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Rifle selection

Catskills

Catskills

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 28, 2018
Messages
227
Location
Sullivan County, NY
I'm in the market for a new rifle. Up until now I was just using my brother's 270. Are there any factors you guys would consider specifically for the saddle. That is where most of its use is going to go. This will be my first year hunting out of one so not sure how much I should factor in barrel length and other differences. Any recommendations? What do you use? My hunting is split between Appalachian style public land and one smaller 50acre chunk of old ag land I have access to.
 
I would think short, light and low recoil because most saddle hunters are mostly run and gun and hunting fresh sign so I’d assume most shots are close. No need for a long range, heavy recoil cartridge. Guess it all depends on your terrain and style for your area.
 
I'm not a gun guy as I hunt with a bow 99% of the time but I have hunted with Remington's and Ruger's. My next gun will either be a savage or a browning hells canyon. It really depends on what your wanting to do with your rifle... long shots vs short shots, thick brush vs open terrain. I would think a Remington Model 7 in 7mm-08 would be a good fit for a do it all whitetail gun. I have a Remington 700 in .243 and love the trigger on it, a lot of guys don't like the .243 cartridge but it does well for me.

Whatever you go with the best advice I can give you is if you have $1000 to spend, buy a $100 rifle and a $900 scope.
 
I’ve used my Browning BAR 30-06 with ease outta my TL and killed some bruisers and many many does!!! The well tuned BAR doesn’t kick much, has a short barrel, and is very accurate. I’ve also killed a bunch with my Ithaca DSII outta my TL. Can’t wait to bang bang a few outta the Mantis.


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Remington 700 mountain rifle in 7mm08. Light. Bell and carlson stock, good glass bedding, leupold vxii and you're good to go!
 
It depends on what you want to spend. But I’m a huge fan of the Ruger American I have a 308 and a 22-250 both are shooters. There not expensive and a good all weather beat around Gun.


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swampsnyper said:
I would think short, light and low recoil because most saddle hunters are mostly run and gun and hunting fresh sign so I’d assume most shots are close. No need for a long range, heavy recoil cartridge. Guess it all depends on your terrain and style for your area.
Click to expand...

Which cartridge do you reccomend? I have had similar thoughts and have even considering going no scope with sights instead
 
Some guys like @Erniepower use a pistol. It is quick and light. I plan on using my 30-30. A Winchester 94. Just iron sites. More deer have been killed with a 30-30 than any other round. Low recoil. With the Hornady rounds you can reach out to 200 yds.

As @swampsnyper mentioned it all depends on the terrain you are covering. If I am hunting a cut over during gun season I will opt for my 30-06 model 70. For deer I tend to use a light or “managed” recoil round.
 
Personally if I was in the market for a deer rifle it would most likely be chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor..... JMO.

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I have a Winchester model 70 ultimate shadow stainless in 30-06. It’s the only rifle I own. I bedded it in a bell and Carlson composite stock and added a Zeiss conquest 4-14x44. This is what I use when I need meat.

I don’t think it matters what rifle you shoot as long as it is accurate and reliable.
 
I kind of like the Desert Eagle .44 mag too depending on the set I’m in.


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Most versatile rifle is still the 30-06. All depends on what you want the gun to do.

I would suggest shooting a few rifles before you buy one. Get a feel for what you like. Rifles are not as easy to hide from your wife. Saddle you can stuff behind the rear seat of the truck. Lol


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I loved my 30-30 Model 94 it was passed down from my Dad (actually I just took it) and passed down to my son.
I upgraded to a Browning Mountain Ti 270 WSM and I absolutely love it. I was always a bowhunter and never enjoyed shooting out to far distances for game...hence my love of the 30-30. First hunt with the Browning I took a mule deer at 256 yards, one of my favorite shots/ hunts.
 
It’s not that much different than any other type of rifle hunting. Shorter barrel is handier but louder with more muzzle blast. I prefer a short action rifle with a 22 inch barrel. Just a happy medium. I hunt with handguns also. The 6.5 creedmore has gained a lot of popularity the last couple years
 
Coming from Michigan where until recently shotguns were the only option in the lower half of the state, I love my 20 gauge H & R Ultra Slug Hunter. Easily accurate out to 200 yards. Its HEAVY, but its also compact with manageable kick. You'd have to get one on the secondary market, since I believe they stopped making them for some reason that's beyond me

An AR platform chambered in 450 Bushmaster would be a great saddle gun as well. Great accuracy and PLENTY of knock down power. Super compact, but if recoil is a concern.....probably not your gun, especially on this platform.
 
I used to be in the lightweight, low recoil, camp. Shot a .243 HandiRifle and loved it. However, hunting deer and hogs in thick, wet terrain convinced me of the value of overkill and mechanical injuries. I shot a nice buck this past January that I KNOW is dead, along with several nice hogs. The buck in particular I watched go down, but lost sight of when I climbed down and had to wade a creek. I'm convinced he's still in the Cypress swamp somewhere, rotting. No blood trail in water, folks.

I went back to a 30-06, the biggest caliber I can comfortably manage. I encourage others to do the same. 5 months later and I'm literally still dreaming about that buck. A thread a while back talked about how many mature buck sightings folks had each year. General consensus was 1, 2 if you're lucky. All the plotting and planning, all the tired and freezing, means NOTHING if the animal can't be recovered.

I do not doubt the ability of a .243 or similar to kill deer under most circumstances. But those exceptions to the rule can haunt you.
 
All depends on your hunting scenarios.. just deer or elk, bear mixed in?

Close range, under 200 yards or do you hunt power lines and large Ag fields with 500+ yard shots?

I like having 2 rifles personally. One would be a 30-06 or .308 with a high powered scope, another would be a brush gun.. say a 45/70 with either a red dot or low powered scope.

I’m also growing fond of using .243 and .223 calibers for up close, shots under 100 yards have been extremely lethal.

I hunt with a bow primarily but gun hunting has always been a big social thing for us so. Find your style and go from there. I’d rather be 10 yards from a deer than 100.. so I opt for minimal magnification
 
Catskills said:
Which cartridge do you reccomend? I have had similar thoughts and have even considering going no scope with sights instead
Click to expand...

Last year I tinkered with a 6.5 Creedmoor. Mainly to have a very accurate gun to plink far with. I love shooting it. Light recoil but I dressed it with a heavy barrel. It’s short but heavy for what I’d like for a saddle. It would make a great cartridge for a saddle gun in the right profile. ARs are too bulky I find for a saddle deer gun. Better platforms out there.
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!
 
Pm if you have interest in a Savage .308 bolt action w/18" barrel, lightly used. I've gone to 300 BO.
 
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