Deer rifle recomendation

[CampCoffee]

Best rifle for deer is a 30-30 Win. It will do the job, it has always done the job. Recoil is light. Doesn't wreck a bunch of meat.

[br8kitoff]

yep

[Bob33]

zero to hit high is when you have a standard scope with no adjustment knob.  so you zero your scope say to 250, then you have to remember that you are xxx high at 100, xxx high at 200 xxx low at 300 and so on.

So, since I have the finger knobs on my scope and know that, if zeroed dead on at 100 yards and I have a 200 yard shot, I'll need to come up 5 clicks, I don't need to use the so many inches high thing, right?

Yes, as long as (a) you know the distance is 200 yards, (b) you have the time to turn the scope up 5 clicks, and (c) in all the excitement you remember to.

Leave it zeroed at 200 yards, and you'll be a couple inches high at 100 and a couple inches low at 250.  Point and shoot up to 250.

[coachcw]

30 30 good under 100yards , I've never grouped with one

[Earshot]

I do think that the 243 would do just fine if it hit a rib I'm not sure that it didn't., I reload and she was shooting premium bullets. As a proud  dad I have to post a picture.

That is a great pic, thanks for sharing it.

Thanks, She was so excited that she was doing a dance and I was shaking like it was my first animal. I get just as excited about helping her get an animal as I do getting one myself.

[44 Flattop]

30 30 good under 100yards , I've never grouped with one

I've done lots of target work with different 30WCF's.  One once put five 5 shot groups @ 100 yards under 7/8".

As for under 100 yards, with a 4x scope I shot a nice buck at slightly under 300 yards before I ever heard it was a 'short range gun'..........

44

[DeerThug]

I agree - 243 is a deer killing machinge.  My son has shot a lot of deer with a 243 and just pastes them.  He likes Federal 100 grain bullets.  He droped a really large Idaho whitetail with one shot. 

Don't get caught up in hype -

Shoot straight shoot often..

[Three_Oh_Eight]

I haven't read through all of the posts, so forgive me if this was mentioned already: There are some great deals on Weatherby Vanguards and Howa 1500s.  Same rifle.  Find one in 243 or 7mm-08 and a youth stock, and you're golden.

[gadwall]

Easy answer here!!!

260rem  (my current favorite)
or
7mm-08

120-140gr bullets

140 partitions are flat mean as hell outa both of these..

Deer and elk..



I agree   Both are good choices.  My daughter has shot a .260 for a few years and loves it.  I have it loaded down with 100 gr bullets and there is very little recoil.  The same can be done with the 7mm-08.

Gadwall

[DoubleJ]

I am a 30.06 guy. Tried and true.

Not going to work for an 8 year old.






Where can you get 100gn 7mm-08 rounds without reloading?

[carpsniperg2]

depends on the kid, i was shooting many diffrent guns when i was 8 years old including a 30-30,243,30-06, now with the reduced factory rem loads for the 30-06 i don't think it is to big of stretch to say that it might work fine dpending on the kid. also the 100 grin bullets would probably be hard to find in the 7mm-08 unless you handload. which i do, so not a prob for me. but i think you should be able to find 120g petty easy most the time its the 140 130 etc that you see in factory ammo for the 7mm-08

[huntinhick]

this has been a great topic.  I have been searching for a varmit/big game combo for my boys and I think I have decided to go with a H&R with a youth stock,  you can send the reciever in to the factory and get it fitted with other barrels for 96$ each.  I am thinking 20" lite weight 223, 24" bull 223, 22" 30/30 and 24" 7mm 08.  just a couple of things 1 have gone to using a single shoot contender G2 in 30/30 with leverloution rounds from hornady I shoot less than an inch at 100 yards.  that loading is just 200-250 fps behind the 308 however it does thump a bit more that your normal 30/30.  I was looking at recoil charts and the 30/30 has 1/2 the recoil of the 7mm08.  so the plan is lite weight 223 to start then 30/30 (going to cut it down to 18") for deer in a few years move them up to the 7mm-08 and the bull barrel 223.  with the price of a new H&R handi rifle 250 and the 3 barrels I am still around the price of a bolt.  Did I mention that I have to set two boys up and they are only a year apart!  I think that with that set up they would be good to go until they decied they want to buy their own toys. 
if you do a search for chuck hawks they have a table there that shows recoil for most rounds and the rifle it was based on.  graybeard outdoors has a forum just for H&Rs and they have a sticky that has the recoil of the H&R rifles in most calibers....

carl

[h20hunter]

I have recently picked up an H&R Ultra Slug Hunter. One heavy a** gun. I plan on using it for midwest deer when visiting family. I will say it is one solid gun. Very tight fitting and heavy. Should be a tack driver. Very happy with the gun for the price.

[huntinhick]

after thinking about it a bit, I might go with an H&R 223 for varmits, then get them stevens 7mm08.  would be about the same price as the H&Rs.  just a thought. If the stevens ever get back down to 199 like they did last year all bets are off and dad is getting one in 7mm 08 also!

[addicted]

  just a thought. If the stevens ever get back down to 199 like they did last year all bets are off and dad is getting one in 7mm 08 also!

man o man. if they ever do that sale again i'm gonna be buying a few of those suckers. I've bought two now at 289-300$ price range and they are sweet for that price.