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New Deer Rifle - Looking To Be Educated

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New Deer Rifle - Looking To Be Educated

Old 08-17-2012, 10:30 AM
  #1  
Spike
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Default New Deer Rifle - Looking To Be Educated

Hello all. I've done some side jobs and I'm going to get a new rifle/scope with the money.

I hunt white tail deer in "sort of" Northern Kentucky. This area of land has moderate hills. The lease we have contains a combination of standard woods, thick brush, cleared power lines, and the occasional open field. The multi-purpose rifle I have my eye on is the Remington 700, Stainless barrel in .308 caliber. All this is up for debate and change but that's my starting point. The base version of the Rem 700 Stainless .308 is around $650 I think.

I'm willing to put my money into just the rifle and put on a cheaper scope that I already have and put on a nicer scope next year. I know I won't get full value out of rifle in year 1 with a cheaper scope but in the end I'll have what I want instead of having to go cheaper on the rifle.

I will have about $1000 to spend but I don't want to buy a rifle just to use all that money meaning I don't want to spend to my budget but rather find out what I want and hope it is within budget.

Question: Do you agree with the Remington 700 and in a .308 caliber? If not what do you suggest? I started with it because it is all I really know... two of my hunting buddies have one and like it.

With whatever base rifle you suggest would you get the cheapest stock then upgrade with an aftermarket?

Last edited by WonderMonkey; 08-17-2012 at 10:38 AM.
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Old 08-17-2012, 10:37 AM
  #2  
Typical Buck
 
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In Indiana we cannot use larger rifles for deer, however I recently picked up a Remington 700 30.06 in camo for $400 bucks. I got it in the hopes of going out west for a hunt soon. I had one in the past and really liked the model 700. I think it will do what you need.
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Old 08-17-2012, 10:46 AM
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Spike
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Thanks. I live in Ohio and use shotgun there. In KY where I do most of my hunting we can use the larger rifles.
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Old 08-17-2012, 11:03 AM
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IMO, your caliber selection is fine. Whitetails aren't that hard to dispatch. The Rem 700 you mentioned will certainly do the job. I'm not a Remington guy, so I gravitate more towards Winchester, Ruger, Sako /Tikka, Browning and others. Will you be doing other hunting in other areas in the future? Keep that in mind. I'd also be looking at .270, 7mm-08 and .30-06 in models that feel good when shouldered. One of my main deer rifles is chambered in .25-06 and it's a deer's worst nightmare. Bottom line, the caliber choice is personal...many will get the job done just fine. It's more important to get a good quality properly fitting / feeling rifle. Additionally, accuracy is obviously necessary. Once you get your rifle, try several loads to see what shoots the best. Practice both from the bench and "field" type scenarios. Save up and get a good quality scope ASAP.
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Old 08-17-2012, 11:56 AM
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Spike
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Thanks. I'll certainly get one that feels good on the shot but obviously I want to zone in on some good rifles to select from.

As for the stock would you go the basic cheap one and then upgrade to the free floating, glass block, etc? I don't know if Remington has one off the shelf that people feel good about in that area. There are so many choices my head swims when I start comparing.
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Old 08-17-2012, 02:08 PM
  #6  
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You should look at the T/C Venture rifles. They are pretty nice for roughly $500 and have a 1 inch guarantee. You can also look at Weatherby Vangard II's they are around that same price and have the same 1 inch guarantee. The Marlin Xl7's are hard to beat for $320. I own a Marlin in 30-06 and it will shoot 3 shots into an inch as long as I do my part. I also have a Rem 700 ADL .243 that will stay around an inch group also. I only gave around $400 for it. If your shots are 300yds and less all the glass bedding and fancy stocks are just for show and a waste of money unless your a long range bench shooter. Years ago when a 1 inch rifle was hard to find those things would help a rifle shoot more accurate but with the way most new rifles are made those things will have little to no benefit in a hunting rifle.
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Old 08-17-2012, 02:29 PM
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Spike
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Originally Posted by Jacob Garrett
If your shots are 300yds and less all the glass bedding and fancy stocks are just for show and a waste of money unless your a long range bench shooter. Years ago when a 1 inch rifle was hard to find those things would help a rifle shoot more accurate but with the way most new rifles are made those things will have little to no benefit in a hunting rifle.
I do agree about the glass bedding during the hunt but I'm more concerned about it when I'm zeroing in my rifle. Will the successive firings cause my barrel to walk and frustrate me to death?

Also I will look into those rifles you mentioned. I have a TC Encore ProHunter I'm happy with.
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Old 08-17-2012, 03:14 PM
  #8  
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7mm-08
25-06
270
280

also valid options...

that rem 700 mtn syn stainless is pretty nice, also the cdl-sf
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Old 08-17-2012, 06:18 PM
  #9  
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I usually take a couple rifles with me when I go to shoot. I always take a .22 just to kill time with so my rifle barrel has time to properly cool off between shots. A barrel has to get more than a shot or two thru it before it gets hot enough to matter. As far as caliber goes a .308, 7mm-08, and a .270 are all great for deer. I just bought a TC Venture in 7mm-08 for my wife.
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Old 08-17-2012, 06:23 PM
  #10  
Typical Buck
 
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Welcome to the forum!

It appears you are not rushing into a purchase, which is good. A quality firearm should be something you can hand down to a friend or family member decades from now.

Here is a method of sighting in an optic that does not require a lot of shots to be fired. However, first shoot three shots to make sure the bullets from your rifle group okay. Then, a few hours later or the next day (allows a cold barrel), sight in using this method.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiOpQY2ORo4

As mentioned, make sure the rifle and sights/optics fit you well.
Ruger, Browning, Weatherby, Winchester, Savage and Howa also make quality rifles known for very good to decent accuracy.

Are you going to reload or purchase factory ammo from a store? Deer cartridges in factory ammo that are usually easy to find in stores where I live are .243 Winchester, .270 Winchester, 25-06 Remington, 30-30, 30-06 Springfield, .308 Winchester. The following are harder to factory ammo in stores - .257 Roberts, .280 Remington, 7mm-08. Look to see what cartridges are easily available in stores where you live/will be hunting and the prices of each.

How far could your farthest shot theoretically be? Do you think most of your shots would be quick shots on close and/or running game vs. longer shots at stationary game? Some rifles are balanced better for quick shots on close or running game while others are better for longer shots at stationary game.

Take your time on choosing optics. I suggest skipping high power optics with a large objective. For deer, I have yet to use anything past 4x as all of my shots have been on running deer. IMO, a 2x-7x variable power is plenty of magnification for most deer rifles. For my first deer rifle I purchased a 3x-9x, but I wish I had bought a 2x-7x. I have used 7x to 9x when practicing on gophers in late summer or early fall. These shots are well past 100 yards, and some of the gophers are small ground squirrels which some call a stripped gopher. I like to practice hitting them when just their head is out of their hole and aim for the eye. However, I personally don't see the need for anything higher than 5x on deer sized game up to 300 yards if the scope is clear with good cross hairs.
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