Deer Rifles

As far as the weight on the woodsmaster, have you considered an aftermarket synthetic stock? I have no idea if they are available or not, but it may provide enough weight savings to make it more comfortable. Just a thought. :wink:


As far as a new rifle goes, exactly what are you looking for in a brush gun? Are you concerned about magazine capacity? Do you have a preference regarding action type? How important is weight(remember as weight decreases, recoil increases)? What price range? Are you a left handed shooter?

A few suggestions that I would make without knowing any of the above would be:

1. A Ruger NO. 1 International-A single shot falling block that comes in .243, .270, 7x57, and the greatest caliber ever, .30-06
Although it lists for over $900 it is available from wally world for around $700 or for just a little more from your favorite dealer.
This gun is very short and very lightweight.

More info available at: [color=blue]http://www.ruger.com/Firearms/FAProdResults?function=famid&famid=42[/color]
Just click on the icons to se more info.

2. A Thompson Center Encore-A single shot break action with interchangable barrels to allow you switch calibers from .22 hornet to .375 holland and holland
I believe it retails for somewhere around $600

More info at : http://www.tcarms.com
Click on the Encore link at the top of the page.

3. A ruger M77 Compact - Compact Bolt action avaiable in .223, .243, .260 remington, 7mm-08, and .308
Retails around $500

More info avaiable at:
www.ruger.com/Firearms/P-CategoryRiflesCBA.html

Also Ruger just introduced a scout rifle same as the compact, but with forward mounted scope for faster traget acquisiton

4. A new winchester 94 or Marlin 336 both retail for less than $500
Also I have heard from numerous sources that the quality of the Marlin is better than that of the Winchester, albeit with a higher price.

IF IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE COMPACT

1. A savage Arms Bolt of any kind, take a look at their website:
www.savagearms.com/

They produce high quality bolt actions that arguably the most accurate out of the box when compared to anything in their price range which is for the most part under $500. I believe them to be better than the Rugers.
They also have the most comprehensive line of left handed guns.

2. A Tikka which is imported by Beretta. Guarandteed 1" 3 shot groups @ 100yds for around $550
More info:
www.tikka.fi/

3. Any other rifle made by remington, winchester, Browning, etc.

Sorry for the length hope this is helpful if you have any more info forme about your needs, I could make some more suggestions. Not that I am anykind of expert.

Wow, great reponse. :wink:

As for caliber I think I am interested in the .30-06 myself. Capacity isn't really an issue for me. Anything over 4 rounds is good enough. That's what the .30-30 held...

Action, no preference.

Price range would be another determining factor. I am looking for the best rifle without having to go over $700. If I absolutely had to pay more I would..

I am a right handed shooter even though I am left handed. I am right eye dominant so I learned early to shoot right.

Probably Ruger would be the way to go.

How important is size? Do you need a compact given your hunting conditions? Or could you get away with a slightly longer rifle? The rugers are nice but from what I have seen of them, the wood to metal fit could be slightly better (although it is OK), and the bolt has a lot of play. However I do not own one so if some says differently then I may be wrong, maybe I have just seen bad ones.

If you feel that you could go with a more standard size rifle I would steer you towards a Savage. Their new Accutrigger is adjustable from 2.5-6lbs of pull without the aide of a gun smith. It is one of the smoothest triggers I have felt. No creep or play just a crisp short pull. They also retail for about $50 less than the Ruger.

Some people are critical of the Birch stocks on the Savage, however they now have a beautiful walnut stocked model (the 114U I believe) for around $500, if you care about what the stock is made of. :wink:

They also have several packages which inlcude a rifle as well as a simmons 3-9x scope. These sell for less than the two items could be purchased seperately.

Nah, I don't think size matters too much where I go. It isn't always that thick in there but enough so I wouldn't want a scope. Length wouldn't matter necessarily.

It would be nice to have a walnut stock. I am into good looking rifles if you know what I mean... :wink:

Function obviously is important too..

As for the trigger, I do like a nice crisp squeeze. A little play wouldn't bother me too too much.

I would probably buy something more standard as I am looking for something fairly simple. Adjusting the trigger may be a nifty thing to have but it certainly isn't necessary.

I was also thinking of buying a shotgun at some point. Looking to use it for turkey hunting. Never been turkey hunting before and would like to give it a shot... (pun intended :wink: )

I am thinking of probably a 12 gauge Browning... I prefer side by each double barrel... Any recommendations would also be fine..

Not much into shotguns myself. More of a high powered rifle kinda guy..

I too appreciate nice firearms, and sometimes one must spend a little more to get what one wants.

Nice double shotguns are over $1000 and nice side by sides are in the $1500 range.

Probably the most econimcal shotgun is a Mossberg 500. As far as quality goes, they surpass the military's standards which is a heck of a lot more abuse than most people's shotguns sees in decades of use. Oh yeah it retails for under $200 at walmart.

If you think you want open sights, there are only a few models of bolt actions available with them. You may want to consider a low power scope such as a 1x or 2x or a 1-4x variable which would provide a wide field of view like with iron sights and the superior aiming characteristics of a scope. These style scopes are very popular on brush guns.

As far as the Savage trigger thing goes, I just mentioned that because it is a cool feature. One which I don't actually use, but some people do. The Savage trigger is as simple as the next guy's. It just provides a beeter trigger pull, which enhances accuracy.