muzzlenut

I really like my savage 110 with accutrigger in .270. Very good out of the box rifle and I got mine for under 400 with a sling and scope. It was a package deal from wal-mart a few years ago. Sling and scope aren't great by any means but they will do until you can afford the upgrade. Not one deer that I have aimed at seemed to mind that I shoot an inexpensive gun either. I really like the accutrigger so if you go with savage I would recommend making sure the gun you are looking at his it.

From people I know that have them I would stay away from the 770. I like the 270 because you can find lighter loads for coyotes and other smaller animals. Let us know what you decide on.

zrexpilot

weatherby vanguard in .243, 25-06 or 7mm-08

Folically Challenged

You've gotten some sage advice thus far. Price certainly isn't everything, and shopping around will surely find you a much better rifle than the 770 you're considering.

If you CAN use a rifle (and aren't in a shotgun-only state or portion of a state) then the '06 would serve you well. Of course, so would any of the other cartridges from .25-'06 and up.
I can shoot a .30-'06 all day long without a problem. But I can shoot smaller cartridges better. That's just how it is, and I'd wager it's true for everyone. If you're hunting only deer, there's nothing a .30-'06 will do that the others won't, save for punching your shoulder more every time you press the trigger.

If you must use a shotgun, don't fret over accuracy. Any gun that shoots under 4" at 100 yards will kill a deer, and most slug guns will do far better than that.

Most importantly, though, I'd suggest that it's not in your best interest (nor that of your quarry) to be a "sight-in and 1 shot" shooter when you're new to hunting. You'll need to do lots of shooting to find a load that your rifle likes, and to be confident of where those shots will go at different yardages. Once that's done, you'll need to practice shooting a lot from field positions (offhand, kneeling, sitting, prone...), since most hunting spots don't have benches set up.

The more shooting you do, the more accurate you'll be, and the less the chances are of your wounding & losing game. After firearm safety, this is the most important part of hunting.

FC

freezito

I had purchased that 770 u are considering and my advice would be too leave it alone. its not worth it. I would consider other alternatives like a howa 1500

longhunter 66

I started with a 20ga then went to the lowly model 94 30/30, then remington bdl .270, now i shoot a 7mm/08 in a savage 10 w/ accu-trigger. Look at pawn shop and swap meets

kpatte26

IMO any caliber will kill a deer with an accurate well placed shot... I would suggest a caliber that you can also use for other hunting adventures like woodchucks or coyotes so a caliber like the .243 would be great... or even the .223... granted that is a tad small but its travelling fast so that makes up for the loss of bullet weight... I agree with going to your local pawn shops or even gun shows in your area to find a decent deal on a used gun. If you have a sporting goods store like I do in my area you can always do a lay a way... Thats what I did with my AR-15... Check your local paper as well... Someone somewhere may need a few hundred dollars and is willing to foolishly sell their firearm to come up with the money!
Good luck in your decision and Good luck in the field!

Catus Magnus

Lots of good advice from lots of peeps here, I'll throw mine in:

If you're on a very tight budget - and depending upon the terrain? - sight in your shotgun with slugs and stick to close shots. Depending on terrain.

Check out used rifles. Look over Gunbroker.com and Auctionarms.com, and various boards' classified.

I don't know if the 770 is crappy - never handled one - but apparently many dislike it. I know that Savage makes a very good rifle (I've had two). 30-06 is the 'gold standard', as someone said, but it's more than you need for deer, and it will - as several have said - boot you pretty good, esp. if you're a new shooter. Use hearing protection (lot of muzzle blast, which contributes to flinching, too). Now, if you've been shooting slugs from an 870, the 30-06 will seem relatively mild, except for noise/muzzle blast.

Lots of good choices out there. And listen up: DO NOT overlook a 2nd-hand Marlin 336 in 30-30. It has many virtues: it is pretty. It is all the power you need to as far as most people have any business shooting a deer at - a solid 175-200 yards rifle. It is classy. For ammo price.... it is the cheapest deer-appropriate cartridge out there. It isn't all that impressive when looking at a ballistics chart, but in the real world, shooting deer... it is will do as well.

I like the NEF handi-rifle w/heavy barrel; single shots appeal to me.

to go really cheap - get a low-end muzzleloader. I bought a CVA Buckhorn for about 80 bucks on post-season sale several years ago - there in the low $100-range now - it's a fine 100 yard solution. Killed a doe with it yesterday.

spaniel

Savage, Stevens or Marlin to get a quality rifle while keeping the cost down.

I would not get the 770, there are cheap guns and then there are cheaply made guns. Not that it won't work, but it won't last well and you're better of spending $50 more and getting a better value.

Or get a muzzleloader and save even more.

If you certainly won't be shooting over 100yds, you can make the shotgun work.

Dan480Man

For economy, I also recommend a handi-rifle in .243. Lots of utility for the price.
Rossi has some inter-changeable combos that I keep peering at.
Ive never owened one, but might soon, in .243 and ?.
A good ole' Marlin 30-30 is a lot of gun for the price.

Phil from Maine

I used and still do to this day an Old Marlin Glenfield model 30A 30-30 and it has shot plenty of deer up here in these parts. A friend of mine shot his moose with one this year and he also still enjoys it. There are bigger guns out there that can do the job as well. If I was to move up to another rifle I would be seriously thinking about the line of 270s out there. But to each thier own and good luck on what you decide on getting...