2"-3" at 100 yds is OK hunting accuracy. I am assuming you are shooting from a rest? What kind of rest? sand bags? front and rear?There are a lot of variables to shooting small groups. Bench rest guys stress over the tiny details. How do you shoot from field positions? off hand? that is the real test of wether you want to hunt with this rifle or not. You mentioned you have already killed a deer with it, apparently it shoots well enough to do that. As I said before, both of my 700s shoot decent groups, but I wouldn't be shy at all about hunting with either one with any of the loads I have tried in them. The important thing is to know where the rifle shoots at any given distance, and be confident in using it. I bought a nicely sporterized P-17 Eddystone at an auction several years ago. It has a redfield Peep on it, and I decided I would learn to use it rather than go to a scope. When I took it to the range, I discovered after a few rounds, the thing was sighted about 18" high at 100yds. Since it was dead on for windage, I assumed the former owner intened it to be that way. I called him when I got home to ask about it. This guy was in his late eightes and he had built the rifle himself. When I asked what distance he had it sighted at, he thought for minute and said " I think it should be dead on at 600yd". He had built the rifle for hunting out west in the mountains, and sighted it for maximum distance, and learned where it shot between here and there. The point I am trying to make is, accuracy is a matter of what you make it. Sounds like your rifle shoots OK, you may not win a bench rest match with it, but I don't think that was your intention. If you can, do some shooting at 200yds, my personal test of wether I take a rifle hunting is, if I can nail a milk jug off hand at 200yds. That is the longest range I have available, so it is the longest range I can practice at. It also happens to be the limit of my real abilty to judge distance accurately with out a range finder.Good huntin'

BTW, I re-sighted that Eddystone for 100yds : )