Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Favorite deer rifle

After giving it some thought I have come to the conclusion that my favorite rifle for deer is the one that I happen to want to carry that day. Deer are easily taken with a well placed shot from any center-fire cartridge. So I just open the gun cabinet and pull out the one I have the most confidence in on that given day. I have killed them with center fire cartridges from .17 Rem. to 300 Win Mag., black powder rifles, shot guns, and archery tackle. I choose my poision depending on how I would like to hunt that day.

LSU Fan I live right here in Baton Rouge. Broadmoor to be exact. The rifle was built by David Reynerson of Reynersons Gunsmith Services on Hooper Road. The action was a Remington 700 Stainless BDL/DM. Barrel was a 26" Douglas #6 heavy, stock was a custom cut Fajen ace varmiter(purchased before they sold out and went to crap). This gun shot like a dream. Regretfully I sold it 2 years ago because I wanted a 300wsm. That was a BIG mistake. I am now having a new 7-08imp built. This one is on a T/C encore rifle with a 26" fluted shilen stainless match select barrel. Virgin Valley Custom Guns is doing the work on this one. Yes 3185 is haulin ass for an 08imp but they will do that when you use the 26" tube. Anything shorter is a waste because you dont get the full use of having the rifle made into an improved. Also contribute that velocity to the H-varget powder. I do my shooting on a shooting range I built on my parents farm in Mt. Hermon. Its not very long(150 yds) but it works for me. I hunt in Hinds county Mississippi. Took a nice 8pt this year. Used my buddies 08 to take him. Havent had him scored but he was 15 1/2 inside, 17 3/4 outside. g-1's were around 4", g-2's were both over 10 1/2", g-3's were both over 8". Bases were almost 5". Field dressed weight was 180lbs. He was aged at 6 1/2 to 7 1/2.

You're the first person I've talked to that had Reynersons build them a rifle. Sounds like you were pretty happy with it. I've had a bad experience with them so I don't go in there anymore. Have you had Eduardo or any of the other Baton Rouge area smiths do any work for you?

in 1976, i bought a 788 remington in .308. used it for several years in several different places. i believe that i had more fun with this rifle than any before or since.
after i left the military i eventually wound up in illinois. i did all my deer hunting here for 10 years or so, and could not use a rifle. i traded the thing off. wish i had it now........ john w

My favorite deer rifle is a Remington 700 Mountain Rifle chambered for 7mm/08. Mine is a floorplate model, and I shoot 140 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips ahead of 42 grains of BLC-2 powder. The rifle likes them and the deer hate them. I have a Weaver K6 mounted on it. This little thing is a joy to carry all day and to shoot. It also kills like a Buck Rodgers death ray. I have never shot anything but whitetails with it, but I have never had to shoot one twice. Only tracked one, that in a season of weakness I loaded 130 grain speer spitzers, heart lung shot and 40 yards later, I had him. All the rest were shot with BT's and they were immediately impressed. DRT as a matter of fact! (dead right there!)

Favorite would have to be the one that I killed my latest deer with. In this year's case, it'd be the 51 year-old Marlin carbine in 35 Rem. with a Williams receiver sight. Also only the second deer I've taken in the past 15-20 years with factory ammo, the other being my pappy's old VZ 24 in original configuration (except the stock), with one round from the old boy's last box of Rem. Core Lokts.

My favorite whitetail rifle must be the M98 Douglass barreled 25-06, since I've killed almost twice as many with it as all others combined. Like some here have noted, I pick whatever rifle suits my mood, weather conditions and where the deer are, when firearms deer season rolls around.

LSU.........

Mine would have to be my Browning A-Bolt 7MM with a Nikon 4X12X40 scope on it.....I probably don't need it all the time....Average shot distance is about 75 yards...But, there are those time when hunting clear cuts, that you need a gun that will reach out and touch something.....This one will do that....I've been hunting with this caliber for a lot of years..... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Since I only have one at the moment, its gotta be my Ruger 77 compact in .260 Remington.

Jim B

Well this is a hard question i have quite a few nice hunting guns but if i have to pick only one it would be my savage 99 in the 300sav.

Mine is my Ruger compact stainless/laminate in .308, with a Leupold 2-7X33. Suits my style of hunting perfectly. Thick hardwood bottoms and hunting out of a climbing treestand.

Vic

I love my Ruger MKII .270 (wood/blued) topped with a Kahles 3x9X42. The scope is new this year and it proved to be worth the money, so no complaints here. Not yet anyway!!

Trey

I hunt in Minnesota with a Mauser chambered for 30-06 and when I go back out east to our deer camp in Penfield, Pennsylvania, I hunt with a Model 99 cambered for 300 Savage. I'd probably carry the Savage more up here, but I decided to leave it out east at my brother's house so I didn't have to go through the hassle of air travel with it every year. Both guns were my dad's and although I've tried several other rifles of my own over the years, I always come back to the family heirlooms.

LSU fan,
You and everybody knows it hard to really say, what their favorite deer rifle is. I know I probably hunt and kill more with the 7400 30-06 but I also favor the 7400 270 too. I guess it really depends on where I will hunt from day to day. I just recently aquired the 35 whelen from need one so I will try it out this fall. It may even replace the 30-06 as far as the most carried gun for me. The 50 cal powder gun found a place with me this past year too. I have a 243 in the 7400 but have yet to kill a deer with it. Reason is I don't carry it enough because I'm afraid of a wounded deer crawling off into a clear cut that has began to grow up. I don't dare go into these just because of the rough and tough hills and scrub that grown so thick for about 15 years in them. I would use it if I had a area of large fields and clear areas to hunt but I just can't seem to find the right place. I know a well placed shot is all that is needed but murphy is always in my chain of thoughts. I've killed them with a 22 cal rimfire before but I wouldn't use it as a gun to depend on. I just had the chance to make a well placed shot and took it with the 22. They fell about 25 yards from where I shot them and one of the deer had the bullet pass completely thru it and also took a rib out too. But I know the limitations of each and stay away from them when they are out of place. So as of right now I would have to say my favorite is the Remington 7400 30-06 w/220gr corelokt express ammo.

Well they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's my answer:
358 Win. Savage 99 w/ 3-9X Leupold Compact. 225gr. hand loads.
338-308 wildcat, Winchester 88 w/Leupold 2-7X, 200gr. ballistic tips
Hunting site is big hardwoods and dense cedar swamp in Mich's UP.

Long time favorite = Ruger 1B in .280 with Hornady Light Mags in 14o grain.

The usurper this year is a Ruger all weather 77 MKII in .270 with Winchater 130 gr Silvertips. oneb

jbmi,
Very good looking guns. They look well kept! Nice!

Hey, jbmi, that's a nice Savage. "Make mine a 99" should be my handle, as I hunt with an old 300. 'Wish I had a 358.... How do you like your 88? I had one in .243 and just wasn't impressed with it-I couldn't get the trigger pull down to anything workable. I guess I'm just hooked on 99's.

My two favorites are my 1895g Marlin guidegun in 45-70 or my winchester model 100 in .308win. They are both light and quick to the shoulder and seem to hit what they are pointed at.