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Rifle selection

The debate on calibers is always quite varied. I feel An individuals ability to shoot a gun accurately by far out ways nock down power. I have seen individuals who have accuracy issues that think the cure is more power and ultimately only exasperate their issue because the recoil is more violent. Others can handle it fine. Just have to be honest enough with yourself. I would rather shoot a 223 accurately than a 300 mag poorly. (I have neither)

I am not trying to start a debate on the obvious benifits of more knock down but rather pointing out that an individuals ability to correctly place a shot far out weighs brute power.

There a literally a ton of good solid deer cartridges.

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thanks for all of the responses guys! For the guys with the 6.5 Creedmoor, is the ammo more expensive than say .270 or .308? I plan to do a great deal of practicing before the season.

I'm still torn between a 30-30 style with open sights/low magnification or getting a 270 or 6.5 Creedmoor. I am leaning toward the latter slightly just because it will be lifetime all around use. Then getting a 3030 with open sights in the future for hunting thicker areas and tracking in snow. I'm torn. Sucks not being able to try every rifle/scope combo before buying.
 
Catskills said:
thanks for all of the responses guys! For the guys with the 6.5 Creedmoor, is the ammo more expensive than say .270 or .308? I plan to do a great deal of practicing before the season.

I'm still torn between a 30-30 style with open sights/low magnification or getting a 270 or 6.5 Creedmoor. I am leaning toward the latter slightly just because it will be lifetime all around use. Then getting a 3030 with open sights in the future for hunting thicker areas and tracking in snow. I'm torn. Sucks not being able to try every rifle/scope combo before buying.
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A .270 will do the job of all the rounds you mentioned, is extremely easy to find a variety of good factory loads for, and has stood the test of time. I would go with that.

But, all of those calibers will kill the snot out of deer.
 
Get together with a friend who has a couple safes of "stock". cycle some actions, feel the safety, shoulder the rifle. There are giong to be some you like and some you hate. Find a rifle make/model/action you like, then determine the caliber.

I've mentioned this here before, but I Love my tikka T3 lite, but dont love the 2 way safety on it vs a rem 700 or win model 70. I also favor bolt action rifles without a mag. One more thing to lose or break, but not as fast to load/reload. lots of different variables all over the place. There are some great alternative coatings to stainless now which can cut down on price, but still increase durability. Check out the TC venture line. its another good solid platform at a very decent price.

One other thing to keep in mind is where your are hunting and "point" laws. Here in VT you cant shoot anything with less than 3 points, and the 3rd has to be 1"+ on the interior v of the point. Without a scope life sucks when trying to determine that with your heart pounding hanging 30' in a tree. finding the deer in your binos, checking, finding the deer again, ......etc....
I stared at 2 deer last year that should have had 3rd or 4th points, must have had bad genetics--they were at least 2 years old. Had I only had my 30-30 win 94 with iron sites, I would have been one unhappy camper when I walked up to a dead illegal deer...
 
Vtbow said:
Get together with a friend who has a couple safes of "stock". cycle some actions, feel the safety, shoulder the rifle. There are giong to be some you like and some you hate. Find a rifle make/model/action you like, then determine the caliber.

I've mentioned this here before, but I Love my tikka T3 lite, but dont love the 2 way safety on it vs a rem 700 or win model 70. I also favor bolt action rifles without a mag. One more thing to lose or break, but not as fast to load/reload. lots of different variables all over the place. There are some great alternative coatings to stainless now which can cut down on price, but still increase durability. Check out the TC venture line. its another good solid platform at a very decent price.

One other thing to keep in mind is where your are hunting and "point" laws. Here in VT you cant shoot anything with less than 3 points, and the 3rd has to be 1"+ on the interior v of the point. Without a scope life sucks when trying to determine that with your heart pounding hanging 30' in a tree. finding the deer in your binos, checking, finding the deer again, ......etc....
I stared at 2 deer last year that should have had 3rd or 4th points, must have had bad genetics--they were at least 2 years old. Had I only had my 30-30 win 94 with iron sites, I would have been one unhappy camper when I walked up to a dead illegal deer...
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thanks for the response man! I hunt in a county in NY that does has the same antler restriction you described above. That is definitely a major factor in my choice. Last year was my first year hunting and I had a similar situation where I needed my binos to make sure it was legal and then when I raised my gun (all from the ground) I was all the way zoomed in. Lots of movement. Luckily it was a 1.5yo who seemed more confused by my movement than he was scared. That is one reason why I was thinking of going open sights or low magnification. But the mistake I made being all the way zoomed in will be fixed with practice. I think I am going to get a 270 with a nice scope and practice. Then eventually get a 2nd open sight rifle for when the right situation arises. Unfortunately I don't know too many people with rifles and the ones I do either have an old Remington 30-06 or my brother with the Savage Axis 270 I've used before. Nothing wrong with those just not enough variety to sample
 
jryser said:
More opinions on guns than Clinton’s affairs! Love it!


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And yet they're presented as just that, opinions. Nobody had brought up stories about what the used in The Marine Seals Delta Force back in 'Nam or insulted anyone's mother.

Caliber discussions on forums can turn into cancer quick. Says a lot about this group that everybody can be civil and focus on helping OP, not stroking egos.
 
@Catskills Yup! we've all done the zoomed scope move ;-) Sounds like you have a good plan!

Another thing that can be really helpful if you hunt a bunch of different things(and your body shape allows for it) is to get some see through scope mounts. I had them on my remington 742 semi carbine(in 06) with a vxII 50mm and it was awesome all around optics wise. I needed the rise in the rings for the large diameter optics anyway, but in the brush or close up I could use the see through and open sites. Too bad the rifle was a boat anchor!
 
Catskills said:
thanks for all of the responses guys! For the guys with the 6.5 Creedmoor, is the ammo more expensive than say .270 or .308? I plan to do a great deal of practicing before the season.

I'm still torn between a 30-30 style with open sights/low magnification or getting a 270 or 6.5 Creedmoor. I am leaning toward the latter slightly just because it will be lifetime all around use. Then getting a 3030 with open sights in the future for hunting thicker areas and tracking in snow. I'm torn. Sucks not being able to try every rifle/scope combo before buying.
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You can get 6.5 creedmoor Hornady American Whitetail off of MidwayUSA.com for $1.07 a round. 6.5 is basically a more aerodynamic 270.
 
The 7.62x39 is a good short range deer round. Howa and Ruger both make affordable bolt actions for that round. We are in the good old days of affordable firearms. The choices are nearly limitless.
 
Nutterbuster said:
And yet they're presented as just that, opinions. Nobody had brought up stories about what the used in The Marine Seals Delta Force back in 'Nam or insulted anyone's mother.

Caliber discussions on forums can turn into cancer quick. Says a lot about this group that everybody can be civil and focus on helping OP, not stroking egos.
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Exactly!!! I do apologize tho for the political poke.


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swampsnyper said:
Under 100 yard deer gun for a saddle, I think my top pick would be a lever action short barreled Dirty 30. Iron sights. I mostly hunt with a trad bow but this would be my trad gun if I was looking for a saddle gun. I just like lever guns and want one bad!
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Come over to the world of single shots my friend :D . I like lever guns too but a little Contender carbine will make even a light lever gun feel big
 
I am leaning toward getting a Ruger American with the Vortex scope combo. Anybody have any experience with the American? Good, bad? I like the vortex scope on my CZ455 22lr.

I am open to any other recommendations in a similar price range. I was planning on spending quite a but more on a rifle/scope combo but between the kestral, stepps, new bow etc I have a limited budget. Not that money always dictates performance but for rifles/scopes it seems to. Hunting is expensive for a newbie but at least will all mostly last a life time (don't tell my wife otherwise! She is very understanding but....)
 
Catskills said:
I am leaning toward getting a Ruger American with the Vortex scope combo. Anybody have any experience with the American? Good, bad? I like the vortex scope on my CZ455 22lr.

I am open to any other recommendations in a similar price range. I was planning on spending quite a but more on a rifle/scope combo but between the kestral, stepps, new bow etc I have a limited budget. Not that money always dictates performance but for rifles/scopes it seems to. Hunting is expensive for a newbie but at least will all mostly last a life time (don't tell my wife otherwise! She is very understanding but....)
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Sounds like a good choice to me, vortex optics are great, and you really cant go wrong with a ruger!
 
I went with the tikka t3x in 308. It is my go anywhere do anything rifle. I would have went with the American but the stocks are a little flimsy for shooting off a bipod. That is the only reason for the tikka. I love lever guns. They used to be cheap and low recoil with decent stopping power. Now you can buy something like the American in 6.5 and it hits harder, weighs less, and has about the same recoil as the old 30-30 without the limitations. And cost less new off the shelf. Unless your carrying it for nostalgia there really isn’t any reason to carry a lever gun. There’s nothing wrong with hunting with one if you would like to. Those 300 yard guns kill critters real good at 20 yards also.
 
Catskills said:
I am leaning toward getting a Ruger American with the Vortex scope combo. Anybody have any experience with the American? Good, bad? I like the vortex scope on my CZ455 22lr.

I am open to any other recommendations in a similar price range. I was planning on spending quite a but more on a rifle/scope combo but between the kestral, stepps, new bow etc I have a limited budget. Not that money always dictates performance but for rifles/scopes it seems to. Hunting is expensive for a newbie but at least will all mostly last a life time (don't tell my wife otherwise! She is very understanding but....)
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Vortex is good, but Nikon is more gooder IMO. I've had both, and Nikon's clarity and light retention are a cut above Vortex's, assuming we're comparing similarly priced options. Compare them side by side in a store, and make that call for yourself.

As far as the Ruger American, they're about par for the course as far as a cheap, new rifle goes. Rough around the edges, ugly, cheap feeling, but generally accurate and perfectly functional. If you hold it and you like it, buy it.

If you're brave and patient, you can find a second hand Remington 700 or Savage Model 10 (or something similar) that's a step up for not that much more money. Used guns are the cat's meow.

The most important thing is that you post pics of what you buy so that we can live vicariously through you.
 
Nutterbuster said:
Vortex is good, but Nikon is more gooder IMO. I've had both, and Nikon's clarity and light retention are a cut above Vortex's, assuming we're comparing similarly priced options. Compare them side by side in a store, and make that call for yourself.

As far as the Ruger American, they're about par for the course as far as a cheap, new rifle goes. Rough around the edges, ugly, cheap feeling, but generally accurate and perfectly functional. If you hold it and you like it, buy it.

If you're brave and patient, you can find a second hand Remington 700 or Savage Model 10 (or something similar) that's a step up for not that much more money. Used guns are the cat's meow.

The most important thing is that you post pics of what you buy so that we can live vicariously through you.
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Agree on the ruger, but they shoot straight and their cs is top notch. A trip to a good gunsmith for the essentials and they will be quite good. Yes a model 700 or 70 featherlight is better(not a savage fan, but some love rhem!)- our usedmarket around here is tough, so I agree with @Nutterbuster if your market is Good where you are.
I actually don't agree on the vortex vs. Nikon. Yes the lower end vortex scopes aren't great, but their high ends blow any Nikon I've looked through out of the water. I'm a big leupold fan and generally have straight up vxii or vxiii on my rifles. My distance rifles (.257 rorberts, 300 Weatherby mag) have the top vortex on them and they are solid.

My assumption was you were going with a cheaped rifle and spending the money on the optics...
 
I would say that a Ruger American with a Vortex scope is definitely an extremely capable combination. Good value, and absolutely no denying it's effectiveness.

Also, just noticed OP owned a 455. I myself have a 452; just did very well with it in a silhouette shoot this weekend. From one gentleman with exquisite taste to another, I salute you.
 
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