Pick my opening day rifle!
 

Ok HNI.

Since I can't decide I'll leave it up to you. There's five options that I'm considering for the Pennsylvania rifle opener. After the opening day I'll carry each of these a little bit but you can choose my opening day rifle.

1) Remington 700 in .30-06 shooting 165gr SST

Also, I primarily still hunt. I will probably hunt a field edge the first hour but then will be moving the rest of the day. Lots of thick stuff but also opportunities for long shots on clear cuts and power lines.

-Jake

they will all of course work, but If it was my choice Id grab the 7600, or the 700 in 30/06

Ennie - Meanie - Minie -Mo!
I wish you all the best - but I could never have anyone or anything make this kind of decision for me.

That's all part of the fun. I'm confident in any of these rifles. Obviously the .375 offers less range.

So what did you vote for Jimmy?

-Jake

Since you don't have a good .308 listed, I picked the Rem. 7600, 30.06. Good and fast enough in close quarters and capable at greater distances too! Good luck!

Pick which ever one you shoot best. Just curious why you would care what anyone else would say you should use. For instance if I REALLY had to put venison on the ground I would carry my old 7mm Mag no matter what anyone else thought I should carry. I love my 9.3x62 but if I have to reach out ast 300 yards that rifle stays in the rack. With the 7mm I am good for anything from 10 yards to 450 yards and know exactly where it hits at ranges between those 2 number.

got to go with the ohio rifle the 375 or i know you don't have it listed but the 50 cal muzzleloader

They all shoot fine for whitetail to 100 yards. As far as which one shoots "best" the Stevens .270 will print the tightest group. But most deer can't measure quarter inches anyway so they're all pretty equal in that regard (to 100 yards anyway)

In my area of PA the first 5 days of season is buck only. While I hunt seriously, I don't "get serious" about putting meat down until the first Saturday and the second week when antlerless season comes in. I like to shoot a buck as much as the next guy I suppose but I really enjoy hunting doe.

As for letting others pick.... Part of what I enjoy about hunting is using different rifles, different bullets, etc. Not always about what's best. That's why I loaded 220 grain .30-06 for a while, that's why I occasionally use an 1898 krag, or a mosin nagant, or an enfield, etc just using different things. That's what keeps it interesting for me. And I figured this year it would be interesting to take that decision out of my hands and let HNI decide. Not because I care what anybody thinks.... Just something different to do this year.

The r700 .30-06 kills deer with boring regularity for me. That's why it goes, at least as a back up for me, on any trip I go on. I could sell everything else and likely do all the big game hunting I'll ever do with that single rifle. But then I'd miss out on allot of fun I think.

Thanks for all the votes do far.

-Jake

Next to smoke poles, levers hold a near and dear place in my heart. Especially the 99's. And if you are going to be doing mostly still hunting then you are going to want a fast snap to rifle. The 99's are very good at coming to bear. At least for me they are excellent. And most still hunting, you will be encountering deer at closer range so that .375 will put the meat on the ground quite well. So that would be my pick of the litter.