Deer Hunting
What is your favorite deer gun? I like too use a 20 gage Mossberg shotgun.
| Enthusiast | Kiteboarding | QUAD | SKI | Skiing | Scuba Diving | Sport Diver | TransWorld Ride BMX | TransWorld Business | TransWorld Motocross | TransWorld SKATEboarding, | TransWorld SNOWboarding | TransWorld SURF | WakeBoarding | WaterSki | Warren Miller Entertainment | WindSurfing |
|---|---|
| Travel | Caribbean Travel & Life | Destination Weddings & Honeymoon | Islands | Meeting Traveler | Resorts & Great Hotels |
| Lifestyle & Shelter | Florida Travel & Life | Garden Design | Home Ft. Lauderdale | Home Miami |
| Luxury | SNOW | Spa |
| Marine | Boating Life | Cruising World | Fly Fishing in Salt Waters | Power Cruising | Marlin | Motor Boating | Sailing World | Salt Water Sportsman | Sport Fishing | Yachting | NewBoats.com | UsedBoats.com | YachtBroker.com |
| Outdoor | Field & Stream | Outdoor Life | SHOT Business |
| Parenting | Babytalk | Parenting |
| Science | Popular Science | Science Illustrated |
| Saveur | Saveur |
| Working Mother Media | Working Mother |
| Entertainment / Events | World Entertainment Services | World Sports & Marketing |
Fieldandstream.com is part of the Field & Stream Network, a division of Bonnier Corporation.
Copyright © 2012 Bonnier Corp. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
My go-to for stands around soybean fields(looong flat shots)is my Ruger #1 in 7mm Rem. Mag. This will be the 3rd season out with my Tikka T3 270WSM. It's taken a couple of does but nothing to hang on a wall. For thick brush & hog hunting it's been either a Puma 92 in .454 Casull or my Contender pistol in 7-30 Waters.
My Marlin Lever in .45/70..It's my favorite gun in the woods here in Michigan with relatively close shots, and quick follow-up shots if needed.
My favorite deer rifle is also my first rifle my dad ever bought me a remington 700 adl 30-06.It is not exactly the same gun anymore though,i was a machinest for 10 years and one day i clamped it on a milling machine and after cutting,milling,drilling shaving and rebluing,adding a kwickklip and a houge overmolded stock it weights 6 lbs loaded with a 4-12 luepold scope.Everyone that see's it loves it.I have shot my largest buck with it a Pa black bear and several other white tail,coyete,groundhogs and a wild boar.
My favorite gun for deer is a 12 gauge pump action Browning that my uncle bought back in 1984 and i started using last year. Its got a modified choke and is extremely accurate ive killed every deer ive shot with it so far (including one that was on the run), and it seems to be just the right weight for me and has very good balance, plus its tough
My Favorite would be my Browning BPS Hunter 12 Gauge with 3 inch Magnum shells. I have found that the Federal Power Shok Slugs have given me the best results. They penetrate deer deep and have some serious knock down power. I have killed two deer with two shots, both last year (2008). Try it in your smooth bore shotgun and I think you will switch brands!
My favorite would have to be my Remington model 700 mountain rifle in 7mm-08. I got the rifle when i was 11 and am 21 now and still using it. Every deer i have shot with it has either dropped or only gone about 30 yards. It is also very light and compact as well as shoots flat. I had no problem taking deer at 300 yards.
My favorite deer rifle is my Remington 700 .35 Whelen because I have taken more deer and elk with that gun than all the others combined. Close 2nd is my 1966 model 700 ADL .308 Win. Killed my first deer with that one and still have it.
My favorite gun is a .243 my uncle made. its a straight shooter
Browning A-Bolt 12 gauge.
remington .20 gauge or a 243 rifle
Remington 700 30/06, Jay I have never seen a Browning A Bolt shotgun? Heh Heh
The A-Bolt shotgun is real. No typo.
shane
I had to check the A-bolt shotgun, too. I know lots of guys who have A-bolt rifles, but had never heard of an A-bolt shotgun before, but it is the real deal. I almost put my foot in my mouth on that one! Would not be the first time, however.
mossberg 12 gauge with 3 inch OO buckshot! This knocks the snot right out of the deer in a deer drive, or walking in the thick swamps!
Remington 870 slug gun with Hornaday sst and elite 3200 rainguard scope when blind/tree stand hunting
OR the OLD fashioned Win 35 lever action a little bigger then the dirty 30/30 but fun to shoot in Rifle zone of MI.
Can not leave out the smoke pole 50 cal.
at home in the mountains i love to carry my marlin m336 in 30-30, but it's hard to bear my ruger 30-06 out in flatter country.
i meant "hard to beat" sorry
Montana Rifle Works 6.5 X 55, 3-9x40 Leupold VariX II scope.
Deer are not Big Game!
ok airborne, then what are they??? small game???
GOOD deer gun...the one you can shoot when it counts in putting meat in freezer..esp muliple packs of meat, since it is not small game and that usually means only one packet of freezer meat!
WAM is a bit of a Western hunter elitist and likes to scoff at whitetails and whitetail hunters. Excuse him lol. I would bet if he shot a big muley in the mountains it would qualify as big game, but if someone shot an even bigger whitetail in a swamp, it wouldn't count haha.
@Shane,
I am far from an elitist of any flavor, thank you very much. bordering on "purist", maybe. Deer of any persuasion just don't fit my image of big game, but after researching the popular definitions of "big game", it seems that I am wrong. I stand corrected. I have never scoffed at whitetails or whitetail hunters. I have said on multiple occasions that sitting in a shooting house over a food plot or bait pile is not my cup of tea, but hardly scoffing. And yes, I have killed some mule deer way over 250 pounds, so I guess I should change my personal definition????
@matt wasson,
They certainly are not "small game"! I always considered North American deer as just "deer" and the larger species such as elk, moose, and caribou as "big game". Certainly some of the smaller sub-species of deer such as Key Deer and Coues Deer aren't exactly "big game". I would not consider a deer that is outweighed by my Labrador Retriever as big game.
HEY Airborne Im with you on weight some deer shot weigh less then ol' yeller...
I have yet gotten the chance at some "big" game but that is on the way for me.
I'm thinking bear with bow in Ontario with my brother!
Sorry no sitting in blinds or over bait piles. Food plots for me are agriculture fields, corn, bean, winter wheat, etc.. I like stands for bow but this year did the spot stalk for deer! very rewarding
GO 82nd!
Just poking fun, dude.
belgium browning BAR 30-06 is my favorite
@ shane
LOL
I sit corrected in A Bolt Shotgun!
Browning Wins Bolt-Action Slug-Gun Shoot-out
At $800, the A-Bolt costs more than twice as much as guns from Marlin, Mossberg, and Savage. But in our view, the extra dollars deliver extra performance.
Anchored on a Protektor bench rest, each
gun was zeroed at 50 yards until it could
shoot one-hole groups, then was tested at
100, firing five five-shot groups at five-bull
Visible Impact series targets.
If your formative years as a deer hunter were spent east of the Mississippi, chances are you knew someone who started with a slug-loaded, inexpensive bolt-action shotgun—or maybe you toted one. Seems like there was always somebody serving an apprenticeship with a Polychoked Mossberg 195, Marlin 55, J.C. Higgins, Stevens, or Sears 140 bolt gun.
Back then turnbolt shotguns were “starters” reserved for kids—stepping stones to Ithaca or Remington pumps or autoloaders. Or they were multi-purpose ordnance used by folks who weren’t as serious about deer guns as they were in simply having something in the truck or behind the farmhouse door that could be of use in all seasons.
The bolts of those days were at the lower end of the shotgun spectrum. But you’ve also got to remember that shotguns and slugs per se weren’t accurate back then, either. Put three out of five in a gallon can at 40 paces and you had a tackdriver. Firepower had far more appeal and usefulness than that kind of accuracy.
But as I say, that was then. This is now. Today’s bolt-action slug guns are definitely not reinventions of the wheel. Comparisons between them and yesterday’s simple actions are about as valid as racing the Spirit of St. Louis against a Stealth bomber. Slug shooting has evolved eons in the last 10 years.
And, in a way, it was inevitable that the bolt-action gun would re-emerge in this Renaissance of slug shooting. After all, like arrow speed in archery, lane grip in bowling and shaft flex in golf, accuracy has become the Holy Grail of shotgun slug shooting.
Go to a benchrest rifle match and look at what the competitors are shooting. Remember, these are the test pilots of the firearms industry. These guys are perfectionists. They’re apt to retire a gun if they can’t cover its last five-shot group with a dime. What do they shoot? Bolt actions and single shots. No exceptions. Show up with any other action and be prepared for snickers, smirks, and an out-of-the-money finish.
Anybody knowledgeable about slug guns knows that the solid front lock-up and sheer receiver mass that is so critical in rifle accuracy is overkill for slug guns. But enthusiasm often overcomes common sense. Thus the hottest ticket in slug-gun shooting is the bolt-action.
There are now four modern production bolt-action rifled barrel slug guns on the market; “modern” being the operative word here. These are the $800 Browning A-Bolt, the $380 Savage 210 MasterShot, the $350 Marlin 512 Slugmaster and the $293 Mossberg 695. In side-by-side comparison the Browning A-Bolt shotgun is the class of the bolt-action, rifled-barrel slug-gun field. Metal-to-wood fit, wood quality, finish, workmanship, and function are head and shoulders above the other bolt guns. But then it ought to be with an $800-plus price tag.
How We Tested
In a head-to-head comparison that consisted of 100 rounds being fired through each gun in one heady afternoon at the range, it must be said that all four turnbolts acquitted themselves well in the accuracy department. Anchored on a Protektor bench rest, each gun was zeroed at 50 yards until it could shoot one-hole groups, then was tested at 100, firing five five-shot groups at gridded five-bull Visible Impact series targets from Crosman. The relatively slow (1,300 fps to 1,400 fps) loads are vulnerable to wind, but that was not much of a factor on test day as the mild breeze was negligible. Air temperature was 45 degrees at an elevation of 950 feet.
Start My Subscription to Gun Tests Today and Receive 12 Issues for just $24. Gain full access to our entire online library including thoudands of detailed gun reviews and other Subsciber Benefits!
There was a picture of it and it is as purty as you would expect from Browning.
I shot my first deer with my grandpas old J.C. Higgins model 50 in 30-06 but I wanna get a remington 700 cdl in 300 win mag or another .06
Number one selling shotgun the 870. Using Winchester 3 1/2 in. 00 buckshot. 18 pellets does some work.
My 30-30 336 Marlin, it's the best.
gotta say my trusty Mossberg 500 12 gauge. I feed it lightfields for brush/woodland hunting. for the fields i use Hornady SST.
My favorite Deer rifle has got to be my Tikka T3 in a .270 winchester. It is a deadly accurate rifle that weighs only 6.5lbs. I just cant beat it!
308 win 150gr Hornady
my favorite rifle is the winchester model 70 .30/06
I used to use my 300 WSM with 150 or 165 grain Hornady SST bullets for deer. Last year I got a new 338 Federal and fell in love with it. I shot 200 grain interlocks and killed one deer but this year I think I will get some 185 Accubonds to shoot in it. A lot of people say I hunt with too big of guns but that is better than too little of guns. I use Tikka T 3 Lites with Sims Limb Saver recoil pads on them and they are a pleasure to shoot.
The 338 Federal is a 308 case necked up to 33 and anything connected to the fantastic 308 is a hit with me. My only problem is having too many choices when it is time to deer hunt. I guess that is a good problem to have.
savage model 110 in 7mm Rem Mag or 243 topped with a ziess conquest and nikon monarch. never had a deer do anything but flop. cheap gun that shoots better than i do
Savage stevens model 200 in 308
I hate to say it but one of my favorite deer guns fell victum to the economy. I have always wanted a Sako and the Tikka T3 300WSM and 338 Federal were traded for a Sako A7 300WSM. The Sako A7 was worth the trade and my wife surprised me and bought me a Remington 700CDL .280 for my birthday so I have a couple new deer rifles.
My WW II Russian Mosin-Nagant chambered in 7.62x54r
Weahterby Mark 5 .270 Weatherby Magnum
I love using my Remengton 700 308. It gets the job done .
It depends on the area. If you are in wide-open territory, you might want something that shoots long and flat with a good scope (300 ultra Mag). If you are tight in the dense woods, you might pick a 30-30 with an open site because the longest shot you will make is 50 yards and you need the open site to pick them up quick to make the shot.
Post a Reply
My favorite would have to be my Remington model 700 mountain rifle in 7mm-08. I got the rifle when i was 11 and am 21 now and still using it. Every deer i have shot with it has either dropped or only gone about 30 yards. It is also very light and compact as well as shoots flat. I had no problem taking deer at 300 yards.
My go-to for stands around soybean fields(looong flat shots)is my Ruger #1 in 7mm Rem. Mag. This will be the 3rd season out with my Tikka T3 270WSM. It's taken a couple of does but nothing to hang on a wall. For thick brush & hog hunting it's been either a Puma 92 in .454 Casull or my Contender pistol in 7-30 Waters.
My Marlin Lever in .45/70..It's my favorite gun in the woods here in Michigan with relatively close shots, and quick follow-up shots if needed.
My favorite deer rifle is also my first rifle my dad ever bought me a remington 700 adl 30-06.It is not exactly the same gun anymore though,i was a machinest for 10 years and one day i clamped it on a milling machine and after cutting,milling,drilling shaving and rebluing,adding a kwickklip and a houge overmolded stock it weights 6 lbs loaded with a 4-12 luepold scope.Everyone that see's it loves it.I have shot my largest buck with it a Pa black bear and several other white tail,coyete,groundhogs and a wild boar.
My favorite gun for deer is a 12 gauge pump action Browning that my uncle bought back in 1984 and i started using last year. Its got a modified choke and is extremely accurate ive killed every deer ive shot with it so far (including one that was on the run), and it seems to be just the right weight for me and has very good balance, plus its tough
My Favorite would be my Browning BPS Hunter 12 Gauge with 3 inch Magnum shells. I have found that the Federal Power Shok Slugs have given me the best results. They penetrate deer deep and have some serious knock down power. I have killed two deer with two shots, both last year (2008). Try it in your smooth bore shotgun and I think you will switch brands!
My favorite deer rifle is my Remington 700 .35 Whelen because I have taken more deer and elk with that gun than all the others combined. Close 2nd is my 1966 model 700 ADL .308 Win. Killed my first deer with that one and still have it.
My favorite gun is a .243 my uncle made. its a straight shooter
Browning A-Bolt 12 gauge.
remington .20 gauge or a 243 rifle
mossberg 12 gauge with 3 inch OO buckshot! This knocks the snot right out of the deer in a deer drive, or walking in the thick swamps!
Remington 870 slug gun with Hornaday sst and elite 3200 rainguard scope when blind/tree stand hunting
OR the OLD fashioned Win 35 lever action a little bigger then the dirty 30/30 but fun to shoot in Rifle zone of MI.
Can not leave out the smoke pole 50 cal.
at home in the mountains i love to carry my marlin m336 in 30-30, but it's hard to bear my ruger 30-06 out in flatter country.
Montana Rifle Works 6.5 X 55, 3-9x40 Leupold VariX II scope.
my favorite rifle is the winchester model 70 .30/06
The A-Bolt shotgun is real. No typo.
shane
I had to check the A-bolt shotgun, too. I know lots of guys who have A-bolt rifles, but had never heard of an A-bolt shotgun before, but it is the real deal. I almost put my foot in my mouth on that one! Would not be the first time, however.
i meant "hard to beat" sorry
ok airborne, then what are they??? small game???
GOOD deer gun...the one you can shoot when it counts in putting meat in freezer..esp muliple packs of meat, since it is not small game and that usually means only one packet of freezer meat!
WAM is a bit of a Western hunter elitist and likes to scoff at whitetails and whitetail hunters. Excuse him lol. I would bet if he shot a big muley in the mountains it would qualify as big game, but if someone shot an even bigger whitetail in a swamp, it wouldn't count haha.
@Shane,
I am far from an elitist of any flavor, thank you very much. bordering on "purist", maybe. Deer of any persuasion just don't fit my image of big game, but after researching the popular definitions of "big game", it seems that I am wrong. I stand corrected. I have never scoffed at whitetails or whitetail hunters. I have said on multiple occasions that sitting in a shooting house over a food plot or bait pile is not my cup of tea, but hardly scoffing. And yes, I have killed some mule deer way over 250 pounds, so I guess I should change my personal definition????
@matt wasson,
They certainly are not "small game"! I always considered North American deer as just "deer" and the larger species such as elk, moose, and caribou as "big game". Certainly some of the smaller sub-species of deer such as Key Deer and Coues Deer aren't exactly "big game". I would not consider a deer that is outweighed by my Labrador Retriever as big game.
Just poking fun, dude.
@ shane
LOL
My 30-30 336 Marlin, it's the best.
My favorite Deer rifle has got to be my Tikka T3 in a .270 winchester. It is a deadly accurate rifle that weighs only 6.5lbs. I just cant beat it!
308 win 150gr Hornady
I used to use my 300 WSM with 150 or 165 grain Hornady SST bullets for deer. Last year I got a new 338 Federal and fell in love with it. I shot 200 grain interlocks and killed one deer but this year I think I will get some 185 Accubonds to shoot in it. A lot of people say I hunt with too big of guns but that is better than too little of guns. I use Tikka T 3 Lites with Sims Limb Saver recoil pads on them and they are a pleasure to shoot.
The 338 Federal is a 308 case necked up to 33 and anything connected to the fantastic 308 is a hit with me. My only problem is having too many choices when it is time to deer hunt. I guess that is a good problem to have.
savage model 110 in 7mm Rem Mag or 243 topped with a ziess conquest and nikon monarch. never had a deer do anything but flop. cheap gun that shoots better than i do
Remington 700 30/06, Jay I have never seen a Browning A Bolt shotgun? Heh Heh
HEY Airborne Im with you on weight some deer shot weigh less then ol' yeller...
I have yet gotten the chance at some "big" game but that is on the way for me.
I'm thinking bear with bow in Ontario with my brother!
Sorry no sitting in blinds or over bait piles. Food plots for me are agriculture fields, corn, bean, winter wheat, etc.. I like stands for bow but this year did the spot stalk for deer! very rewarding
GO 82nd!
belgium browning BAR 30-06 is my favorite
I sit corrected in A Bolt Shotgun!
Browning Wins Bolt-Action Slug-Gun Shoot-out
At $800, the A-Bolt costs more than twice as much as guns from Marlin, Mossberg, and Savage. But in our view, the extra dollars deliver extra performance.
Anchored on a Protektor bench rest, each
gun was zeroed at 50 yards until it could
shoot one-hole groups, then was tested at
100, firing five five-shot groups at five-bull
Visible Impact series targets.
If your formative years as a deer hunter were spent east of the Mississippi, chances are you knew someone who started with a slug-loaded, inexpensive bolt-action shotgun—or maybe you toted one. Seems like there was always somebody serving an apprenticeship with a Polychoked Mossberg 195, Marlin 55, J.C. Higgins, Stevens, or Sears 140 bolt gun.
Back then turnbolt shotguns were “starters” reserved for kids—stepping stones to Ithaca or Remington pumps or autoloaders. Or they were multi-purpose ordnance used by folks who weren’t as serious about deer guns as they were in simply having something in the truck or behind the farmhouse door that could be of use in all seasons.
The bolts of those days were at the lower end of the shotgun spectrum. But you’ve also got to remember that shotguns and slugs per se weren’t accurate back then, either. Put three out of five in a gallon can at 40 paces and you had a tackdriver. Firepower had far more appeal and usefulness than that kind of accuracy.
But as I say, that was then. This is now. Today’s bolt-action slug guns are definitely not reinventions of the wheel. Comparisons between them and yesterday’s simple actions are about as valid as racing the Spirit of St. Louis against a Stealth bomber. Slug shooting has evolved eons in the last 10 years.
And, in a way, it was inevitable that the bolt-action gun would re-emerge in this Renaissance of slug shooting. After all, like arrow speed in archery, lane grip in bowling and shaft flex in golf, accuracy has become the Holy Grail of shotgun slug shooting.
Go to a benchrest rifle match and look at what the competitors are shooting. Remember, these are the test pilots of the firearms industry. These guys are perfectionists. They’re apt to retire a gun if they can’t cover its last five-shot group with a dime. What do they shoot? Bolt actions and single shots. No exceptions. Show up with any other action and be prepared for snickers, smirks, and an out-of-the-money finish.
Anybody knowledgeable about slug guns knows that the solid front lock-up and sheer receiver mass that is so critical in rifle accuracy is overkill for slug guns. But enthusiasm often overcomes common sense. Thus the hottest ticket in slug-gun shooting is the bolt-action.
There are now four modern production bolt-action rifled barrel slug guns on the market; “modern” being the operative word here. These are the $800 Browning A-Bolt, the $380 Savage 210 MasterShot, the $350 Marlin 512 Slugmaster and the $293 Mossberg 695. In side-by-side comparison the Browning A-Bolt shotgun is the class of the bolt-action, rifled-barrel slug-gun field. Metal-to-wood fit, wood quality, finish, workmanship, and function are head and shoulders above the other bolt guns. But then it ought to be with an $800-plus price tag.
How We Tested
In a head-to-head comparison that consisted of 100 rounds being fired through each gun in one heady afternoon at the range, it must be said that all four turnbolts acquitted themselves well in the accuracy department. Anchored on a Protektor bench rest, each gun was zeroed at 50 yards until it could shoot one-hole groups, then was tested at 100, firing five five-shot groups at gridded five-bull Visible Impact series targets from Crosman. The relatively slow (1,300 fps to 1,400 fps) loads are vulnerable to wind, but that was not much of a factor on test day as the mild breeze was negligible. Air temperature was 45 degrees at an elevation of 950 feet.
Start My Subscription to Gun Tests Today and Receive 12 Issues for just $24. Gain full access to our entire online library including thoudands of detailed gun reviews and other Subsciber Benefits!
There was a picture of it and it is as purty as you would expect from Browning.
I shot my first deer with my grandpas old J.C. Higgins model 50 in 30-06 but I wanna get a remington 700 cdl in 300 win mag or another .06
Number one selling shotgun the 870. Using Winchester 3 1/2 in. 00 buckshot. 18 pellets does some work.
gotta say my trusty Mossberg 500 12 gauge. I feed it lightfields for brush/woodland hunting. for the fields i use Hornady SST.
Savage stevens model 200 in 308
I hate to say it but one of my favorite deer guns fell victum to the economy. I have always wanted a Sako and the Tikka T3 300WSM and 338 Federal were traded for a Sako A7 300WSM. The Sako A7 was worth the trade and my wife surprised me and bought me a Remington 700CDL .280 for my birthday so I have a couple new deer rifles.
My WW II Russian Mosin-Nagant chambered in 7.62x54r
Weahterby Mark 5 .270 Weatherby Magnum
I love using my Remengton 700 308. It gets the job done .
It depends on the area. If you are in wide-open territory, you might want something that shoots long and flat with a good scope (300 ultra Mag). If you are tight in the dense woods, you might pick a 30-30 with an open site because the longest shot you will make is 50 yards and you need the open site to pick them up quick to make the shot.
Deer are not Big Game!
Post a Reply