Game/Deer Rifles and Cartridges

[Pale Ryder]

I have an encore with a 350 legend barrel, if you have an encore receiver just pick up a barrel ,it’s a nice shooting round accurate and soft on your shoulder

Thanks, but no encore. I think I would wait to see who picks up TC. Might end up at premium price like a H&R now.

 

[outrider58]

The mistake people make is trying to find one correct answer in a pile of correct answers.

As Fonzy was fond of saying, correct-a-mundo! Exactly my point.
It goes along with the 'remove the worst thing, the next to the worst thing becomes the new worst thing. It works in both directions.

whoa. let's not go overboard. Flip flops are objectively the best shoes.

Sorry my good man, flip-flops are thongs. Do you wear thongs?

A friend of mine uses a 22-250 with 62 grain bullets, and yeah, its an amazing deer rifle. The only problem he has right now is finding ammo for it.

The 22-250 was the preferred round of an old friend's(and professional poacher) deer killing round.

I'm semi-embarrassed to admit I've killed at least a half dozen deer with 55gr FMJ .223 Rem. None of which took another step. None of which suffered. None of which were poached.

 

[Uncle Duke]

As Fonzy was fond of saying, correct-a-mundo! Exactly my point.
It goes along with the 'remove the worst thing, the next to the worst thing becomes the new worst thing. It works in both directions.


Sorry my good man, flip-flops are thongs. Do you wear thongs?


The 22-250 was the preferred round of an old friend's(and professional poacher) deer killing round.

I'm semi-embarrassed to admit I've killed at least a half dozen deer with 55gr FMJ .223 Rem. None of which took another step. None of which suffered. None of which were poached.

And all of which were shot....shall we say....with an eye toward precision?

 

[outrider58]

And all of which were shot....shall we say....with an eye toward precision?

Precisely(my point).

It's the same old argument; "what's the best xxxx round?"

Answer: The one with which you can accurately land a killing shot.

 

[trickg]

I thought I would tack this on here - don't know if I should make a new thread or not.

I've decided that I want to deer hunt next year. I've been contemplating it a lot over the years, but I held off for one reason or another - mainly that I want to use a rifle, and I live in an area that's all bow and muzzle loader. I have two catches to this:

1.) I want to rifle hunt
2.) Unlike back home in Nebraska, I don't know anyone with property that is zoned for rifle. Sort of - I know one person, but I don't want to invite myself, so I'm not sure how I'd go about doing it. I suppose I could float it out there and see if he bites, but it's never a good idea to invite yourself. Kind of like the winter camping trip my BIL takes. I got invited for the first time last year and had a really good time, and now I'm on the annual list, but I wasn't about to invite myself.

Anyway, these are things I have some time to figure out, and I'll have to decide what rifle I want to use for the first one - likely the 25-06.

The real question is whether or not we'll eat it. I know I will - I have zero aversion to eating meat that comes from something other than a cow, pig, (half of my family won't do pork) chicken or turkey. The test case will be the first deer - I'll get it processed and in the freezer. If we eat it, awesome - I can see this as something I'd continue to do to put meat in the freezer. If we don't, then I don't see it as something I can justify repeating.

If we do eat it and enjoy it, (and I can't really foresee a reason we wouldn't) I'll make a point to get a deer with all three rifles.

 

[Archeryrob]

If hunting in a shotgun county you need to get a straight wall cartridge rifle. That 25.06 is necked and nice, but will get you in trouble in Central MD.
Western MD or Nebraska you can get a necked round gun also.

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=243626&page=14

 

[trickg]

If hunting in a shotgun county you need to get a straight wall cartridge rifle. That 25.06 is necked and nice, but will get you in trouble in Central MD.
Western MD or Nebraska you can get a necked round gun also.

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=243626&page=14

Yep - completely tracking on that. There are places in Maryland that you can use a necked cartridge rifle, and the one guy I know has family who has property in one of those zones. I don't have an open invite to use that property though, and I'm not going to invite myself.

I might look into the straight wall cartridge guns - I own a 45-90, but it's a rather valuable old Winchester - not sure I'd want to use that one.

 

[outrider58]

Another alternative weapon in shotgun only counties(or is it?) is the Savage 220. It is a bolt action 20g shotgun that is deadly accurate. So accurate that we use them most of the time on a farm I hunt in Frederick Co. It is a 200 yd gun.

Here is a 4 shot cold bore group at 100 yds. They are deadly.

 

[akalma]

Another alternative weapon in shotgun only counties(or is it?) is the Savage 220. It is a bolt action 20g shotgun that is deadly accurate. So accurate that we use them most of the time on a farm I hunt in Frederick Co. It is a 200 yd gun.

Here is a 4 shot cold bore group at 100 yds. They are deadly.

Impressive! What cartridge was that, Remington Accutip 2 3/4"?

 

[outrider58]

Impressive! What cartridge was that, Remington Accutip 2 3/4"?

Yepper! You either want to use those or the 2 3/4 Lightfields. I've managed to store up a lifetime supply of Accutips. They kill the shit out of deer.

 

[akalma]

Yepper! You either want to use those or the 2 3/4 Lightfields. I've managed to store up a lifetime supply of Accutips. They kill the shit out of deer.

I use the same and pretty happy. Heard some people see better results with 3" same Accutips, didn't try them myself yet.

 

[Dreago]

I started out with a .410 when I was a pup. My dad got it for me when I turned 10 as my first gun. Never shot anything with it except small game, which I'm kinda glad about. As I got older, I knew that it probably wasn't the best to use for deer. We moved and I had a neighbor the let me use his .243. Took some nice deer with that, but after my dad borrowed it from the neighbor and proceeded to fall and scuff up the stock, I was embarrassed to ask to use it again. I was old enough to get my own by then and bought my .270 Weatherby Mag at a gun show in Pittsburgh. I was young and foolish...thinking I'd be using it to go out west and do some hunting with it, but got married and haven't had money to do that since. My Weatherby is pretty nice, but it is for sure more than what I need just hunting whitetail. I can always fall back on my dad's .30-30 that I inherited from him a couple years ago.

 

[kstone803]

Another alternative weapon in shotgun only counties(or is it?) is the Savage 220. It is a bolt action 20g shotgun that is deadly accurate. So accurate that we use them most of the time on a farm I hunt in Frederick Co. It is a 200 yd gun.

Here is a 4 shot cold bore group at 100 yds. They are deadly.

Before the law changed to allow straight wall I would say the 220 was THE best option for killing deer. The H&R single shots are right there with it but hard to find now. I don't own either but have shot both.

 

[remrug]

Yep - completely tracking on that. There are places in Maryland that you can use a necked cartridge rifle, and the one guy I know has family who has property in one of those zones. I don't have an open invite to use that property though, and I'm not going to invite myself.

I might look into the straight wall cartridge guns - I own a 45-90, but it's a rather valuable old Winchester - not sure I'd want to use that one.

If you get a muzzleloader,you will be able to hunt all the seasons besides archery,in every county in md.

 

[outrider58]

If you get a muzzleloader,you will be able to hunt all the seasons besides archery,in every county in md.

I did this for years.

 

[teratos]

If you get a muzzleloader,you will be able to hunt all the seasons besides archery,in every county in md.

I did this for years.

Wait…you can use muzzle loader during any season but archery?

 

[camo556]

Wait…you can use muzzle loader during any season but archery?

maryland follows the lesser weapons rule, so you can use muzzleloader during muzzle loader and firearms season.

You can use Archery during Archery, muzzleloader, and firearms.

there are really only 4 deer seasons, kill deer, kill more deer, kill the most deer, and prepare to kill deer.

you can use a muzzleloader during two of those, lol.

 

[teratos]

maryland follows the lesser weapons rule, so you can use muzzleloader during muzzle loader and firearms season.

You can use Archery during Archery, muzzleloader, and firearms.

Huh. Interesting. Never read the fine print!

 

[outrider58]

Wait…you can use muzzle loader during any season but archery?

It used to be that the only time you could carry two hunting weapons was during ML season. You could carry a bow and a ML IIRC, as they were both considered primitive weapons.

 

[remrug]

maryland follows the lesser weapons rule, so you can use muzzleloader during muzzle loader and firearms season.

You can use Archery during Archery, muzzleloader, and firearms.

there are really only 4 deer seasons, kill deer, kill more deer, kill the most deer, and prepare to kill deer.

you can use a muzzleloader during two of those, lol.

Don't forget about early ml season.To me,that's the easiest way to put meat in the freezer