I'm building a whitetail rifle and I'm wondering what everyone is using for their deer hunting. I'm planning on a short action in 7mm08, 7x57, or 308 with a 20 or 22 inch barrel with a scope in the 2x7 or fixed 6x range. I'm not looking for a lightweight rifle but don't want something too heavy. I like nice wood stocks but synthetics are ok too.

Forget the 7x57.

7mm08 would be about right, if you don't reload go 308. Or flip a coin.

21" barrel, .6 at the muzzle is what I do with many rifles.

For a short action, a chambering from .26 to .338 or 358” caliber on the 308 Win family of cartridges will be very effective on deer. A 22” barrel is a nice balance, but it's your choice The 7x57 ( 8x57 for that matter) are fantastic options, but not the best option for a true short action.

I prefer a fixed 2.5x, 3x or 4x for my hunting needs in Maine forests. I also like back up sights (rear receiver and post front sight). Pick the action you like. There are many good choices.

What do I use for deer hunting? Marlin 336a 30-30 (24” bbl, 1976 vintage) Weaver k2.5x scope, with 170 grainSpeer / ww748 reloads; JC. Higgins model 50 ( FN action, 22” bbl) 30-06 w/ 4x Leupold, Timney trigger, 180 or 200 grain flat-base spitzers over non-max IMR 4350 reloads.

You will find your question has been asked 100s of times on the internet. There are 100s of answers. Just about all will work. Fun to dream, but in the end, use what YOU like.

The 308 Win will likely have more factory ammo availability in small town general stores, in case you need ammo in an “ oops, I forgot something” situation.

Don’t overthink it. A 308 Winchester on a short action of your choice with a fixed 4x Leupold will never let you down for a deer hunting rig to 300++ yards with a 165-180 grain cup/core plain jane, low-cost, flat-base bullet - with factory ammo available everywhere. There is beauty in simplicity.

Short and handy.....

What buttstock said. Almost any rifle can be a whitetail rifle so it comes down to personal taste and what suits your area and style of hunting.

Ranges will be short 250 or less 99 percent of the time. I'm looking for something handy. I've used a lot of rifles over the years....30-06, 270, 7mm, 308, 243, 30/30, 35 rem, 444. I'm looking for something quick in the hands thats easy to carrry all day sneaking through the deer woods.

I wouldn't look past lightweight. My ultimate whitetail rifle happens to be my mule deer/antelope rifle, a Forbes 270 Win. I have killed somewhere around a dozen whitetail with it since 2013 ranging from 30-340yds. I hunt everything from swamps, thickets, to wide open bean fields here in eastern NC.

If I were to buy something new today, I would be leaning hard towards a Fieldcraft chambered with any of their current flavors. Particularly with their favorable reviews and since they bought out Forbes.

The great thing about a well balanced, accurate, lightweight rifle that shoots well offhand is that they also can also be shot well off a platform. It will also provide you with the ultimate mulie, pronghorn, sheep, and elk rifle if you ever decide to venture west.

I've killed deer with about 30 different rifles chambered in everything from .22LR to .30-06. They all work if you use them right.

Well under 250 a 358 would be a dandy...

do you reload?

I have 2 308s with a 20” barrel. The Remington Model 7 SS is not my ideal rifle but works very well when there’s a lot of walking or in dense woods, and is very durable and unaffected by weather. My Browning Lever Action on the other hand is just about perfect. IMO the best action type for almost any hunting and with the ability to shoot 300yard deer rounds even up to elk medicine. Only downside of the BLR, to me, is that it’s so pretty I only take it on nice days and when I won’t be bushwhacking. But that’s a personal thing. Along the same lines you could look into a Savage 99 or Winchester 88 in 308, but anymore a decent used one seems to be almost the same price as a nice new BLR.

If you are a venison lover and concerned about preserving the meat of the deer, check out a rifle in the 50 BMG. A well-known Texan showed how he sucked the eyeballs and the breath right out of WT doe by the bullet just whizzing by the deer. Missed it completely but killed it. I suspect it'll do the same thing to a Mule Deer or probably even an elk but I suspect you have to get awful close to the nose/mouth area for it to work...lol. If you can do that with the 50 cal. and save all the meat of a deer (because I do love me some venison), the 50 BMG would have to be the ultimate WT rifle and that is what you are seeking to do. Plus...I suspect it will even outshoot the CM at longer ranges. After all...the record for a sniper kill was made with a .50 caliber rifle. However, I think he had to hit the dude with the bullet. I'm not sure it has enough left at 1 1/2 miles to suck the eyeballs out of a deer or a man at that distance. Maybe someone on here will know if you can or not...

P.S...I mostly use a Marlin XL7 in a 25/06 which is a lethal cartridge for WT's and the little Marlin is about as handy as a pocket on a shirt. It's lightweight, low recoil, and with the cheap 120 gr. Remington CL's, it does a great job on anchoring a WT quickly. Even though I will take other rifles from time to time, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". If I were going to buy someone just getting a new (to them) rifle, I would look through the gun and pawn shops to find another little Marlin in that cartridge. It just works.

You do know Keith "High Fence" Warren was full of crap about that 50 BMG kill right?

For my tastes Winchester built the perfect deer rifle in 1894.

+1 on Buttstock's advice.

Your average deer hunter is taking his average deer inside 80 yards. At that range, anything reasonable will work.

My top favorites:

1) A Savage 99 in 308 WIN. I download it to 300 Savage levels and use it mostly out of treestands.
2) A Ruger Hawkeye in 30-06 for everything else.

Both of these rifles are using 165 grain Hornady Interlock SP's over H4895. The rest of our camp shoots 30-06 with 150 grainers.

Over the past 20 years, I have gone from liking all manner of deer rifles EXCEPT bolt guns to having a distinct preference for bolt actions. I have grown to like the practicality and simplicity. I've also tried a bunch of chamberings, and have a wall of deer rifles. Now that I'm in my Sixtieth year, I don't feel the need for recoil in order to feel that I have successfully killed the deer. My 35 Whelen "Whelenizer" is no longer my favorite rifle. I've sworn off future 30-06 purchases with a total of 8 on the rack already.

7mm-08 is looking attractive to me, but between that and another 308 WIN, I'd have to ponder hard.

25-06: I'm still wringing mine out. I have taken deer with it, but I cannot give it the same enthusiastic endorsement I'd give 30-06.

8X57: Just started down this road. It looks to be nearly identical to 30-06. I would not go out of my way to get one, but I am sure the results will be good.

Choice of rifles: I mentioned my Ruger Hawkeye. I've been thrilled with mine. I also have a Ruger RAR Predator and I can say good things about the workmanship. We also have a Wetherby Vanguard and two Winchester Model 70's in camp that give excellent service. Folks poo-poo the Savage, but my wife shoots a Savage 110 in '06 and the trigger is fantastic. We also have had a Mossberg Patriot in camp that was quite good.

The bottom line is it all ends up being a matter of taste anymore. There are so many good bottom-end rifles that it is hard to choose. Nearly every rifle you pick up has a potential for being 1-2 MOA.

A bunch of long winded bastards

I've got 19 weeks before the Opener. What else are we going to talk about?

http://www.browning.com/products/fi...ailability/blr-white-gold-medallion.html

https://ruger.com/products/HawkeyeCompact/specSheets/37140.html

http://www.winchesterguns.com/produ...ent-Products/model-70-featherweight.html

Or if you like building your own, I'd recommend a KAR length 98 Mauser as the action. 7X57 or 6.5X55 are "drop-ins" for the barrel. By making the barrel to the same contour as Mauser did in the 20s on it's sporters, you can come up with a rifle of around 6.5 pounds before you add a scope.

If you start with a small rings action you can reduce the weight about another 1/4 pound. In the case of many small ring actions it's best if you can have modern heat treatments done, or if you have the ability, you can do it yourself. I just made one on a small ring FN with a supper light 308, 20" barrel. It rifles weighed 6 pounds 9 oz. In a 6.5X55 it would have kicked a lot less, but the man who wanted it wanted a 308. With a good pad it was not bad to fire over the bench.

Get a 308 Win. that handles the way you like.

For the hunting situations described my go to would be my Ruger M77 Mk II RSI in .308 with its Kahles AH 2-7x36. 165g NBT loaded over a book max of 3031 gets me an avg. velocity of 2675 fps. Inside 250 yds that'll get it done with authority on any deer sized animal.

+1!

That's a nice compact and handy lil' package.

You could make one out of say a stainless Ruger Mk II with a Kevlar stock and Zeiss scope like I did, or you could just pick up a nice used older Savage 99F in .300 Savage and mount a 1.5-5x20 Leupold with the heavy duplex and call it done. That .300 Savage recoils less than a .308 and does the same thing to deer. I always thought that those 99's were kind of ugly until I bought one for my kid at a collector gun show and shot and carried it a little. That rounded receiver and the F's light weight make it a perfect one handed carry rambling deer rifle.

It would be pretty tough to beat a short barreled (20-22”) lightweight .308 Win.

My Kimber Montana in 7-08 with Vortex Razor 1.5-8X32 fills that role very nicely. I recommend one, or a Fieldcraft in 7-08 if you can swing the $$$. A nice 1.5-8 or 1.5-6 scope is a must at those ranges deer hunting. I really like the lower power for most shots and it's great when you jump one in the thick stuff.

This will work.

+1, just make mine a 7mm-08. Sure many would argue a 6.5 creed as well. Factory ammo only, 308

Fireboss: Many years ago I decided to buy/make a "mountain Rifle" that would serve me as a Whitetail Rifle as well as one I could (and did!) take to Alaska for backpack type Mt. Goat Hunting/Black Bear Hunting.
I ended up buying a Remington 700 ADL and buying a McMillan stock for it.
I decided on a 3.5x10 Leupold variable with A/O for it and this Rifle has indeed accounted for an all time Boone & Crockett Records book Mt. Goat for me, along with Whitetailed Deer, Black Bear, Mule Deer, Antelope and Elk.
This Rifle shoots VERY well and its going along on a Caribou Hunt with me should that bucket list item come to fruition.
My 308 "mountain Rifle" has the factory 22" barrel on it. I shoot 165 grain Nosler Partition bullets in it, for everything!
Consider the 308 Winchester for more of an "all around" Rifle that also works splendidly on Whitetails.
Best of luck to you with whichever you choose.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Yep, any of the above @ 20-21" in a McMillan edge stock would suit me just fine.
Though my barrel would be a little chubbier than most would prefer, say, Rem Mag contour - ish.

I'm with you Skane. Make mine a 7-08, 22" bbl, and not a skinny one.

Today, it's a 243 with a fixed 6x40.
Someday... might step up to a slow 6.5 Creedmoor as I suspect it might not be as noisy in a shorter barrel, and also should be a little easier on the meat at shorter ranges. And factory ammo is starting to show up everywhere.
I'd probably go with something in the six to six and a half pound range (bare rifle). Not too heavy, not too light. And I'd lean heavily towards a 2-7x33 scope on a carbine-ish length rifle with a 20 to 22 inch barrel for the 264 Creed.
Although I do still love the little 243 cartridge.

Been down the 30-06, 8mm, 308, and 270 road and they are all fine if you have one in a rifle you like.
For my personal comfort though, these don't match up as well to the weight of rifle I want to shoot vs the weight of rifle I want to carry.
Except for the 8x57 factory ammo, if you can find it, is pretty mild in a short light rifle. But rangy-ness with the factory ammo is probably more akin to a 30-30 than a 270. Also, scopeable rifles in this Mauser cartridge don't grow on the trees that sprout in my neck of the woods. And I like scopes.

And I do love the 30-30 in a lever carbine. I've had a couple and really need another one. 336 with a Leupy 1-4x20 shotgun scope should be just right.
Although I'd prefer one of it's lighter weight variarions, maybe with the half mag tube, possibly straight stock, maybe even birch. So it may be a while for my search to yield results.
I've considered a 94AE or even a Mossy 464, but haven't been able to fully warm up to the idea yet.

Rem mag contour you say? I know just what you mean. I have a 700 LVSF, 22" factory short mag contour, set into a McMillan 700 Classic.

Those 700 LVSF's do look just right. Love the heavy fluted 22" barrel. And the slimmer McMillan stock would be perfect.

Yes Sir...the 1st paragraph was tongue-in-cheek. Just having a little fun. How he could make that claim with a straight face is beyond me...lol

For 250 yards or less, I cannot see a reason for a barrel longer than 20". It is plenty for a great deal further than that and much better to handle and carry unless chambered in a short range cartridge to begin with.

Because he's a tool (or is that fool?)

You don't need to build one. Winchester offers the classic compact. I have used mine, in .308, for many years to hunt whitetails here in Minnesota. I like the 180 Nosler Partition in it. Most deer shot with it are one shot kills that are dead right there. very lightweight to carry around the woods. Accurate enough for 250 yard shots. I think you can get it in 7-08 as well.

Try one, you will like it.

A 50 does no damage to a deer when shot through the lungs either. BTDT. Not impressed at all. Deer ran about 200 steps before falling over. So much for 50s, but mine is fun to shoot and some day I'll shoot a deer with a TSX just to see.

Of course warren is a dumb ass and we know that.

To the topic, which ever round you like, the most important thing to me, a TOP smith and a TOP barrel.

I've shot more than a couple of deer and just flat have not found any round to kill em DRT with lung shots. So it doesn't much matter to me really. I've actually probably had the most DRT lungs from 243 FWIW... They run a bit no big deal.

Sure ain't a need for a super accurate custom rifle to kill deer at 250 yards. Almost any off the shelf rifle is plenty good for that. I wouldn't hesitate at that range with one of my lever .30-30's and haven't. I've killed several with my Winchester and Marlin .30-30's between 200 and 250 yards. One shot apiece.

Not to mention the judgemental short-winded ones.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Right now I'm leaning towards a SS short action in 7-08, I've never had one so it's time.

i just used a single shot Ruger no.1 it really has just a very smaller action,very accurate and many different calibers ,I myself shoot farther so I like my 257 weatherby mag.

M700 SPS in 7mm/08, buy a "Triggertech" trigger assembly, they are easy to install yourself, bed the stock, Zeiss conquest scope. your done unless you want to got to the expense of having the barrel trimmed to 20" or 21".
If you need an aftermarket stock, more brands are available for M700 than any other.
Happy Hunting

Just buy a BLR in 308. But then again that wouldn't be as fun.

Fireboss, You might want to take a look at the Browning X-Bolt. I have a Stainless Stalker in 30-06 and I really like it. It's been easy to find accurate loads for it and it has good ergos, I like the way it feels and carries. They also make a nice wood/blue model in the short action calibers. I don't know if you're only looking at bolt actions but the Remington 7600 is another good option. Good luck with your search.

For me, I have found near nirvana in a Model 7 Stainless in 308.

I miss that little rifle. Every once in a while I kick myself for selling it.

You could go with a 700 sps compact in a McMillan mtn rifle edge fill. Probably in 7-08. If you want a stainless rifle buy a 700 sps ss and have a competent gunsmith cut to 20” or 21”.

By the time you do all of that you could just about be at Barrett fc territory price wise. I would buy the Barrett.

I can completely understand why.

A handy little 7mm-08 or .308 would be the Ultimate Rifle for the majority of hunting situations, not just for whitetails.

I think the others have pretty much covered it. I'll just add that you should handle the rifles you're considering to check fit and handling for you, to avoid paying to replace the stock later. Everybody's a little different.

I like a .308 for this, but if you go really light, the recoil might get a bit tough, especially as you get older. A 6.5CM, .260, or 7-08 would be a little easier on you. I'd add the 6s, but I don't know how big your deer are or what other game you might run into. John Wooters excluded the 6s for trophy-size deer in his book on hunting trophy bucks.

A fixed 4x is good, but a 2-7 can be handy. I find myself using the high end on my scopes for range work, but turning them all the way down in the woods. Easier to dial up when needed than to dial down quickly with game up close.

Have fun with this project.

I built this rifle 20 years ago on an Oberndorf 98 action. 7x57 with a 19" barrel. That was my all around Whitetail Deer rifle. Love the rifle, shot a bunch of deer with it and rarely hunt with it anymore.

I built mine so it was handy in the brush and good for the "occasional" 200 yd shot.
Where I hunt now nearly every shot is 200-250 yds and the handy carbine doesn't hold as steady, day in and day out.

So, I have changed my opinion , and believe that the 7x57 cartridge is best served by something in the vicinity of a 22" barrel where the velocity is maintained and the balance is better for longer shots. I was never handicapped in the brush with an old Winchester Featherweight that I had in the early 80's and that platform would be perfect for a 7/08 or 7x57. Just my opinion.

Dan

there are 500 answers to the question. i bought an adl in 270 to go with my mausers in 257 and 6.5x55

That's not bad advice at all...I have one in 358 Winchester. The BLR is a very under rated rifle


Dan

Ruger Hawkeye All Weather, 308, 22" barrel, Leupold VX-2 2-7X33 LRD. I want it to shoot 165 Accubonds, but it only wants 150s, so we shoot 150s. I have more into it than needed, but it works for me.

Ruger Hawkeye Ultra Lite, 257 Roberts, 20" barrel, Leupold FX II 4X, 110 Accubonds…..but it's a long action.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "ultimate", but I'll take a stab. My go anywhere, do any thing deer rifle is a push feed model 70 in .30-'06 with a synthetic stock and a Leupold VX-II 3-9x40 with a German #1. By one way of thinking this is my ultimate, but I think of it as my bad weather back up. In any kind of half way decent weather I use a Remington 700 Classic in 8x57 with a 6x42 FX3 with a German #1. This is the one I prefer, but maybe it is not my ultimate.

Tikka CTR in .308 in a factory wood stock and factory mags!

Right.

I wonder what the answer to to original poster’s question would be if it was asked in the 1950’s?

I’m pretty happy with a 6lb 338 Fed. A .338 bullet works real well on deer (like everything else). A nice cup and core bullet 180-200gn at 2650-2800 or a 160 mono at just over 3k is adequate. But really for deer, pick the rifle you like and whatever cartridge it shoots will be fine. A just can’t justify heavy rifles for anything other than hunting the prairie.

I'm still working on my prefect whitetail rifle and know I will never find one rifle that is perfect for all of the different scenarios I find myself hunting deer in. Where I hunt at our family farm in the Palouse shots can be as long as you want them to be because it's so open, I find myself 30 miles away in Idaho, it's super thick and a 50 yard shot might be as long as I'm going to get. Not sure if I missed it in the thread but to me the decision is more based on what the terrain I'll be in and distance likely to be shot. The caliber is only one small consideration as whitetail deer frankly aren't difficult to kill. As a looney it's fun to overthink the hell out of stuff though.

Thought I'd found my perfect deer rifle but just last night out of nowhere I found myself putting a Leupold 6X on a new Kimber classic select so I don't have to carry my long range whitetail rig around in Idaho again...YMMV

Couple random pictures in case some people don't know that Washington isn't all trees...


https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/12895429#Post12895429

Featherweight .308 maybe?

Last year I purchased a couple of Browning BLR S.S. 308 & 300 WIN.MAG both are very accurate and are nice handling guns with a real nice clip magazine system.
so its a fine factory rifle and yes very good advise,my son killed a big 8 pt. whitetail buck and a real nice 5x5 mule deer buck both last fall 2017 with the BLR 308 win. both were in the 200-250 yard range one shot kills.

My “ultimate whitetail rifle” is different if i am hunting my South Carolina farm where 300+ yard shots, food plots and box blinds are the norm vs. when i am hunting the land in the North Georgia mountains i grew up hunting where the deer don’t have food plots, a 75 yard shot is a long poke and steep hollows, mountain laurel and white oaks are the norm. Just sayin’

Interesting. My ultimate rifle came to me from SC, used there and in the North Georgia mountains for years before I moved to the SW GA area. She’s worked perfectly regardless of whether she’s in SC swamps, NGA mountains or the huge fields of SWGA. Her name is Jarrett.

I have never really had a rifle that would shoot well on long shots, but not on short.....but I have had plenty that will shoot short, but not long.

Its not as hard as they make it out to be. Proper technique will enable you to connect with longer shots moreso than a "long range" rig. Best of luck this fall!

.35 rem in a Ruger #1 RSI or mannlicher bolt rig.

It would be really hard to go wrong with that. Just make sure it's slightly muzzle heavy for making fast offhand shots.


Okie John

Jarrett’s are great rifles. Have not owned one but have shot a friend’s.

If your Jarrett is anything like his, I have a hard time calling it the “ultimate” whitetail rifle for hunting my North Georgia mountains. Maybe your NGa mountains or SC swamps were different but when hunting mine i prefer something a little lighter with a shorter barrel and lower powered scope as the ultimate rifle for that application. It’s certainly about as good as it gets for SW GA fields though (which was kind of the point of my original post)

I would take a little bit different approach with what sounds like a pretty good concept- short action, sub-.30 caliber, short barrel, etc. For the areas I hunt- Western Maryland and Pennsylvania- I would forgo the permanent scope and install a good receiver sight and gold post front sight (and a simple wide-vee rear sight is not out of line)- snaking my way through briars, laurel, and thick pines calls for super quick handling and sighting when that buck pops up from a few feet away. Plus the scopeless rifle is a real joy to carry- being able to wrap your thumb over the balance point of the gun for extended carrying is a big benefit IMO (and further promotes keeping the rifle in my hands where it belongs and not slung over my shoulder).

After that, I would equip it with a QD scope mount of a sort that the base for which didn't interfere with the iron sights- the old tried and true Griffin&Howe QD system comes to mind. Said scope being kept handy for installation when I take a stand or sit a spell where long-ish shots are possible. A bit of an expense, granted, but we are talking "the ultimate deer rifle", no?

I hunt blacktails in thick brush. My average range on them over the last 20-odd years is about 30 yards. I find that a 4x scope lets me start hunting about 30-45 minutes earlier than irons and stay out that much later. I dearly love peeps, but I'm done with them on hunting rifles.

I made one of my best shots on blacktails ever with a 4x scope. A little doe was trying to sneak away from me, and was an expert at putting brush between me and her so I couldn’t shoot. I found a fork in a Madrona tree about 40 yards away where I thought she might pass and set the crosshairs there. I saw her head, then her neck, then her shoulder pass by the fork of the tree. When her ribs appeared, I shot her. Not sure I would have tried that with irons.

I've also found that switching between a scope and a peep on the same rifle is a problem since the different lines of sight require different stock welds. One time I hunted blacktails in thick cover with a scoped rifle for several days and got skunked. On the last morning, I pulled off the scope before I left camp for a quick run up the hill where I didn’t really expect to see anything. I jumped one of the biggest bucks I’ve ever seen, mounted the rifle, found the front sight, and shot over his back because I used the stock weld that I had practiced for the scope. I’m convinced that I’d have killed that buck had I had left the scope on there.

Of course I missed that deer in front of a guy who is one of the worst hunters I’ve ever met. He would have killed that deer deader than a wedge with his old 30-30 and we both knew it, so he immediately went back to camp and told everyone my tale of woe. Even now, he brings out that story whenever people talk about my shooting ability.

I‘m pretty sure that scopes are here to stay—fixed power ones anyway—so I’m done swapping them out for irons.


Okie John

It's all good.

Yep. That's the best part.


Okie John

You can take a bolt action rifle chambered in 30-06, (22" barrel preferably) mount a decent 3-9x40 scope and hunt whitetails in any terrain they live....Finding the ultimate rifle is a much more personal thing as there is an abudance of excellent choices, one mans favorite may not be the next's......Good luck with your search.....Hb

I’m surprised Creedmoor hasn’t been mentioned yet.

Wow! No Creedmoor recommendations? I didnt read the whole thread but with the Creedmoor being the cartrdge of the day I naturally assumed this whole thread was littered with them.....Hb

....hornet's nest stirred....


There are tons of great choices.

A model 7 in 308 or 7mm-08 would be fine.

This and call it good.

But that's too boring...

So many possibilities...
Pre 64 mod 70 in 7x57 with a McMillan edge stock...might be tough to beat..
Something light in 257 Roberts 1952 manlicher maybe..
Win 88 in 308 or 284
Sako 579 in 308 or 708

Lmao!....nice post.....Hb

John Browning invented the ultimate woods rifle over 100 years ago and Winchester started producing it in 1894.

Legal hunting hours are sunrise to sunset here. I can cover all of that and well beyond with a peep and green fiber optic bead.

Here's it's 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. On a cloudy/rainy day it can be really dark so a scope helps me tremendously.

1.5-5 or a 2-7 on a 22" 308 would serve you very well. I like synthetic for durability. Personally in the thick stuff, where it would be hard to track, I use a Mauser K98 with a Shilen 21" #4 chambered in 9.3x62 with a Leupold VX-3 1.5-5 setting in a brown laminate stock. It has seen a lot of miles and works on anything.

This was with a 24" 338-06 and different scope before I had the 9.3 barrel put on.

I did this Franken Rifle (parts gun) last year. I had a 20" M600 bbl in 308 installed on an old ADL 700 that was a 243. Forend was cut shorter, action squared up and bedded with new crown and trigger job. 1-4 will be replaced with a 2-7.

Others may choose different components, but I think the basic idea is about perfect for a deer rifle. One of those 20" Model Sevens would be much nicer.

Here is my favorite compact rifle, Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08AI, shoots Barnes 120gr TTSX, into 3/8" groups at 3200fps. 21" barrel, all stainless with lightweight machine work and bedded into a Lone Wolf carbon stock topped with a Kahles 3x9 in Talley alloy rings. Rifle handled like a wand in the hands and was a dream to carry. Not sure why I parted with it as by far my favorite rifle.


https://imageshack.com/a/img922/2530/QwXeBx.jpg

This

5 lb 8 oz with scope makes it light and easy to carry. Just started reloading for it and first try gave me 1.2" 3 shot group at 100 yds. Like any Kimber I plan to bed it and see how it groups after wards.

Shooting 200 gr Tipped TSX at 2533 fps I set the scope at 1.5" high at 100 which gives ends up being 5" low at 240 yards and 12" low at 300 yards.

Where I hunt 300 yards or more is a rare shot so no target turrets or special reticles needed.

Build it for the conditions you will most likely encounter.

I used a Tikka T3x 30-06 for this one, an almost ideal all around rifle.

Ogdonia as in the hunting camp in Hillsgrove PA? In the 90's we used to sneak across their land to get onto Old House mountain.

I carry more than a few into the field for deer each year. Often a 30-30 lever into thickets, sometimes a Model 700 8 twist 22" bedded in a McSwirly chambered in 260 rem, a 7mm-08 SS Mountain rifle or even a custom T3 also in 260. Those are the ones I carry most.

For the northeast woods--- what hanco said or Supercub's Franken is as good as it gets all day long. .308 and 180gr round nose

There It is Ralph

The perfect deer rifles have already been built, Sako L-61’s

What does a saco weigh:?

What did each one cost?

Steelhead,

Calling riflemen/ hunters here names does not make you look good, In fact your rude language makes you bad.

please improve.

I have no idea what a Sako weighs, I paid 500.00 for the 30-06, 1200.00 for the two.264’s( hard to find with 26” barrels), 600.00 for 7mag and Gay 270.

We are a little long winded at times.

Wish Big Green made a stainless 7600 in .35 Rem or maybe even 7mm 08.

Talking out your ass is helpful though?

Too bad you spent all of that money on a good rifle and put cheap glass on them that will crater the first time you turn the knobs on them.

Oops. Wrong forum. j/k Hanco-most of mine are of the same persuasion.

The ultimate whitetail rifle is just any ole .308 Creedmoor

You got a reamer?

I've always liked the look and feel of a BLR. Been on my list for awhile. Damn we're lucky to have so many choices!

Not much building to it. Buy it. Scope it. Go hunt.




Another in ought six


An assortment in 7 Rem mag, 25/06, and 338 Win mag.

Solid advice. Skip the CTR if you like - the rest is perfect!

I don't like short action rifles, because of short magazines, though I have a couple. The 7x57 is a great cartridge but in a short magazine rifle - not so much.

If I were to have only one deer rifle for all hunting conditions and was stuck with a short action...
Then any of the 308 based cartridges from 243 to 358 would work.
As much as I like old classic cartridges and I'm holding my nose as I write this, a 6.5 Creed would work. But I'd prefer the 6.5x55 just because.

If you included Mauser 98 actions or longer than a short action 700, then the 7x57 would be a great cartridge.

As far as scope (and cartridges) goes, where you hunt makes a big difference. If you hunt at dusk and at dawn in waning light, you might consider a larger objective lens than what a 2x7 would have. My brother-in-law last year was using a 2x7 and he shot his deer near dark. He replaced that 2x7 scope directly there after. He said he was lucky.

Mine would be .250 Savage

Mine is a .250 Savage. the little cartridge that can and...does.

8x57's aren't that hard to come by...it works fine for this guy!!!



4x scopes are pretty useful too.

The 308 Creedmoor is the "30TC", the most worthless cartridge development ever, except the 30TC case was used to develop the 6.5 Creedmoor.

The 30 TC. Watered down 300 Savage. It wasn't so much the cartridge itself that was a big looser. The problem is,we just don't need anymore .30 caliber offerings. So in an effort to cross all the "Ts" and dot all the "I"s, 6.5 got the nod. It was the only logical choice. In a stale market,in a country not overly blessed with .264 diameter offerings. A stroke of marketing genius. Mag length and twist came online in the early going and a star was born. Not my personal cup of tea,but who can argue the benefits? I do the load development for my daughters. It's a nifty little case,with a slippery little bullet. Doesn't eat much. Not particularly speedy. In a 20" barrel anyway. It fills a niche nicely,but I'm not breathless over it. It could very well be the ultimate whitetail round. In the right rifle,with a 22" barrel.

Most worthless ever? More worthless than the Dardick Tround or Remington Etronx? I hadn't realized the 30 TC was that bad.....

Not worthless, just the ultimate in redundancy. Like a bunch of other short&fats from that era, a feller with a pile of brass will be fine. Before they pulled the plug on it, I was semi-interested in picking up an Icon (once I read that they were making a different trigger guard), but all I ever saw were for their silly little .30.

Ultimate whitetail rifle;

Well if beauty and class are not part of the definition of "ultimate" I'd have to say an AR15 in 6.5 Grendel or 6.8 SPC, light barrel, 4X scope and a good set of back up sights, tele-stock and match trigger.

Such a rifle is about the most user-friendly rifle yet invented in rifle history, with excellent accuracy, real "deer rifle" ballistics, one size fits all, even fits hot and cold weather clothing with the same stock, excellent reliability, light to moderate weight and very low recoil.

The only down-side to them is the looks.

I for one love to enjoy the feel and class of a rifle when I am hunting, so my Ultimate whitetail rifle is this.
My Rifle 3 by Steve Zihn, on Flickr

Maybe the post should have read "The Ultimate enjoyment in a Whitetail rifle"

If function is the measure of the rifle, I don't believe anything out there can match the hybrid AR15 or AR10 rifles available today.
But if enjoyment is the measure of "ultimate" you will have as many answers as you have hunters, and not one of them is wrong.

Oh hell yeah! I built a 58 Leman a few winters back.

WELL DONE Otter!

Id have posted more pics,but Photobucket dinked me around.

Are you going by post count?

Plenty of people on here with 10x less posts but far greater word count.

Browning Hells canyon speed, 7-08, your choice of scope.