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  • TheProphet

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    Jan 11, 2015
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    Wife wants to get a rifle for deer season. Went to a few stores this weekend and were shown some of the cheaper options, like Savage and such, as well as Tikka which we thought was really nice, since it felt much like the Sako without the price tag. She also liked the 2 stage trigger that some of the Savage rifles have. I personally tried to talk her into an AR-15 or the 1959 Mossberg .270 one of the shops had that was in great condition but since it's her rifle I want to let her pick. She's leaning toward a .30-06 but she'll take any and all advice she can get.
    Texas SOT
     

    Ole Cowboy

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    May 23, 2013
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    30 06 was the CALIBER of the day and I remember those days. WOW you blow a White Tail deer from the face of the earth, hell I knew guys that hunted squirrels with a 30 06. Soldiers came back from WWII who had used the M1 and Browning BAR and they were killers on the battlefield. Add to that the thousands of 1903 being dumped on the market by the govt along with Sam Cummings America's Arms Merchant brings in German rifles by the BOAT load and big calibers ruled.

    Everyone knew the big calibers worked best of BIG game and deer was not big game, more meat was lost than got to the dinner table, but suddenly the .243 appeared and it become the hottie of the 50's and into the 60's in deer camps and it worked and worked will.

    The .270 is a great rd, in fact from a ballistics view its one of the best, but started a downhill slide with the intro of the 5.56, which really became a short action vs long action and that made the .270 long in the tooth.

    If you cannot talk her into something smaller than a 30 06, like a .243 which is what my wife has then I would push hard on the 6.5 CM.

    IMO
     
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    Jan 5, 2012
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    HK
    Depends. I'm a skinny guy and been shooting large caliber guns since I was a kid. I don't go plinking with them, but shooting them enough to zero them in for hunting and shooting them for hunting, a 30.06 ain't that bad.

    Put her on a bench and set her up behind the rifle. Tell her she needs to put six rounds of 30-06 into a paper dinner plate at 100yards. Same ammo she'll use for hunting. All 6.

    I agree, 30-06 isn't bad. It's a serous Whop if you're expecting it to kick. Which it will.

    243 has a snap. I've seen quite a few deer taken with it. Lots more enjoyable.
     

    avvidclif

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    Aug 30, 2017
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    I've hunted deer since the 60"s with a 243. No problems. I have a Savage in 6.5Cm and it just seems to have softer recoil than the 243. Maybe just my perception. To me the 223 would be fine but it's not a beginners gun. It requires better shot placement than the 243 or 6.5
     

    sucker76

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    Nov 15, 2015
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    Lake Jackson
    I grew up shooting garands and 03's. I loved shooting them. My first deer rifle I bought when I was 20 was a Browning Abolt2 30-06. Then I got a Remy 30-06. It was the caliber to get. having said all that, my new hunting rifle is a Ruger RAP 6.5CM. Its lighter, a tad more accurate and easier on the shoulder for equal results. I still shoot my beloved warhorse but pack the short action to the stand now.
     

    Moonpie

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    Oct 4, 2013
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    Gunz are icky.
    .22-250
    It shoots like a laser to way out there with little recoil.
    Plenty of power for Texas whitetails.
    Put a good quality scope on it and she will be drilling the eye out of deer at 150yds. Do not cheap out on this.

    The 30-06 will stomp the daylights out of her. Do not go there.
     
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    Jan 5, 2012
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    HK
    243 pokes a tiny hole with an exit hole the size of a golf ball. The hydro-gut impact tears up organs with low damage to the surrounding meat. Kills them with a light touch.

    270 will poke a hole and it'll blow out a much bigger hole. The hydro affect makes a mess. Chest hit and lungs spray out their ears. I've seen one head shot on a doe. She never knew what hit her.

    30-06 is a sledgehammer. On both ends. On a whitetail deer it's beyond overkill. Helps if you're a bad shot.

    223...neck shots.
     

    Darkpriest667

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    Jan 13, 2017
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    I'll go with Cowboy on this and add my little part.

    I'm 5'4 and weigh 135 pounds... In SHORT I'm the size of your average or even a little smaller than your average female adult. So I might have some insight on what kind of rifle I don't like firing... First.. all mausers are out.. 7mm, 8mm whatever.. DONT.. They SUCK to fire at my size... Garands.. same thing.. Anything in 30-06 is going to SUCK for her to fire.

    I've never fired 243 so I don't know or 270.. I HAVE fired a 6.5 and I'd say that's where you want to go.. the AR-15 recoil is just fine, but, again, people have mentioned that you have to hit them just right. I'd go with a Ruger American 6.5CM and mount a nice optic on it.
     

    TheProphet

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    Jan 11, 2015
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    She's hunted with a 30-06 before, up in Idaho, and as she puts it she's "built like a lead shit house". She's comfortable with the round, but open to others. Was hoping for some insights into the brands I mentioned, Savage, Tikka, etc, as well as information on other brands we should look into. Sorry I was unclear in my original post.
     

    Vaquero

    Moving stuff to the gas prices thread.....
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    Apr 4, 2011
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    Dixie Land
    Well, with that information, I'd suggest a .308 Savage.
    Whichever model she desires to carry afield.
    With that bolt face, you can swap barrels chambers pretty easily and modify barrel profile too.
    I don't think I need to list the possibilities for you.
     

    stickbowcoop

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    Aug 25, 2018
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    Springtown TX
    I like Savage rifles. The first rifle I ever bought myself was a Savage 110 (.270) in 1991. So maybe I am biased because of that. But really between Savage and Tikka I doubt your wife would be disappointed in either brand.
     

    TexMex247

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    May 11, 2009
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    If she likes the Tikka, go with that. I recently bought a Howa 1500 in 308 as a back up hunting rifle and just to have some fun at the bench. They are 1 MOA guarantee rifles and well priced to boot. The Tikkas are also 1 MOA and my buddy's Tikka lite in .243 is lights out accurate. Doesn't kick much either.

    I think y'all will be well served by a .243, .270 or .308. Even a 7mm-08 is worth consideration. There are a bunch of people jumping on the 6.5 or 6mm bandwagon but those are best suited to someone in a competition setting willing to shell out the money for a new barrel every 2k rounds or so.

    All of the calibers derived from the .308 are time proven and much more widely available. The .243 and 7mm-08 are just necked down versions of a classic cartridge which itself is capable out to 400yds and can be stretched even farther.

    If she is comfortable with the recoil of a 30-06 then she will be even happier with it's modern counterpart, the .308.
     

    Younggun

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    Jul 31, 2011
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    hill co.
    .243, .308, .287 Creedmoor...all good choices.

    Exit wound will depend on bullet choice. I never had much need for a large exit.
     

    deemus

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    Feb 1, 2010
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    We have several Savage rifles in our safe. They are accurate. Just bought my wife a 6.5 Creedmoor to deer season in Savage Axis XP. They have better versions, but this one was $279 at Academy.
     
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