Deer rifle (with scope)

How much would you recommend spending on a deer rifle (with scope)? I dont need anything special, just your average rifle. What brand do you recommend?

What kind of habitat do you intend to hunt, and are you only going to use it for whitetail deer? Certain calibers are better for short range in thicker cover and others are more long range in open country.

Another item of interest may be how widely available the ammo is. Certain ammo for certain calibers has been very hard to come by the last couple years, and it will probably happen again in the future. I wouldn’t want to have to forego a hunt simply because I couldn’t find ammo.

I believe Remington sells an “out of the box ready” bolt action rifle in multiple calibers. It comes with your run of the mill scope too that’s bore sighted. Might be worth looking into that. Its called the Remington Model 783.

https://www.remarms.com/rifles/bolt-action/model-783/

wagonwx wrote:

How much would you recommend spending on a deer rifle (with scope)? I dont need anything special, just your average rifle. What brand do you recommend?

Savage is my go-to choice for something that’s going to be good enough out of the box. An Axis 2 XP is either $470 or $529 MSRP depending on stock.

Reef W wrote:

Savage is my go-to choice for something that’s going to be good enough out of the box. An Axis 2 XP is $529 MSRP.

I bought one of these for my son a few years ago. Its a wonderful gun! The scope that comes with it was a Nikon back then, not sure what it is now. It has the two stage trigger too which is very nice.

CaptainMusky wrote:

The scope that comes with it was a Nikon back then, not sure what it is now.

Says Bushnell Banner 3-9×40 now. No idea how those are. I’m sure the rifle shoots well enough so maybe get one without a scope and splurge a little more on that? Would still be cheap overall.

Reef W wrote:

Says Bushnell Banner 3-9×40 now. No idea how those are. I’m sure the rifle shoots well enough so maybe get one without a scope and splurge a little more on that? Would still be cheap overall.

Just did a quick search on reviews and it seems to get very good reviews for the price.

CaptainMusky wrote:

Just did a quick search on reviews and it seems to get very good reviews for the price.

That’s what I was just coming back to say too

As far as what to spend? A lot of variables, but you don’t need to spend a lot to have a very capable setup. $400-700 total would put you in a solid entry level combo. Savage Axis or for a little more, the Ruger American. Scheel’s has the Ruger paired with a Vortex scope for $650. For caliber, I think it’s still very hard to beat a .270 for all around performance and availability.

I’m a bolt guy and toss a couple in here that’s quality you’ll have for many years

Howa in 270. 550ish

Tikka t3 in 270. 650-750 ish

Glass is completely dependent upon what you need. Good glass in a variable 300-700

Randy Wieland wrote:

Howa in 270. 550ish

The one thing about the Howa I dont like is how it doesnt have a 2 stage safety to open the bolt. You have to put it on fire which my dipstick buddy almost shot my dad in the head when unloading. Obviously other safety factors at play there too, but scared the crap out of us. The savage models have this feature.

CaptainMusky wrote:

The one thing about the Howa I dont like is how it doesnt have a 2 stage safety to open the bolt. You have to put it on fire which my dipstick buddy almost shot my dad in the head when unloading. Obviously other safety factors at play there too, but scared the crap out of us. The savage models have this feature.

My Howa 1500 in .270 does. One click back allows the bolt to move but trigger not to fire. All the way back locks it all.

404 ERROR wrote:

My Howa 1500 in .270 does. One click back allows the bolt to move but trigger not to fire. All the way back locks it all.

Interesting maybe the knucklehead just didnt know what he was doing. Damn that was close. The one he bought was the cheapest one they make.

I’d recommend spending what you want and getting what you want. There are a lot of things that affect what is the best caliber and type of rifle to get. If you hunt in the woods, i think a lever action in 35 rem, 45-70, or 30-30 is hard to beat with a fixed 2.5 scout scope or a 1-4 variable optic. For all around hunting, I gotta say that a good 30-06 with a 2.5-8 or so optic, is a great all round rifle that you can use for anything from whitetail to moose, depending on the ammo you load for it or buy. I find that I buy guns that will last me a lifetime, so I like my lever Marlins and Winchesters. For bolt action rifles, there is a lot of options, unless you are a south paw like myself. Best of luck!

All the above is good advise. I bought a cheap Savage combo years ago, the scope those years was Nikkon I believe, it was fine but I replaced it a couple years ago with a Leapold and love it. The scoped combo is the easy way to go as it is on there and bore sighted already, however the scopes are always the bottom of the quality from what I have seen. Consider buying them seperate and get a good Leapold for glass. For whitetail a 270 or 30.06 is in my opinion the best for most of the woods we hunt. If I buy another it would likely be a Tika or a Browning X bolt.

A 270,30 06,or 308 would do what you want it for.Look for a package deal like beens mentioned.

CaptainMusky wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Merican Eagle wrote:</div>
My Howa 1500 in .270 does. One click back allows the bolt to move but trigger not to fire. All the way back locks it all.

Interesting maybe the knucklehead just didnt know what he was doing. Damn that was close. The one he bought was the cheapest one they make.

I haven’t seen a Howa with a single stage safety since mid 90s. All 7 howas of mine are multi position safety.

wagonwx wrote:

How much would you recommend spending on a deer rifle (with scope)? I dont need anything special, just your average rifle. What brand do you recommend?

I have done 3 reviews of the Savage Axis rifles starting with an intro review when the model debuted in 2010 and, in fact, right now I’m writing another.

Without exception, the Axis rifles I’ve tested have shot fantastically well for the price. They are so good, that I have 2 of them myself.

I am astonished by the accuracy that the Savage Axis produces given the cost. The groups I’ve shot with a box-stock Axis would have been difficult to obtain 20 years ago with rifles costing 2-3 times the price.

The base Savage Axis XP model comes with a Weaver 3×9 scope. This model does not have the adjustable trigger and, as has always been the case, the trigger pull is heavy and rough. But with that said, it easily shoots very acceptable hunting groups with all factory ammo that I’ve ever tried. A trigger $20 trigger overhaul kit makes it shoot even better. Street price around $350-400.

If you want a better trigger and scope right out of the box, then upgrade to the Axis II XP. This model has Savage’s adjustable AccuTrigger and comes with a perfectly acceptable Bushnell Banner 3×9 scope. Street price $450 to $500.

The Mossberg Patriot comes in a scoped combo and it earns very good reviews as does the Thompson Center Compass.

For a little more money, you can get into a Howa 1500 or a Ruger American. From there, the options are practically limitless.

As to what cartridge, first, to some degree, the rifle choice defines your options.

First of all, with the vastly superior performance of modern bullets and ammo compared to the old soft point bullets of decades ago, you don’t need a cannon to kill a whitetail. Our grandfathers and fathers may have gone to the woods with all manner of .30 or.35 caliber weapons, but with that accuracy and performance of modern bullets, there are many other choices.

A few that I’d consider:

– .243 Win – Speed kills. Paired with a modern bullet, the .243 hits hard and is capable of flat-shooting at great range.

– .25-06 – The under-appreciated King of the Pronghorn Rifles is also under-appreciated as a whitetail cartridge. Again, speed kills.

– 6.5 Creedmoor – The new .30-06. Plenty of performance, plenty of range, plenty of speed, and extreme versatility.

– 7-08 – Extremely capable chambering with manageable recoil and excellent hitting power.

– 270 Winchester – Still around for a reason. Wonderful all-around cartridge.

All of these are common cartridges with loads of factory ammo available.

Buy the most expensive scope you can afford. Then put it on a Savage Axis. .308 is a great around big game caliber and is available everywhere.

Old eyes (you will get older) will appreciate the high quality scope. The Axis will shoot better than you can. If it was me . . . . $800-1000 scope and a Savage rifle. I have 2 Leupold (VXII & VXIII) scopes $400-500 range and an $800 Zeiss. No comparison in nasty weather/low light.

Keep your eyes and ears open for a used deal. Word of mouth has found several excellent deals for me over the years. Recently I picked up a Thompson Venture in 30-06 for a steal of a deal($175) putting a $200 Burris on it yielded a sub MOA weapon for less than $400 all in.

There are excellent deals to be had if you are patient. After big banquets, it is not uncommon to find someone willing to trade their prize for a very fair price.

Timmy wrote:

Keep your eyes and ears open for a used deal.

Deals can be had, to be sure, but getting a good deal depends a lot on having the “know it when you see it” knowledge of what is/isn’t a good deal and what things are really worth.

By today’s standards where even basic, entry-level rifles shoot sub-MOA, used rifles can be disappointing. A lot of us have a misty-eyed view of what the rifles from the good ol’ days were really like. The reality is that not every rifle from the good old days was that great of a shooter and many of them–even “good name brands–were (by today’s standards) pretty damn poor. I’ve worked up loads for a number of “good old deer rifles” from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and sometimes minute of softball is the best that I could do. The accuracy is just NOT there in some of these old rifles. Modern machining and materials do wonders for accuracy, if not for aesthetics.

What I am seeing deals on fairly frequently are higher-end custom and semi-custom rifles from the 1970s-1990s. Some of these babies are from top-end builders, they are terrific shooters, they look fantastic, and they are fetching a fraction of what they cost back in the day. However…

A lot of them are also chambered in old-school, long-action cartridges that have fallen out of favor. Lots of 7mm mag, .30-06, 300 win mag, various AI cartridges, etc. Hardly a 6.5 in the bunch, if you know what I mean, Also these guns are (again, by modern standards) heavy and of course, they are wood stocked and blued.

Bottom line is like any other purchase, you have to have done your homework to know what you want and don’t want. The good old days produced some fine rifles, but then as now, not everything was good.

Agreed, grouse. But for basic woodland whitetail hunting, minut-of-volleyball may be good enough. You reminded me of an early 80’s Remington 7400 woodsmaster i was gifted. It has sentimental value, but thats the end if its worthiness!!! Lol.

I have a 760 rem pump in .280. Very accurate will hang with most bolt actions. But .280 is hard to find. Also have savage 111 in 7mm-08 Leopold various II very accurate. Then my favorite a 30/30 Marlin with xs ghost ring peeps awesome woods rifle. Fun to shoot if in woods with 75 yd or less shots . Very fast handling. 30/30 still is a great deer round. .
Mwal

Just a thought if your looking at longevity. Used – you have no idea how it was broken in. Did they even bother to clean the cutting oil out?? Has the barrel been over heated? Buying used just has a risk and you need to be aware of that.

No question that savage axis has been good out of the box rifle and good for those that don’t shoot much. I see a common issue with the throat getting burnt out on them. These are all on ones that are shot regularly, not a few rounds and put away for the year. Friends have sent many back to savage because they wore the barrel out