What do you feel would make the "perfect deer rifle? I'm thinking about something along the lines of:

Action - SS Rem 700 ADL
Stock - McMillan Mountain Rifle KS
Barrel - 24" Pac-Nor #2-#3
Caliber - something 25-28 cal.(25-06 if I picked today).
Scope - Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10x40mm(target turret?)
Rings/Mounts - Leupold DD - 2 Piece
Finish - Black Teflon metal w/ Tan/Black spiderweb stock

MMMMmmmmmmm!!!!

A slim medium stained wood stock, a nice french gray finish, mauser 98 action, #3 contour half round/half octogan barrel, no open sights, and a nice 4x36 Schmidt and Bender on talley mounts. Leather covered butt pad. Caliber? 7x57 to be classic...

Something along the lines of this rifle....


[ 12-31-2002, 15:49: Message edited by: Buell98 ]

Buell, that's a mighty purty rifle, but for me I'd have to lose the double set triggers, get rid of the sights, raise the comb to be pretty much straight with the bore line and probably find a different scope. Very nice stock though, and I can't argue with 7x57 for a deer rifle... I'd prefer a .308, but that's just because I've sent tens of thousands of 'em downrange and it's become a favorite of mine. Regards Guy

Yes, that was a very nice gun, although I put up another that fits my desciption more accurately. You can buy this gun from griffin and howe for 1600... Seems like a good deal, and I love the wood...

Buell

Here is my perfect deer rifle. Browning Eurobolt with bossCR in .243 winchester. Its about the perfect size with the 22" barrel to keep it from dragging in the snow or hitting every branch you walk under. The weight is about right to carry around and still sit fairly still while aiming it. It also works pretty well as a predator rifle. I use Sierra gameking 100gr SBT bullets at 2870fps. It works like a charm, couldn't imagine anything better. I have gotten 11 deer from 70-280 yards so far and never had one need a second shot.

Browning A Bolt II Stainless Stalker 7mm Rem.Mag. Leupold 3.5-10x40 Matte/Leupold Rings and Bases.

Any good Mod. 70 in a .270 Win. with any good 6X scope for hunting out in the open. In the woods any good lever action with a receiver sight. Maybe even a 45-70.

I guess we all like to think we have the perfect rig "for us". Mine is a T/C Encore in .270winchester. It has a 26" Custom Barrel (Tappered to .650") She where's a Leapold Vari-X II 3-9x40, and will shoot Factory Hornady Light Mag. 140gr btsp, into .75" groups. The scope and barrel are black matte, and the stock is black walnut. Nothing fancy (other than a trigger job and oversized hinge pin) just a straight up 7.75 Lb. (scoped, slinged, & loaded) rifle that is only 40.5 inches long, with the 26" tube. I like that!

Ruger RSI in 308 Winchester with a Leupold VXIII 2.5 X 8 scope loaded with 165 grain Hornady SST ammo.

Perry

"MY" perfect deer gun is a Sako L691 in 6.5X55 Swede with a beatiful dark fiddlebacked walnut stock (I'm a sucker for purty wood) and a simple but easy Leupold Vari-X II 3-9X40. With a good 120-140 grain bullet, it does all I ask of it.

Buell, now that's a nice rifle! $1600 really doesn't seem out of line for something like that. Thanks for the great photo of a very nice rifle! Guy

[ 12-31-2002, 20:52: Message edited by: m700 ]

THe "perfect" rifle is as much a function of hunting style and conditions as technology. I now have a 264 mag M70 Supergrade that is an exceptional plains gun, as long as you do not have to get in and out of vehicles all day and push bush.It is just too long and cumbersome. In this case my old standby 270 M70 Winlite 22"bbl with 3-10 B&L 4000 is a "perfect" deer rifle in the mixed cover of my country, since it is light, short, and yet has the powe to take large deer at any range I will find them. THe original poster has it about right for a good unit, except loose the target knobs.

BR

[ 12-31-2002, 21:10: Message edited by: Battle River ]

Nebraska,

I tried the 257's(Roberts, WBY, and '06 Rem) and like everyone of them quite a lot. However, if I were to select one caliber for deer I would step up to the .277 caliber, my choice would be the .270 Winchester. The .277 has heavier bullet offerings than the quater bores which I like for the bigger deer and the light recoil of the .270 Winchester still allows bigger odjective bell scopes with less eye relief to be mounted for accurate low light shooting.

Happy New Year!

B

35 Whelen

I have killed many deer with a savage 99 in 300 sav works very well. But I have hunted deer with anything from a 22 rf single shot to a 416 rem double I have enjoyed them all. I guess the perfect one is hell that is a hard one I shot more with my ruger no 1 light sporter in 06 then anything else. I guess I can not decide.

I just got done with "smoothing" the trigger on a Win. classic featherweight in 6.5X55. I haven't decided on a scope yet, but looking real hard at the Weaver grand slam, 3.5X10. I'll add open sights and a steel trigger guard......maybe some Talley rings and bases.

Terry-

Not to harp on you, but why a 10x scope on a swede? Just curious as I seem to think of that caliber as a 300yrd and below round, but at 300 yrds wouldnt a 2x7 be more practical?

Thanks,

Buell

Nebraska,

Years ago I built my Western deer rifle, a 6.5-'06 on a Remington M700 action. The barrel is a 24" Shilen barrel pillar bedded in a Macmillan synthetic stock. The scope is a Burris Signature model in 4X40, and all the metal work is parkerized.

It is a half-minute rifle.

For whitetail I usually bring along a .308 Win Steyr Scout.

jim dodd

The "perfect" deer rifle is the one you have in your hands when you see a deer. Anything else is just personal preference.

[ 01-01-2003, 09:23: Message edited by: Snyper ]

Buell98,
You're right of course. The 10X does sound a little extreme for the swede. A 4X or 2X7 would be a good scope for the swede....maybe a 2.5X8...decisions..decisions
Terry

The oldest campfire topic, and still good. It seems I have put together the perfect deer rifle each time, and then I need to change something. The thing is Deer hunting is so varied, no one should have just one, and of couse a fella needs a back up or two.

HBH

Nebraska pretty much has it right for a serious whitetail, muledeer rig. I picked the 6.5X55 Swede above..for general deer hunting (also coyotes,hogs,turkeys etc.) in the Texas hill country.

For gettin' real serious about "horn hunting" I think I'd use a pre 64 action, 24" Walther barrel (matte blue, #3 contour) and stock it in a Mcmillan G&H stock (olive). The caliber would probably be a 280 or 280 ackley shooting 140 gr Hornady bullets. Scoped out with a 3.5X10 Leupold with the hold over dots from Premier Reticles. Or maybe with a Kahles 3X9 TDS reticle.
Lets see......I have an action
I wish you guys would quit doing this!!

My favorite is a browning Bar in .338 with a 18" barrel and peep sights my back up rifle is a marlin 1895ss lever action in 45/70 it also sports peep sights/. I hunt in NY and my shots max out at 50 yards. these two rifles vcan handle any game in the US up close. If i ever hunt an area where long shots are the norm then my remington 700 bolt in 30/06 will do the job.Next year i plan to hunt in shotgun county and i have my eye on a rem 11-87 sps 21" barrel with rifle sights. This year i borrowed a friends rem pump 12 guage smoothbore and took my deer at 30 yards.

I've got a lightweight Model 70 in .270 Win. with a 22" Half Moon cut-rifled barrel and a McMillan stock that would be really tough to beat as a practical, all-around deer rifle.

AD

To me the perfect deer rifle was my Dad's Model 70. a Pre war 30-06. He bought it new, and used for to take more deer than I could count( other game as well but he was a DEER hunter more than anything else). It s a beautiflu rifle that still shoots under 1.5 inchs witha variety of loads. Sadly dad is gone, and the rifle is not in my possesion(my older brother has it), but some day i hope to one like it.

Here is my 'Perfect Deer Rifle'. A Pre 64 270 Featherweight. It was my Dad's rifle, bought new in 1953 and used for 40 years to hunt Deer, Elk, Moose and the occasional Bear.



I restocked it when I got it and added the swivel on the Barrel for packing in the bush. total weight, as pictured and loaded is and even 8 lbs.

I like your ideas. I'd probably go with a #3 contour, unless I needed it really light. If I needed it really light, I'd go with a Light Mtn. Contour. I have one on my .25-284. Harder to find those under MOA loads with the infamous X bullet, but I have done it. It also doesn't have as much weight out front for steady holding. But a good shooting sling negates that alot.
Nothing wrong with the 3.5-10X40. I have one on one of my rifles. Again, if I needed to go lighter, a good 6X, like the 6X36 by the same company. I use, and like, a target style elevation knob on a big game rifle. They are vulerable to damage. But, unlike the popular finger adjustable knobs, have reference marks to help you get back to your orginal zero. Mine, by the way, have been banged around plenty, as have those owned by friends. So far, no problems.
I have yet to see the difference, on deer, between the .25-06 and the .270 or the .280. If heavier game is on the menu, I'd lean toward either the .270, or the .280. E

rem 700 titanium action that has been blueprinted and sand removed left by the factory.
pac-nor 22" tube mountain contour
3 position gentry safety.
trigger job and bed from bansner
hitech stock also from bansner
leupold vari x 3 2.5x8 in matte
all wrapped around a 350 REM MAG
my wallet hurts
woofer

Mine is a CZ-550 Lux chambered in .270 Win with a 8x56 Swarovski scope in EAW mounts. A really nice combination as far as I am concerned.

TerryP, I also have one of those Classic Featherweights in 6.5x55. Just be sure to shoot USA manufactured ammo bacause the boltface diameter is the 30-06 face and not the slightly larger standard european case head diameter. The foreign ammo will feed and shoot, but if it is at all hot, read Norma or RWS or S&B or military, it will have a devil of a time extracting and ejecting because of the boltface and extractor are set for the smaller case. FWIW

My perfect deer rifle would be my 6.5-06AI on a Win Classic action with a 24" Douglas sporter barrel set in an English Walnut stock and all metal teflon coated. Conetrol fluted bases and huntar rings with a Leupold 3.5-10x40 on top. It shoots .5" all day long. Had it built 4 years ago and still love it.

I hunt down inthe cedar swamps a lot and it gets tight and thick in there. first choice is a Remington # 7 in 7mm 08 with a Pentex 2.5 x 8 scope. second choice if I had teen age eyes would be a Winchester 94 in either 32 special or 30 30. I've got a lot of deer with my 94 30 30 and a couple with the 32 special.
Out in the open I use my Remington 700ss 300 win mag with a lepould compact 3x9 ss.
Al

larrys,
Thanks for that information on the 6.5 swede. I had no idea that the foreign ammo was different than the American.
I'll probably be handloading from the start with Win. brass....
Terry

I've got two that I consider perfect deer rifles. 1. Ruger 77RSI in 308, stock except for smoothed trigger, temporarily topped with a 1.5-4.5x Bushnell scope.
2. Mauser action, Douglas 24" barrel, Timney trigger, B&C stock in 275 Rigby topped with a 6x Seeadler scope.

Either one will do the job.

out of the box remington model 7 in 7-08 w/2x7 quality scope. action bedded and trigger job. Should shoot inside of an inch at 100yds. I've made one shot kills on 300yd mulies in Wy and 60yd whitetails in WV. ROFLMAO, I'd like to see these boys drag their "purty" rifles thru a couple hundred yards of sage brush, grit and rocks on a mulie stalk or use it for a walking stick to get up a WV mountain. It just ain't gonna happen!