Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Favorite deer rifle

1951made Marlin .30-30 by a wide margin.

Second is a tie between a Ruger M77 MKII in .30-06, (Boat Paddle) and a S.C. made Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .270 WSM

All that said, I have a 1951 made Marlin in .35 Remington that will make it to the woods this year. Maybe it will bring me some luck!

250 Savage Ackley Improved

If I am in hopes of a big buck, my old .300 WM, but my last few have been shot with a 7mm-08, and .270 .. Late this week we will go for whitetails.. I have my old .2506 as a primary rifle, but the .300 is sighted in and ready to use if I find an area where I might get a shot at a really big buck..

For carrying in the woods: Savage 99F in 308 Win
For making sure the deer doesn't take another step: Winchester 70 Fwt in 270WSM

This week it's my 700 in .284 Win.

Over the years a Ruger 77 in 6MM Rem has been my favorite also. I have been wanting to try a heavier yet a little slower bullet for less meat damage, while still insuring a reliable kill.
Think I put the package together this year in my favorite action. This season Ill be carrying a CZ 527 that was a 7.62 x39 that is now re-barreled to 6.5 Grendel with a 24" tube.
Recoil is perhaps even less than the 6mm and down range energy is slightly better than the 6mm Rem per all data I have seen thus far.

Only question thus far is what bullet/load to go with. Planing to give the 123 Grain SST load a try along with a 100 grain Barnes TTSX in the coming few weeks.

Goal here has been an accurate light weight rifle for harvesting Venison without destroying much if any meat. I am the hunter as well as the butcher and do not like seeing much if any blood shot meat. Experience tells me that hydrostatic shock can and has been over done a lot in the past.

Suppose I have been wanting a balance between clean humane kill and nearly no meat damage. To be honest the method that has met and I suppose set, my goals thus far has been when hunting with sticks and strings and expanding broad heads.

I'm a 30-06/180grain softpoint with a fixed 4x scope kinda guy. I shoot factory ammo and have switched from Rem Core-Lokt pointed and round to Win PP's to Federal Bluebox Softpoints. Like them all but think Federals are my favorite and Core-lokt round nose are my seconds. As to rifle I've switched around a fair amount over the years depending on finances and wants/wims. Right now I used a old Mossberg 810a that I hammered a buck with a little over a week ago. Then I have a Win 94ae 30-30 with a peep that shoots Federal 170 Bluebox great, for deer drives, still hunting and helping track wounded deer if need be.

When not walking far I like the custom I got a few years ago. It's on a DWM with a well done bolt handle and a Dakota safety in a fine stock. The barrel is octagon at 22" in 30-06 shooting the 155 Berger VLD.

Pretty hard to beat combo for the northeast in my opinion. When I wander around the balsam/laurel swamps above Roundout Reservoir, or Mombaccus Mt. near the Ashokan, I tend to carry the same thing, perhaps just a little more old school, been carrying it since 1979. A Remington 760 Carbine in 30-06 with a Leupold Vari X III 1.5X5X20 shooting 150 grain bullets.

The fast handling qualities of the gun and the fact that it comes up to point quickly like a shotgun is much more important to me than the caliber.

My go to rifle is a Remington 700 in 25-06.

I'm too nosey to sit for very long so I usually grab my Remington Model Seven SS in .308 Win. with a Leupold VXI 2-7X. Nice little gun for carrying. I've always shot 150's in it.

Loving my 760 06 right now.

M70 SS Classic Fwt 270Win. McMillan Fwt pattern, 4.5-14x40 Leupold, 140TSX.

200yds:

.280AI built by Mickey Coleman topped with 3.5-10 VX3 and loaded with the 120 grain Nosler BT.

Close second is the Tikka T3 SS .243 with 3-9 Burris FFII loaded with the 95 gtrain Nosler BT.

Clarence Hammonds built my 1-8" twist 243 in a Mickey MR edge stock


Shoots 95 Noslers into nice little groups

Easy to carry on deer drives but enough weight to hold steady on off hand shots....

That's a great pix woodson.

For years it ways always a Marlin levergun but the last few its a Weatherby SS Carbine in 7mm-08. 6lbs 8 oz scoped a pleasure to carry and quick coming to the shoulder.

great setup you have River Ridge

My favorites seem to change. I have been loving a 700 SPS stainless for several years, but my new Ruger American rifle is gaining quickly, it has a lot to like.

My M77 in .257Roberts has been my favorite for a long time. It hunts every year, but it's not always in my hands. My wife has pretty much taken it over.

I have a couple of pre'64 M/70's, my #1 favorite is a .35 Whelen rebore followed closely by a .257 Roberts.