The "Best" rifle for deer!

[onehorse]

Since it always gets a little quiet at this time of year, I'm going to try to liven things up a bit by answering a recurring question on this site. That is: What is the best rifle for deer hunting? I have never answered this question by giving a specific brand, action or caliber, usually saying something like, "whatever you shoot best." But after giving this a lot of thought, I decided to break from that traditional answer. After about 50 years of deer hunting under various conditions and terrain, and having owned about a dozen or so rifles of every type of action and in lots of calibers,and having killed lots of deer, my choice for the "best" deer rifle is ... Before I give my pick, I'd like to say that this gun will get the job done in all parts of the country where rifle hunting is allowed. The rifle and caliber I would recommend is ... I'm taking into account the cost and availablilty of ammo, recoil, over-all accuracy, handling, dependability, price/value and I'm throwing in a little eye appeal as well. Anyway, the rifle I would suggest as the best deer rifle is the Ruger77 Ultra-lite in .270 Win. This rifle/caliber combination, in my opinion, is hands down the best choice. Extremely light weight and fast handling, with adequate accuracy and power for any size deer and any reasonable range, relatively inexpensive for a box of bullets and avaible at just about every mom-and-pop's market in deer country, you just can't find a better rifle. It comes with the proven integral scope rings at a reasonable price. Do I hunt with one? Well, no. I sold mine years ago because I didn't like the tang safety that it had at the time. If that particular rifle had the 3 position Winchester-type of safety that the current model 77s have, I'd still be hunting with it I'm sure. Right now, I'm playing with some other rifles and calibers, but not because I feel they are the best in the most generalized way. Anyway, there it is, my definitive anwser to the most commonly asked question on this site. Bruce, old buddy, something makes me think you might want to jump right in here.

nice tease, sound reasoning and a good choice, onehorse. want to hear something funny, well maybe not so much? people are snapping up those tang safety rugers like crazy. i have one in 06 with a laminate stock. fine rifle. shoots great and carries well.

i personally have a few favorites all in different calibers.

[WisconsinDeer]

I would rather have one in 30-06 but that's my opinion.

[Hunting Man]

Lots of good thoughts there onehorse. I have never owned a Ruger rifle so I can't knock them, however, with a fairly good arsenal myself, I would hands down go with a Remington model 700 in 280 cal. Very accurate, not real hard on the pocket book, and a proven rifle action for many years, and enough bullet to do the job very well, and fairly nice looking to boot, in walnut of course. You could substitute a 270, 30-06 if you like. Now if your interested in a Weatherby 270 wm Mark V I have three and am considering selling one. The 270 wm is an awsome bullet. I know I ran a bit here sorry and should list it in the clasifieds. I'm sure some nasty moderator will correct the post.

[BruceBruce1959]

Awesome post onehorse, Only comment I can make is, I love my Ruger77 Ultra-lite "Carbine" in .270 Win.
It really has been the most accurate & dependable choice of rifle for me without question.
Still to this day as soon as my arm enters the gun cabinet it goes straight for that Ruger.

[onehorse]

Caveat to my post:
I'm not saying that the experienced hunters should be heading down to their local gun shops with their favorite rifle in hand to trade for the Ultra-lite. This suggestion is made specifically for the new deer hunter who asks this question. I believe the Ruger in .270 will do the most for the most hunters under most circumstances for deer hunting. Now if you wanted to know my personal favorite, Hunting Man and I agree on the .280 Rem in a 700, but I have a different set of reasons for preferring that one.

[Karl.Luhr]

I bought one for my Brother-in-Law back in 1984. His is in 30-06 so we carry the same cartridge. The only negitive against his Ruger is that it kicks when shooting from bench. He uses a past recoil shield and that takes the bite out. I have shot his rifle without a past shield and I find that my Win M70 Fwt in 30-06 kicks much less. I would guess that this is due to the 3/4 pound of extra weight in the Winchester. I recommend to new shooters to not buy an ultra light rifle, instead to get one that starts around 7 pounds prior to installing the scope.

[onehorse]

Originally Posted by Karl.Luhr

I bought one for my Brother-in-Law back in 1984. His is in 30-06 so we carry the same cartridge. The only negitive against his Ruger is that it kicks when shooting from bench. He uses a past recoil shield and that takes the bite out. I have shot his rifle without a past shield and I find that my Win M70 Fwt in 30-06 kicks much less. I would guess that this is due to the 3/4 pound of extra weight in the Winchester. I recommend to new shooters to not buy an ultra light rifle, instead to get one that starts around 7 pounds prior to installing the scope.

The 30/06 will kick harder than the .270 in any rifle - especially in a light one, that's why I recommend the .270. Also, there are some really great recoil absorbing pads out there that can really tame a hard-kicking gun.

[kennys32]

onehorse;
Thanks for listing this, maby I need to check out these cal. 270 280 for my son.,,, time to go to the tables..

[Rozman62]

I also have a 1983 Ruger M77 ultra light tang safety in 30-06. I have never shot it much due to the recoil. I recently put on a limbsaver and it made a big difference. I can still feel the recoil but I can at least get 12-15 shots through it before soreness sets in. I just starting reloading for it last year and it holds about 1" groups. If I ever draw a moose tag this will be my go to rifle with 180gr Accubonds over H4350. Otherwise it sits as a safe queen or bench shooter.