What is your “go to” weapon for deer hunting ?

WhiteoakJoe said:
I'm a 270win guy at heart, My father used one, and all the articles by O'Connor did sink in as a kid. But later in life I ended up behind a badge. Then later made Chief. In that capacity I found myself at a trade show with ammo and bullet makers trying to peddle there product to LEO's. I ended up in a conversation with an engineer who made bullets for a well known company. I was more interested in hunting bullets than duty ammo, and so was he. I told him of my hunting with the 270, and he told me something I always remembered.
" We make bullets for a window of velocity", he stated, "we want that window to be a big as possible with a test standard for minimum terminal performance, but you can only go so far. One of the reasons the .270 is so good is we don't make .277 bullets for any other cartridge, the only other is the 270 Weatherby and its running exact same bullets. There is just not enough market to invest in a different jacket die. In a .308 caliber that is tougher, if we make a run of 308win and a run of 300 Win Mags we can use the same bullet jacket and just tweak the formula of the lead hardness with mixture or temp control. or switch dies to make changes to the jacket. However when we just sell boxed bullets its normally middle of the road hardness and jacket design. Because we don't know what velocity it will be used." (The same way know one will know how far away an animal may be, rh) "The .270 shines" he said because every .277 bullet is made to fit the velocity window of that cartridge as exactly, because its the biggest seller by 99% in that diameter."
That always stuck with me if I'm choosing a caliber look for a stand out best seller in that diameter, as the chances of the bullets being made to match it's velocity window are much higher, at least in bulk bullets. Now granted that conversation was close to 20 years ago. all this may have changed a bit, but I still notice that you have to call and aske a bullet maker about the velocity window the bullet was designed for. They don't seem to want to put that on the box so to speak. Technology has changed too, and I bet those windows are much bigger now. And there are a lot more bullets, and calibers so that has probably different like everything else around me, but thought I would share...
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Interesting info that I never even considered. I don’t know why I never thought about it seeing as how I load for .44 magnum as well as .44 special and there is certainly a gap in velocity between those two. Of course you still wind up with a big hole no matter the bullet so there’s that.
 
My absolute favorite to hunt with is my .50 caliber TC Encore but that is probably because the time our muzzleloader season is also my favorite time to hunt...last week of October. My absolute favorite firearm that uses smokeless and is my absolute go to in these woods of NE Oklahoma is a Marlin Model 336 in 30-30...nothing exotic and most would scoff at the lowly 30-30 but it always speaks and the deer always falls and since the ranges I shoot are always less than 100 yards it is good to go. I did have a moment of weakness this year and bought a caliber I have always had a romantic type of infatuation with. I read all the books of the old Buffalo hunters and the mighty 45-70 so when I heard Ruger had purchased Marlin and the first gun it would release was the Marlin 1895 in 45-70 caliber I went on the search and finally located one after much trouble. I even found ammo after some searching but I haven’t fired it yet because I want everything to be perfect and as busy as I have been very thing would just be a rush in the heat and I want perfect weather because I want to see if it will be all I thought it would be...no matter the caliber it will be a lever gun...
 
OkieKubota said:
I heard Ruger had purchased Marlin and the first gun it would release was the Marlin 1895 in 45-70 caliber I went on the search and finally located one after much trouble. I even found ammo after some searching but I haven’t fired it yet because I want everything to be perfect and as busy as I have been very thing would just be a rush in the heat and I want perfect weather because I want to see if it will be all I thought it would be...no matter the caliber it will be a lever gun...
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I have an 18" Marlin Guide gun in 45-70 I love as a close range deer gun. I have some bow stands that I hunt during gun season and my shots are at like 40 yards max/ Many times the deer are moving and I cant stop them. A low (1x) scope helps me get on target, and the 300 or 350 grain bullets have never let me down. I back off top loads by about 100fps. The deer don't drop in their tracks but I have never had one go more than 70 yards. It's also one of the least picky guns I have ever loaded for, I'm sighted in for 75 yards (home range limitations) but any load I use seems to print the same place. I just go a 315gr mold from NOE with pins to make HP and FP bullets, but have not had a chance to make any yet, but should save some money as those bullets have gotten expensive!
 
My favorite is my model 1905 Mannlicher Schoenauer in 9x56 ms. Open sights and an action so smooth it literally closes on its own. I have taken deer and wild boar with it. It points like an extension of your arm and comes up with the sight already aligned. Built in 1921 it Carrie’s light and hits hard. I shoot 200 and 250 grain roundnose bullets. Blood trails are short and copious. The best still hunting rifle ever invented.
 
Killed 4 of my last 5 bucks with this 58 roundball shooting Hawken. I like hunting seasons with fewer hunters and this allows me to do that. Love a good centerfire still as well.
 

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Kurt said:
Killed 4 of my last 5 bucks with this 58 roundball shooting Hawken. I like hunting seasons with fewer hunters and this allows me to do that. Love a good centerfire still as well.
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That’s a beautiful rifle. I have a .50 caliber TC Hawken but I’ve never hunted with it. It surprised me how accurate it is with TC conical bullets and the tang peep sight.
 
For me, it depends on the season. For Archery, the one I enjoyed harvesting deer is my old Mathews Switchback. In recent years, my arthritis has gotten the better of me. The ability to stand and draw when it gets cold in a treestand have become problematic for me. I'm now archery hunting mostly with a Mission Sub-one lite crossbow with an Oracle range finding scope:

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When muzzleloader season rolls around my favorite is my new Smokeless Hankins build on a TC Encore Frame:

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I'm new to smokeless, but am really enjoying it. It is supposed to be good to 300 yards, but I have not taken a shot at a deer much beyond 100 so far.

During firearm season, I stick with a TC Encore. I have a .300 Win Mag barrel with a Howitzer muzzle brake. There is virtually no recoil with this combo.
 
I hunt with 5 or 6 different rifles most years depending on location. The one I’ve grabbed most consistently the last few yeas has been a Tikka T3x in 270wsm wearing a LRHSi scope. For longish ranges I tend to shoot, it may be the perfect combo for antelope, mule deer and whitetail. I recently picked up a HS-Precision in 30-06. It apparently has a fast barrel (165s at 3000fps) and shoots great so it may be a contender.

After 20 years of being a Bowtech junkie, I switched to Matthews a few years ago and have been very happy.

For MZ, I continue to gravitate towards a Knight Disc Rifle even though I have a newer Mountaneer. It just feels right and I have lots of history with it.676820FD-F4DE-4030-BA5A-1DBEA2184B26.jpeg6C1A86BE-C517-4BC6-BEED-DE610B1ADB1B.jpeg
 
We hunt from stands in the morning but drive the hollows with the same group of hunters every year. Our shots probably average about 50 yards or less. I always hunted with a hand-me-down Winchester but bought a Mossberg 30-30 carbine a few years ago. It's easy to mount a scope for my aging eyes. 30-30 carbines are very popular within our area of Pennsylvania, and they do the job quite well, indeed. This wild hog was downed during a Florida hunt. - TRhog 1.JPG
 
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My go to is a 30-30 too. It’s a 1970 Marlin 336 with a 3x9x40 on top of it. If I’m hunting a pipeline, open field or fresh cutover where the shot could be 200+ yards, I’ll take the Weatherby Vanguard II with 4x14x44 scoped 30/06. The Winchester 290 22lr in the middle is for armadillos and such around the house.
 

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Here in Florida's northern woods we have little to no need for long range capability, and safety is also a consideration.
When we moved here 5 years ago my first deer was taken with a Remington 1100 semi-auto shotgun in 12 ga., using
3" buckshot in a 24" barrel. After that I located and installed a Remington 20" rifled barrel, Burris 3-9x40 scope, and a
pistol grip stock in a camo pattern.

I had always seen good results with Remington's Premier Accu-Tip slugs in my Mossberg 835, but this 1100 barrel doesn't
like them at all, and seems to favor the Hornady SST slug. This has been my go-to ever since, and it fills the freezer every
year.

I may change up, however. I recently inherited a 1971 Marlin 336 in .30-30, and since they've always been considered a good
"brush gun", I think I'll put it to work after some practice time to rebuild muscle memory. I've got some Remington Core-Lokt, some Winchester Power Points, amd some of Hornady's LeverEvolution rounds and we'll see which one it likes, and I'll get back to you on it.

Still, for the time being I have to stick with what works. Those Hornady slugs are VERY effective with good aim. The deer never run very far and usually drop right where they are, and while I'm not lazy I still don't enjoy dragging a deer over rough terrain.
 
Some of the best slug guns are not 20 gauge. When paired with the right ammo, 4" groups out to 200 yards is possible. Not sure I'd take a shot that long with a shotgun though.
 
yoderjac said:
Some of the best slug guns are not 20 gauge. When paired with the right ammo, 4" groups out to 200 yards is possible. Not sure I'd take a shot that long with a shotgun though.
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I have to agree. I made a shot like that in Delaware once but it was pure luck. I had actually judged it to be 150 and it was 25-30 farther than that.
When I took the shot I couldn't see the deer move under recoil, but I had to guess the deer did a refelxive ducking motion. Instead of the double lung shot I was aiming for, the round hit higher up and took out two sections of spine. The deer dropped on the spot but I had to walk over and give it a second shot.

I still think my shot would have hit it's mark, the luck I mention is that it did the job anyway. I know my crosshairs were in the right spot, and the round would reach that far. And at that distance the bullet would be dropping, not the other way around. Had the deer not moved it would still have gone down. I was just lucky that my round caught it before it finished ducking, I can't see any other scenario.

But you're right in the accuracy department. With today's modern projectiles sub-2 inch groups are easily attainable. At 50 yards the slugs I use deliver 2100fps and 2100+ft lbs, which rivals most rifle calibers AND the round is about twice the diameter of the good 'ol .30-06. Besides, you can't argue with the results.
 
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Hell my Ithica 20 gauge Deerslayer smoothbore made in the 60’s would shoot sub 2” groups at 50 yards with pumpkin ball slugs. Killed a lot of deer with that shotgun.
 
9x56MS said:
That’s a lot of bloodshot meat.
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My smokeless muzzy is just devastating if you hit bone. Scapula shots are great because there is no tracking and recovery is ensured. On the other hand, you do lose a lot of meat. if I think I can visually follow the flight of a deer for about 50 yards, I now take broadside chest shots if possible. Thee is much less meat to lose on the chest wall than in the shoulder.
 
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