Suggestions - Budget Deer Rifle For Friend

[1time]

Never asked for a better price. They asked if I knew it was going on sale and I told them I was fine with it. The sales person, the manager, and the vault “god” all told me the rifle didn’t exist. When I proved that it did they said they don’t carry it. When I showed them that they did they finally went to the back and saw that they had it.

I wasn’t even the same rifle in the circular. This one is a hundred bucks more expensive than the ones they are selling.

 

[trickg]

Never asked for a better price. They asked if I knew it was going on sale and I told them I was fine with it. The sales person, the manager, and the vault “god” all told me the rifle didn’t exist. When I proved that it did they said they don’t carry it. When I showed them that they did they finally went to the back and saw that they had it.

I wasn’t even the same rifle in the circular. This one is a hundred bucks more expensive than the ones they are selling.

That's a guy behind the counter being a douche simply because he can. Did you get their names? If you did, call and lodge a complaint. I almost got a Bass Pro loss prevention agent fired for being an one day because he accused my son and his friend of "stealing" some air gun pellets. Said that he saw them open the pack and take them. The only problem with his story is that when I'd walked through when we first got there, I'd noticed that a pack of pellets had busted open, and they were laying all over the place -shelf, the floor, etc. My son said he'd picked them up off of the floor - they were essentially trash at that point. My son and his friend collectively had less than 10 of them. By that point we'd gathered a crowd and I walked the managers around the corner where the pellets were still laying all over the floor to prove the point.

I get that pellets are considered "ammo" - it didn't bother me that they didn't want the boys walking out of the store with them. What bothered me was that he lied and said that the boys had opened a pack off the shelf steal them, when they were all over the place before we'd ever walked in. I didn't do business with Bass Pro for YEARS after that incident.

That's retail though - the largest percentage of folks who work retail are great employees, but it only takes one clown to mess it up for everyone.

 

[wilcam47]

243 has always been a good coyote gun is the connection or what ive heard it called. But ideally the cartridge is good for even elk so no problem with white tail.

 

[Magnumite]

It's too bad the TC Compass rifles have been discontinued. My 308 shoots MOA all day with good ammo and sub 2MOA with a few cheap factory hunting loads. I bought the thing for $150 a few Black Fridays ago. Slapped a Vortex Viper 4-16 I found on sale for $250. For $400 total I've got a nicely capable rifle that I don't mind dragging through the mud.

I wonder if you can still find any of these in stock.

And despite other rifle cartridges being more capable out to range, I find the 308 to be wholly adequate for our local geography. It's also not near as much of a barrel burner as some of the others.

Ditto all that. I have a 308 TC and it shoots very well.

 

[Biggfoot44]

He ended up going with the Savage Axis package in 6.5 Creedmoor, mainly due to ammo availability - there wasn't a single piece of 243 in the store.

I've had my eye on that off and on for a while .

 

[Biggfoot44]

Most shots are within 100yds or shorter. If you don't think you can make a shot past 100yds don't take it. No need to practice not shooting.

Most of the time you don't have more than 10 seconds to get the shot off and your adrenaline is kicked in. All of my shots have been off hand usually in weird over the shoulder situations. Tough to practice those.

You may get lucky and they are grazing, taking their time. It again will depend on where you're hunting. On the edge of a large field or in the woods on a trail.

Again if you don't think you can make the shot don't take it. Good luck.

I'd go to a pawn shop or LGS and see what they have used. Probably get something decent like a Win 70 or Rem 700 with a scope for under $500. If I had to choose, 7mm, .308, 30-06, or .270 are all good deer calibers and ammo is available.

Not arguing either the typical distances , nor the skills and practice that are wise for full level of capability .

I was just responding without quoting an above post about a field postion practice regime . For the OP's friend , due to timing , he's going to be rolling with his existing skills .

 

[trickg]

I've had my eye on that off and on for a while .

He got it zeroed yesterday - I wasn't particularly taken with its accuracy - it'll get the job done, but I've spent a fair bit of time recently shooting my Bighorn build, which is easily a .25 MOA rifle - maybe better - and his Savage Axis is probably a 1-2 MOA rifle. Accurate enough to hunt inside of 100 yards or so, but not close to what I'm used to.

 

[Doco Overboard]

I remember a few years ago, a buddy of mine showed up with a Savage (seem to recall) 6.5.
He wanted to get it zeroed like today, day before opener thing.
Anyway, I cleaned the scope off remounted everything tight and we took it over the farm.
I bore sighted it outside the shop, drove us over there and shot it prone one time from a bag.
Dead center bullseye right on the money.
He had some fresh Deer Season ammo for it or something like that so he got behind it and let three or so rip.
Same damn thing.
It was a camo package gun or something like that.
I told him , well there you go doesn't get any better than that huh?
I think Ive only saw that only a very few times and I fiddle with a lot of guns of all varieties, all the fricken time.

 

[gforce]

It's too bad the TC Compass rifles have been discontinued. My 308 shoots MOA all day with good ammo and sub 2MOA with a few cheap factory hunting loads. I bought the thing for $150 a few Black Fridays ago. Slapped a Vortex Viper 4-16 I found on sale for $250. For $400 total I've got a nicely capable rifle that I don't mind dragging through the mud.

I wonder if you can still find any of these in stock.

And despite other rifle cartridges being more capable out to range, I find the 308 to be wholly adequate for our local geography. It's also not near as much of a barrel burner as some of the others.

I didn’t realize they were discontinued until i saw your comment, what a shame. I’ve got a compass in 6.5 with a vortex crossfire 2. Think I paid 400 all told as well. Performs surprisingly well for it’s price.

 

[davsco]

AAR? hopefully positive!

 

[trickg]

AAR? hopefully positive!

I don't think he got one. I think the weekend ended up being a bust for everyone.

 

[RRomig]

I don't think he got one. I think the weekend ended up being a bust for everyone.

That’s hunting
I hope they had a good time.
I know a few people that go on their local deer camp trips and landing a deer is part of the plan but certainly not necessary to having a good time.