Deer Hunting Rifles

kookymonstir · Aug 19, 2015

Z_Man said:
sorry guys, i didn't specify, I will be hunting somewhere in PA (i honestly don't know where in PA, my Wife's step grandfather has family hunting land, i don't know how big either, but i know it is greater than 100 acres) and possibly on a private farm in SOMD.

thanks for the replies so far

I didn't see anyone say it yet, so I will. My first deer rifle was a Marlin 30-30 model 30A with a Tasco scope. (WalMart special) I didn't have enough money for anything else at the time. I have killed probably 20+ deer with it. I never had a deer run more than 50 yards after being shot with it and only once was I in a situation where the deer was too far away to shoot. I know I have heard it before, I can't remember where, more deer are killed with that caliber in PA than all other calibers combined.
Sure there are more powerful cartridges, better made guns etc, but there is something about a 30-30 lever action I love. Also, maybe it's because I scrimped and saved every dime for months to afford it, but that gun is probably my favorite of all and I have many other choices now. Again, just my opinion, but all that being said, my other choice would be 30-06. For reasons stated above, SOOOO many ammo choices and lots of availability.

bigdv · Aug 19, 2015

The 308 will kick a little bit less than the 30-06. All things remaining the same in a vacuum. I had this same decision a couple of years ago and went with the 308. The deer do not know the difference. I have never had any issue finding ammo of all sorts. As stated before there is very little difference with ballistics between the 2. I have taken quit a few whitetails with my 308. I've seen many deer taken with both the 308 and 30-06 and I am confident if I did a survey the results would be identical for performance on whitetails. Maybe just flip a coin?

Z_Man · Aug 19, 2015

thank you for the input guys. I think I will likely make a platform decision, and then keep on the lookout for deals in either caliber.

as for if I will ever go bigger than whitetail or hunt out west... I have no idea, I may be interested in the future, and if I am... well, I may just need to get a 300 WM later on..

also, in general, is there a significant cost difference between 308 and 30-06 cartridge?

also, what is considered a light rifle vs a heavy rifle?

iH8DemLibz · Aug 19, 2015

A true sporter rifle weighs less than, say, a sporter/target rifle.

Browning and Tikka are light and slender.

Howa and Weatherby are heavy and chunky.

BigDaddy · Aug 19, 2015

Z_Man said:
also, in general, is there a significant cost difference between 308 and 30-06 cartridge?

also, what is considered a light rifle vs a heavy rifle?

Rem 150gr core lokt at Midway is exactly the same price $23 so it is not a consideration for you. If you start moving into magnums, especially short magnums it gets pricey.

Ball park range: 10# and up is varmint type, 7# and less is light. There is a thread on 7-08 and the OP is complaining about how hard his Tikka kicks. 7-08 is not known as a hard recoiling round but his gun and his narrow stock makes it one.

I wouldn't let the future possibilities play too much of a role in my decision. Get the rifle that suits your purposes for the type of hunting you are most likely to do. Five years from now you may want to be a sheep hunter or go to Africa. That's another decision down the road.

kstone803 · Aug 19, 2015

Can't speak to the .308 but I've killed whitetails dead with .30-06 more than a few times. Shoot em in the neck and just about anything will kill them. But personally my next deer rifle is a .25-06 Weatherby Vanguard II.

sxs · Aug 19, 2015

In a bolt gun, IMHO, it's almost a toss up. My primary deer rifle has been a 30.06 for over 30 years. It's a Remington 700. However, I am also a fan of lever guns. I do have a Marlin 336 in 30-30 and once had a 94 Winchester. but to have a lever action with some extra wallop, I bought a Browning BLR Model 81 in .308 and love it. It's far more accurate than the Marlin or the previoiusly owned Win 94 ever were. In the lever gun, the 308 has a decided advantage over the '.06.....a noticeably shorter throw of the lever to load another round. All that said, I have never had to shoot a deer a second time with either a 30.06 or a 308 even though a couple have run for some distance. Most either went down in place or within a few yards. I have put deer down out to around 150 yds. As someone else said, it's hard to get shots any longer than this most places in Maryland. I do have my 2 guns sighted around 200 yds. That gives me a 100 yd grouping about 2" or slightly higher at 100 and a few inches low at 300. However, I don't practice enough at 300 yds to be fully comfident in my ability at that range. My 30.06, I use handloads using Sierra Game Kings 165 Grain BTHP (oh so similar to Match Kings in 168 gr BTHP for exceptionally accurate rounds). I have not really worked on good handloads in 308. I actually get very good performance with ye olde Remington CoreLokt factory. Accuracy is not quite on par with my 700, but that rifle has had significant work on it (Timney Trigger, glass bedded, floated barrel) plus, as mentioned, I use handloads I spent some time working up.

A 243 might be a good step down...low recoil, perfectly fine for medium sized deer, and can double as a Varmint gun if you shift bullet weights down from 100 or 100+ gr to 80-85 gr. My son's Savage has given him fine performance. It was originally purchased as a youth model (20" barrel, short pull) then restocked when he was older with a Hogue overmolded stock with an adult LOP. He does well at the range with it and the one deer he killed a couple years back was at 120 yds, quartering angle and he place the shot perfectly...1/3 of the way up just behind the shoulder off a shooting stick in his stand. As far as stepping up in caliber, unless you know for sure you're not recoil sensitive, I would be more inclined to just get an '.06 and use heavier bullets if needed. It will take animals bigger than deer with well placed shots. I don't recall seeing ammo with good hunting bullets over 180 gr in 308. Most are in the 150 grain range. Of course, buying a larger caliber 'just in case' is always a great excuse to buy a new rifle!

Uncle Duke · Aug 19, 2015

sxs said:
In a bolt gun, IMHO, it's almost a toss up. My primary deer rifle has been a 30.06 for over 30 years. It's a Remington 700. However, I am also a fan of lever guns. I do have a Marlin 336 in 30-30 and once had a 94 Winchester. but to have a lever action with some extra wallop, I bought a Browning BLR Model 81 in .308 and love it. It's far more accurate than the Marlin or the previoiusly owned Win 94 ever were. In the lever gun, the 308 has a decided advantage over the '.06.....a noticeably shorter throw of the lever to load another round. All that said, I have never had to shoot a deer a second time with either a 30.06 or a 308 even though a couple have run for some distance. Most either went down in place or within a few yards. I have put deer down out to around 150 yds. As someone else said, it's hard to get shots any longer than this most places in Maryland. I do have my 2 guns sighted around 200 yds. That gives me a 100 yd grouping about 2" or slightly higher at 100 and a few inches low at 300. However, I don't practice enough at 300 yds to be fully comfident in my ability at that range. My 30.06, I use handloads using Sierra Game Kings 165 Grain BTHP (oh so similar to Match Kings in 168 gr BTHP for exceptionally accurate rounds). I have not really worked on good handloads in 308. I actually get very good performance with ye olde Remington CoreLokt factory. Accuracy is not quite on par with my 700, but that rifle has had significant work on it (Timney Trigger, glass bedded, floated barrel) plus, as mentioned, I use handloads I spent some time working up.

A 243 might be a good step down...low recoil, perfectly fine for medium sized deer, and can double as a Varmint gun if you shift bullet weights down from 100 or 100+ gr to 80-85 gr. My son's Savage has given him fine performance. It was originally purchased as a youth model (20" barrel, short pull) then restocked when he was older with a Hogue overmolded stock with an adult LOP. He does well at the range with it and the one deer he killed a couple years back was at 120 yds, quartering angle and he place the shot perfectly...1/3 of the way up just behind the shoulder off a shooting stick in his stand. As far as stepping up in caliber, unless you know for sure you're not recoil sensitive, I would be more inclined to just get an '.06 and use heavier bullets if needed. It will take animals bigger than deer with well placed shots. I don't recall seeing ammo with good hunting bullets over 180 gr in 308. Most are in the 150 grain range. Of course, buying a larger caliber 'just in case' is always a great excuse to buy a new rifle!

scrub buck · Aug 20, 2015

Easy... between the two , the .308 is the starter rifle. Don't get caught up in the Tactical bs when buying or outfitting your deer rifle. Put a decent 3x9 scope ( no Ao, and no Turrets to fumble with) on it and practice, practice, practice, and not just from a bench. You need to earn the confidence to make longer shots. Know your limits... we all have them. Good Luck!

silasvirus82 · Aug 28, 2015

If you can only have one rifle the 30-06 will do it all, but since you already have a .308 and are looking for another, I would not get the 30-06. Everybody's advice to go up or down is sound. I think a .243 or something 6mm would be a better choice now that you are expanding your arsenal.

DaemonAssassin · Aug 28, 2015

silasvirus82 said:
If you can only have one rifle the 30-06 will do it all, but since you already have a .308 and are looking for another, I would not get the 30-06. Everybody's advice to go up or down is sound. I think a .243 or something 6mm would be a better choice now that you are expanding your ~~arsenal~~ COLLECTION.

FIFY....

outrider58 · Aug 28, 2015

kookymonstir said:
I didn't see anyone say it yet, so I will. My first deer rifle was a Marlin 30-30 model 30A with a Tasco scope. (WalMart special) I didn't have enough money for anything else at the time. I have killed probably 20+ deer with it. I never had a deer run more than 50 yards after being shot with it and only once was I in a situation where the deer was too far away to shoot. I know I have heard it before, I can't remember where, more deer are killed with that caliber in PA than all other calibers combined.
Sure there are more powerful cartridges, better made guns etc, but there is something about a 30-30 lever action I love. Also, maybe it's because I scrimped and saved every dime for months to afford it, but that gun is probably my favorite of all and I have many other choices now. Again, just my opinion, but all that being said, my other choice would be 30-06. For reasons stated above, SOOOO many ammo choices and lots of availability.

I used to hunt with an oldtimer out in Garrett Co. years ago who used to always tell me "the 30-30 has taken more whitetail in this country than any other round''. And I used to reply ''the 30-30 has also wounded and lost more whitetail in this country than any other cartridge'' :lol2:

He used to get maaaad! :lol:

DaemonAssassin · Aug 29, 2015

outrider58 said:
I used to hunt with an oldtimer out in Garrett Co. years ago who used to always tell me "the 30-30 has taken more whitetail in this country than any other round''. And I used to reply ''the 30-30 has also wounded and lost more whitetail in this country than any other cartridge'' He used to get maaaad!

The sad thing us that you are both right. My first deer rifle was a Winchester Model 94 .30-30, yet I never blooded it. I will be giving it to my son when he gets older.

dist1646 · Aug 29, 2015

outrider58 said:
I used to hunt with an oldtimer out in Garrett Co. years ago who used to always tell me "the 30-30 has taken more whitetail in this country than any other round''. And I used to reply ''the 30-30 has also wounded and lost more whitetail in this country than any other cartridge'' He used to get maaaad!

A man's got to know his limitations!

outrider58 · Aug 29, 2015

dist1646 said:
A man's got to know his limitations!

Z_Man · Aug 29, 2015

After reading the replies, a .308 seems to be where i'll be headed... however now i want to pick up an -06 as well...

Kagetsu · Aug 29, 2015

A .30 cal bullet seems to be the base. I'm not convinced that with soft points the diameter maters. What I've read is that a hole through both lungs and out the other side is a definite kill. How often does a 30-30 or 243 go clear through a deer at 100 yrds and what is the extreme angle. There is alot more deer from behind the ribs to front of the shoulder. Once the round leaves the target, the rest of the energy is wasted.

Alea Jacta Est · Aug 29, 2015

Get a second 308. Same caliber promotes solid/sound logistics/supply chain ops.

Then you can lay in sufficient and diverse ammo to handle pretty much anything.

Sometimes same is very good.

dreadpirate · Aug 29, 2015

outrider58 said:
If you're looking for a second deer rifle, why not either go up the scale or down the scare. 300 WSM or 25.06?

this^^ I don't think 30-06 will get you much more over a 308.

dreadpirate · Aug 29, 2015

iH8DemLibz said:
Z-Man,

If you are hunting in Maryland only, a .243 with a 100 grain bullet would be a good choice.

Nikon Pro-Staff for a scope. 2x7 or 3x9

Truth be told, you may get more mileage out a good 20 ga. slug gun due to some county by county restrictions on rifles.

I know a lot of guys that like the Savage bolt action 20 gauge slug gun, if you want to go the 20 gauge route.

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