Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting whats your ideal whitetail rifle

Looking back on the last decade, or three of deer/big game hunting I have used (on game) a 270, 280, 7mm rem mag, 300 Win Mag, 308 winchester, 25-06 and a 30-06. (may have forgotten one, or two!)
Rifle "platforms" have all been bolt action, pre 64 model 70s, model 70 classics, one pushfeed model 70, one Sako A series, Remington 700s and one FN actioned Husqvarna.
Scopes have all been variables, all leupolds with one bushnell scopechief (2.5x8) many years ago, vari-x ll through vxlll, 2x7, 3x9, 3.5x10s. Only one scope issue, the bushnell! All duplex reticles except for one #4 reticle, which I was pretty indifferent about.
All but two rifles have had quality synthetic stocks (bansners, mcmillans, one brown, a few B&C Ti). The other two were factory issue wood stocks.
All variations on the same theme and no real reason to change. Favourite, if I was building or buying another one, would be another 270 (model 70 crf, preferably a pre 64 fwt) in a quality synthetic stock with another leupold variable!
Current rifle is a model 700 SS mtn rifle, in 270! Picture below is a pre 64 fwt in 280(off a classic fwt), Mcmillan Edge compact. That was a "pretty nice" rig, no longer here though as I didn't really care for the stock fit and was chasing perfection. Not really the smartest thing I ever did and I'd be happy to have it back!

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JoeMartin what type of ammo are you using in that R, factory or handloads?

Winchester Model 70 in 270 Win.

What's your ideal whitetail rifle?

I've never found one "ideal whitetail rifle"



I used several depending to the terrain and the hunt.

1) I, too, generally use a scoped 270 Winchester switching between a wood stocked M70 and a synthetic stocked M700 in wet weather.

2) I also use a scout-scoped K31 if situation is stalking with possibility of having to make a quick jump shot.

3) Some years ago running deer with dogs (was legal) I used an iron sighted SKS for close shots these "super-sonic" deer.

Savage 99 EG in 308, has a VX-II on it now.

This is probably my all-time favorite:



Savage 99 in 308 WIN. I download it so it shoots more like a 300 Savage.

Running a close second is my newest addition:



Ruger Hawkeye in 30-06

My little Browning X Bolt Micro Hunter. I handload a 139 grain GMX that shoots well under an inch if I do my part. I have a Leupy 3x9 on it. For Eastern Ky. hills it is all I need. I have others but when I head to the woods it is the one I usually grab.

Savage 99F in 300 Savage....works well. Or just about any 300 Savage in a 99 format.

Ditto on the Savage 99F in 300 Savage. Mine wears a Weaver 2.5X Scope. It is deadly on Michigan Whitetails. Accurate, lightweight, fast handling and packs plenty of punch for a quick kill.

I'm hunting CRP and the trees are too tall to see into. Mostly, we shoot down the roads and shots can be long.
This season, I've used my LH WBY Accumark 300 wby mag. I killed a mature buck at 360 yds the other day. But my favorite rifle is a LH WBY ultralight in 257 wby mag.

I've killed a pile of deer with a pile of different rifles. Most fell to my first centerfire. An old ADL with a Redfield Widefield. The rifle is my son's now, and he's killed a few with it as well:

Yes, it's a real sleeper, I have never seen another one like it. It's got this muzzle break which works like it should, it doesn't blast back at you.



It's very light and trim, 7.25 scoped and loaded, handles much like a BTNO 21.



CRF-



Cool british proofs, square bridges, nice polish, over all a high quality 30-06-

Ruger 44 carbine.

I like that little Ruger!

That looks mighty handy!!

I am not familiar with 44 down range ballistics- what kind of loads are you using, what's the trajectory like and how far are you comfortable shooting at a deer with that rifle?

Have seen a couple of these....very cool old rifle!

This Remington Custom shop M7 .257 Roberts has taken about 30 deer for me the past 16 years.


My daughter outgrew her Marlin 1894 .357. Magnum so has used mine for the last couple of years.

This is definitely the ideal whitetail rifle for me!

240JHP, but JSP seems to be just as effective. Trajectory is nowhere near as good as a 30-378WM, but a helluva lot better than a mortar.

Seriously though, I think if a majority of your shots are going to be over 50 yards at stationary or slow moving deer, there's a lot of better options. By the time rifle season opens where I hunt the deer have been subject to a month of bow and 2 weeks of muzzle and are pretty skittish. Most of the guys in my club still stick to the same old plan & go up in the trees, but I go down in the thickest, nastiest places on the property. I don't see nearly as many deer as the tree dwellers, but when I do it usually a nice one, usually very close, and usually moving.

savage 99 in 300 sav or marlin 444 they share the work load this year was marlin 1 the sav got the rest of season

Off topic- tbear99- that looks like a black and tan english shepherd in your avatar, that's a great old breed. Here's one of mine-