Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles New to Deer Hunting and Need Rifle Suggestions

Welcome aboard.

You have received some good advice here. The 270 would certainly fill the bill. But one question is begging to be asked. What is your recoil tolerance? Have you fired a .270 before? If so & you can tolerate the recoil go for it.

Being a new hunter I would heartily recommend a Ruger # 1 or another single shot. The reason for this it will teach you good habits right off the bat. If you only have one shot you will learn to stalk in closer & hold your shot until you are certain of a hit.

NEF doesn't list the .270 but has several interesting calibers & well within your budget.
NEF at HuntersDirect.com

Rossi does have a .270 also within your budget.
Rossi .270

There are so many choices that it is easy to get confused in trying to compare this cartridge,that rifle,that bullet,etc.Enough to give a brass monkey a case of the migrains and have your brain polluted by a bunch of irrelevant ballistic gak.

IMHO a 300 magnum is a very bad choice for a beginner(and many veterans as well) because it generates a lot of recoil and is measurably more difficult to apply precisely;and generally does not kill any deer,anywhere, any better than more moderate rounds.

At the end of the day,or the beginning, Swampman is right.....grab a light Remington 700 in 270 Winchester,a good quality 2-7 or 3-9 variable(don't skimp on the scope),practice a lot,and if you don't kill effectively with that combo,you have issues.

And while you're at it,look at the deer rifle as "two" rifles;when you can afford it, get a similar rifle chambered for 223 for lots of high volume,low cost/low recoil practice.Trajectory to 300 yards is similar to a 270. The 270 will kill your deer, but the 223 will make a rifleman out of you.

Even if you don't "end up" there because your brain becomes addled by the rifle-looney affliction, you will grudgingly admit years down the road that very few things work much better than a 270 Winchester,and a Remington 700.....or Ruger Hawkeye....or M70 Winchester

Tough to beat what I like to call the "three wise men"; 30-06, 270, 308. Lotsa immitations but I don't believe you can beat any of the three for availability and use.

Two good ones are the WBY Vanguard or Tikka in 270Win.Also wouldn't overlook a Ruger in 280 or 25-06 Rem either.

How is a guy who doesn't handload going to afford to practice with those calibers?

1) A bolt action rifle is a must, IMO, either in a 22" or 24" barrel.
2) Look for the following rifle makes (they are all good choices): Tikka, Weatherby Vanguard, Savage 110, Remington (many models to choose from), Ruger. Prices will range from $400-$700.
2) Caliber should be a 25-06, .270 Win, .280 Rem, or .30-06. They are perfect for all deer hunting applications (270 & 280 could be used for elk & moose and .30-06 can be used for elk, moose and some big bears). A magnum is NOT needed, but if you desire one knock yourself out.
3) Select a nice wood stocked or synthetic stocked rifle. Which ever you prefer is fine.
4) Purchase a Nikon Pro Staff or Burris Full Field II scope in a 3-9X40. They are execellent scopes considering the price ($165-$200). If you want to spend more $$$ then look Zeiss, Leupold or Khales.

Now if you prefer a lever action I would suggest a Browning BLR chambered in a .308 Win or 7mm-08. Good rifle, good calibers that can be used for many different hunting situations as mentioned above.

Good luck and enjoy.

Marlin just introduced a new bolt action rifle the XL 7 that has a suggested MSRP HALF of your budget figure! It borrows liberally from existing designs to cut productions costs and is getting very good reviews in the gun rags. If I were starting over (and didn't handlaod some 18 different chamberings)I'd go with the 30/06. Widest range of bullet choice available; Hornaday list bullets ranging from 86 grns to 220. Loaded ammo can be found anywhere. You can use it to hunt anything on this continent; even press it into service for big bears with the 200 grn premium bullet like Barnes TSX.

.280 rem covers a lot of bases

Not like a guy needs a co-signer for a box of shells.

Well, here is what you do, buy yourself a 308 or a 7mm 08, either one is just about perfect. As for the rifle, Ruger M-77 is a good no BS gun. Comes with rings and its gone of the strongest going. Mount a good fixed 4 x scope. Learn to shoot and learn to hunt. The 308 Winchester will serve you well, plenty of ammo around, The 270 is a good choice as well, Its not so much a question as to what cartridge, most anything will work and work well on White Tails, some better than others but it will be splitting hairs. The Rifle has to fit you well, in order to shoot well. Then there is the sights, the better you are able to see the better you are going to be able to shoot. Season is about over in most places, spend your winter looking and pick one in the spring and start shooting and getting ready for fall. Do some reading on the subject. Start with "Shots at White Tails by Larry Koller.

There is a reason I'm pushing .308. You can buy hardball from $13 a box. The cheapest .270 ammunition you're going to find is more like $20. To shoot that in the quantities required to become proficient gets spendy fast.

"Tough to beat what I like to call the "three wise men"; 30-06, 270, 308. Lotsa immitations [sic] but I don't believe you can beat any of the three for availability and use."


I"ll second that. In a good bolt action rifle.

If you realy liked that Marlin 30-30 consider staying with that class of rifle. If your hunting mostly around Tulsa it's fairly wooded so the 30-30's range would not be too limiting. Marlin lever actions are handy, reasonably priced, fun to shoot, and frequently, suprisingly accurate.

You will probably want to get a 30-06,.270 or .308 class rifle eventually, but the Marlin would still have a place as a spare, and fun gun. You might consider a Marlin in .35 Remington: similar trajectories, even more fun to shoot, they are identical to the 30-30, and maybe even a slightly better killer. Forget any magnums for deer.