olds can make gutting and skinning their first deer!!! Still have the gun.
kenster99
tahoe,ca
I got many a chuckle out of reading this thread. But also a note of melancholy. It makes me sad to remember:
My first deer rifle was given to me by my father when I was 17. (1968) With the words: "This is yours to use for as long as you want to and when I'm gone, it's yours!" It was a Pre '64 M-94 Easter Carbine in .30-30. I hunted the first few years with that rifle. In about 1972 I acquired a M-98 Mauser in 8mm. In 1973, my father came up over to my house in the Spring of the year and stated he needed the .30-30. I, of course, handed it over. (He needed it, didn't he?) I supposed he had a varmint he needed to put away.
The next fall, I went out to the farm to sight in deer rifles and the .30-30 was conspicuously absent. So I asked him where it was. He answered: "Oh, I traded it for a CB radio."
About five or six years later, I went back and questioned him about who he had traded it to. (I was going to buy it back at any price!) He didn't even know. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> I guess it was one of those Saturday afternoon deals over a six-pack.
He went to his grave never knowing how badly I was hurt. He had 6 or 8 guns at the time of his passing, But he didn't leave any to me. I guess he figured that I had many more than he and a lot nicer ones anyway. (Which was true)
Several years ago I came across very nice used but not abused pre-war .30-30. A lot nicer that the one I didn't get. But still not the same. It sits in the back of the safe. I get it out occasionally and fondle it. It brings back a lot of memories.
I never shot a deer with it. I hunted 13 seasons and never took a deer. I gave up hunting. A few years later they legalized handguns in my part of the state. Ironically, I took my first 4 deer with a handgun. But I have always love rifles. I have taken a number of deer with a rifle, now. I expect to spend the rest of my life hunting with old classic rifles that were around in my boyhood years. I expect to hunt this year with my .25/284, and after that, peep-sighted bolt guns or old vintage scoped rifles for me. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Perhaps someday my old thutty-thutty will speak it's piece and bring home some venison.... I hope so...the9.3Guy
a couple of years before i was old enough to hunt deer we moved to illinois, so my first deer rifle was a remington 870...
i believe that, given my inclinations, if we had remained in ARKANSAS i would have chosen to hunt with a rifle from day one..... even though my kin are about evenly divided between shotgunners and riflemen...
my dad and the uncles that had the most influence on me as a kid were principally riflemen.....
as i went out on my own, and started to hunt around the country. i carried both a rifle and a shotgun, but the shotgun was restrictes pretty much to wingshooting usage...
early on i bought a .243 for coyotes, and a .308 for deer..... over time i came to use the .243 almost exclusively for all of my rifle hunting.
still, i wish that i had that first .308 back... it was a 788 rem. that i bought at a hardware store in aniston, alabama, just outside the gate of ft. mcclellan... it was a ton of fun and a real joy of a rifle to shoot..... john w
I never though that this topic would have caused a fire! There are a lot of interesting posts.
I did some more thinking and, this may tick a few of you off,but actually my first "deer rifle" was my Kodiak 22 magnum. Yes it was legal to hunt deer in michigan with a 22 then. I was just 16 and had no clue. Now I'm 55 and still have no clue! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Now I'm 55 and still have no clue! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
But at least you admit it! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
the <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />9.3Guy
the first deer i killed was with a savage .30-'06 110 with laminated stock. can't remember if it had a scope or not. so i guess that makes it my first deer rifle. i had hunted a bit with a muzzle loader and a sporterized mauser but had not gotten a shot. didn't start hunting deer until i was 35 years old.
Winchester M94, 30-30 of course!! Using anything else would just be wrong in my book!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Huntr
REM 788 in a 22-250 , It cost me 125$ Killed a spike opening morning of my first hunt. I did even mind draging that deer the 2.5 miles back to the truck until some one asked me why I didn't drag it a 1/2 mile down hill to the other road.
Remington 742 in .243 Win.
John
The first rifle I hunted deer with was a Remington 8 or 81 in .32 Remington. On the same trip, I also tried a Ruger .44 carbine ( the first version.) I didn't get a deer with either one.
The first deer rifle I owned was a 1917 Enfield .30-06. I never did get a deer with it, but I did get a hog at Hunter Liggett.
The first deer I bagged was with a S&W 1500 Deluxe in .30-06. It was a little 2x3 blacktail-mule deer cross.
My first deer rifle was a left handed Remington 788 in 308 Win that came with a 3X9 Weaver Marksman scope, Weaver mounts, a padded leather sling and swivels mounted, bore sighted and a box of ammunition (150 grn Remington CoreLoks) for $154.00 in 1975.
I took a 3x2 blacktail buck 15 minutes into my first hunt with the 6th bullet I shot out of it. (I used 5 to sight it in)
I still have everything including the gun, scope, mounts, sling, receipt, owners manuals (for rifle and scope), except for the original box of ammunition. The gun still shoots MOA with 44 grains of IMR4064 and 165 grn hornady BTSP, even with the .300" jump to the lands due to the worn throat.
My first deer rifle was a mod 94 30-30 that my dad handed down to me when I was 14. I killed my first deer a big 8pt. with it when I was 15. Here's a picture of me, the rifle and the buck on the fender of my dad's 1948 Nash...the year was 1951
![[Linked Image]](http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/first%20buck%201951.jpg)
M94 30-30 in 1955. Still have the rifle and always will.
Marlin 336 in 30-30. Got it from Santa on my 12th birthday. I can remember that morning like it was yesterday. Dad still uses it to hunt with on occasion but it's never leaving the family.
Rem JAM-A-MATIC(742) in 6MM. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />It's killed close to 20 whitetails. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />George
First deer rifle was a Model 70 270Win. that my father bought new in 1955 and gave to me two years later when I was seven.Started out shooting squib loads and in time worked my way up to full power hunting loads and it was a long time after that I shot my first deer. 48 years later and I still have it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />
I used my brother's 600 Mohawk in 6mm for the first few years. Of the four boys in the family we had 3 6mm's, a .243, and my Dad's 25-05 (when his 7X61 S&H was retired). Then I used my dad's semi-custom (had a nice Fajen stock) M-7 in 7mm-08 when I turned 16. Bought my first in about 1988, a Mountain rifle in 7mm-08. There's been many since, but I keep going back to a 7mm-08 of some sort.
mossberg 243, ordered from spegals catalog,
The first was a Remington 700 BDL chambered in 7mm Express (.280). I chose that cartridge since John Wooters wrote that he liked it enough to chamber his first custom rifle in it. It was used for many south Texas whitetail and three Arizona coues. I traded it toward a Browning Stainless Stalker in 7mm Rem Mag when they first came out.
Doug~Red Rabbit
My first deer rifle was a Remington 788 .243 winchester (18 1/2" barrel) with Tasco World Class 3-9. I hunted with it for one year until I whined enough to get a .270 in Rem 700 ADL (I was a rifle loony at an early age), which was also topped with a Tasco World Class 3-9. I didn't get a deer my first year with the .243, but got one my second with the .270. I still own both. The .270 action was used as a doner for a custom job, which is my current favorite rifle, and still chambered in .270. I just got the .243 788 back since it was on loan to my sister for years and plan to use it for TX whitetails this year.
-Lou
My first deer rifle was a Marlin 336 in 35rem. I bought it new in 1967 for $67 at K-Mart. I still have the rifle and half a box of ammo I bought with it.
Hunted with it for years never getting anything, I then mounted a Redfield Wideview 4X on it in see-through mounts and started getting deer that year.
My kids use it now and it's still works as good as when it was new.
WW2 Nazi surplus Mauser 98 in 8x57 ! I remember I was about 14 and my best buddy had a 7mm Mag. He and I would walk down to this little hole in the wall gunshop and buy ammo. The shop owner had the most god awful yooper accent and he would look us square in the eyes and ask.....What you boys tryin to do ? Blow your G.D. Balls off ! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> LOL
A Ruger 77 tang safety 30-06 with a Burris Fullfield 3x9. Dad gave it to me when i turned 14, didn't hunt that first year. Had to wait till i was 15, shot a Cow Elk my third year out. Still have it the way it was given to me.
The first rifle I hunted with was a .30-06 Savage I borrowed for the hunt. The first few deer I shot were using my Father's .270 Winchester. Then I bought a .300 Win Mag Browning Safari for my first hunting rifle (I'm fond of it). I shoot the .300 most of the time, but also really like .270's.
A sporterized Husqavarna 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser. I still have that rifle and plan on teaching my son how to shoot with it. My first moose rifle was the same as Paul's, a Ruger 77 tang safety 30-06.
SS
Springfield 1903A3, .30-06, military stock & peep sight.
shooting Winchester 150 gr Silvertips.
Mark <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Savage 340 in 30-30. Shot fine, killed a lot of game with it. Should have kept it.
I killed my first deer sitting on Dad's knee with his 600 mohawk in .308 when I was 10 years old. I was a small kid but I was so excited about shooting and hunting that I didn't mind the recoil. Two months later, Santa brought me a new 700 ADL in .243 with a Bell & Carlson synthetic. I killed a lot of deer with 95 grain partitions in that rifle and sold it to a family friend to buy a 700 in .270. I'll buy it back one of these days. Dad bought my little brother a 788 carbine in .243 with a 6X Leupold for his first rifle. I took him hunting when he was 11 yrs old and watched him kill his first deer at a little over 200 yards. Dad bought my little sister a 660 in .243 and put it in a cut-down mohawk stock. Those 3 Remington .243's did the job, we had a lot of confidence in them because we didn't know that we "needed" anything bigger.
Marlin 336C in 30-30. Still have it and hope my children will get their first deer with it also.
My first deer rifle was a Winchester model 70 Westerner .243 with a Weaver 4x. Even though we really had no place to hunt with a rifle at the time {my Dad and I were in a dog club at the time}, I ached for a deer rifle. I got it for Christmas when I was about 13 or 14. I didn't actually kill a deer with it until I was about 20 because 97% of our hunting was with shotguns during my teens. I now own dozens and dozens of rifles in all sorts of exotic calibers but the last rifle I would ever part with is that old .243 because I know how hard my parents scrimped and saved to buy me that rifle. My dear old Dad went to Heaven a year ago and that rifle means more to me now than ever. The rifle now wears a Nikon 2x7 and the Weaver rests atop an old Savage 99 and I'll never part with either.
7.62 russin made mouser made for argentina
Rem 788 .308 carbine. Heaviest 18 1/2" barreled gun I have ever carried but I loved it. Put about 60 rounds through a 2 inch hole one afternoon, 3 different bullets and 4 different powder charges for two of the bullets. Had to sell it to cover medical bills but it was a great first gun. Now shoot a Mauser .270 that I have "custom" built a little at a time. It looks like it is going to be even better.
Argentine Mausers were chambered for the 7.65x53 cartridge, not the 7.62x54R. While you might be able to stuff a 7.62x54R into a 7.65x53 chamber, it wouldn't be a good ideal.
Jeff
The 1st deer rifle that I bought for myself was a sporterized FN Mauser 24/30 cavalry carbine in 7x57 that I paid $37.50 for in 1970. The 1st deer rifle that was given to me was actually 2 rifles, a Ruger 44 International with a Weaver K3 PCH for the woods and a Remington 660 6mm with a Weaver V7 Duplex for the fields. My Father didn't hunt deer, but he did his research and bought those 2 rifles for me, figuring (correctly) that they would cover all of my hunting needs. It took me a couple of years to shoot my 1st deer, which considering the state of the deer herd in NH at the time, wasn't unusual.
Jeff
I'm sure your right it was over 45yrs ago that I even looked at that rifle or any like it. and like everything else my memory is not what it was.
Marlin 336 in 30-30. Killed a lot of deer with it before moving on to the 7-08. I still have it and hunt with it some times because it such a good rifle.
Marlin 1895SS in 45-70 with a Leupold 1.5-5x20mm VariX-III and loaded with 300gn JHPs.
Ruger .44Mag. Carbine semi-auto.
Shooting deer in the hardwood forests of Quebec.
Rem .222 with Redfield Widefield 3x9
Win. 30-06 stainless feather weight with a leupold vxll 3X9.
Killed my first deer when i was 14 with it still my favorite gun to shoot.
Rem Sportsman 78 in .270 Win with a Tasco 3-9 using 130gr Rem PSP-CL. Killed my first 7-8 deer with it and different loads. Still have the rifle only now it has a $100 plastic B&C stock, leupold matte Vari X III 3-9X40 and shoots Partitions<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Of all of my rifles it is still THE "go to" rifle.
Fits me like a glove.
mike
Savage .30-.30 pump with a weaver 3x9 on it. The buck was a 10 pt. 18 3/8 inside spread dressed out at 212 lbs. Now I have all the latest equiptment and the deer get smaller every year go figure. Oh, buy the way that was 29 years ago.
My first deer gun was a shotgun, but when I did start deer hunting with a rifle it was a Ruger M77 markII 30-06.
Spot
My dad gave me his model 99, rotary mag, 300 savage caliber. That was 30 years ago. I still have it in the safe and always will. Have others, but still use it and like it
My 1st deer gun also was a shot gun,a Remington pump870 wingmaster I bought at a pawn shop,my 1st deer rifle was a Rem 700 7mm.
Winchester semi-auto (forget the model #) in 351 Win. A blacktail in northern California. Wish I still had the gun...
It wasn't a rifle -- 12 gauge with buckshot, borrowed from my grandfather. My first deer rifle was LH Weatherby Mark V LH in .270 Wby. Mag. Can't say that it failed me.
My first deer rifle was a win 30-30 I still use it but not as much ,I now use a 270 wsm
Model 94 30-30 I bought new must have been 1969 and put a Williams peep on. Shot my first deer with it the second year I used it and never carried it since (bought a bolt gun). When I went off to school and the Navy and stopped hunting numerous cousins used it to take many deer. I probably haven't shot it myself since 1971. It sits in the back of the safe now but I can't see parting with it. I still remember vividly how it was snowing that day I shot that deer.
Mine was a Model 88 Winchester in 308 Win. My dad bought it for me in 1963
m-92 win SRC in 38-40.Killed my first two bucks w/it.It's still here.
Marlin 30AS (super plain jane 336). Still have it and shoot it. Hopefully pass it down to either my son or nephew someday.
I posted earlier with the basics, but thought I'd add this. I was looking for a Browning Safari and learned of the .300 Win Mag I now own from a friend. My first preference was a .270 Win and my very close 2nd was the 30-06, but then this .300 Win Mag came along at a very nice price. It was used, but it certainly didn't look like it and after meeting the owner I discovered that he was an inveterate trader who had already owned the rifle for over Two Years -- nearly a whole year after he'd taken Alaskan Brown Bear with it! I looked at the chart tables and noticed that I could load it down a bit to match the .270's 130 gr. numbers for drop with a 30 cal 165 and thought, "Hey, why not?"
So I bought it, along with assorted factory ammo. On the way home I pulled off the highway and drove on gravel for a while looking for a good spot to let a few rounds fly at distant rocks (iron sights). When I found that spot I fired a few rounds and after doing so thought to myself that I was in the evening of one of my very lucky days.
And I was right...
Win 94 in 30-30,,,I blame it on John Wayne. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />
Killed several deer from age 8-13.
Then bought a Win featherweight in 270, had teenage power fever, killed lotsa deer with it from age 13-25,,,
Then sold the 270 and went back to the 30-30, had it parkerized, and the trigger to a nice 4 pounds. Was very happy killed 10-20 more deer.
Then had eye surgery,,,,no more open sights,,,put a scout scope on the 30-30 but do not realy like the scout scope concept, not enough field of view.
Now have a Rem mnt rifle 7mm-08 with a 1.5-6 burris signiture scope....great field of view and I can see <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> still use the 30-30 some when stand hunting. Rare I do that,,,it is an old buddy.
If the 30-30 was a side eject so the 1.5-6 burris could ride on top it is all I would have. Have thought about getting one but it would not have the same meaning as old faithful
My first deer rifle was a hand me down from my mother. Remington Model 722 in .257 Robets. Very nice gun, never failed me. It was also my older brother's first deer rifle and he did fine with it also.
stan
My first rifle was a Parker-Hale .243 Winchester. It had a beautiful stock with rosewood end caps and white line spacers. I got that rifle for my 17th birthday (in 1974) and will never part with it
My first deer was taken with a Winchester Model 88 in .243 Win. I took it at nearly 70 yards with the second round fired from this rifle using the factory iron sights. It had to be more luck than skill it was the first time I had been deer hunting and at the time I had only fired .22 LR's in rifles and pistols. The other part of this story is it was the largest buck I killed for many years.
Good Hunting!
Marcus
A Remington 1100 with buckshot, about 6 years later I got a Marlin 336 T in 44 Mag. Shot more varmint tahn I have deer. Still keep trying, looking for that perfect shot. Going after Elk this year with a 303 Svage in a 99F. Les
.303 Enfield No. 5 Jungle Carbine, mail ordered for $12.00.
ruger 77 25-06 / remington 600 35 rem still love both of them.
Ed <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />
Rem 742 in 30-06 using Dad's 180 gr NP handloads, 1973.
My first deer rifle was a .35 Remington Marlin. I still own it and it's a great shooter, especially with handloads. In the early years I hunted deep forests and moved around, getting some running shots. If all my shots were within a hundred yards, I'd never need another rifle.
My first deer rifle, which I got years ago while still in my teens, was a Remington in .308. The gun had belonged to my grandfather before it was given to me.
my first was a rem. model 600 .243 I still know the guy that has it I wish I would have kept it. I can still get it back I think.
My first deer rifle was a Marlin 30AS in 30-30win. Killed my first deer with it in 1990 the first year I could hunt deer.
No. 4 Enfield in .303 Brit.
I made the stock for it, dressed the receiver, made a flush mount magazine, trimmed the rigger guard.
the barrel was cut and i D&T'd the muzzle for a front sight ramp.
The rear was a stock battle peep.
I had several rilfes stolen from my equipment shed one year, among other things.
Two of them were owned by a friend.
I gave him that rifle in return.
These days I would have told him to go buy another and give me the receipt.
I'll NEVER see another rifle like that Enfield, as it was built under my Father's guidance when I was 13 years old.
Cat
Browning BAR .270 WIN made in 1979. Still my primary deer rifle today. Will shoot 5 shots that you can cover with a dime.
I started shooting a .22 when I was three. My dad had our local gunsmith cut down a Winchester Model 47 single-shot. Believe or not, I still have it. I just measured the length-of-pull and it is eleven-inches (rather short for me now).
My first big game rifle was a Winchester Model 94 in .30-30. The rifle was a Christmas present when I was nine and I killed four deer with it, by the time I was actually legal to hunt (age 12, here in Oregon). I still have the M-94 with its four notches cut in the buttstock. Four shots, four very dead mule deer...not bad for a kid that wasn't legal yet. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
When I was twelve, I decided I needed a scoped rifle. DCM was doing a great sale on 03 Springfields, so I bought one for the magnificent sum of $12.00. The next several months were spent "sporterizing" the stock and getting it ready. Again, the same local gunsmith drilled/tapped the receiver for scope mounts, forged the bolt handle and fitted a scope safety. I was working in a gas station at the time and bought a B&L BalVar on time.
The Springfield 03 killed many deer. The first one was a very heavy, deep-chested 4X3. It was dark-dusk and I really had to thread the 180 Hornady through the brush to kill the old boy. Yeah, I've been a scope guy ever since.
Steve
Marlin 30AS in 30-30 purchased at Service Merchandise: put a Bushnell Banner on it. Never shot a deer with it as the following year a friend who was getting out of hunting sold me his Ruger 77 in .280. Got my first deer with it that year at no more than 15 yards! Could of stuck with the 30-30. Now over 20 years and many guns later, I have set up my Marlin with a 2X Nikon pistol scope mounted in an XS Scout Scope mount. Maybe I'll give it a go this season.
Chris
Remington 760 Carbine in .308. It belonged to my grandfather. He used it for moose. I still own it.
SC................
Started deer hunting at 8, no gun just walked in the drives. Started carrying a M12 12 guage at about 12-13. Deer were scarce.. Killed my first, a buck fawn at 18 years old with a M98 sporterized mauser, borrowed from a dear friends Dad. I bought a Remington 788 in 243 the following year and killed a buck fawn with it the first morning. I started gunsmithing by bedding, checkering etc. that 788. It was stolen over 23 years ago. I still look for it.. always will.
260RemGuy
257 Roberts, built in high school. 98 Mauser action, Shilen barrel. Still have that rifle, still shoots.
Charlie
The rifle with which I shot my first deer was a 45-70, Ruger #1, 350 gr. NEI 333.458 RNFPGC, 1,445 f.p.s.
Quite effective.
A Winchester Model 70 Ranger in 30/06 with a Tasco 4x scope. Dropped a fork horn mule deer with it my first season , about 5 minutes into the season. It went on to kill a ton of game including whitetails and antelope. Sold about ten yeras ago so I could aquire a shiny Rem 700 BDL in 30/06 that didn't shoot near as well.
A Savage 720 12 gauge with a small rear sight soldered on the barrel about 1/3 of the way between the receiver and the front bead. It was 1973 and I shot a doe at about 100 yards. To this day I marvel at how lucky of a shot it was, as I had no idea where the thing shot, as I never sighted it in. It was given to me by a business associate of my dad. I still have it, but haven't hunted with it in 25 or 30 years.
Fast Ed
My first deer season I was 13 years old in Shasta County, Calif. After reading many articles on the attributes of various rifles, I decided I needed a flatshooting bolt action with a scope (I did like levers though). I saw that the Army & Navy store in Redding had Remington 788's with 4X Taco scopes on sale for $99.99. They had them in 243, 6mm or 30-30. Sent Dad & Mom down there to buy me one, first choice 243, second 6mm after that forget it, no 30-30! If I wanted one I'd get it in a Winchester 94! All day I waited at the homestead. They came back from town with my new & first deer rifle. A model 788 in 30-30 <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />. I asked Dad what happened. He told me that the manager of the Army & Navy store told him that the 30-30's recoil was the lightest between the calibers and the better caliber for a youth! I told my father he had been had, by a manager who wanted to move a gun with a missed matched caliber (Yea, I was a spoiled kid). I hunted with it the first year, sold it before the next season and bought a Savage 99-A in 308 (Ironicaly from the same store, still have the gun). Killed my first Blacktail 5X4 with that. four years later, a friend of mine and I came across the manager of the Army Navy Store with his wife in the woods with a broken down jeep. We drove them back to their relatives. I didn't say a thing about how he had saw my father coming. It didn't seem appropriate. Funny, I hear that 788's in the 30-30 caliber bring top dollar now days. Who would have known (I sold it for $75.00).
Tang Safety Ruger M77 with 4X Leupold in 257 Rob. A pretty good choice for an 11yr old to make, if I do say so myself. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
222
Remington 700ADL in .243 with iron sights---still have it 40yrs.
Although every deer I shot with it and the 105 Speer was a bang-flop, I now use a variety of 35calibers. Still bang-flops but a little more recoil <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />
WN
My first deer rifle was a Universal carbine, .30 carbine. I was 12 and filled a doe tag. Range was about 35 yards on the edge of a swamp and the doe did a backflip at the shot. 30 years ago and I remember it like it happened yesterday. That rifle is in my fathers safe.
Marlin model 30 as 30-30 win.
Remington model 700 adl .264 win mag. Rifle was made in 1968 still in use today, and shoots as good as it did when new.
My first deer rifle was my Grandfather's .22-250 built on an old Zastava Mark X. It has a P.O. Ackley barrel and it used to have a P.O. Ackley 3x9 scope on it. It now wears a Fulfield II Burris. I thought that I was jinxed with this gun for a long time. I didn't kill a deer with it until this past season. I shot a tasty yearling doe and a young boar, which also tastes great, on the same gray drizzly day. My Dad has killed lots of deer with it through the years. I killed my first deer (doe) with a sporterized rifle that I bought at a gun show. It was built on a P-17 action and was in .280 Remington.
[bleep]
My own rifle was a push 270 winny i bought for myself with my own cash. i was pretty damn proud of that gun too. hunted with it for 3 years then had to sell it for a broken leg. yup, stupid.
well. after almost 20 years i got it back. 3 months ago <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> stripped it and am in the process of bedding it. i cant tell you how much happier i am owning that gun again. so much more than any custom i will ever own.
the first one i hunted with was a 303 british (what you get for growin' up in the city). a pards dad let me borrow it the first year in VT. i was hooked till' i go in the ground. i still cant imagine a life without deer hunting.
then i stepped up to a semi-12 gauge. after killing 8 trees and missing a nice 8 (it was the guns fault. it had nothing to do with a ferocious case of buck fever) i started saving every dime i could. the next fall had me a plain old 270 win and a variII 2-7. still didn't shoot anything but i was damn proud <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
woofer
The first one i lugged about in the woods was Dad's 742 carbine. Being a fairly clumsy kid, it wound up being dropped scope down when a wily bit of brush tripped me on the way into my stand opening day. Fortunately no deer came my way-the scope mounts had bent just a tad.
PETA----People Who Eat Tasty Animals
Weatherby Mark V .270 Roy, LH flavor. A real sweetheart.
A Belgian Browning BLR in .308 Win.
I hunted deer with an old 12 gauge pump for 3 years before I ever saw one. I saved up the $67 price for a Winchester Model94 back in 1963. I killed my first 10 deer with it before someone told me that it was inadequate.
Remmy Model 141 in 35 Rem. Still the fastest pump-action center fire ever produced. Oh yeah, it's also a take-down rifle. Perfect brush gun for whitetail--2MG
This doesn't really qualify as a rifle, but on my second season of deer hunting (just turned 11 years old), I took my first deer with a 410 slug. It was fired from a O/U(22/410) Stevens.
My first real rifle, I bought at 13, was a Model 88 Win. in .308 Win. I still have it,but it has been retired many years!! -memtb
REMINGTON M788 in .243 Winchester. Had a aftermarket Ram*line stock, and would shoot .5 to .75 with just about any factory ammo. Sold it to a Good friend for $100 bucks. If he wasn't still a good friend that would be one of the worst days of my life. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
My first deer rifle was a Stevens single shot 410 (which was my great grandmothers) shooting slugs. I shot the biggest deer I've ever shot it my life with it when I was 10 years old.
Since that time I've build several custom left-handed rifles, but have never shot a deer larger than that one.
Jeff
First one I could call mine was a Ruger M77 .270win with the tang safety ... and a standard gloss duplex Redfield 3-9x on top ... wasn't the most accurate thing, but then again I never had ANY work done to it ...
My first was a Marlin 336 .30/30. Paid $54 used (8 rounds) plus the remaining 12 rounds in 1971. Sold it, like an idiot, in 1974, just before I went in the army for $70. Live and learn.
"What was your first deer rifle?"
Rem 788, .22-250, Hornady 55gr SP loaded to 3600fps
"And did you get a deer your first year?"
yes, one shot.....DRT!
........and no one needs to give me the baloney about it being
to "light". My Dad and brother used the same caliber for 35yrs
without a single loss. Those who have had losses with them,
AIN'T doin' it right!!
243 rem 700 never killed a deer w/ it, my uncle gave me a 7mm rem mag when i was 15 i just seemed to shoot it better so i use that now, it does a nice job its a win mdl 70 w/ a leupold 3-9
a Remington 700 ADL 30-06 Synthetic.....great gun so far
7.65mm Arg. Mauser Model 1891. It was my grandfather's and I ended up with it after he died in the early 70's. I still use it to this day and handload for it. Killed a nice whitetail with it last year.
Remington BDL SS .300 win mag