Help Us select our "deer rifles" for next year.
 

My wifes first year deer hunting. My first year with my own rifle..

I grew up hunting with 12 gauges, so this will be my first year with my own rifle. I have shot many rifels, .308, .30-06, .270 etc, during deer season, but this will be my first deer-slayer:)

Since this is a Hunting forum, thought I would get better answers instead of posting it on a normal Rifle forum. Not ot mention we love the outdoors, so expect to see us both around here alot:)

i wish we could use the same rifle, but she said she wants one she can call her own, but that i can use if I ask here haha;). so here we go..

Price is a factor. Looking at spending no more than 7-8 hundred a piece, preferably around 600 if possible. Scopes not included, will get those later.

We live in SC, where the deer are not huge either.

Club has open shots ranging out to around 250-300 yards. One field in 600 yards across, and a powerline section is aup to 400 yards. Also have a bunch of 100-150 yards wood shots in pine lanes... of course we have normal hardwoods also.

She wants a light recoil so for her I was looking at:
6mm Remington
.25-06
.243
7mm-08

For myself I am also leaning towards a lower recoiled rifle, since the deer here arent that big. so my choices were

.25-06
6mm Remington
7mm-08
.270
.280

My main 2 picks are
either the 6mm for her and the .25-06 for me
or
the .25-06 for her and the 7mm-08 for me

What do you guys think?

I like the 6mm and .25-06 because they are not widely used, and it would be cool to own rifles that not alot of people here use. Most of my hunting biuddies and people I know use 7mm-08, .270, .30-06 or .308

Biggest Question would be...

How does the 6mm Rem stand up on deer and ranges I listed?
Who makes a 6mm Rem and .25-06 in my price range?

Anything you would add to help us out? Like I said, not sold of these, but really liking them.

Thanks

First of all I would check out a chart showing all the Calibers You listed and see exactly what kind of recoil each Caliber Rifle will have using that said Rifle and what grain bullet You'll be using?

I love my .243 Browning...it has low recoil and is one very accurate Rifle,I've used a 30-06 all the years while growing up and simply love the .243 caliber and it has taken down every Deer I've shot with it including 2 nice Big 8-Point Bucks.

I bought me a Savage 7mm-08 Bolt-Action Model GCNS 11 with the wood stock 2 years ago using Winchester 140 grain bullets,the recoil isn't that bad on the 7mm-08 but I went out and I bought a box of the Remington Managed Recoil shells in 140 grains to switch over to when I finally run out of the Winchester ammunition.Last year I shot a nice 8-Point Buck with it and this year I put down a Big 11-Point Buck right in his tracks broadside at 75 yards with it.I can't brag enough on the Managed Recoil shells to lower the recoil in a Bolt-Action Rifle.

I think the 6mm Rifle would be a very good choice to use for Deer Hunting...as far as the 25-06...Your going to have some pretty good felt-recoil from that caliber if I'm not mistaking?

.243 for both... :)

I'm in NC and been hunting with mine since 1980, it's a wonderful round and does a great job on deer...Go shopping for bullets for some of those other rounds and you'll be shocked...I use 100gr Remington CoreLokts and stocked up years ago...They can still be found at Dicks on sale for $16.99 plus Remingtons $2.50 a box off when you buy 2 boxes...

If you don't mind more recoil the .270 or .308 fit the bill...

The problem with the .280 and 7mm-08 are the cartridges are pricy and you can't find them everywhere...My brother has had one of each since they came out in the early 80s and regrets buying them...

A recoil chart will tell you nothing, and may confuse the issue even more.

I'm not familiar with SC's laws, but you may want to check first to see what the minimum caliber is there for deer hunting. Although I'd prefer something heavier, some states do allow even the .22 centerfires (.223, .22-250, etc.) for deer hunting.

In many states, the .243 is the legal minimum for deer hunting. That does NOT mean that it "barely gets the job done." The .243 is my choice for most of my deer and pronghorn hunting. The 6mm Remington is a near-twin of the .243. Both use the same bullets, but launch them from different cases. The 6mm has a very slight edge in performance, and it seems to have a faithful following in the reloading world. However, I'm not aware of any manufacturer (other than custom) who presently chamber a rifle for 6mm Remington, nor can I remember any time in the last ten years seeing factory ammunition anywhere on a shelf.

"Felt recoil in a .25-06?" Oh, come on. I have a 1942-manufactured M1903A3 Springfield with the "S" stock and steel buttplate in .30-06. THAT is felt recoil, and it's not at all unmanageable. In fact, guys who weighed an average of 140 pounds used those same rifles to push the Japanese off Guadalcanal back in WWII. Just a guess, but they probably fired more rounds in a day than most of us do in a year.

I'm beginning to wonder if the recoil-sensitive crowd here might want to take up airsoft? Just choose a caliber that'll get the job done, it doesn't have to be the largest one out there. Become proficient with it and confident in your abilities. You won't remember the recoil of the one shot you fire during a successful hunt.

I'd get her a .243. It's a great deer caliber.

Then for you, I'd get a .270 or a 30.06.

Then you would be covered from varmints to elk, in case you ever decided to hunt other places and animals.

I'd look into a Reminton 700 or Browning A-bolt. Great guns for the money and will fit your budget.

There are tons of great choices. One of my (and my wife's) favorites is the 7mm-08. Her's is a Ruger Compact as she is small framed and needed a "child-sized" rifle. Mine is a Sako 85 Finnlight. I also have a 25-06, .243, and 30-06 as commonly used rifles. Her other rifle is a .308. Another nifty choice would be an 1885 Low Wall in .243. Single shot rifles are just plain fun!

I am not a expert deer hunter. In fact I just returned to deer hunting this year after having not hunted since I was a teenager. I returned to deer hunting this year with my 10 year old son and we were hunting out of the same blind and sharing a rifle. My purchase was a Thompson Venture 25-06. I paid $460 I think for the rifle and $175 for the scope (Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40).

Me and my sons first season out together we both got a buck with the same rifle.

Being prior military and good old country boy growing up my only prior experience was a Marlin lever action 30-30 as a teenager and primarily a .223 (m16a2) while in the Marine Corps. For me and my boy's first hunt I wanted something with 1) long range capability, 2) low recoil, for him not me 3) minimal bullet drop over long distance thus requiring less scope adjuistments (easier for him).

The 25-06 fit that bill perfectly. I did my homework before purchasing my rifle by coming here and posting, also looking at ballistic charts, and reading lots of rifle reviews online and hands down if you criteria is the same as mine your not going to find a better rifle than the 25-06.

1) Are there rifles that have longer distance than the 25-06? Yes, but they either have more recoil or the bullet weights are too low and arent legal for deer in my state (anything under 55gr I believe for Oklahoma which means about anything under a .223).

2) Are there rifles that have less recoil than the 25-06. You bet, but are the bullet weights legal for your state? Most popular factory loaded ammo for the 25-06 comes in 85gr, 100gr, 115gr and 117gr and do they have longer range. Nope.

3) Is there a rifle with less bullet drop over long ranges. Guranteed there is but again do they meet the minimum bullet weights and do they have less recoil? The 85gr hornady rounds I used show to drop only 6 inches at 300 yards. I couldn't find anything that was less than this, "that also meet's the two prior criteria".

The only complaint my 10 year old had about our Thompson rifle was that it was loud as hell. He would only shoot it with ear plugs in. It didn't bother me but my hearing isn't the greatest anyways. Shooting this rifle is like a laser beam in terms of accuracy. One shot - One kill on his deer and the same for me. I would not pick another rifle If given the oppurtunity to repeat this year over again.

My only complaint for the 25-06 is the price of the ammo and finding it. I knew these issue going into the purchase so thats my own fault. Your best bet is to order it offline as it's cheaper and you have a better selection. You're most likely not gonna get good premium ammo from walmart or some other big box store (at least I couldn't here in Oklahoma)

Here's the post I put up, when I came here asking for advice on this same subject. Maybee it can save you some time researching:
http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/guns...le-advice.html

It's kind of funny though I came back here to today to ask advice on another new rifle. My son has pretty much claimed the 25-06 for next year and want's to hunt on his own stand so I'm gonna have to find myself a new rifle. I want maximum range and don't care about recoil so I'm looking at a couple different options. Gonna post my own thread on that shortly.

I looked at a T/C venture today in 7mm-08, I like the feel of it.

What's the differances between a 7mm-08 and 25-06?

Never shot a 7mm-08 so I couldn't tell you anything that cant be found on a ballistic chart.

According to Hornady a comparison of 25-06 vs 7mm-08 ammo is:

The 7mm-08 falls about 2 inches faster in it's measurements vs the 25-06 (IE 25-06 at -6.1@300yds / 7mm-08 at -7@300yds)(25-06 at -18.3@400yds / 7mm-08 at -20.3@400yds). However, thier chart shows that the 7mm-08 has greater knockdown power out of the muzzle and also at 500 yards but then the bullet weight is 40+ grains heavier than the 25-06 which means the recoil from a same weight gun would be more as well. Basically the 25-06 is flatter in it's trajectory than the 7mm-08. About the only gun that can beat it in trajectory terms and have the same or less recoil is going to be a rifle that probably isn't legal for deer (IE 22-250, 223, 220 swift, things like that). You really need to call or check your states Department of Wildlife website.

Basic rule of thumb:
Recoil decreases as a gun gets heavier. Recoil increases as the round gets heavier also though.

I don't know if you if you live anywhere near a gun range, but before purchasing my rifle I went to one here in Oklahoma City that rent's all kinds of different firearms and I let my son shoot a wide selection before settling on a caliber that he could shoot comfortably. Then it's just a matter of finding a rifle manufacture that fit's your budget and has the options you want. The range here charged 10$ per rifle for rental fee's.

PS.
Someone may have already mentioned this. If all you ever plan to hunt with this rifle is game that is deer sized or smaller then you got nothing to worry about. However, if you ever plane to go after larger game like mule deer or Elk or even larger than that, then your gonna want more bullet weight (the heaviest 117gr 25-06 ammo isn't gonna cut it for most states big game laws). 139gr 7mm-8 is heavy enough for such larger game.

The 7mm-08 uses the same case as the .308 and the .243, it came out in 1980...It does a good job on deer, the most commonly used weight bullet is 140grs...

The 25-06 uses the same case as the 30-06, so it has more powder and being a .25 caliber instead of a .280 (7mm) caliber the bullets used for deer are more in the 125gr weight so it has more velocity...This means it shoots a bit flatter...

Either of these would be excellent for deer except for availability of ammo, which is really not a big problem if a fellow has sense enough to stock up and order online...

I just had a problem with a fellow that shot a .260 years ago that knocked his scope off and used the rest of his ammo resighting in...We lost a morning of hunting during the rut because we had to drive an hour to get ammo...I'm the type that has 5-6 boxes of ammo if I take a week off to hunt... :)

thanks for the help....Looks like I have alot of studying to do:)

First off, Welcome and I am glad to hear of you and your wife's excitement for the sport of hunting and also the excitement of getting your first deer rifles. ALL those rounds that you mentioned in the original post are GREAT choices for deer. For the ranges you mentioned ALL will do the job to about the 300 yd. mark AND "some" of your choices could suit you for 500 yards and beyond. The .243 and 6mm will smoke deer up to 300 yds. Some guys shoot farther with them, some guys like to shoot shorter distance. I would not hesitate squeezing the trigger on a deer 300 yds. away with my .243. As far as recoil is concerned 6mm, .243, and the 7mm-08 are in my opinion mild rounds, but they are great performers and you will not be disappointed with them, so long as the shooter holds up his end of the bargain behind the trigger.
As far as the .270 and 25-06...In my shooting experience with them, I feel that their recoil is very close to the same with maybe slight difference. ( then again, I never thought that the 30-06's I own have that much more recoil than the .270's I own and have shot ) BOTH of these rounds (.270 and 25-06) I consider great performers and I know of guys that will make 500 yd. shots on deer or antelope all day long with these. Great flat shooters.
Considering the cost of ammo these days, I would be more concerned with "availibilty " than cost...as most all ammo is on the high side these days. I feel that if you chose any of the rounds you initially stated....You would be VERY happy with your choice. If the recoil of a 270 doesn't bother you, then none of the others you mentioned will. If you like the idea of mild recoil go with the 7mm-08, .243, or 6mm

The good news is, any of the cartridges you have mentioned will cleanly kill deer...

A fellow could use any of them his whole life and never blame the cartridge for losing a deer...

Being that you emphasized "deer rifles" i'll asume that the rifles would be used for the sole purpose of whitetail deer hunting.All the rifles you've listed will cleanly kill a deer.
If ammo availibility and price isn't an issue then the next question you need to answer is a rifle you like offered in the chambering you chose?
The least amount of recoil will be with the 243/6mm and the most amount of recoil will be with the 270/280.
Shooting the same caliber as one another can have it's advantages.Doubt both of you would forget your bullets on a hunting trip.
I have owned a 30-30,30-06,35,& 243. I'm currently shooting the 243 for my whitetail hunting and really like the caliber.
Rifle choice,i'm currently shooting a Remington 700.It's the second one i've owned,no complaints with either one.You and your wife need to see which rifle in your price range feels the best to you.
The Winchester Model 70 [ msrp $879 ] is a real nice rifle IMO and comes chambered in 243,25-06,7mm08 & 270.
Good Luck with your descission

You said you used 12 gauges in the past right? 338 mag. not much difference in recoil, don't have much experience in lighter rifles so i'll leave that to the other guys ;)

Hands down Id get a .270 (they'll all kill deer) but the .270 is erasily the sexiest - flatest shooting - kill anything in the lower 48 - and relatively cheap to shoot. Now Rugar and Remington make GOOD guns in your price range AND they both make "youth models" that usually fit women better. By getting the SAME caliber you make it easier to stock up on ammo and maybe start reloading.. Final point.. Remingtom makes a "50% recoil" bullet for the .270 that makes its recoil feel most tame and yet it is still quit lethal.
I have 10 and 12 year old boys that both took elk this year.. had them shooting those 50% recoil shells at the range and then sliped in the real deals in the field.. they Never felt the recoil but the elk sure did!

smaller deer .243 & .270

or

larger deer .270 & 7MM rem mag

Thanks man. What riflesare those in ur pics??? I like the wood grain one.

get the wife a 243 and yer best bet for u is a 270 it will do most big game critters ,she will need the confidence to shoot ,and not be afraid of the recoil the 243 will fit the ticket just fine.as for the 270 hands down best all a round caliber ,both have no problem taking deer, and ammo is available every where,good luc personally i like the ruger m77 and the tc venture

For little deer, I'd go with a pair of 25-06s or 243s. Plenty of killing power in both of the calibers.

I suggest going with the same caliber so you can share ammo in case one or the other forgets/loses theirs.

I've fired both the 243 and 7mm08 calibers. I don't feel much of a difference at all, and nor did my father. They both kill deer with the same ease. Go with a non-partitioned round if you choose the 7mm08. The partitioned rounds I use can do some impressive damage to the bigger deer in Wisconsin. I can only imagine how much worse it would be on the smaller southern deer.

I've also fired a 270, although many years ago now, and it has more kick than a lot of the suggested rounds. It's manageable enough for me, but it was not the round I wanted when I was choosing which rifle to buy. The 7mm08 has similar ballistic characteristics (as do several similar rounds) to the 270 for the shorter range shooting where I hunt in Wisconsin, but with less recoil.

I hunt the hardwoods where the typical shooting distance is between 50- 120 yards. Sometimes you can get longer shots, but not often. You're more likely to make a shorter shot than a longer one if you can be smarter than your foe.

The wood one is a Remimgton youth model (several years old now).. The other is a Ruger. Both are very afordable. Both are .270 caliber. I use the 130 grain slug for deer. Those elk were taken with 150 grain slugs.

I own a .243Win, .25-06, and a .280AI. None of them really have that much recoil in my opinion. The .280Rem will have the most when using heavy bullets but it is still not bad.
I have killed large western Mule deer and an Elk with both the .243Win and .25-06 and none of them required second shots. The 7mm-08 is another great cartridge that would do well on deer or larger game.
As far as the Rifle's are concerned Tikka makes a nice rifle but the only bad thing about them in a .243 is they use a 1:10" twist so the 100gr bullets might not work as well. All the other calibers the twist rates are about right for caliber. Ruger makes a nice rifle as well as others. The TC Venture just had a recall notice so that might be a concern for me. CZ makes a very nice rifle as well. Try and hold as many rifles as you can and make sure they fit you both well before you purchase one. A properly fitted rifle will certainly help with recoil. And if you do find recoil to be a problem then you can always install a limbsaver recoil reducer buttpad that will help reduce any felt recoil.

I'd opt for either .243 or 7mm-08. Both great guns, low recoil. Should fit the bill nicely. If you go up, look at the .280 rem.

If you ever plan on going after any bigger game id seriously look at a .280 works great on elk. For your wife a .243 is plenty plus you learn to take better shots with the smaller calibers. If u never plan on going after bigger game a 25-06 is a great caliber also ammo can be a bit harder to find and more expensive around here at least.