Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters A Close-in Deer Rifle

I wasn't aware of "The Last Hunt." Just ordered it and looking forward to hearing again from the writer that guided me in my early years. Thanks for the recommendation. Art

It's real hard to beat this combination. While I don't own a 30-30 lever gun anymore, my single shots rifles and pistol caliber carbines get used almost every year. I still haven't shot a deer over 100yds.

You couldn't don’t do much better than that, unlikely to match it even.

I bought my first 600 in 308 sometime in the 60’s. Certainly not in the running for a beauty pageant. That was what I carried on my first elk hunt. The 600 308’s I’ve owned were, to me, perfect close in deer rifles. I never had more than a 4x on any of them - never a variable. The one I gave now is wearing a M8-4x, I believe.

I enjoyed reading through this thread earlier this week & remembered a lot of positive comments about the Mannlicher-Schoenauer. It's a rifle I don't know much about because if a rifle doesn't have a left-handed model, I sometimes don't give it a lot of attention. But I got an auction notice today and saw a few in there so I thought I would post it not knowing if this would be of interest or not. Figured it wouldn't hurt:

Mannlicher Schoenauer Model 1903 Bolt Action Carbine

Tiroler Waffenfabrik J. Peterlongo Mannlicher-Schoenauer Model 1903 Sporting Rifle

Mannlicher Schoenauer Special Order Model 1908 Bolt Action Rifle

Steyr Mannlicher Schoenauer Model 1908 Bolt Action Carbine

Relevant to snap-shooting:

Most of the deer I've killed - mostly fallow, plus the odd red and sambar, I have shot with my little Browning Stainless Stalker. It is light, handy and accurate. I've had it for about 27 years.

I had a close encounter with a red stag one time. I was with another bloke, and as we came down into a little gully overgrown with lantana the stag was there, in cover. I smoothly sat, behind a log, but my mate hadn't seen the deer, until it bolted directly towards me. I thought for a brief instant that I'd be shooting upward as it jumped over me, but it balked at the last instant, not 5 yards away, and crashed back through the lantana until it emerged on the far side, full gallop across my front at about 70 yards. A bullet through the shoulderblade and spine rolled it like a rabbit, and that was that. I've killed a sambar galloping through blackberries at about 40 yards too, with the same rifle, and the odd fallow that was close in and determined not to be too.

I've also shot a bolting fallow at about 20 yards with a Marlin 1893. The 26" barrel was no hindrance - actually helped the swing-through. Even my Martini Cadet, 5.6x50 R, did for a doe lying down in cover from about 30 yards - I could only see her head and half the neck as she looked up at me, but it was enough for a quick shot before she could get up.

I've shot a few other deer close in, but a lot more pigs. Closest was no more than a yard off the muzzle, and closing fast. He meant to do me a serious mischief, had I not brained him.

The handiest rifle I have is probably my drilling. I just took it out for a walk last week in fact. 6lbs, 22" barrels, 1.5 -6x scope, and the immediate choice of 7x57R, buckshot or slug, it is ideal for really close cover, and proved as much last week. My double 9.3 is also pretty handy, and has plugged a good number of animals including those close in and moving. You save a lot of OAL with a break action.

I reckon the main criterion though is the rifle fits you, and you have confidence in it. It should come up like a shotgun, with the sights materialising before your eye. That allows you to get that bullet where it needs to be, fast. Provided that the bullet is suitable to the game that ability to get it there without hesitation tends to do the trick.
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It doesn't beat out any of the previously mentioned, but over the last week I've spent some time shooting a CVA Cascade in .350 Legend. Surprisingly nice little rifle. Smooth action/bolt, great feeding from flush fit mags, very nice trigger, free floated sporter-contour barrel, nice balance, and although just factory synthetic, the stock is a very nice pattern that fits me well. For a low $, off the shelf, close-in bolt action rifle chambered in a modern day 35 Rem equivalent, it's a winner.

Got a nice 327 Fed load with 86gr Shock Hammers cooked up for the peeped Henry BBS 16" carbine, but haven't used it deer hunting yet.

I sort of envisioned that as a load for bump walking along creek/ditch bottoms since it snap shoots well, and any offhand shots I take would be VERY short. The rifle works great as a short range small game potter with 32 Long/32 H&R cast loads.

I don't see Sako Mannlichers pop up on a regular basis. They might not be super rare but they're definitely not really common. While surfing around & drinking coffee this morning, I saw a LNIB Sako AII Carbine chambered in .243 Winchester for sell on GB. It's at times like these I wish I shot right-handed:



The same person was also selling a short-barreled LNIB Sako AII Handy Cabin Rifle chambered in .308 Winchester with a DBM. I think that would make a really good close-in deer rifle & again a model that doesn't appear too often:

45-70, 1895 Marlin, 400 gr. Speer, 53 gr 3031 & you'll never have to trail another deer.........................ever.

Unless you just flat out miss.

MM

Mine was a Win 70 Classic Compact that I rebarreled to 250-3000 at 20", Leupold 2.5-8x36. A great little stalking rifle.

Exactly what I use in my Guide Gun, with the exception of 54 grains of Varget instead of your 53 grains of 3031. I have only had to follow up one deer I can recall (out of many) taken with that rig. It was the last hour of the last day of the season, early December, and colder than hell. I was on a small ridge above a gulch where I've shot a number of deer traveling through. I saw one heading right down the middle and got ready. Instead of continuing on the usual path however, the buck angled off coming right toward me, diagonally up the slope of the ridge. He was in the brush where I couldn't get a clear shot until he broke out and stood, trying to figure me out, no more than 20 feet from me. I didn't give him time to think about it, smacking him square in the chest with the 400 grain Speer flatpoint. He crashed down thrashing, came to his feet, and flew straight ahead, crashing into a small tree 6 feet to my right, fell, came up facing back the same way he came and was out of there like a shot. I didn't try to shoot again, knowing I'd hit him solid and with a couple of inches of snow on the ground. I was surprised at how far followed his track before he started leaking, and not much when he did. I found him about 100 yards from where I'd shot him, lying on his side in a massive pool of blood. A nice buck, 8 or 9 point, but worn down from the rut.

Probably would be my 1958 Marlin 336RC in 35 Remington shooting 200 gr. Remington Core-Lokts or Hornady’s Leverevloution 200 gr. FTX.

I've been loading 53gr 3031 under the 325gr FTX for a friend's 1895 guide gun for a while. Packs a heck of a wallop, and excellent accuracy.

Too much recoil for me, but he loves that thing.

My 1920 303 Savage, 20" barrel, 6lb 3 oz has worked well for me.

Imagine this in .30 caliber if you will. It weighs 5-1/2 pounds.

Those Contender Carbines are damn handy.

I’ve got one with a 16” bbl in .223 that I’ve killed a schitt load of coyotes and hogs out of the window of a JD Tractor with.
And all of my nieces and nephews used it to kill their first deer and hogs with too. It’s an accurate little SOB.

My little Winchester Trapper Model 94’s in 30-30 & .44 mag also work very well for a “close-in” deer and hog gun.

I’ve never really thought about a “dedicated stalking rifle”……or perhaps that’s all that I ever considered! I want a rifle that is fully capable of handling any situation that I may find myself in!

My hunting can result in shots measured in feet, while hours later could result in the potential to shoot to the Earth’s curvature …..though, my personal max range is a self-imposed 600 yards in perfect conditions! My cartridge/caliber choice also reflects the possibility of taking game of sizes ranging from a 100 pound Pronghorn to deer, moose, elk, Black Bear depending upon the licenses that I have…..then there’s also the “very remote” possibility of bumping into a grizzly in a foul mood at the aforementioned range measured in feet!

While my cartridge/caliber choice in 9 pound pkg (scoped, loaded, slung) is certainly not #1 on everyone’s list…..it has worked quite well for me for 33 years!

As a qualifying statement…..I am a “one gun” hunter! memtb

Pre-mil 1950’s era d&t Savage M99F .300 Savage. End of discussion.

What the hell are you doing here then???? That is so sad; whadaya want, help or pity?

MM