Best gun for Deer?

[Hookeye]

Still think a Knight Wolverine a best buy type of gun.
Ditched the plastic sights, modified some old Rem 700 sights I had.
Had to run irons for elk.
No shot taken
IN deer hunting it wore a scope.
For me, it shot good, was easy to use.........it just made deer hunting too easy.
Guess I'm a gear head.
I think it cool to have to add pressure to the hammer, to cock a MZ as a deer comes in on a crisp winter day.
One little "click" could spook 'em.
Like the idea of sport.
MZ for me means side hammer.

 

[Hookeye]

With rifle season.......and late rifle in some counties...........

a .357 or .44 mag rifle is pretty sweet.
Kids? .357 is soft. Could run .44 Specials in the magnum if need be.

Buddy runs a CVA scout in .35 Rem.
He loves it.

I'd proly get one of them over a H&R.
But then I'd prefer a TC over the CVA (old Contender vs Encore or G2). They just look better IMHO.

Not sure most would consider the cost difference palatable.

CVA seems like a best buy.

 

[Hookeye]

Picked up an early 80's Renegade .54 from a bud last yr. Like new, killer wood too.
Was thinking I might leave the Hawken alone and just run a non face buster
But BP just irked me more and more, so said screw it.
Gave it to a friend of mine.
He said it shot great, but forgot to get all the oil out after cleaning/storage.......so yup.
On his first deer hunt..........."pop".
Got a good laugh out of that.
Thank goodness it was a doe and not some 190" non typ!

 

[Hookeye]

100gr FFg and roundball in .50 I like for deer. It kills them dead but IMHO usually leaves a trail to follow (bloodtrail on leaves, or better yet snow.........good stuff).
Most of my shots went in and out.
The accuracy and comfort were certainly noticeable (compared to other loads).
Tried a little more, and a little less.
4 different TC .50's...............all shot 100gr just dandy (after break in). All were 1 in 48 twist.
Never shot less than 80 gr, even goofing off back in the day.
Sure would stretch a pound of powder.

 

[mrunnebo]

I have a 50 Beowulf and love it. It hits like a 12ga slug but is laser accurate. It kills deer very well. Ammo is not that expensive. 350gr Hornady XTP about $30 per box of 20. Thats $1.50/rd. I reload though and bullet selection for .50 is abundant.

 

[Hookeye]

My old 870 with rifled bore put WW HI Supremes into 1.5" at 100yds.
Thing was wicked.
Sold it to my bud, who still has it.........but went to .35 Rem rifle.
I did two 870's w rifled bores. Both had receivers drilled and tapped, wore scopes low, had high comb stocks.
They worked very well.
But a more trim rifle just feels better........in the hand, and on the shoulder.

 

[Hookeye]

Only taken 1 deer with .44 rifle.
Did buy a Marlin and scoped it...........shot good.
Looked funky.
So I sold it.
Not as good a shooter, but good enough............and way more cool IMHO..........a fingergroove Ruger auto.
Pops has one, and I ran a 236 gr Norma JHP through bambi right on the money at 65 yards.

Peep sighted, hope to run it again soon. Just too cool.
Definitely a 100 yard an in rig. Without a sight change probably best at 75 and in.
Even with a smaller bead front......trigger, accuracy..........no way I'd rip past 100yds.

My Marlin shot way better but just lacked the feel and looks.

If of better funds...........a .460 S&W Ruger #1 might be a fun thumper.

 

[critopermitel]

is the price difference in a savage shotgun vs a Mossberg 500 worth $200 just for the accutrigger? This will be my first season hunting and I am trying to figure out what I want to get. I really have no idea. I usually shoot handguns and ARs. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Hookeye]

If you love bolt actions, the Savage might be your rig.
Sometimes a follow up shot is needed.
There I think other platforms may offer an advantage over a bolt rig.
Inside of 150 yards I've had excellent luck with pump shotguns.
It all boils down to what you want, for whatever reasons you want.
There's so much stuff out there that will work.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Indiana is looking into making standard rifle calibers legal for deer real soon. So you might keep that in mind.

As far as which gun is best depends on the location (deep woods, open fields etc.) A shot gun will do the job but has a limited range. Muzzle loaders offer a longer season. You can also get an AR in .458 Socom or .450 bushmaster. Those are legal in Indiana right now.

Specialty pistols used to be the rage, now with the allowance of rifles.............not so much.

I think a Super 14 non braked in .35 Rem with Pachmayr grippers to be a hoot. Invigorating

As for shoulder shooting deer, I switched to that aiming point many moons ago. They usually go down much quicker (which should help keep them from jumping a fence and going home in somebody else's pickup).

Bigger ground, away from property lines, yeah might not need a shoulder smack.

The doe I hit dressed 123# IIRC, angled towards, I was in a stand above creekbottom, so the shot angled down. Hit inside shoulder, front edge, angling back. Bullet chunk hit rib low just ahead of diaphragm. Did not exit chest wall. Largest portion maybe 50 gr. Looked like an auger went through liver, ground up 1.5" or so hole. Lung was smoked as well.

At the shot she took off (surprise) and ran 30 yards into a big fallen log, bounced off and lay dead.

Am interested to see how the bullet holds up at a little slower contact V.

Dont count on it. The last round of petitions was shot down (no pun intended) pretty soundly. WE said we want it, made a lot of noise, then somebody in an official capacity (DNR?) said "Nope. We still dont think its a good idea" and the weight of their statement made those charged with changing the rules say "Nope. Not gonna happen. Buh-bye!" At least that is how I recall it happened. I'm sure there is a thread on here about it somewhere.

is the price difference in a savage shotgun vs a Mossberg 500 worth $200 just for the accutrigger? This will be my first season hunting and I am trying to figure out what I want to get. I really have no idea. I usually shoot handguns and ARs. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Depends. If you are accurate with the shotgun, you are good to go. And with your 500's interchangeable barrels, you can put a cantelever barrel on it for deer, and the scope stays with the barrel, still zeroed in. So when you switch from squirrel, rabbit, clays, etc to deer, you dont have to re-mount the scope to the receiver and re-zero it. Just slap the deer barrel back on and you are ready. (I'd still fire one test slug at least to make sure the scope didnt get bumped during storage)

 

[Hookeye]

Rifles became legal some time back, but are under a cartridge spec.
Many a specialty pistol person jumped on that bandwagon.
Rifle, rifle scopes, repeater, less blast.................plus the shooters who did that specialty pistol stuff tended to be older.
Just more comfortable to go to rifle.
.44 mag and .35 Rem Contenders got dumped.
They, plus reg .44 mag revolvers...........collected dust on dealer shelves.
But then Smith ditched Fox Ridge............and Contender frames are in limited (if any) production.
Contenders have finally come up in price (frames)...........but for a while were damn near paperweights.

I've bought five, with extra barrels. Those extra barrels were sold.............to people west of the Mississippi.
Not prairie dog calibers either.

Here, everybody seems to want a .44 rifle.

Agree, don't see regular HP rifle passing anytime soon.
One can trim a .35 Rem or .358 Win and play the game, or go with a .358 Hoosier or similar. .450 BM and .458 Socom in AR some folks run.

For me, it's still a 200 yd an in deal for deer. If I lease a spot I've had my eye on, yeah, might go with a wildcat hot rod to stretch it closer to 400.

Sure some guys ran Encore handguns with HP rifle chamberings...........but those guys also jumped on the rifle bandwagon. They just went for the wildcats.

 

[craigkim]

After this thread, I think that I am going to make the switch to 458 this year. When comparing bullet drop from the high velocity sabot slugs like the SST or the XP3, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of difference, but I think that the 458 should be a LOT more accurate. Cost per round of ammunition will not really change much. Will have the versatility of a picatinny rail for scope mounting/changing, the smaller more portable size of an AR, lighter weight, etc.

 

[ghuns]

After this thread, I think that I am going to make the switch to 458 this year. When comparing bullet drop from the high velocity sabot slugs like the SST or the XP3, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of difference, but I think that the 458 should be a LOT more accurate. Cost per round of ammunition will not really change much. Will have the versatility of a picatinny rail for scope mounting/changing, the smaller more portable size of an AR, lighter weight, etc.

A little note for hunting with the .458; I can load and charge my shotgun and ML almost silently, my .458, not so much. Maybe my Rock River chamber is a little tight, maybe I crimp a little too heavy, but the only way it reliably goes boom is if I pull the charging handle back all the way and let it slam shut. That's a lot of noise in a nice quiet woods.

If you get one, practice chambering a round by letting the charging handle down slowly and quietly. Give the forward assist a tap, and see if it goes bang. Mine often does not. Just something to think about.

 

[craigkim]

A little note for hunting with the .458; I can load and charge my shotgun and ML almost silently, my .458, not so much. Maybe my Rock River chamber is a little tight, maybe I crimp a little too heavy, but the only way it reliably goes boom is if I pull the charging handle back all the way and let it slam shut. That's a lot of noise in a nice quiet woods.

If you get one, practice chambering a round by letting the charging handle down slowly and quietly. Give the forward assist a tap, and see if it goes bang. Mine often does not. Just something to think about.

Ah, thanks for that tip. Yeah, my browning gold can be loaded pretty quietly in the field. I can imagine racking an AR could be pretty loud. You should hear me climb in my climbing stand though!

I will have to use factory loads this year, but will begin reloading for it by next year.

I am thinking that I will cannibalize the scope, 3-9 Nikon Slughunter, off of my Browning for this year, maybe put it into a detachable scope mount and be able to switch readily between it and a red dot.

The upper that I am going to buy is the Tromix. they use a 1-18" twist rate. It sounds like they have the 458 pretty well figured out. Its a lot less than the Wilson Combat offering, but more than others.

What else have you found that I may be overlooking?

 

[ghuns]

What else have you found that I may be overlooking?

Tromix is the way to go. You can't go wrong with that.

I had trouble with mine when I first got it. It's a RRA and they send two recoil springs with their uppers and it didn't cycle with either. Switched to a standard 5.56 spring, worked like a champ.

I also installed a Mako stock. The one with springs in it that absorbs some of the recoil. I was hesitant to buy it, seemed kinda gimmicky, but it does what it says it'll do. I only load one recipe for it and they are maxed out, the stock really takes the sting out it.

Be careful with shot placement. The first smallish doe I shot with mine, I hit her through both front shoulders. Ruined a lot of good meat.

 

[craigkim]

Tromix is the way to go. You can't go wrong with that.

I had trouble with mine when I first got it. It's a RRA and they send two recoil springs with their uppers and it didn't cycle with either. Switched to a standard 5.56 spring, worked like a champ.

I also installed a Mako stock. The one with springs in it that absorbs some of the recoil. I was hesitant to buy it, seemed kinda gimmicky, but it does what it says it'll do. I only load one recipe for it and they are maxed out, the stock really takes the sting out it.

Be careful with shot placement. The first smallish doe I shot with mine, I hit her through both front shoulders. Ruined a lot of good meat.

Well, by my estimation, that shouldnt be any different than the 300 grain Win XP3 slugs that I like. I was telling someone earlier, that out of all of the edeer that I shot with either Win partition or XP3, I bet the average deer traveled around 3 yards.

The XP3 actually has higher velocities than the 300 gr TTSX data I find. Again, the bullet paths in my research should be very very close. The 12 ga has more energy out to about 175 yards at which point the 458 retains it's slightly longer. I think my ONLY ballistic based benefit of 458 is that I expect greater accuracy with the 458. I just find that the 12 slugs seem to start to fall apart in accuracy more for me over around 125 yards or so. I can shoot awesome groups at 60 yards, but double the distance and my group sizes triple, not double.

I'll probably use my JP captured spring in the buffer and my ACS-L to help with recoil a little. My 12 kicks horribly though, so no big deal there.

 

[Tynimiller]

My bow is silent Just poking is all. Been a fun read as I love guns but not for hunting purposes. I'm a fan if I were to hunt with a gun of Muzzleloaders or the Savage 220.

 

[beehunter]

I filled my IN doe tag with a 200 yard shot using my .243 and she went down instantly, it will be my go to gun for most of my Indiana hunting from now on.

 

[Restroyer]

I filled my IN doe tag with a 200 yard shot using my .243 and she went down instantly, it will be my go to gun for most of my Indiana hunting from now on.

What type of gun do you use the .243 in?

 

[beehunter]

Savage