Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What's your perfect whitetail rig?

My perfect whitetail rig is a Left Hand Winchester Model 70 Stainless .270 Win.
McMillan Edge stock
Talley Lightweights
Zeiss Victory 2.5-10x42 #60 Reticle

Both are .270s. Winchester 70Classic SM,restocked in a B&C stock, and a Howa 1500, in an Olde English B&C stock. Leupold VariXII 3-9 on the M70, Burris FFII 3-9 on the Howa.

Plain vanilla killers, both of them. Lotsa meat made with these two, and some others.

No need for me to build, although the Winchester needed that stock to shoot well. The Howa came that way, straight out of the box.

Very interesting thread. I have already posted on my favorite deer gun. I have deer guns that cost multiple thousands. I also have a nice Marlin made Glenfield 30 that i rescued from a pawn shop a couple of years back for $121 and change OTD. In retrospect, I think it would have taken every deer, WT and Mule,,that I have ever killed excep for four long range shots.

I'm on the downhill slope of life and it seems I may have wasted a lot of money chasing the perfect deer rifle. Dad's one and only center fire rifle was a Marlin 336 RC in .30-30. Uncle got along just fine with a Marlin 1936 in that caliber. He ate a lot of venison. Makes one wonder.......jack

A 30-30 through the lungs is hard for a critter to stand.

30-06:

Jack

I have many rifles and only a couple were bought or traded for with specific game species in mind. One was a 338 win mag for large bear and the other a 375 H&H for cape buffalo. I used a 6.5x55 Swede for years for deer because I had it. It worked just fine for most of my hunting.

I bought an 06 to have a backup rifle in 2009 when I went to Africa. It turns out after rejecting the 06 for 40 years, I actually find it my do everything I am now doing with hunting rifle. The other rifles get worked out every summer at the rrange, but the 06 makes the trip to the deer field.

When I used to hunt the thick bush I used a 30/30 over 20 ga. that was really handy and killed just dandy.

Kimber 84 M Classic 7-08 Leupold 2.5-8 in Tally steel mounts.

added a savage trophy hunter xp package this week. the nikon scope looks to be a pretty decent prostaff model.

.243 is already something i load for. this is the only rifle i have bought that i didn't feel the need to tinker with. going to load for it and go whack coyotes and targets and groundhogs. very surprised how much better finished it is than savage did in the past. the stock is much stiffer and lighter than they used to be.

have an invite to shoot does in michigan this fall. going to perforate them just fine i'm sure.

perfect rig? nah. i still love a nice mauser in .257 bob.

medicman , I also happen to be a believer in the 30-06. They may be more than is needed for deer, but no doubt they work, and for even bigger stuff. I have kept three up until now. They will not be sold but may be gifted to my relatives. One is a custom stocked commercial FN from the fifties, a Grade III BAR, and a custom stocked and engraved 1903. All are beautiful guns and shoot most everything under 1 1/4", some a good bit under. The 30-06 is never a mistake. Jack

Not much you need to do with that rig!

Guess this would be mine, among a few others...



Oberndorf Model 98 Mauser, .270 Win (second barrel, first was 7x57 long since shot out), current barrel is a turned down '52 FN, rifle built (and rebuilt) by Al & Roger Biesen.

Here is mine.

Crap, wrong pic.

Kimber Select in 257R with Conquest 2.5x8.

I'd be real happy with that rifle AND that buck!

Tikka T3 Lite in .243 with a 2x7 Leupy. I already own it.

Expat

308 Steyr 20" 4-12x40/ 3-9x40 leupy and 165 cup and cores.

Tikka T3 light. 270wsm. 130 gr. nosler accubond.

I don't know about that. I know some guys that CAN shoot and would like the cheesy bone collector rifle. Just saying.

Anyway, I'd go with a custom CZ-550 in 257 Bob, probably have the guys at ER Shaw do the barrel work and the bluing(My Mk. VII is certainly a good shooter). Have Wenig or possibly Macon Gunstocks put it in a nice piece of walnut with an oil finish and top it off with either a Leupold FX-II 4x or a Weaver K4 classic.

Savage 110 with a 260rem barrel, Boyd's Prairie hunter stock, Nitrex 3-9, most any 120-140gr C&C bullet.
Or the model 38 Swede Mauser,trimmed to carbine length, 6.5x55,Herters stock Redfield peep rear with Rem front site, most any 120-140gr C&C.

Way too tan to have a white tail.