Looking to get a new deer rifle.

DelDuck · #1 03-17-2006, 09:56 AM

I want to know what make of rifle you guys like and why. What calibur you prefer to shoot and what factory ammo you like. Basically what set up you like best.

My prefeances so far are 25-06, and I know i want a stainless barrel, and laminated wood.

trex · #2 03-17-2006, 11:09 AM

Great caliber! The rifle itself is really going to be a matter of fit. Meaning the one that fits the best is aways the one I'm going to pick no matter what. So far I've got a Sako in 3006 (blue barrel, beautiful wood stock) and a Remington Model 7 in .243 (blue barrel, laminate stock). Love them both! Both have a purpose, and both are great for their intened uses. For example the Remmy is very light, short and handy which makes it great for sneaking around looking for whitetails. The 3006 on the other hand is rather heavy. It's great for sitting in a stand looking over a cutover or a field. Both are very accurate, but the 3006 will actually shoot circles around the .243 holding 3 well within a half an inch. In most cases it's usually the other way around when your comparing these two catridges. In my experience anyway. All of the major gun makers are making good rifles these days. Figure out exactly what you want to do and there's a rifle/catridge out there for everything and more!

fabsroman · #3 03-17-2006, 11:17 AM

If you are looking at a .25-06 with a laminated stock, Ruger makes one in their target model. It is called the Ruger MKII77VT. That is the rifle I am looking to get next year, but I will end up replacing the stock with a Hogue overmolded stock like I currently have on my Ruger MKII77VT in .220 Swift. I like the Ruger line of bolt action rifles and they don't cost a fortune. If money was no object, I would probably opt for the Sako 75. The Ruger VT models come with adjustable triggers, so you will not have to order an aftermarket trigger for the gun. The drawback is that it is a little heavier than most rifles because of the target type of barrel. With the Hogue overmolded stock with a full length bedding block and a bipod on my .220 Swift, that gun is pretty heavy. However, I do very little walking around while I am deer hunting with rifles. Usually, I walk a couple hundred yars to my stand and a couple hundred yards back.

Ol` Joe · #4 03-17-2006, 12:43 PM

What kind of conditions do you hunt? It makes a difference in the rifle/cartridge I`d choose if I hunted dense woods or shot across 500 acre farm fields.

Classicvette63 · #5 03-17-2006, 02:05 PM

Come over to the dark side and get yourself a pump gun.

Remington has some nice black/dark laminate pumps that are down right attractive. Might have to get me one of those one of these days.

rem 700 · #6 03-17-2006, 05:49 PM

The 25-06 is my go to gun for deer. I like 115 partitions and 110 accubonds, and for the wtail woods, a 120 corelokt. However, if I were to get a new one it'd be a 30-06; very versatile. If I were to choose out of the wood/stainless steel rifles I'd stick with a Remington 700 CDL SF Limited edition. Probably a little easier to get your hands on is a browning abolt when it comes to wood/stainless.

DelDuck · #7 03-17-2006, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Classicvette63
Come over to the dark side and get yourself a pump gun. Remington has some nice black/dark laminate pumps that are down right attractive. Might have to get me one of those one of these days.

LOL I have a couple pump guns, and my 11-87 is set up for deer right now. Got a pesky fox i need to take care of if he will show himself again.

The reason I am looking into a rifle is a buddy has picked up a 100 acre farm for us to hunt in Maryland (riles are a no no in Delaware) and from scouting the farm looks very very promising. Saw about 15 - 20 turkeys and deer sign out the wazoo. With out putting the range finder to the test I would say I am looking at a max shoot of about 200 -250 or so. I also have anouther farm I can shoot all the fox I want. So I was thinking this summer may be a good time to get a rifle.

fabsroman · #8 03-18-2006, 02:02 AM

Del,

If you want some company on the fox hunts, give me a call. I'd love to try to take a fox with my .220.

DelDuck · #9 03-18-2006, 07:15 AM

Sure thing buddy. It is the farmer that tills my land. Mom never asked for anything caus there is only about 7 acres that is tilled and I am not going to either and he lets me do a little hunting on his property. Pretty nice trade off, caus he has about about 75 -100 acres of open field, and he says he has a bad fox problem.

fabsroman · #10 03-18-2006, 11:11 AM

I have a couple of foxes in my back yard, but I don't think the neighbors would look to kindly at me breaking out the .220.

The deal you have is pretty good. If I could buy 7 acres, let a farmer farm them, and he would allow me to hunt on his 100 acres, you can bet I would be doing that all over the place.

razmuz · #11 03-20-2006, 12:36 PM

At this point and time I would get a Winchester Mod. 70 Featherweight. It will be no better or worse than the other rifles in the same price range and it might just have instant collector value. Pay no attention to all the pre-1964 crap. The last five years have seen the best Model 70's ever made.

straightshooter · #12 03-25-2006, 05:40 PM

Savage, Savage, Savage.