New hunter here and am eager for your advice. I am quite familiar with weapons, own and use several, come from a family background of hunting, but just never did it. Kind friends have given me venison no more... time to get my own.
My son is also a new hunter (15) and his grand pappy has a 7mm RM rifle waiting for him to use. 7mm RM?!??! Yes. I think that's too much weapon for him although he is very strong. We are Virginia White Tail folks here. I am told long range just doesn't happen often so the need for spiffy cartridges like 7mm RM or equiv. may just be for personal joy rather than needed for White Tail. Others say 30 cal or larger will ensure a quicker kill than smaller perhaps faster bullets. So many choices.
So...
I want my own rifle for East coast White Tail under 200 yard hunting. My default answer continues to be 30-06 until convinced otherwise. My favorite rifle thus far is the Browning X-Bolt because... well... it just feels and works great, though that may not be enough to purchase this model.
I understand staying lower power in the scope magnification is the way to go for this short range shooting.
The above thoughts are thanks to advice already found on this fine forum. Thank you.
I am a midlife crisis person. Thus, I am willing to help keep our gun manufacturers in business and drop some good coin on a rifle that is one notch up (stainless maybe?). I desire to participate fully, accurately and humanely in the activity of hunting. Knowing this, what are your rifle suggestions for short range East coast White Tail hunting?
I don't think there is any way possible you can go wrong with a .270win...if you like the browning, go right ahead on...but ya might want to look at rem700s as well!
As for the scope, a 3x9x40mm would be all ya need....and keep it on 3x until the exact moment you need the higher power. Every time you have the scope on the higher powers, a deer will pop out at 15 yards. To test what I mean, place a gallon milk jug at 10 or 15 yards, then turn your scope up to 9x and see how long it takes you to get the jug in your crosshairs!
A scope bigger then 40mm will usually require higher scope mounts, and IMO the lower you can mount the scope the better.
In the long run, it isn't the money you put into the rifle that counts...it's the money spent on ammo and your time put into target shooting from field positions that will make the difference when that deer steps out.
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Last edited by thrillbilly; 11-19-2009 at 01:21 AM.
Now are you looking for a rifle for each of you or one between you?
Sorry but I don't know what the country is like that you are hunting, so you'll have to bear with me here, have you got much bush or hills there? What is the restricting factor that says you'll not get longer shots?
If you know your maximum range is 200 then I would say any of the calibres mentioned APART from the 243 or 30-30 would be very good for the job. I would go the 30/06 before the 270, but that is more a personnal thing, I just don't like 270. (I voted for 260 as thats all any man needs to get the job done )
As for the rifle, well it sounds like you have that well covered, all the thing's I'd look for in a rifle you've done. The main thing is that the rifle fits you well, even go so far as to take it to a gunsmith and get him to do final adjustments to tailor it to your body shape. If the bolt handle needs a trim to go for the next size lower mounts, then trim. I did this to a new Kimber, bolt wouldn't clear the scope so out came the grinder. In fact thinking about it the same thing happened to the 223 when it was new too.
For a scope I'd go with a fixed 3X or 4X 4addnumbers here(If that makes sense).
The reason I'd go fixed is simple, you don't need anymore than 4X for 200 yard shots, really you don't need more than 3X.
Less moving parts means less chance of failure. The reason to go higher than 40 is light, it seems American's do a lot of very early morning hunting so you want as much light then as you can get, there is no point in hobbling yourself here. The height lost is so minimal and maybe none at all, it will come down to how you set the whole rig up. Don't scrimp on the mounting system either, go for good quaility here, it's probably the weakest link in most rifle systems.
I hope you and your boy enjoy your time together hunting, good on the both of you for getting out there.
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Another kiwi bumming around Aussie (west island) welding shit up....
Welcome to the hunting world. I went with the 30-06. And if your looking for a gun that both you and your son could use you can start him off with some Remington Reduced Recoil loads.
P.S. Try not to refer to firearms as weapons. Thats what the anti's call them...
I like the 260 for deer. Hardly kicks, accurate as any 1000 yd match cartridge, kills way beyond paper ballistics and burns very little powder doing it. Those .264/6.5 mm bullets will go from one end of a deer to another with little trouble. The 6.5x55 would also be a great choice, and that is the cartridge I'll be carrying Saturday when deer season opens here.
Forget the 30-06 because the 308 can practicly do what the 06 can. I hunted with a 30-06 for 42 years.
The blast from a 30-06 killed my ears though the recoil did'nt bother me. Read on.
I recently bought a 308 boltaction rifle and have learned "here" this smaller "cartridge" is about the same as a 30-06 due to the 308 being a more high pressure cartridge.
It's very acurate, everybody knows that to. It use's 30 caliber bullets that make larger wound channels than 7mm bullet.
With the new high tech ammo, bullets and powder that's available for 30 caliber or the 30-06 and the 308. This has bummped them up several knotch's in potentcy and acuratecy.
I shot my first deer "with the 308" this past Monday useing 150 gr. Remington Cor-Lokt's. Not the first deer I've ever killed.
I'm beyond Impressed on how acurate and how it made a nice entrance wound in the deer.
It really nastied up the internals of the deer.
He was dead before he hit the ground. I honestly feel for less report (blast) lower recoil and being acurate it's the best White Tail cartridge to buy.
If you buy a boltaction the action is shorter which makes for a more ridged action that contrbutes to acuratecy and need I mention the ammo is sold everywhere ammo is sold.
Though every caliber in the poll will and has harvested deer, I feel the benefits of the 308 far exceed any of them.
There's one thing very certain and that is you'll never be disappointed with a 308 rifle...A.H
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Last edited by ArkansasHunter; 11-19-2009 at 11:10 PM.
I am a 30-30 fan, have used it out to 165 yards on deer with devastating results. I also like the fact that it is a lever gun. The 30-30 is the classic cartridge for deer it may not shoot flat but it is a mild mannered round.
When I personally looked at getting my first deer rifle, I went .30-06. The Remington 700 .30-06 to be exact, as it had lots of favorable reviews, and I do love my rifle. THAT BEING SAID, if I was going to pick a rifle for specifically for whitetail deer (I'm in South Carolina, so it's east coast whitetail), I would probably get a .308. Ballistic comparison's are remarkably similar to the .30-06, ammo is easy to find, and it can take down deer, no questions about it. My cousin's .308 is great, much shorter barrel and lighter than my .30-06, I used it to kill a couple does last year.
I got the .30-06 as an 'all purpose' rifle if you will. If I got to pick one for whitetail though, I'd haul the .308.
My personal choice would be either the 7mm08 or .308 Take ah yoo pick. Scope....get a good one in variable say 2x7 and you got it all.
Remember to let us know what you get !!
One thing I would like to add to all of the things already mentioned here is that I would suggest putting the special scope mounts on that allow you to still use the iron sight because if one pops up close to you it is usually running away and you don't have time to find it in the scope.
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One thing I would like to add to all of the things already mentioned here is that I would suggest putting the special scope mounts on that allow you to still use the iron sight because if one pops up close to you it is usually running away and you don't have time to find it in the scope.
Sorry Tyler I don't agree, those 'see through' mounts do lift the scope away up there. If it's that close and running I would do one of two thing's, the first would be a snap shot if it is that close you don't need sights, treat the scope like an aperture sight.
Second would be to look where the animal is going and get myself ready for a shot farther out, this is also more successful than snap shooting a lot of the time.
Fast, close shooting using a rifle tends to end in tears, shotgun however......
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Another kiwi bumming around Aussie (west island) welding shit up....
I keep all my 3X9 40mm scopes on 3 power which inables me to shoot up close and it's works fine for further distance's.
My Remington 742 has see thru mounts and I never used the see through part.
You get use to and learn scopes or at least I have and never ever want to use iron sights again...A.H
I choose the .30-06 because I hunt deer as well as stuff much bigger than deer. I've done well on deer and antelope with the .308 and .270 but the economy has forced me to downsize so my .30-06 is covering alot of bases this year.
All of the rifles listed,I have used on deer and made one shot kills.For 200yds and under the .243win will flat do a # on a deer and there is little recoil.The 7mm mag and .30-06 are almost twins in performance and recoil at that range.If you want to save weat use heavier bullets and if you want to drop them in their tracks use lighter as long as you don't get into varmint class.For under 200yds I would choose .243 in bolt action and .30-30 in lever and if scoping,nothing over a 3X9X40mm. ,,,sam.
I hunt in PA and I have and use a 270 win and a 308 win. both with very positive results. and as far as your son goes he will never out grow either of them. and if either of you go out west or up north you said that you had a 7mm rm so your covered there.
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Sorry Tyler I don't agree, those 'see through' mounts do lift the scope away up there. If it's that close and running I would do one of two thing's, the first would be a snap shot if it is that close you don't need sights, treat the scope like an aperture sight.
Second would be to look where the animal is going and get myself ready for a shot farther out, this is also more successful than snap shooting a lot of the time.
Fast, close shooting using a rifle tends to end in tears, shotgun however......
Sorry, guess I'm used to shotgun hunting because that is what we are limited to here in southern MN
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I'm a farm boy who definitely isn't afraid of hard work!
If its worth doing, its worth doing right!
7mm/08 or 308. 308 for factory ammo. Get a small carbine and put a low mounted scope on her. You and your son will never need another !! Look at the Rugers and lightweight Winchesters.
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