hammerdown45

Hi I am new to this site and I had a few questions. I recently got into deer hunting and went last weekend. I used my shotgun (remingtion 870 12 guage) I only saw one small doe and didnt take a shot. I would love to get a real deer rifle because I only want to use the shotgun for turkey hunting and trap shooting. I live right in the middle of missouri so im not really sure if we have big, medium, or small deer. Ive been doing a lot of research and there are a few rifles that Ive come across. So far my top two picks are a marlin xs7 or a marlin xl7. My freind also has a mossberg 270 and its really nice but Im still deciding. My price range really isnt much I cant spend over 400 dollars and it would be nice to have a scope too for under that price. But first I have a few questions, whats the difference between the xs7 and xl7 besides the short and long bolt throw? What is the differences between a short and long throw bolt? What is the best length barrel to get for most accuracy and velocity?

Now the question is what caliber to get? Ive been reading a lot and everyone is saying the 30-06 is the way to go but that seems really big and I want somthing that is fun to shoot and wont kill my shoulder. So far its in between a .270 and a .308, and im leaning more towards the .308. Could you guys tell me the differences between the two I hear that they really arent that different?

Where I hunt isnt very dense brush just trees and bushes so Im not really worried about a few extra inches of barrel. If you guys need to know anything else to help me make my selection please feel free to ask and recomend anything you think is better.

Sheridan

Easy answer;

BTW – “most” commonly published ballistics are from a 24” barrel.

Take a look at these;

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http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=117249

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sconnyhunter

If you just got into deer hunting, don't have a bunch of money to spend, but already posses a shotgun.
Get a rifled slug barrel with a cantilevered scope mount.
You could go get another gun, but why? You own a perfectly good weapon, that is more than capable of killing any deer within a reasonable range. Slug barrels are far cheaper than buying another gun, and if you decide that deer hunting isn't for you, your not out another 400, for a gun you won't use again.

sconnyhunter

double post

Bernie P.

I like the Winchester model 70 Featherweight in 7-08 myself.A little less recoil than the .308 with better ballisitics.

steelhead777

check out the new TC Venture!!! comes in many calibers for Whitetail and a M.O.A of under a inch at 100 yds.
you can buy one for around $400 a great gun and quality made.
www.tcarms.com

hometheaterman

Imo the Marlin XL-7 or XS-7 is a good choice, however, not the best in that price range. IMO the Savage Model 10 or 110 depending on long or short action is a lot better choice in the same price range. Make sure you get the one with the Accu Trigger though. Walmart sells the Savage Model 10 and 110 for $387 at the one nearby us. The one in the next town over is $397, but they are always under $400. They come as a package deal with a Simmons 3-9x40 scope which is decent. When I say decent, the glass is decent, and they seem to work okay for the most part. They should get you by for a season or two until you can afford a better scope. This rifle also comes with a sling, and is the one that has the accu trigger. This really is a great rifle for a great price. IMO you can't beat the accu trigger with a factory trigger, and you get a great quality rifle, that's also easy to change barrels on should you ever want to all for under $400.

I'd stay away from the Savage Edge rifles though. IMO they are more along the lines of the Remington 770. Maybe slightly better. Those two are rifles I'd stay away from.


However, if you don't like the Savage for some reason the next best choice imo is the Marlin XL-7/XS-7 rifles you are looking at. These are decent rifles, but just not as good as the Savage imo.

As for the Mossberg, I've read some decent reports, and some bad reports. The issues with the bolt flying apart and injuring shooters concerned me enough that I wouldn't buy one. I hope that they have this fixed. Other than that issue, I still wouldn't buy one as while they may be decent, the Savage or Marlin rifles are just soo much better of a rifle for the price. There is no comparison in quality and the price is very similar.

Another popular option is the Stevens 200. This is the older Savage Model 10 before the accu trigger models came out. These are good guns, although the trigger isn't great. IMO though this isn't the best buy out there, just because they often run around $300-320 depending on where you get it. So for not much more you can get a much better trigger, a scope, and a sling. However, if you found one of these cheap enough, it might be a good deal. I think the Marlin is also a better buy than this.


As for calibers, it's really a personal preference. 30-06 is probably the most versatile caliber. You can take pretty much any game you could want to in North America. You get tons of bullet choices from both factory rounds or reloads. You can pretty much find ammo anywhere. Even most country stores that only have a couple of boxes of ammo usually have 30-06 ammo. It's just super popular and there is a good reason for it. Ammo prices are also pretty decent on it.
The 308 is very very close ballistic wise to the 30-06. They use the same bullet, just a difference case. One is often chambered in a long action one in a short action. Both are great choices, although I prefer the 30-06 just for ammo availability. The recoil on a 30-06 is there and it's not something I'd want to shoot all day long, but at the same time it's fine if you are just going to sight it in and then go hunting with it.

The .270 is also another very popular choice and is a good choice. Ammo is common for this also, but not as common as 30-06. The recoil on a .270 is more than what I'd want on a rifle I was going to shoot all day, but as said with the 30-06 it's fine for sighting it in then hunting with it.

The 25-06 is another caliber to consider. Recoil is heavy on some rifle, and mild on others. Just depends on the weight and stock style of the rifle. This is basically a 30-06 case necked down to hold a 25 caliber bullet. It's a very flat shooting round and good for long range.

Now if you want something you can target shoot all day long and still hunt with the two biggest calibers I'd look at would be the .243 Winchester, or the 7mm-08. Both are good calibers and based off of the 308. They are 308 cases necked down for a 7mm bullet or a 6mm bullet for the .243. They are plenty for deer sized game, although if planning a trip to Africa and hunting large game I'd want something more. I really like both of these calibers. Ammo is pretty common for the .243 and you can find it for the 7mm-08, but it's no where near as common as .243 much less something like a 30-06. Both have relatively light recoil.

So those are my opinions on several of the popular calibers. It's hard to say what the get as everyone likes something different. I have a friend that won't shoot anything but a .270, yet I have several friends that have switched from .270's to .243 just because of the lighter recoil. Then I've got guys that don't want anymore than a 30-30, or friends that only will shoot .280's, or 30-06's. It basically just all comes down to what you personally like. Most of them are good enough, and for deer it's not like one's a ton better than another.

Seaark18

Very well put.

J.M.A.N.

I have used a Glenfield .30-.30 for the last 30 years. Always brings them down, cheap to shoot, and good for 100+ yard shot with a little practice.

I have shot deer at 300 yards with it before but I used to practice the shot for fun.

ps...Had to scope it two years ago....eyesight is not what it used to be.

lonewolf5348

I hear mossberg has improved on there bolt on the 4x4 and the ATR 100 model
The marlin was on my mind I read a lot of great reviews on the rifle.
I would not Waite to purchase one only because Remington took over marlin:I would prefer a gun made by marlin instead of rem:
I would favor the 308 more then enough for game and yet not that bad on recoil.
The 270 a great round but I never cared for the sharp recoil
I shoot the 30-06 but I down load to around 2600 fps make it a lot less recoil compared to the 2900 fps factory round and the 165 gr. bullet