Favorite Deer Rifle

[Turpentine21]

I'm shooting a 6.5-06 and a Grendel I built right now. They both have their place.
But my all time favorite for putting meat on the table is a Model 70 270 Winchester.

 

[tomsd]

So many good choices - and it also comes down to conditions.

Hunting in pretty thick woods/timber in late 50's in Southern Oregon at around 4,000 - 6,000 feet - starting about 11 years old - I carried the old reliable Winchester lever action Model 94 - .32 Winchester Special - which did the job just fine - even on big Mulies. Borrowed this pic from 436 - looks just like it - see below. Had a fixed 4x Weaver/side angled/mounted - plenty enuff for young eyes - and it still had open sights for close shots - one tang on the rear sight filed down about half way. We sighted it in at 100 yards.

Dad carried a Sporterized '03 Springfield in 30.06, with a 3x9 Simmons? Wide Angle scope - Timney trigger and beautiful blond stock with a cheek piece/rest. Could shoot ragged holes with it. Don't think we ever needed more than one shot - but most were 100 yards or less. Dems were da days !!!!

 

[Louisiana Reloader]

So many good choices - and it also comes down to conditions.

Hunting in pretty thick woods/timber in late 50's in Southern Oregon at around 4,000 - 6,000 feet - starting about 11 years old - I carried the old reliable Winchester lever action Model 94 - .32 Winchester Special - which did the job just fine - even on big Mulies. Borrowed this pic from 436 - looks just like it - see below. Had a fixed 4x Weaver/side angled/mounted - plenty enuff for young eyes - and it still had open sights for close shots - one tang on the rear sight filed down about half way. We sighted it in at 100 yards.

Dad carried a Sporterized '03 Springfield in 30.06, with a 3x9 Simmons? Wide Angle scope - Timney trigger and beautiful blond stock with a cheek piece/rest. Could shoot ragged holes with it. Don't think we ever needed more than one shot - but most were 100 yards or less. Dems were da days !!!!

View attachment 590796

Very nice! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Morrison]

Right on! I have (2) Sako 25-06's that my daughters shoot and I shoot a Browning X-Bolt 25-06. Great caliber for whitetails in the deer woods of Northwest Louisiana.

In case you are interested, it is superb in Wyoming for Pronghorn. It is my go-to for those long shots.

 

[K.E.C. Darkside]

I'm going to try my 270RUM with
130 Swift Scirocco. Cruising at 3700fps.
And the 264/7PRC with 156 Hybrid
Cruising at 3200fps.
Season is coming, be here before you know it.

 

[6.5x300 WBY]

I'm going to try my 270RUM with
130 Swift Scirocco. Cruising at 3700fps.
And the 264/7PRC with 156 Hybrid
Cruising at 3200fps.
Season is coming, be here before you know it.

K.E.C.
I'M LOADING my 6.5x300 bee with 153.5 BERGERS. Right now I'm at 3250 with zero pressure so when it cools off I have more loads to find pressure then back off. US869 is the JAM for my missile launcher. Looking to find out how these 153.5 BERGERS do on deer.
I've heard hit and miss with 156's so I decided to try 153.5's
What's your opinion of the 156's

 

[K.E.C. Darkside]

K.E.C.
I'M LOADING my 6.5x300 bee with 153.5 BERGERS. Right now I'm at 3250 with zero pressure so when it cools off I have more loads to find pressure then back off. US869 is the JAM for my missile launcher. Looking to find out how these 153.5 BERGERS do on deer.
I've heard hit and miss with 156's so I decided to try 153.5's
What's your opinion of the 156's

I have found they like being pushed hard and the tips need to be opened up.
I use a #60 drill bit.
For my 6.5/300 Bee I have gone to the 144 Hybrid Target using 869. One of these days I am going to try 565 or 560.
EDIT: Also considering the 130 OTM TACTICAL HYBRID in the 6.5/300.

 

[Bwana Barry]

CZ550lux with Federal Fusion 140gr (self-loaded) OR KRIEK125lrh (mono's made in S Africa), when Fusion not available. 2650fts, Imr4350.
At my age - under 300mtrs.
1st foto in arid S Namibia. Other taken in Karoo N Cape on a yearly springbok driven-hunt. Farm workers on horseback walk the buck to the various places where we sit, and our group of six, harvest upto 50 springbok that day.
50000Ha farm and up to 1000 springbok hunted each year by a few groups. However, a serious drought affected the grazing, and hunting was curtailed for 3 years, for veld and animals to recover...
Hunted impala, hartebeest, fallow, black wildebeest, kudu, gemsbok with this combination elsewhere in E Cape and Namibia...
SWEDE rules...

 

[RWE]

Started deer hunting with a Remington Model 31 16 ga and that is my favorite shotgun.

Deer rifle? Nothing fancy, but special to me, it is my Weatherby Vanguard in 30-06. Started as a wood stock and now wears fiberglass. May go back, add Pilar's and bed. First rifle I ever bought and I learned rifles with it and it had helped me take a few deer. My daughter has been using it (4 for 4) and wants to continue using it but I convinced her she needs her own! We are pulling together a 7/08 REM 700 so she can have her own favorite!

She will get my 06 back, someday!

 

[Hard Head]

I have had a lot of rifles in my life,was blessed as I wound up in Montana back in the 60's after the service. I lived in Billing's my Son still lives there.Living there you had the chance to do some long shots all year long,packed your rifle at least 4-5 miles a day . Made a real bad shot at a Big Prong Horn running at around 150-175 yds,hit the doe that was about 5 yds behind him in the paunch, was a messy ordeal will never forget her eye's. After that I spent a lot of time practicing running shots a Jack's ,they can run but not like a prong horn,I bet I went through at least 250 rounds doing nothing but shooting those jack's. My favorite rifle of all time was a 1965 Remington 700 ADL with a 4 power scope,it worked like a lightning bolt out to 500 yds,after that I needed more magnification. That rifle took,Elk,Whitetail Muley's, Dogs and a lot of Jacks. It wasn't pretty but was the most solid shooter day in and day out. My hunting day's are over ,so now I shoot paper ,my rifle is a Bergara HMR Wilderness,with a lot of bells and whistles,5-25 Strike Eagle Atlas bi pod ..............................................Ya know it really in the real world does not shoot any better than my old 700, it weighs6 1/2 pounds more and is not nearly as PRETTY as that old 700 that wore a 4x Universal Japanese on it, Pete

 

[Coastal]

I change my favorite deer rifle every few years. My current favorite is a Browning X Bolt Western Hunter LR in 6.5 PRC that I put in a McMillan Game Scout stock. It's got a Burris Veracity PH 4-20x scope on it. It shoots really well and so far everything I shoot with it dies quickly.

 

[Kiowa Cowboy]

Right on! I have (2) Sako 25-06's that my daughters shoot and I shoot a Browning X-Bolt 25-06. Great caliber for whitetails in the deer woods of Northwest Louisiana.

I could not agree more. I love the 25.06! IMO it is a great round.

 

[ATH]

I built a 243AI 7-8 years ago and wanted it to be my favorite deer rifle. I love the rifle and I love the cartridge, but ended up deciding it's not a deer rifle. That's partially my fault as I committed to the 105gr AMAX (discontinued but I stocked up 1K), and learned that's NOT a deer bullet at those velocities. Had a bad experience on an antelope, shot it twice in the shoulder at 400 yards and neither penetrated. Decided I wanted something more forgiving than even working up a different bullet.

I built a 6.5-06AI and worked up loads for both the 140gr Accubond and 143gr ELD-X. An old, well-used R700 action with a McGowen barrel in a McMillan Game Scout stock with one of the last Jewell triggers. Last year I did crop damage permits on the family farm in Michigan, 5 deer from 200 to 720 yards. The 140AB performed as advertised, penetrating reliably. However in this setting, with the deer in tall beans, any sort of run was a liability for recovery. I needed them to go down faster. This year I switched to the 143gr ELD-X and again shot 5 deer from 80 to 465 yards. The results were superb. The first two at 430 yards ran 30 yards max, both angling chest shots. One through the front of the chest at an angle at 300 was DRT. The 80yd shot was diagonal through the front of the chest, DRT. 465yd quartering shot, DRT. Every bullet exited at least the lead except 1, 2 bullets recovered after passing through off side shoulder (1 complete, 1 jacket only). Mushroomed without fragmentation. The 80 yd shot I expected it to blow up but it passed through 18-22 inches of deer and exited.

The 6.5-06AI with the 143gr ELD-X at 3100fps exhibits slightly better ballistics than my 300WM with 212gr ELD-X with much less recoil and I was dialing in far less MOA than my friend's 270 and 6.5CM. I run a Griffin dual port brake with Explorr suppressor, the rifle is just a dream to shoot. I could almost (not quite) spot shots clamped in a tripod.

 

[Turpentine21]

I built a 243AI 7-8 years ago and wanted it to be my favorite deer rifle. I love the rifle and I love the cartridge, but ended up deciding it's not a deer rifle. That's partially my fault as I committed to the 105gr AMAX (discontinued but I stocked up 1K), and learned that's NOT a deer bullet at those velocities. Had a bad experience on an antelope, shot it twice in the shoulder at 400 yards and neither penetrated. Decided I wanted something more forgiving than even working up a different bullet.

I built a 6.5-06AI and worked up loads for both the 140gr Accubond and 143gr ELD-X. An old, well-used R700 action with a McGowen barrel in a McMillan Game Scout stock with one of the last Jewell triggers. Last year I did crop damage permits on the family farm in Michigan, 5 deer from 200 to 720 yards. The 140AB performed as advertised, penetrating reliably. However in this setting, with the deer in tall beans, any sort of run was a liability for recovery. I needed them to go down faster. This year I switched to the 143gr ELD-X and again shot 5 deer from 80 to 465 yards. The results were superb. The first two at 430 yards ran 30 yards max, both angling chest shots. One through the front of the chest at an angle at 300 was DRT. The 80yd shot was diagonal through the front of the chest, DRT. 465yd quartering shot, DRT. Every bullet exited at least the lead except 1, 2 bullets recovered after passing through off side shoulder (1 complete, 1 jacket only). Mushroomed without fragmentation. The 80 yd shot I expected it to blow up but it passed through 18-22 inches of deer and exited.

The 6.5-06AI with the 143gr ELD-X at 3100fps exhibits slightly better ballistics than my 300WM with 212gr ELD-X with much less recoil and I was dialing in far less MOA than my friend's 270 and 6.5CM. I run a Griffin dual port brake with Explorr suppressor, the rifle is just a dream to shoot. I could almost (not quite) spot shots clamped in a tripod.

I'm shooting a 6.5-06 with 147 Hornady eldm's running 2936 or just a little better. Mack Brothers action, Criterion varmint contour barrel 26", Oryx chassis. It's heavy, just like I like my rifles. I also shoot crop depredation and use this strictly as a daytime long range setup. I switch to a thermal and Grendel at night. I have killed 12 with the 6.5-06 this summer from 480 to 895 yards. I've had two deer run a very short distance. 10 were dead in their tracks. All bullets were passthroughs with exits from golf ball to baseball sized. Shots were predominantly shoulder shots. I get great performance out of the 123 grain eldm in the Grendel and Creedmore also as I recently added an AR 10 to the arsenal.
I may go AI on my next barrel I just hate the thought of fireforming brass. The 6.5-06 is definitely a killer. I just build them heavy with longer barrels instead of using a brake. My next barrel will also be an MTU profile.