I thought I'd start a thread to see what people have or like when it comes to taking game with a rifle. I realize that Maryland is mostly a shotgun and muzzle loader state, but I really like rifles, and I like the idea of being able to reload for them. I have yet to hunt anything other than fowl and small game like cottontail and squirrel, but I've always wanted to try deer hunting.
I currently have 3 bolt action rifles that could be considered deer rifles, and oddly, none of them were produced as hunting guns - they are all military rifles that have been turned into sporting rifles:
Mauser G98 chambered in 25-06 with a Timney trigger and Redfield 3x9x40. I have some game loads for this rifle that my Dad loaded, and a buddy of mine took a deer with it last weekend with a one shot kill:
117 gr Sierra BT
55.0 gr H4831
Mauser K98 in 8mm Mauser with a Western Field 6x33 fixed. It has the original stairstep barrel. The ammo I have for this:
150 gr Hornady
47.0 gr H335
(I tried to look up this load - seems that H335 might not be a great powder for this, but my Dad reloaded it, and he knew what he was doing at the reloading bench, so....I guess it's a solid load?)
1903A3 in 35 Whelen AI, Jaeger trigger, and a 2x7 Redfield variable - I lucked up into this gem from a fellow MDS'er who was thinning his collection a bit.
I figure that with these three rifles, there's not much I can't do - the 25-06 is small enough for varmints like ground hogs and prairie dogs, the 8mm Mauser isn't the fastest game in town (that load goes about 2650 fps) but I'm sure it'd do the business on a whitetail, and the 35 Whelen can take just about anything on the North American continent.
Now all I need to do is make up my mind that I want to start hunting - I think I'd like to.
So what do you guys think is the bee's knees when it comes to deer rifles and cartridges?
I currently have 3 bolt action rifles that could be considered deer rifles, and oddly, none of them were produced as hunting guns - they are all military rifles that have been turned into sporting rifles:
Mauser G98 chambered in 25-06 with a Timney trigger and Redfield 3x9x40. I have some game loads for this rifle that my Dad loaded, and a buddy of mine took a deer with it last weekend with a one shot kill:
117 gr Sierra BT
55.0 gr H4831
Mauser K98 in 8mm Mauser with a Western Field 6x33 fixed. It has the original stairstep barrel. The ammo I have for this:
150 gr Hornady
47.0 gr H335
(I tried to look up this load - seems that H335 might not be a great powder for this, but my Dad reloaded it, and he knew what he was doing at the reloading bench, so....I guess it's a solid load?)
1903A3 in 35 Whelen AI, Jaeger trigger, and a 2x7 Redfield variable - I lucked up into this gem from a fellow MDS'er who was thinning his collection a bit.
I figure that with these three rifles, there's not much I can't do - the 25-06 is small enough for varmints like ground hogs and prairie dogs, the 8mm Mauser isn't the fastest game in town (that load goes about 2650 fps) but I'm sure it'd do the business on a whitetail, and the 35 Whelen can take just about anything on the North American continent.
Now all I need to do is make up my mind that I want to start hunting - I think I'd like to.
So what do you guys think is the bee's knees when it comes to deer rifles and cartridges?