Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Your Perfect Mule Deer Rifle

Sheesh, Pat.... "Carl" is looking exceptionally rough these days!

That's an awesome buck.

Tanner

Great buck Pat.


Nice rifles everyone!


Here's my 2 current favorites.


Used this one on 4 bucks, 3 mule deer and a whitetail.

Sako A7, Edge stock, 6x42LR, 300 WSM, 180 Partitions, right at 7lbs scoped with sling.





New rifle that I used this Fall.

Montana 243, 2.5-8x36 B&C, 90 Scenar.

Never hunted mulies, I'd think though that my ol'270 M700/Pac-Nor in the B&C mountain rifle stock would fill the bill. 3-9 VXII w/dots to help point it the right direction. Got a big stash of those 140 ABs Sam mentioned.
Runner up might be the SC M70 Fwt. 7-08 with it's 2-7 VXII w/dots. Not as accurate as the 270 with the Pac-Nor but more than good enough for any shot I'd likely take.
Really need to try a mulie hunt before time gets away from me.

I don't currently own a 270, but I wouldn't mind another. A light rig launching the 150 LRAB would be lotsa fun.....tough on the Mulie population too.

Old Style - tanger M77 in the 7x57 with a 4X Leupold. Why a 4X? Because Jack O'Connor told me that is all I need.

montana .260 with 120ttsx's....

BEAUTIFUL! And perfect in almost every way. While re scoping, go up one more step to the Loopy 4.5-14. The optics are excellent on those and in the LRS version (30mm tube) you can get the gloss finish that rifle deserves. There are also some Gloss finish Burris 4-16x44's out and about and that is what I started running this year after about a 25 year run with the Leupold 4.5-14's. Yours is my favorite rifle of this thread so far, other than mine, of course....

Lots of great looking rifles posted on here! For perfect mulie rifles that I own, it'd be my old Mauser 98 sporter 8x57. Definitely not the perfect all-around rifle, but it serves me well. I'm also hoping to plunk a deer this coming season with my new-to-me Sako .22-250.


Pat, do you ever take your old Swift out after critters much anymore?

M70 stainless classic .270 Win in Micky (Winlite) stock, topped with a Leupy 2.5-8 with Boone & Crocket reticle. Been using 130 NBTs and 140 Sierras.

Huntsman: why did you hide your shooting sticks in that picture? Can't believe you went without them?

LOL I can't help it but to desire to have a 270 in my safe again! My last one ended up going to younger a cousin as a loaner and he fell in lover with it, so it is more or less his now.

I've got an itch to put together a duplicate of that rifle, just can't figure if want to go full looney with the 280ai or keep it classic in 270.


Of course this is coming from the same guy that uses a 30-06 and 30-30 as his do it all rifles. Plain and proven seems to light my fire.

A 338 win mag and 375 H&H are also "plain and proven" as well. Just sayin

True! I'm going to feel like such a noob if/when I go 375Ruger.

Not hidden purposefully. They happen to be on the ground behind the lunchbag. I don't go nowhere without them....

I've kinda been thinking the same thing. Already have a crude ADL in 270 so thought maybe a 280AI. Not that there'd be a chit worth of difference for a hunting rifle.

I was just worried that feeding might not be as slick with the AI but that is just a guess. That and I would prefer to have smallest hole possible for the Kimber's cow barrel. No way I'd do a .30 cal Kimber, too thin for me.

My trusty 260 non-typical
VX-6 2-12x42

I'm thinking an 84L Montana in 280ai. Toss a VX-2 4-12 w/CDS on it and I'd be pretty happy. When I think Mule Deer hunting, I think high up the mountains of CO, so lightweight is important. I could go 7-08 in an 84M too, or possibly a Savage Lightweight hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor. This could be hard to narrow down.

For laughs, I plugged those numbers into JBM. That would greatly simplify wind and range estimation and adjustments! Nice rifle, and a nice buck! What does that rifle weigh?

My little guys like it as much as I do...the four of us put over 1500 rounds through it this past summer.

It weighs nine pounds with a sling and full mag.

I've been playing around with RS Magnum in mine.. Have you given it a go?