Thank ya' ll for the replies. I' d already done a little research and was leaning towards a Savage, so I' m thinking I' ll probably go with a combo like some of you boys mentioned. Thanks again for the help

TN Red

Good choice. As I said earlier I have a Savage, and I really like it. I would go with either a .270, 7mm mag, or a 25-06. I am not a big fan of the 30-06 because of the amount of drop that you get. Like I said I have a 7mm mag, but .270 might be the best choice. Let us know what you decide, and good luck.

270 Ruger gets my vote,can kill at to 400 yards if we do our job and do it nicely,I shoot federal premiums 130 grain.Bullet will go all the way thru,which gives good blood trails (if needed).Savage is another good one my son has one in 243,and accurate.

Although I prefer Winchesters, I' d have to admit that Savage is about the best bang for the buck!
As for caliber, there are so many good ones on the market. From .25 caliber on up, you probably couldn' t go very far wrong if you tried!
If you put the best characteristics of them all together, you' d probably come up with the 7MM-08! It is truly an all-star deer caliber. More than enough power for any size deer, accurate, and easy on the shoulder to boot!!!! Good luck!

I would go with a Win. Model 70 Black Shadow, CZ, or Howa. Good luck.

Savages are a great deal, NEF single shots are a great deal too.

THE MARLIN 1894' s are awesome. I' ve had a few, still hanging on to one, planning on another this summer (or two). Mine have always been .44mags, which as far as hunting goes for a handloader, the .44mag can accomplish the same terminal range as a .30-30 with half the powder. They' re sweet guns, they might not be the best PRIMARY deer rifle, but they' re definately one of the best alternatives for a " back up" or " secondary" gun. I used the one I still have (it was my old man' s) as my primary deer rifle when I was younger, then I got my own bolt action, and five or ten other alternatives, but that .44mag still goes out every year.

A little better option, if you want a levergun to be your primary (as you should!!), is the Marlin 1895, I AM getting another one of these this summer, it' s a .45-70, I' m getting the 1895GS, stainless guide gun, little shorter bbl and stock is the only real difference, and I think one shot less (but total cap is still 5, so it' s deer legal). It' ll do deer with factory loads out to 150yrds, with no problems, probably 250yrds or better (in the right hands) with the right handload. I' ve seen deer dropped with .45-70' s out at 550yrds, but that was from my W&H single shot 32" bbl, but just from that I' d still imagine the .45-70 would be good out to any range you can place the bullet well.

Tikka, CZ, Howa, Ruger, Winchester or Wal-Mart Weatherby in .260 Rem, 6.5x55 Swedish, .270 Win or 7mm-08. All will do the job well and give you a proud feeling to own.