What's a good deer rifle?

Did you get a chance to go hunting with your Savage yet? I was thinking about buying one, but ended up going with the Remington 700 BDL in .30-06. Good luck hunting. Now, you can get into reloading, so you can make that perfect round for your rifle.

 

So far I like my Savage a lot. The trigger is so awesome. But the bolt action could be better...I heard that the Remington 700 has an awesome bolt.

 

Havent read all the posts, but I'll throw in my .02 cents.

I have a Sako .270 with a Burris 3.5x10x50 adjustable red illuminated, graduated reticle

I shoot Hornandy 130 gr SST interlock ammo. (I spent alot of time playing with different ammo and this works best for me)
The thing is a freaking sniper rifle out to about 700 yrds. I use it on everything from Mule deer to hogs. Anything smaller and it blows them up, thats what the AR is for.

 

Bingo
My optic cost more than the Sako, which wasnt cheap either. All told I think I spent around $3k on my setup and it is worth every penny. Every time I rack the bolt, I can feel the expert machining that went into it.

If you can afford it, I would always pay a little more for higher quality.

 

i have this caliber. but in a mark rifle. i love it. i am about to sell it because the ammo is so expensive. i tried reloading for it, but honestly..my reloads were not impressing me at the chronograph. i called nosler and they told me weatherby has some voodoo recipe that gets the high velocities. me reloading just makes it a regular .25. i have a Leupold VIII 3.5-10 on that thing. it simply shuts off the deer. they die on their feet. i have hit a bunch of NM mulies with it, and not a single one ever took a step when the bullet hits them. they just fold and topple over. i hit them with a 120 partition bullet. last box of ammo, i had my shop order two. cost me $80 each because i was desperate. believe me..i sighted it in with 3 shots.

let me know how the hornady stuff works. maybe they got the voodoo too!!

 

get a gun for the type of terrain you are hunting. A scope is (almost) useless in thick woods. I very rarely saw, or got a shot off at more than 50 yards where I hunted deer in the past. VT,Maine, NH, and Ma.
I use a lever action Marlin, 35 Rem. perfect for this type of woods.

 

I love my Browning A-Bolt 280, would go without the BOSS system though.

 

Thought I would add in my 2 cents: I own .270, .308, and 30-06

It's not even a question when deer season comes around anymore, my .270 is the caliber of choice and the only one I use anymore with 150grn bullets. It shoots flatter and longer, has more than enough knock down power for a deer, and produces less recoil which makes me more accurate than the other calibers when shooting.

Also I would agree with what other people have said about scopes. They make a world of a difference. A significant upgrade to your scope will make a ton more difference than the actual firearm or caliber your shooting at around 100+ yards. I went from a Leupold 3-9x to a Bushnell Elite 4-18x, now I can actually place my shot exactly where I want. No more blowing up hind quarters or back straps