Best gun for Deer?

[Hookeye]

Practicing a lot may help, may not.
There is such a thing as quality. Quantity doesn't always trump it.
I have seen a ton of lead wasted for no gain.
Stereotypical of the avg deer hunter IMHO.
I doubt many are on shooting forums.
Think folks here probably a bit better off skill wise.
This forum and others, too many think one has to burn a lot of ammo or spend a lot of time with their deer rig.
I think most shooting related and if you can shoot your other stuff decent, that becoming proficient with the deer rig should not take much effort or time.

Again, a beginning deer hunter might not be a beginning shooter.

I think deer body language, habits and anatomy might be better studied than trying to shave one's group from 3" at 100 yards to 2".

I've always shot decent.
My hunting bud has to work a bit at it, and still doesn't shoot fantastic.
But he is more reserved in his shot selection, stays within his limits, and it works well for him.

I think we as a hunting culture have gone from slobs to saints.
Idiots used to shoot crap setups at anything that moved and blew jaws and hooves off.

Now we have super technical gear, used only when the planets are aligned, the wife made meatloaf the night before.

Deer were seen as simply things before, and now are religious icons.
Think the reality lies somewhere in between.

Of course practice. But geeeesh, know when enough is enough. The cultists of deer hunting are making it seem like it takes way more than it does.

 

[avboiler11]

Wait a second...

Wasn't one of the arguments against modern centerfire rifles for deer that hunters aren't proficient enough with their weapons?

 

[Hookeye]

Again, from other forums and here.......many are saying one needs to practice a lot with their chosen deer rig.
I think practicing with other firearms to transfer positive.
Practice, practice a lot if one wants.........but I still don't think one has to practice a lot with their deer rig.
IMHO if you can shoot your .22rf and AR well you should be good to go with your .44 Marlin... within a box of shells.
Don't think the platform so different one needs to burn a couple hundred rounds in prep.
If it does take that much to become OK........my guess is that they're gonna flub it out in the sticks.

 

[Hookeye]

Modern rifles offer great accuracy gains.
A NC Star in see through rings is mandatory.
Plus being 100# overweight (human sandbag concept).
Lead sled sight in also pre-req.
200-300 rounds through that and one should be a friggin' deer sniper.
Because that's a fair amount of practice, in a specific deer rifle.

 

[Hookeye]

On trad bow forums, and even heard in the shops...............some folks talk about "1 arrow practice".....because "that's all one's gonna get in the woods".

Idiots on the other side of the spectrum, gear and practice wise.

Will say a ton of practice with trad gear can be too much, as fatigue may set in, bad habits show up..........and the offset can corrupt a shooter (and they still shoot decent for that day).

That is IMHO why so many trad shooters going the reflexive route, often have good and bad days.

Too many think practice always builds on practice.

The Continuous Improvement Process is not just guided by effort/time spent.

 

[bwframe]

Wow, is there anything else we need to know Hookeye?

 

[Hookeye]

No, all will be revealed when you practice a lot with your deer rifle

 

[bwframe]

Are you sure?

 

[oldpink]

Oh, good lord!
You're a great shot...wonderful.
All bow to the master marksman, and no one should ever want to aspire to be as precise as possible to show appropriate respect for his quarry to bring it down with one carefully placed shot.
I had no idea that this would turn into a unit-measuring contest.
Sheesh!

 

[Restroyer]

In other news....Hookeye came down with a case of carpal tunnel.

 

[Hookeye]

If one thinks that they need a ton of practice with their chosen deer rig so be it.
Those folks probably need all the help they can get, real and imaginary.

Precise as possible?

Well then shoot from a blind with a bench, off bags, with a heater keeping you comfy.
How good does one have to be to take their game cleanly? What friggin' chamber of the heart must one place the bullet?

No measuring contest by any means, think some others are rather clueless, lack thinking and maybe shooting ability and are trying to pass off deer hunting as some damn religion.

As long as one's gear shoots well and they use it within their limits...........that's good enough.

Sub MOA rifles and hundreds of rounds burned into the bank at the range are not needed to take deer cleanly (again, esp at common IN deer hunting ranges).

Even if some say so.

If that's what they need...........so be it. They're still BS artists.

 

[Hookeye]

Nowhere did I say one should not take their game cleanly.
Those who insinuate that I did...........

 

[bwframe]

Should one use a rest or a bipod Hookeye?

 

[Hookeye]

Whatever lets them hit the mark

LOL, before I added weight to the inside of my Contender carbine's forend, it was a bit touchy.
So the 1st yr I hunted it, just hung a Harris bipod on the front. For the weight.

1 shot, 1 deer.

Miracle of course, since I notoriously subscrbe to the Thompson Center spray and pray club.
Hawken and 3 Contenders. Damn near belt feeds.

Mountain Dew and several speed loaders..........should anchor a deer by the 4th shot.
Maybe only need 3...........if I used the bipod as a rest.

Thanks for reminding me about that. You saved me some ammo

 

[Harleyrider_50]

Look, hookeye. I didn't call into question your ability to hit a deer reliably. We actually have fairly similar backgrounds for our early shooting careers. I guess I don't have any eye condition that presented an advantage to me, but from the stories related to me, I did have a lot of talent, and my father saw to it that I was supplied with as many BB's and rounds of .22 LR that I could want to shoot. He did this because he wanted to see me succeed at something I really truly loved doing, and because he didn't have the same luxury growing up. I owe him a lifetime of achievement, one shot at a time, for what he did for me...one shot at a time.

The skill set has served me well, and I don't deny that a deer's vitals are a pretty large target for me at normal hunting ranges, but I have the sense to know there was a time when I couldn't. There are those on this forum and many in this great state that know--every weekend--that I back up what I say, and I teach what I know works. I will help anybody that takes the time to listen to me honestly, and will trust me long enough to see the dividends. I in turn seek counsel from those that I see doing it better than myself, be they local, or from New South Wales.


Buddy, we can sit around and jaw at each other like rabid cats about how well we shoot, and I can back it up with as much placards and data and trophies and medals and antler inches as I should have had in a full lifetime; I assume you can do the same.

The fact will remain though:

You gave terrible advice to a the deer hunters reading this thread. ALL of them, new or experienced, young or old, me or you, could do with some more practice.

-Nate

LOL..........speak fer yerself, dude.....NOT fer everbody else......

Most part......I agree everthing he said.......
I've always said.....can either point/shoot the dammn things.....or ya cain't.........an' I don' need 6 days a week at'a range

.....or a damn semi-load ammo ta put anythin' in'a freezer......


'Is ain Colorado......or Montana..............anythin' in'a 9" paper plate @ 100 yds, or closer......at's a down deer.....



......lot'a you dudes in here.....ayyyy over-think 'is shizz......

 

[ghuns]

There is no blanket answer for "the best".

For the purpose of the OP, a new hunter just starting out, IMHO a modern, inline muzzle loader is best. Longer season. Works close up. Works far away. If you need follow up shots, you're not doing it right. Don't need more of those guys in da woods that you always hear on opening day of gun season, boom........ boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

Maybe an Encore. Muzzle loader to start. Shotgun barrel if you want. If rifle calibers are opened up someday, tons of options.

AR in .450 Bushmaster. Kills deer dead.

.458 SOCOM, kills them .006" deader.

Should one use a rest or a bipod Hookeye?

Or go old school and gnaw a forked branch off a tree?

 

[natdscott]

Miracle of course, since I notoriously subscrbe to the Thompson Center spray and pray club.
Hawken and 3 Contenders. Damn near belt feeds.

Now that's funny.

You know, I never could get to like the Hawken for anything except light target loads. It's a magnificent rifle that I have fully tuned the trigger on, repaired, pinned, and rebedded the rear tang and barrel in Devcon (hidden), and it got a Green Mt. LRH barrel with a tang sight while I was working...

...but that hooked butt plate rips my shoulder apart with full loads. It shoots EXTREMELY well, but that stock just does not work well for me.

-Nate

 

[Hookeye]

FWIW my bud's old .54 Hawken (TC) shoots great, doesn't hurt me.
My .50 beats the frick out of my cheekbone.
Initial load was 385 gr GP on 100gr FFg...........5 shots and I was purpled.
The QLA is crap, TC should never have went to that BS on sidehammers.
Can't cut my rifle down, would kill the look.....plus being a Silver Elite, they do kinda sorta have some value.
I paid $315 for it new at Lengel's. They fetch over 500 used.

Never had a problem with my Renegades. Sure the Maxiball loads on 100gr were thumpers, but only on the shoulder.
Roundballs were super comfy on 100gr FFg and zipped right through deer.
My New Englander was sweet but the round bbl looked like crap.

I could run a higher front sight and make a spacer 1/8" for the rear sight, that might help. Reg irons or with peep on tang.......the stock is just too straight.

Not noticeable to my eye, but damn it will friggin' bite ya.

240 gr sabots take the sting out. Dropping from 100 to 90 grains does as well (if just wanting to shoot it).
Hunting I run it all out. Seems to do OK with musket cap, 100gr T7 FFg and TC Maxhunter 275 gr.

Am content to hunt later seasons with my Blackwidow recurve.
Gun season I still want to dump my break open TC and go to a .35 Rem barreled Ruger #1.
Even if the regs change.......200 yds and in, what a cool setup.

 

[singlesix]

I have a T/C Hawken .50 cal, I place the butt plate not in my shoulder pocket but the armpit, bottom hook under the armpit. 70 grains of 2ff BP and roundball.

 

[Hookeye]

My buddy with the .54 Hawken, missed a cow elk with a .50 Renegade w tang peep.
Yup, some drunk at TC made it.
Bbl would shift in tang...........if might shoot good for a few shots, then not.
This in addition to new bbl vertical stringing TC was infamous for. 'Bout 100 shots and they'd settle in.

Buddy missed his elk, was p*ssed. Sold me the like new gun cheap.
I used Microbed to fill the ran screw holes. Glass bedded the bbl so it was tight in the tang.

Using bbl sights............it shot great. Blasted a few deer with it, sold to coworker. Months later he comes to me and says that thing shot fantastic, best MZ he's ever seen. Duh, told him it was a shooter. Guess he thought I was hyping it for a sale.

Will say my new Englander, after break in, was my best TC. Roundball, .495 w cotton patch (kinda thick) and 100gr FFg, #11 ignition...........
Benched with prper sized bull. I shot two 3 shot groups, cloverleafed, in the X. At 100 yds.

Somewhere in a move the target was lost

Gun was 6" groups at 50 until break in (for 5 shots). Vertical line.

The only deer I shot at with it, was on the run at about 40 yards, quartering to. Roundball hit ahead of onside shoulder on neck, found under hide behind other shoulder. 160# dressed 115" 9 pt. Still got the bullet at least.