Perfect Whitetail Rifle

[kevinmch]

Remington M700. Any caliber (within reason), I'll let you choose. Best out-of-the-box action there is, IMHO.

[mgs]

I like the 700 or the Model 7 best but the Savage 99 in 300 Savage is about as classic as it gets, Mike.

[RJH245]

Originally Posted by mgs

I like the 700 or the Model 7 best but the Savage 99 in 300 Savage is about as classic as it gets, Mike.

+ 1 for a .300 savage in the great old 99!

[kmrcstintn]

dad's got his Remington 760 Gamemaster in .30-06; 125gr thru 180gr loads; he used to use 150gr loads, but eased off to Remmy 125gr Reduced Recoil loads in his latter years;

I like my Marlin 336W in .30-30; 125gr thru 170gr loads; leaning toward 170gr due to bears on the hunting land...never know when they might be trouble

I used my Savage 111G in .25-06 last year; 100 thru 120gr loads seem to be the pick of the litter; ran light last year with 100gr;

I just got a Remington 700 SPS in .300wsm; I'm the second owner (first owner already had a muzzle brake installed...shoots nice-n-soft); not sure if she'll see deer season, but she likes the 180gr loads alot

I just saw a nice used Ruger 77 MkII Hawkeye in .308 at my favorite shop...came close to trading in my Marlin 336 on it, but figured that anything I would have used the .308 for within 300 yards will fall victim to the .300wsm

[cms81586]

For PA whitetail nothing beats a short light rifle with a low to medium power scope in .243 or .308. In my eyes don't need no '06 to kill a whitetail... even though it's one of the most popular calibers for hunting in PA. The short little Ruger with the 16" barrel comes into mind. Even a scout style rifle would work nice. A Steyr Scout in .243 or .308 would probably be perfect. Detachable mags for a hunting rifle are a must when you're driving deer or getting in and out of a vehicle. It even holds a spare mag in the stock.

CMS

[BobC]

Rifle is dictated by environment. If you shoot in the Pa hills, get a lightweight rifle in a reasonable caliber - 30-30, 35 remington, 243 etc. Easy to carry and most of your shots will be probably be closer than a hundred yards. If you hunt in areas of longer range, jump up to a reasonable magnum rifle or perhaps an intermediate rifle such as a 270, 7mm or 300 assuming ranges are limited to a couple hundred yards. If you are into long distance distamce shooting, the sky is the limit but a 338 magnum is an excellent choice. Up close - open sights -- out at distance a scope is essential. FWIW, the longest recorded kill was a prairie dog at 1.7 miles and by an expert long distance shooter not your run-of-mill hunter like most of us.

[PJH]

I would have to say my vote right now is for a Remington 7600 in 35 Whelen. Then at other times I really like my Marlin 1895 in 45-70.

[glockguy68]

winchester 70 in 30-06 with a simmons 3-9-50,it work for me...

[BobC]

Originally Posted by PJH

I would have to say my vote right now is for a Remington 7600 in 35 Whelen. Then at other times I really like my Marlin 1895 in 45-70.

Actually I will never understand why I never bought a 35 whelen. When I was younger and the Elmer Keith - Jack O'Conner discussions were going on, the 35 whelen was mentioned 100s of times or so it seems. Little mention of the 375 whelen though. Problem with the rifle IMO is that it is under-powered. The 30-06 case is just not big and efficient enough for either 35 or 375 calibers. You can argue that the big magnums are too much in case capacity and maybe short magnums are the way to go. Perhaps but I have not really been that interested in looking into them because I have no use for anything that powerful. 35 years ago I would have bought one just because. Just my opinion of course.

[PJH]

Originally Posted by BobC

Actually I will never understand why I never bought a 35 whelen. When I was younger and the Elmer Keith - Jack O'Conner discussions were going on, the 35 whelen was mentioned 100s of times or so it seems. Little mention of the 375 whelen though. Problem with the rifle IMO is that it is under-powered. The 30-06 case is just not big and efficient enough for either 35 or 375 calibers. You can argue that the big magnums are too much in case capacity and maybe short magnums are the way to go. Perhaps but I have not really been that interested in looking into them because I have no use for anything that powerful. 35 years ago I would have bought one just because. Just my opinion of course.

I would recommend that you you give the 35 Whelen a chance. For me it has been an inherntly accurate cartridge. The 250 grain hornady round nose has shot really well out of my 7600 with 57 grains of R15, in a Remington case (sized up from a 30-06). I would not hesitate to use this combination on much of anything in the US. If for no other reason, you get to try a new cartridge, which in my opinion is a good enough reason. My justification for the 35 Whelen was that I got good accuracy, expansion, and penetration with the 250 gr Hornady roundnose, without excessive meat damage on my deer. Hopefully I get to try this on elk and some other game. I'm sure in time I will find some other caliber that will compete with the 35 Whelen for my favorite, but for now, mark me down for the Colonel.