Deer rifle recommendation

TPVT

TPVT

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Feb 14, 2012
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And another thing! (ask and ye shall receive John.)

So, apparently i'm going through mid-life crisis. getting all rootsy...back to nature. well...full disclosure, i was married with child at 19...so not much time...until now.

wow. that was a long winded intro...and i haven't even said anything yet. ahem....

so, i've been wanting to hunt all my life. never have. talked about it since i was knee high to a june bug. never have. well... guess what? i got a good buddy up here that is willing to take me out. he does duck, partridge and deer and asks me what i want to do...of course my response is..."all of it."

with that said, i have been trying to learn about hunting as well. finished my hunter ed course a month or so ago. looking for a deer rifle. think i have narrowed it down to a .270 Win. and more specifically, i really like what i'm seeing/hearing with the Tikka T3 (or the previous Tikka M695) or the Browning X-Bolt. the browning is a bit pricier.

it's tough because i haven't shot any of them. kinda like knife shopping. sometimes you don't know what you got until you get it.

and bingo. that's where y'all come in. Tikka or Browning? Or, other? i know this is a loaded question. mostly, it all comes down to preference. so, if you don't have any experience with the tikka or browning, then give me your preference.

thanks.
-todd
 
done! actually, the buddy of mine sold me his remington 1100. he had a slug barrel with it. smooth bore though...not the rifled. i have shot skeet with it already. but haven't put the slug barrel on yet. gonna plan to head to range soon. thanks synthesist.
 
Down here we don't get very far shots...under 75 yards. The "popular" rifle is the 30-30. Our state law is 25 cal (center fire) or bigger. .270 is a great round for big deer. Ruger has a new rifle called the American. It is good quality at a reasonable price. Don't be affraid of a Savage with the accu-trigger or the Mossberg with the Lightning trigger. Both are superb guns at 1/2 the cost.
 
Most Tikkas are super accurate..
I am not a Browning guy .. If you're only getting one rifle.. I would buy a 30.06. You have more upward mobility with a .06. Elk, Bears are all 30.06 capable..



Remember though the bullet does the work. I avoid cheap bullets like the IRS:) I hate ballistic tip bullets..use a bonded bullet or whatever premium shoots well in your gun. Deer are thin skinned and can have a strong will to live if shot placement is not good.. You want a good bullet for when you don't do your job and place your bullet properly.

I have shot literally hundreds of whitetails... The guys I hunted with all used the .270, so we didn't have mixed bullet issues I shot a .270. I love my .257 Roberts... My favorite deer caliber for deep woods or private property hunting is my 35 Whelen. I have never had a deer take a step with my Whelen:) hits them like lighting!

Buy a good scope... Leupold is the best starting point with Talley rings.. I would rather have a cheap rifle and a good scope than the reverse..

Good Luck with your pursuits of the Wiley Whitetail !
 
The .270 is a great round . My brother hunts on family land in south Texas with a Stainless/Composite Remy in .270 , he loves it. I , however , will always steer you towards the .30 calibers. The .308 is excellent . I am former military ,and so biased when it comes to ammo, but, you will be hard pressed to find more ammo options than you will find with the good 'ol 7.62........good luck !
 
I have and would recommend you seriously consider a Savage in .270 (although the Roberts is an awesome caliber for deer, nice call there). The Savages are crazy accurate and I love mine. Plan to spend at least (probably more like 2X) the rifle on a good scope.

Another plan could be to pick up a Savage combo with a scope. This would give you a chance to try out deer hunting without too much of a hit to the pocketbook. I know of several guys that hunted birds, wanted to try deer, spent a bunch of money and didn't like it.

If you already have a slug barrel you can go with just that ( if it's smoothbore stick with the Forester style slugs). You won't have too much range but at least you can get out there and give it a go.
 
I think Savage rifles are some of the better bang-for-your-buck weapons on the market today. At the shop it was rare we would see even low end Savage rifles come back for repairs. Remington 770s come back for repairs all the freak'n time. Tikka is great, the only reason I don't like messing with them is the freaky rings and rail base (same with Ruger for the most part). The Browning or maybe a Winchester model 70 would be my top pick. The .270 is great for deer, I stick with .308 but most of my buddies use .270, .30-06, 7mm-08, .243 etc. In the end I think it's a matter of preference. If slick actions are your thing I would maybe take a look at SAKO, some of the smoothest out of the box bolt guns on the market. Pricy new but you can find used ones all the time at great prices.
I am a gunsmith so if you have any questions about a specific rifle, round, scope, rail/rings, accessories or whatever, just shoot me a pm.
 
thanks guys for the responses. we have several local shops too that have a good selection of used rifles. i have visited them all. at one, there was a real nice condition Winchester 70 (stainless) in .270 with a decent scope on it. i forget what it was. but, the whole package was $499. hard to argue with that.

now, if i could just stop spending money on knives so i could save and get a nice rifle. Nawwww. :rolleyes:
 
Longtrang said:
I think Savage rifles are some of the better bang-for-your-buck weapons on the market today. At the shop it was rare we would see even low end Savage rifles come back for repairs. Remington 770s come back for repairs all the freak'n time. Tikka is great, the only reason I don't like messing with them is the freaky rings and rail base (same with Ruger for the most part). The Browning or maybe a Winchester model 70 would be my top pick. The .270 is great for deer, I stick with .308 but most of my buddies use .270, .30-06, 7mm-08, .243 etc. In the end I think it's a matter of preference. If slick actions are your thing I would maybe take a look at SAKO, some of the smoothest out of the box bolt guns on the market. Pricy new but you can find used ones all the time at great prices.
I am a gunsmith so if you have any questions about a specific rifle, round, scope, rail/rings, accessories or whatever, just shoot me a pm.
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saw this after my post. i might have to seriously consider that winchester model 70, before it's gone. thanks for the words and the kind offer longtrang.
 
go buy that model 70 right now if its really $499. If its sold than buy a ruger 77. actually any of the big manufactures make nice, good shooting rifles now. The mossbergs, tikkas, savages and rugers are all really good bangs for the buck.
 
The only rifles I have any experience with are Winchester Model 94 in .30-.30, Marlin Lever in .35, Ruger #1 and #3 in .223 and 6mm, Remington 600 in .243, and Remington 700 in .223, .270. 30-06, and .308.
 
JK Knives said:
The only rifles I have any experience with are Winchester Model 94 in .30-.30, Marlin Lever in .35, Ruger #1 and #3 in .223 and 6mm, Remington 600 in .243, and Remington 700 in .223, .270. 30-06, and .308.
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what's your favorite?
 
I have always been a fan of .357 lever action. Though it looks like your already decided. Spend a bit more and get what you want. It can be passed down to your kid.
 
nate1714 said:
I have always been a fan of .357 lever action. Though it looks like your already decided. Spend a bit more and get what you want. It can be passed down to your kid.
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naw. still undecided. i shop forever. go everywhere. research everything. drives me mad mostly. good point on the heirloom. that's why i like a good knife too. think that's so cool that it will last longer than i will.
 
Can't go wrong with the .270. One of my favorite rifles is a Mauser M98 action with a Kimber fluted barrel in a composite stock, built by Kimber. Check out Kimber, and don't forget about Ruger. If you decide on a .270, Federal Premium 130g Ballistic Tip is one hell of a factory round.
 
thanks for the tip on the ammo. something i really am trying to learn. Monofletch mentioned the Ruger American. i have read they are decent. they have been in all the magazines. all the reviews are positive, but i haven't talked to anyone who has actually shot one. i mean...those are going for $350 brand new at the local shops. yikes!
 
Of the 2 you asked about, Tikka is supposed to have a nicer action, but Browning uses standard bases.
the important thing is get good glass.
$300 for a scope is a good investment.

On the flip side, Savage & Stevens make for a great value in deer guns, as is the Howa 1500 series and the Marlin X7 according to a gunsmith buddy of mine.
My dad and brother swear by the .270, my brother in law uses a 7mm mag. (but he's crazy, so that's OK)
I prefer .308 & 30-06 for bolt guns, 30-30 or .44mag in a lever.
6.5x55 is another good caliber for drilling things up to muley size.
 
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