Good Deer Rifle for 100-150 Yards?

by **grenicko** » Sat May 02, 2009 12:59 pm

i find my pre ww2 300 savage is the best all around gun i have ever owned no matter what your hunting deer elk bear you can shoot with ease from 100 yds to (if your good enough )700 yds

by **NCCCCWteacher** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 5:28 am

35 Whalen. I handload so I can make it act like a 35 remington for close up deer or go full power for Moose. The 200 gr Barns triple shock will drop them in there tracks.

by **tigwelder56** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 3:01 pm

Why leave your hunt camp? A Barrett M107 will save you lots of walking and may field dress the deer at the same time!!

by **PigFeathers** » Sat May 29, 2010 9:26 pm

My favorite all around for deer is probably my Krieger custom 30-06 but I bought my wife a Tikka White Tail Hunter Delux in 270 and she has taken 4 deer with 4 shots. Her shots ranged from 100 - 200 yards. All clean kills and no real tracking of the animals. We load our own rounds. I'd have to look up my load data but they were 130 grain balistic tip Noslers. A very deadly easy shooter... or is that my wife?

by **tigwelder56** » Sat May 29, 2010 10:36 pm

Hi Pig!! Welcome to the forum and pass that welcome to your wife as well. Thanks so much for your story and pat your wife on the back for a job well done! You didn't mention your overall take with that fancy Krieger, but did mention the good job done by your partner. Is that your way of avoiding the facts? LOL!! I'm going to split the praise, but it sounds like you've got a well qualified hunting partner that appreciates a fine, affordable hunting rifle. She understands the value of good ammunition and knows how to use it. If she was my wife, I'd give credit where credit is due and ask her kindly for some tips on bagging White Tails!

Congratulations on filling your freezer! Give your hunting partner an "Attaboy" from all of us and enjoy all those great dinners! Thanks for sharing your story with us and please return to tell us about your upcoming hunts! Good luck!

by **PigFeathers** » Sat May 29, 2010 11:18 pm

Thanks Tig. And your assumptions are not too far off the mark. While I have taken many an animal - elk, deer, pigs, cats, coyotes with that rifle, it was having a bear get away after what I was sure was a kill shot that got me to buy my Sako 300 UM. I have since fallen in love with my UM and load everything from 125 gr to 220 gr rounds and have taken many an animal with it. It may be a little over the top for our black tail here in the NW but as you know, if you have ultimate confidence in your taking tool, it really means a lot when you are out there. I have taken a nice bear, several elk, several deer, a few pigs, and a coyote with my Sako and have only had to neck shot one elk to finish it. It may not be a large caliper round but it finishes like one. I will size up if I go after brown bear or if I can actually go on the Africa hunt with my Dad.

I will tell you though, that Tikka that I bought my wife is a tack driver. Once we found the right round for it, it was shooting less than 1" at 100 yards consistently. She also likes it because it is pretty - Beautiful walnut stock with cherry accents. I'd post a picture of her with one of her Muleys but I don't know how.

Stu

by **tigwelder56** » Sun May 30, 2010 1:05 am

Hey Stu, thanks for the reply! I've got a friend here that is very interested in everything you spoke about. You truly sound like an accomplished hunter and while I'm a fan of all the shooting sports, you need to talk with Belt. He's very into large North American game as well as a growing interest in African hunts. I'll pass on our talk to him, I'm sure you two will hit it off well.

It has been my pleasure to meet you and look forward to many interesting conversations with you and that "Tack" driving wife of yours, lol!!

by **PigFeathers** » Sun May 30, 2010 2:27 am

Great stuff Tig. Please do pass on to those I can glean info from. While many of us have been hunting and into the shooting sports for years, if we think we know it all, we know nothing more than our own ego.

I don't presume to be an accomplished hunter - as there is so much more to accomplish. My Dad bid on and won an African hunt and if I am so fortunate to beat out his brother in the line to accompany him, I will report our adventure.

I don't normally go for trophy hunts as a rule as most of what we do are either food hunts or control hunts. I am in no way against other types of hunts (have rugs and mounts that would say otherwise) but don't generally go out of my way to get into them. This - however - could be one of those experiences too great to pass.

Love the site. Just stumbled upon it when trying to see if what I thought was a good buy on a pistol I have been looking at was as good a buy as I thought. Guess I will know when I throw some rounds through it. Reports sound promising though.

You take care. Keep your powder dry.

Stu

by **azprospector** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:35 pm

I've probably taken down more deer with my Winchester 94 than any other rifle. Nice to carry and sweet to shoot.

by **arez_xd** » Mon Aug 02, 2010 5:39 am

You can't really go wrong with the Remington 700, in any caliber. Deer are tough though, they've got a lot of heart man, both literal and figurative. First gun I ever bought was a .30-06 700 BDL (shew..it was cherry) at a family reunion (that's how we roll back in the sticks) when I was...younger...we'll say. I got this before I got my first shave, k? Took me a while to save up the money for that, lots of cars washed and pop cans collected

Never did bother putting a scope on it, although it was already drilled & tapped. The open sights were just fine for me for that range, but I have something like 20/15 vision though. Sadly, a few years back, money got tight when my child was born and I had lost my job, so I lost it in pawn. I really miss that gun, aside from the sentimental value and knowing how hard I to work to earn it, it put meat on the table and in the freezer. I practically gave it away.

Anyway, I've hunted with a lot of different rifles, and been around guns all my life as I'm sure most everyone else around here has. It's been my experience, that the 30/30 cartridge is good up to about 100 yards. I know I'll catch some hell, but let's be honest here, with the weight of the bullet and amount of powder pushing it, it's range is kind of limited. Are you really gonna take a 150 yard shot at an animal in high wind with a 30/30? Even if you do hit it, chances are that bullet will be pushed around to where it's not immediately lethal, unless you have a horse shoe and a 4 leaf clover. Helluva brush gun, nothing better aside from maybe a 12 gauge, for busting through a thicket on a drive. I've had a couple, and they just didn't have the knock-down power I like.

The .35 cal, as someone mentioned is a lovely little beast. My dad hunted with an 'ancient' gamemaster for years (I'm talking OLD), and while I didn't much care for the way it cycled another round into the chamber (button on the slide), it gave good results under 100 yards, because whatever it hit, it destroyed. Whole Lotta Lead, little bit of powder, I kinda dig it when you can hear the bullet travel. But I like slugs too.

.30-06 is just a versatile round. You can go get a box of Hornady 125 gr. and dial it in at 400-500 yards, or get a box of 220 grain and take a bear (do you really need .338 lapua? Well, nevermind). Personally I like 180 gr. core lokt, around here there's not many places where you get a long range shot unless you're on a strip mine. 100-150 yards is my bread and butter too. And while I can track an animal pretty good, I don't like dragging the f***ers up hill. They don't travel far after a .30-06 180 gr. core lokt hits them, if they go anywhere in the first place. I like watching them drop like Tyson hit them, or better yet, 180 gr. core lokt hit them. Routinely get exit wounds I could fit a pepsi can in (you have to take out the shoulder, get that lead on bone, and with all those fragments traveling out...yeah, they don't move)

All that being said, and morbidity aside, I have to admit, I was jealous when dude said he was getting a 700 .30-06 at $250. That gun will last for generations if properly maintained and taken care of. The 700 is insanely accurate, very durable, and there's really nothing there to malfunction. Easily my favorite gun/round combination.

If you're gonna scope it, put as much into the scope as you do the gun, or what the gun is worth. At that range, 3x9 is okay, I'm partial to 4x12, you can have it dialed all the way down for under 100 yards.