Deer rifle

[Georgia Boy]

I am looking for a good deer rifle for my 15 year old son at a reasonable price and was wondering if anyone had any experience with the new Marlin bolt action rifles? I am looking at the 270 since that is what I shoot in a Browning. Also open for any other suggestions.

[ezzy333]

Lots of good one but the 30-06 is probably as good and cheap of a starter gun that there is. I lke the 270 also but ammo is much more expensive.

Ezzy

[Mountaineer]

One of the Hunter models by Savage...for the Accu-Trigger.
7mm-08 caliber

[daniel77]

I'll agree whole hog on the 7mm08. Between my dad and I, we have a broad array of deer rifles, from lil ole 6mm rem up to 7mm mag, and we both love the 7mm08 best for deer. Lots of choices as to the specific model depending on your budget. The Savages have a good reputation, but a rem 700 would open the door to an easy custom build down the road if he so chose.

[mrcreole]

The Marlin xl / xs 7 is as good as it gets for a starter gun. a 270 works for a youngster and ammo is readily available. I like the 7mm-08 best as a starter deer rifle. The new marlins have a great trigger similar to Savage's accu-trigger. Expect 1.5 inch groups or better. Good choice.

[tommyboy72]

Earlier this year I bought a Savage 111 with the accutrigger in 270 at Academy Sports for $385 on sale and spent another $120 on a 6-24 x 40 BSA target scope with a lighted mil dot reticle and target knobs with 1/8" increment adjustments and I absolutely love it. Accurate and with a limbsaver slip on recoil pad you barely feel the recoil. I really like the 270 caliber itself but with the adjustable accutrigger set at about 2- 2 1/2 lbs. make it a real tack driver.

I was shooting 3 shot groups at 100 yards that could be covered up by a quarter with the Remington 150 grain Core Locks because at the time that was all I could find to sight it in in my area but I am jumping down to the Winchester 130 grain Power Max bullets for increased speed and a flatter shooting load, I can't wait to see what the accuracy is like with these bullets. Many of the shots in my area of the country are taken at longer ranges so I am looking for something I can shoot out to around 400 yards.

I would recommend a 243 as an intro rifle but if you are going to go with a 270 you can't go wrong with a Savage. Good luck, it is always exciting to buy a new rifle even if it is for a family member.

[Shadow]

270 ,30-06 bolt action might be a bit for a 15 year old to start on

myslef- prefered the Remington 700 in win 243 Leupold 2X7- course I did have the same gun in 7mm rem mag- 243 nice long range gun when you find the load it likes- I used 90 grain speer in reloads- neighbor used 87 hornady- we could get 5 shots inside a quarter at 200 yards- we shot a lot of whitetails- I'd take it up to Minn for some 10 years untill I went to Ruger .357 mag pistols-

son started out at 12 with it- told him- neck shot gun- shot his 1st three one shot each

[fishvik]

If your 15 yo weighs in at 130 or more, my vote is with the 30.06. Wide range of loads and good availablity of inexpensive ammo. You can also take anything from pronghorn to elk with it. It's my one rifle and I haven't had it fail to bring something down in close to 40 years of big game hunting in Idaho, Nevada and Utah.

[bwjohn]

25-06

[Georgia Boy]

My first rifle was a 243 then a Rem 742 carbine in 30. 06. The 06. kicked like a mule and the ballistics arent that great compared to other calibers. My son is already bigger than me, he is 5' 8" and a trim 170 lbs. I was considering a 243 or 25. 06. Then thought a 270 since that is what I shoot now and would not have to keep another caliber of cartridges around. My wife has taken a interest in shooting with us and with a lighter recoil she could shoot the gun as well. How does the 25.06. 7mm 08. and the 243 compare in recoil, ballistics and factory load options?

[tn red]

+1 on the 243. My first was a 30-30 that my dad killed his first deer with.My son also killed his first one with it,not great range but a great saddle gun.

[tommyboy72]

7mm 08 ballistics are similar to a 270 with lighter recoil. I just like the nostalgia of the 270. Jack O'Connor and all.

[Mountaineer]

.... My wife has taken a interest in shooting with us and with a lighter recoil she could shoot the gun as well. How does the 25.06. 7mm 08. and the 243 compare in recoil, ballistics and factory load options?

243...lowest recoil and lowest top bullet weight therefore the least oomph and recoil.

25-06...a favorite of friends in Texas....good case capacity.
120 grain is the heaviest normal bullet weight found....@ 3150 it is slightly less than a 270 with a 130...the old O'Connor load of preference.
With a tough bullet it will drop elk handily....according to a buddy in Idaho.

7mm-08...basically the old 7X57 Mauser but some better with lighter bullet weights.
A 140 @ 2900ish is a top deer load.(About the same figures as a 150 in a 270)
Benefits are low-ish recoil and the option for much more bullet weight, up to 175...plus the intrinsic accuracy from the case design.

No one mentioned the 284 or 280 or, my favorite deer round, the 257 Roberts....a 120 @ 2900+.

Fact is, all will work on deer...take a pick and go for recoil, multi-use or tradition.

[Greg Jennings]

243 Win, 6mm Remington or 6 BR. Of those, as an all-around varmint and deer round, I'd take the 6BR, but you need to be a reloader.

Greg J.

[stlgsp]

My BIL recently got a new Marlin and is happy with it so far.

I started out with a hand me down Remington 30.06 and when I bought my own I went with a Weatherby Vanguard 270. Being a wimp I use a slip on recoil pad called Shooter's Friend, takes most of the kick out.

[tommyboy72]

I actually considered very hard the Vanguard in a 270 when I bought my Savage. The only thing that swayed me toward the Savage was the fact that I wanted to see what the big deal with the accutrigger was. So far no complaints but I absolutely love Weatherby rifles.

[Greg Jennings]

The Savage is the best value going. The barrels vary greatly in quality. But, if you get one that doesn't shoot, you can easily swap it out. The barrel nut allows just about anyone to swap barrels or to take it to a gunsmith and it be inexpensive.

I think the 270 and 30-06 are overkill for white tail. The 30 BR would be ideal. Again, it's a handloader thing. 6 BR case necked up to 30 caliber.

See http://www.gundogforum.com/forum/viewto ... or#p207261 for something similar to the 30 BR.

[Georgia Boy]

Was talking to a guy today at the local gun shop and he told me that the Marlin rifles had Savage barrels. Seems kind of hard to believe since Marlin was bought by the same company that bought Remmington. I think I am leaning towards a .243, since there is such a broad range of bullet weights available it could serve multiple purposes.

[Greg Jennings]

The 243 has the benefit of having factory loads available just about anywhere you go. The first rifle of my own was a 243. Still have it. Took many groundhogs, crows and deer with it.

The 90 and 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips are outstanding.

[Georgia Boy]

It looks like the search is over, the new local sports store is having a grand opening sale this weekend and is offering a savage made rifle at 169.00 while they last. The only hitch is the calibers they offer it in are 270 and 7mm 08. I guess I will go with the 7mm 08, at least it is a short action and should have a little less recoil.

[mrcreole]

It looks like the search is over, the new local sports store is having a grand opening sale this weekend and is offering a savage made rifle at 169.00 while they last. The only hitch is the calibers they offer it in are 270 and 7mm 08. I guess I will go with the 7mm 08, at least it is a short action and should have a little less recoil.

I promise you will not be disappointed with the 7mm-08. It is a wonderful cartridge. There isn't a shot I wouldn't take with it that I would take with my .270.

[tommyboy72]

For that price, might as well pick up one of each caliber. I am sure you will be happy with both of them. Besides wives always love a sale and a good deal so the wife can't be upset either.

[Georgia Boy]

The deal turned out to be a little sweeter yet. I opened a AS credit card and saved another 50.00 off my first purchase so I got the rifle for 119.00. The only problem I am having is that the rifle will cycle the first three rounds fine but on the last one the bullet is hitting the feed ramp, then the bolt slides over the end of the cartridge hitting in the middle of it. I think it has something to do with the spring or "feed lips" on the clip, it is a top feed where you open the bolt and load it. It mentions this problem in the owners manual and says to call Savage customer service, I will do this Monday. Any suggestions for a good priced scope?

[tommyboy72]

BSA makes some nice inexpensive scopes. I have one on my 270. Bushnell also makes some good mid priced scopes. I am kind of partial to the BSA. I thought they were American made but found out recently they were made in the far east.

I guess pretty much everthing is made somewhere else now. And they wonder why the American economy is in the shape it is in. We import most of our products, those that we don't import we manufacture in another country and import them back into the U.S., and we even import our labor force from another country. It's all going to bite us in the rear when the American economy completely fails do to poor business practices by our government and large coorporations. :roll:

[BigShooter]

The question was asked earlier about recoil. It's a function of energy & anything that absorbs that energy like gun weight (mass), type of action and human body mass. Look at a ballistics table. A load that develops 2800 foot pounds of energy will kick substantially harder than a load producing 2100 foot pounds of energy, when fired from the same weight gun. Larger cartridges with heavier bullets generally produce more energy when fired. The weight of the gun absorbs the felt recoil. A load fired from a heavier gun will produce less felt recoil than the same load fired from a light gun. Recoil pads and other recoil mechanism mitigate felt recoil. Semiautomatic actions absorb some of the recoil in cycling the action. Light break action guns are nice to carry in the field but you pay the price with harder perceived recoil.

I've fired lots of shotguns, including a 12 gauge double that fired both barrels at once until repaired and rifles up to .338 caliber. The absolutely worse perceived recoil gun I ever fired was a foreign made break action single shot 20 gauge with a straight stock & a plastic butt plate. We never weighed it but that gun felt like it weighed only about 4 1/2 pounds. If I had fired that shotgun more than twice I would've been flinching for the rest of my life!

Recoil is kind of a funny thing. I used that 12 ga. double barrel mentioned above at age 12 & never really noticed the recoil even when my finger was cut by the trigger guard when both barrels went off simultaneuosly. When shooting at game I couldn't tell you I notice any real difference between firing a .243 or a .300 Win Mag. The only time I've noticed recoil is when I'm sighting in deer rifles on a bench rest or after shooting a few boxes of 3" magnum 12 gauge loads at waterfowl.

IMO bench rest work with a young or light shooter should be restricted to very light recoiling guns like the .22 calibers.

[tommyboy72]

The question was asked earlier about recoil. It's a function of energy & anything that absorbs that energy like gun weight (mass), type of action and human body mass. Look at a ballistics table. A load that develops 2800 foot pounds of energy will kick substantially harder than a load producing 2100 foot pounds of energy, when fired from the same weight gun. Larger cartridges with heavier bullets generally produce more energy when fired. T

Not to be argumentative but then why does a 2800-2900 fps 30.06 kick a heck of a lot harder than a 3000-3100 fps 223 or 22/250? I know bullet size has something to do with it too. Just adding another factor to your equation. Good points made by you though.

[BigShooter]

The question was asked earlier about recoil. It's a function of energy & anything that absorbs that energy like gun weight (mass), type of action and human body mass. Look at a ballistics table. A load that develops 2800 foot pounds of energy will kick substantially harder than a load producing 2100 foot pounds of energy, when fired from the same weight gun. Larger cartridges with heavier bullets generally produce more energy when fired. T

Not to be argumentative but then why does a 2800-2900 fps 30.06 kick a heck of a lot harder than a 3000-3100 fps 223 or 22/250? I know bullet size has something to do with it too. Just adding another factor to your equation. Good points made by you though.

Good question and the answer is because you are linking the speed of the bullet (fps) to recoil. However as I mentioned before it is the energy exploding out of the muzzle (measured in foot pounds) that produces the opposite recoil energy out the back of the gun. In the old swashbuckler movies those warship cannons produced quite a kick with those extremely slow cannon balls. The cannon balls traveled at about 550 feet per second or less.

[Greg Jennings]

Tom,

The difference between a 30-06 and a 22/250 is, of course, the mass of the bullet.

Mark stated his original post in foot-pounds of energy. That unit of measure is, essentially, mass and velocity.

More energy at the muzzle means more energy at the buttstock. There are some variables, like the recoil effects of muzzle blast, that get argued about, but that's nit-picking.

[BigShooter]

The energy is produced by the initial explosion created by the detonation of the gunpowder. The capacity of the cartridge affects the amount of powder that can be used. The amount & type of powder affects the energy produced by the initial explosion. The energy released is essentially the same whether an equal amount of powder is burned in a cartridge or ignited after being poured out on the ground. The bullet diameter & weight affect how much of that explosion energy is held back or bottled up before being fully released after the bullet exits. A longer barrel bottles up the energy longer and produces slightly higher velocities. The amount of the energy of the explosion bottled up before full release is what creates the perceived recoil.

[Michael Jobe]

However as I mentioned before it is the energy exploding out of the muzzle (measured in foot pounds) that produces the opposite recoil energy out the back of the gun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recoil

[JKP]

A lot of good suggestions here. Deer just aren't very hard to kill with a well placed bullet. I would be in favor of the 7 08 because it offers a lot of flexibility (bigger game), ammo is easy to find and its an easy shooting cartridge. I use a couple of Euro cartridges as well for deer...6.5 x 55 and 7 x 57....but you really don't need much more that a 30-30 (32 and 35 low velocity calibers have taken a lot of deer). Nice thing about the 7 08 is that you are ready for all game in North America except the big bears. 270 is a great cartridge but doesn't play out its advantage unless you are shooting beyond 300 yds. If you're in Montana, you might want to consider it!!! We're probably talking more about our favorites here than any ballistic advantage.