well its about time for my first deer rifle

[t.mobley]

well im turning 16 and my dad has said that i can get a gun for my 16th birthday. i have been hunting with friends and have taken safety courses but i dont have a gun. i have shot many rifles, shot guns with friends and at boy scout camp. but now i am planning on doing soem deer hunting and i cant decide which rifle to go with, i have been looking at winchesters and remingtons but i dont know all that much about the rifles. so my question is what do you think that i should look into as my first deerrifle?

[hermbo19]

I would go with a .243 or maybe a 7mm-08. They are both deer worthy and easy to shoot.....

[biscuit jake]

Marlin 30 30. Enjoy.

[TerryM]

Give us more info about the cover you hunt and how big you are. Without knowing any of that I would recommend a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08, it should handle any type of cover nicely and will grow with you.

[stubblejumper]

I would recommend a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08, it should handle any type of cover nicely and will grow with you.

A very good recommendation.

[trailer]

Another vote for the 7mm-08. Very good choice...

[Briman]

A Savage, CZ, Remington, or Winchester in 30-06. You can shoot Remington managed recoil loads to start with and you'll never outgrow the gun and your needs will probably never outgrow the rifle either.

[Pawildman]

First, let me welcome you to the forums. It's a good place to learn "stuff" about guns, reloading, hunting, and all that goes with it. Being kind of stuck on the 7mm guns, having hunted with and loaded for most all of them for deer-sized game and smaller basically, I also have to give a heavy recommendation to the 7mm-08. They are usually very accurate, recoil is modest, and they are fun to shoot. Just a good choice, in my opinion.

[uncballers45]

without question Remington 700 in a .270. ive shot this gun since i was 12 years old. very accurate. great gun to start out with also.

[wayomic]

Well, you are likely to get almostas many answers to the "perfect" rifle and cartridge as there are members on this site.

Some will swear that NOTHING beats a 30-06, others will swear by a .270 or maybe a 7mm-08, etc. Yes, use that to guide you but you don't have to settle for just those choices.

Before settling on one, my own advice is to get with some of those friends and such and go out and shoot a few different types and calibers. Take that along with what and where you will be hunting and talk it over here or with someone at a gun shop you can trust. Then make your decision.

The real thing you have to worry about is picking what is right for you.

Then practice, practice, practice. Shoot it often enough to know your weapon inside and out. And don't just shoot it at a bench. Shoot prone, kneeling, sitting on the ground, standing, braced and unbraced, so you can pull off the shot in the feild.
The saying, "beware a man who only owns 1 (gun), he probably knows how to use it" can have as much meaning for hunting as anything else.

I have quite a few of my own to chose from.
30-06, 25-06, 30-30, 35 Rem, 7mm-08, 7mm TCU, .270 Weatherby, .300 WSM, .375 H&H, 45-70, .243 ........ (you get the idea. )
And have them in lever, bolt, single shot and even a pump.
But what I pick up time and again is my Ruger #1 in 7x57. There are others that may be better in some cases, maybe technically better in most all cases, but I know that gun inside and out. It might not be the best choice for you, or anyone else here, but that is MY rifle and I am at my best with it more often than with any other.

So good luck, and Good Hunting.