My uncle used an old Winchester 70 in 243 for close to 40 years. He;s killed more deer than anyone I know. He always said a dead deer was a dead deer, why beat the shit out of shoulder if I don't have to.
West Virginia Deer Rifle Recommendation Wanted
- Thread starter Shinobi
- Start date
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SavageShooter
Active Member
Mini14tac you are right about feeling the recoil when bearing down on a live animal. Also the blast doesn't sound as loud when bearing down. I've taken deer with .30-30, .30-06, .308, 7mm Rem. Mag., .300 Win. Short Mag. After I'm done it almost feels like I only shot a rimfire. Has to be the concentration and adrenalin. I always say a bomb could go off behind me and I would not hear it because of my concentration.
Exactly, my ears don’t even ring when I kill an animal with the 7mm. Depending on bullet construction you need to mind what is behind your target because the 7 will kill what ever is behind it. I used to use ballistic tips but at such a high velocity they just came apart and made a mess. I have since switched to 150 grain Swift Sirocco’s and they perform incredible!
budman93
Ultimate Member
Mine do. You can definitely damage your hearing by occasionally shooting large calibers with no ear protection.
Excellent choice and it's also chambered in 243. If you're willing to spend as much as a grand don't rule out the 88's near twin... the Win Model 100 automatic, light weight, collectable and a great gun... be sure the firing pin has been upgraded though.
Silverlax
Active Member
Favorite caliber for the woods. Especially since most shots are under 75yds where I hunt and the 30-30has the power to get through the brush and hollies. It’s very light weight, the ultimate fudd gun and every kid that wanted to be a cowboy growing up wanted a lever action.
Mack C-85
R.I.P.
The first centerfire rifle I ever shot was my Dad's Model 88 Winchester in.308. It's scoped, but I don't remember what it is, other than it's mounted with a hinged tip-off base, that swings out of the way for iron sight use.
He purchased it in Cuba while in the Navy in 1956. Gun was returned to the States in the Armory on the U.S.S. Intrepid.
My deer rifle is a Remington 760 pump action in 30.06. Sports a 3x9 Redfield.
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Biggfoot44
Ultimate Member
- Aug 2, 2009
- 33,173
The first post specifies a list of calibers to choose amongst .
At 16yo I was 6'2" 175lb . But OP's son is described as 100lb and " boney " . So , '06 class ctgs , or Magnums may not be the best choice in imeadate future ( unless Dad commits to handloading reduced recoil loads . And 7lb will be difficult , unless you go NULA . But the Are a WV company , so fitting in a way .)
Yes the so- called " over/ under scope mounts " were/ are common ( and the concept intuitively seems like a good idea ) , but I recommend against them . Only one hight of sightline will fall naturally and quickly into alignment upon shouldering . For the other , you've got to either lift your head, or seriously scrunch down into the stock .
( If you have decent eyesight) iron sights work well , out to beyond typical deer opportunity distances . A scope properly mounted in low rings, of 2.5- 3X is very quick to bring on target .
At 16yo I was 6'2" 175lb . But OP's son is described as 100lb and " boney " . So , '06 class ctgs , or Magnums may not be the best choice in imeadate future ( unless Dad commits to handloading reduced recoil loads . And 7lb will be difficult , unless you go NULA . But the Are a WV company , so fitting in a way .)
Yes the so- called " over/ under scope mounts " were/ are common ( and the concept intuitively seems like a good idea ) , but I recommend against them . Only one hight of sightline will fall naturally and quickly into alignment upon shouldering . For the other , you've got to either lift your head, or seriously scrunch down into the stock .
( If you have decent eyesight) iron sights work well , out to beyond typical deer opportunity distances . A scope properly mounted in low rings, of 2.5- 3X is very quick to bring on target .
Answering what you're actually looking for....Savage Axis 2 would be my recommendation. Just over six pounds, so you can keep it to just over seven pounds scoped. These guns are shooters right out of the box, great triggers, better than MOA accuracy with factory ammo. Can get it as a scoped combo if you want. Inexpensive and you don't have to worry about it getting banged up in the mountains. For caliber, I'd go 6.5 Creedmoor. Light on recoil, all the range you'll ever need, very versatile, great ammo selection, everyone carries it....better than 243 now imho. If you want to add all of Maryland, then the same gun in 350 legend. Downsides there are ammo selection/availability (at least for now) and you're going to be limited to 200yds (energy wise)....which honestly isn't really that big of a deal around here, so something to think about. I have several buddies with these guns in multiple calibers (along with myself), you honestly can't beat them for performance and they handle well. Not show pieces by any means, but we're not looking for safe queens here. Second place would be Ruger American. Only upside to them in my mind is if you want something that takes an AR mag. But, they feel cheaper to me and cost more. And for hunting, most prefer not having a mag hanging out. If your son really takes to hunting, then one day he may go elk/moose/bear hunting....no need to get him a thumper until then. It's not like he'll only ever have one gun....
Biggfoot44
Ultimate Member
- Aug 2, 2009
- 33,173
If you are saying Current triggers are better , it would be worth another look eventually . When I would fondle an Axis before , the triggers were so bad as to be useless , and quick mental calculus showed adding the cost of aftemarket trigger put them into the a price class with plethora of good options .
If current ones have usable triggers , one in 6.5G does indeed appeal .
If current ones have usable triggers , one in 6.5G does indeed appeal .
The Axis II designation means that the rifle has the Savage Accutrigger . The original Axis, when it was first introduced, did not include it. And yeah, the original trigger was indeed rough.
Another vote for .243
That’s what’s hard for me to work out. At 16 I was 5’11’ and 160lbs. These days 6’1” and 185lbs. It’s a lot of muscle. Freshman year of high school I started as a super boney 5’9” and 140lbs.
My eldest is 5’6” and 110lbs at age 12. Working on him to exercise and stuff. Not that I wasn’t super weedy at his age too. His younger brother is more the athlete.
Honestly if 30 carbine is legal, I’d consider that as a go to deer rifle. Cartridge is plenty fine. At 5.5lbs real easy to carry around. Just got my eldest started on shooting centerfires and the M1 carbine was my go to there. He loves it. Can shoot it fine from the bench and okay off hand. More he needs to work on his technique a lot more off hand. More practice with the 10/22 with off hand shooting really.
Yes it is on the lighter side, but at the shorter ranges it’s likely to be used at, a 110gr soft point at 1900 or so FPS is going to kill a deer pretty dead if you get a vitals hit.
If optics are needed there are short pic rail and scope mounts made that replace the rear sight on an M1 carbine or get one of the replacement handguards that has a scout rail on it.
Next I’d go an AR-15 in 300BO, 6.5 Grendel or 6.8spc.
Possibly next year starting my oldest deer hunting. He’s interested, but he needs a lot more time at the range than he can get this year. Unless my wife lets me buy a new gun, I’ll probably let him use my 18” 6.5 Grendel AR. It’s 8lbs even with scope. He could likely handle it okay now with proper bracing (kneeling, prone or using a tree for a support). He is not strong enough to shoot it standing unsupported. Would like to get a bolt gun in 6.5 Grendel.
I would say a lever action 30-30, light weight and mild recoil. Or take a look at the Savage Apex line if he likes a bolt action. The Apex has the accu-trigger and a Vortex Crossfire scope for around $500.00.
https://www.smga.com/all-products/browse/keyword/savage-apex
https://www.smga.com/all-products/browse/keyword/savage-apex
Slimster22
Member
The 308 out of your choices sounds best to me. It's available in every little hunting town in the country. Recoil is not bad. Has long range capability and with proper bullet choice it could be used on most game in the country his entire life. Savage makes reasonably priced rifles that are accurate out of the box and usually you can find a scope combo. Of course, with the money you save buying a Savage, you can still be under budget by putting a Leupold 3x9x40. That rifle will have clear glass and will be a consistent meat getter for yiears.
gemihur
Full Blown Wildcatter
Thompson Center contender in 7-30 Waters & 6X Weaver scope
Perfect!
Perfect!
budman93
Ultimate Member
The op wants to stay within the calibers that he already owns. I doubt he wants to add an oddball cartridge when there are plenty of more widely available ones to do the job just as well.
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