Need Help Picking My First Deer Gun?!
 

Hey guys, I'm new to deer hunting(this will be my first year) and I need help picking my first deer rifle. I have been squirrel hunting for a few years now and would like to get into deer hunting. I am not a beginner when it comes to shooting guns or anything so no problem there. I will be using the rifle I get simply for deer hunting. Nothing else. Any other deer hunting tips will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Where are you from? What kind of terrain are you hunting? What kind of shots do you expect to make? Need more info so we can help!

I'm in Southern West Virginia. I'm hunting in tight woods(not very open). Don't know what you mean by what kind of shots I plan to make.

Guys that hunt white tail deer out west do a lot of hunting in wide open spaces and really long shots are common. Guys that mostly hunt hills and timber rarely get a shot over 100 yards. That can make a huge difference when choosing a rifle for hunting!

I'm from Illinois, which is one of the "Slug States" I can't use anything other than shotgun slugs or muzzle loader to take deer, so my advice may not be worth much to you. That being said, .243 and .30-30 are probably two of the most popular deer cartridges in American history. Both of which are great short to midrange cartridges. If you think you might need to reach out there a ways, you might look at something with a little more power, like .270 or .25-06.

As far as a particular rifle goes, I'm a big fan of what Savage has to offer lately, particularly in the American Classic and Weather Warrior series.

You will not go wrong with a .270, .308 or a 30.06.

I shoot a Marlin 336 30-30. its a great gun. perfect for tight woods hunting. and using Leverevolution Ammo by Hornady, i can reach a good 200 yards

if u have a shotgun maybe you could get a slug barrel for it the range u be shooting that work fine for you if you realy want a rifle 308 30 30 270 3006 cant go wrong with any of them any mom and pop country store carrys those 4 calabors of ammo on the shelfes

If I could only own ONE caliber to hunt deer from north, south, east or west; it would be a .270.

Most of your budget should go into your scope, rings and bases !!!



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CJ Clemens gave you a very good answer.

Are you young and is this your first big game rifle? If so, I especially recommend a 30-06. It'll take virtually anything you might hunt and has all kinds of loading available if you don't handload. If you get another rifle later, a 30-06 is great to have as a second gun.

Now, I'll recommend a Savage. they're excellent quality and the accutrigger is very nice. I use a Savage 30-06 myself.

I'm 19. This will be my first big game rifle. I'm not new to shooting guns or anything I just never got to go hunting when I was younger because my dad was in the military and wasn't able to take me and never really had anyone else to.