Deer Hunting

[Sparky_Bill]

Have not done that since I was a teen but going to give it a shoot next year. Shopping for a rifle. Looking to get a 7mm and what model, don't know. Any suggestions out there? Tell me about scopes too as I have never had one of those and eyes are in need of help. I can tell orange from brown though. :Horror:

[06shooter]

First thing is where you will be hunting?
Roughly, south of Brainard you will be limited to Shotgun or black powder.
I'm partial to Remington bolt actions, in 30/06 as it is a very versatile
cartridge. By changing bullet weight, you can go from prairie dogs to Elk or Moose. As far as scopes go depends on how much you want to spend. Hunting in most of northern Minnesota a decent 4 power is really all you need.

Don't forget your bottle of doe urine.

[Sparky_Bill]

Lee why would I think you would be partial to the 30-06????

I am leaning to the 7mm-08 which seems to nearly the same as the 30 cal but with 20% less kick for a little old guy. Not as many choices on cartridges but leaving in the TC there should not be a problem find ammo.

I shopped a little at Gander Mountain and found a had H-D taste in guns. That is the expensive ones. Like the Browning and Kimbers. Stainless Steel too. I did have the Remington 700 SPS stainless on the list though and it was a lot cheaper than those other 2. I have time to shop. Then after the gun then the scope will be a big thing for my old eyes. Thought about a red dot but tried them and the fellow said they work best with a shot gun. Found that I need to have my sight checked and new glasses and I got a real different effect with my right eye as opposed to my left.

[06shooter]

Bill
Am happy to offer any advise or a little expertise. I.m full of it.,
advise that is.:D

[sstodvictory]

Bill, I have two Leupold scopes, one made specifically for rimfire rifles and a different model on my 25-06 intended for open ranges like in the West. They're expensive but they're well built and the optics can't be beat. For a scope I think the critical question is will you be using it in the midwestern states or on the Western ranges? In the midwest you won't need as much zoom as you could in the west, but you'll need larger diameter optics to collect light better.

I agree about the 30-06 for versatility, or if you will really only be hunting in woody terrain I might even go with a .308, and, consider investing in simple reloading equipment. You can light-load a 30-06 when you don't need long range to get the kick down, and for 30-06 and .308 there are lots of bullet choices, plus you can achieve higher accuracy for a decent price and practice sessions won't be so expensive.

Steve

[sks700]

Leupold makes some very nice scopes, but for about $100 less you can get a very nice Nikon. That's what I have on my 7mm Rem mag, and I am very happy with it. It's a 3-9x40 mm Monarch UCC. The light draw is very good. To my eye, it is at least as good as some of the more expensive one's out there.

As for keeping the recoil down, you can always buy something with a ported barrel, or get one ported by a gunsmith. My 7mm Mag is ported and it kicks less than a lot of less powerful guns. (I'm certainly not saying you need a 7mm Mag for Minnesota deer).

Lee

[sid2002]

Bill I have a rifle I inherited from Sany's dad don't know what it is but it is still oiled and ready to blow down a deer or two if your interested. I know you could pick it up cheap.

[Thumper]

Yes, the 30-06 is a great all around MN gun, probably the most versitile that I've ever used. The recoil doesn't bother me much. I think the only time recoil really matters is when you're out on the range or hunting with a bunch of rednecks who like to shoot a few dozen time at the same deer. :gunrev: One shot, one deer is my motto.

Where you're going to be hunting makes a big difference in your choice of gun / scope. Especially if you're thinking of doing other kinds of hunting as well. I like to tell people if they might want to hunt down in the southern or western MN areas that a shotgun with a rifled barrel is a really good choice. With the right slug, they're good to 100 yards, will knock down any deer, are generally safer for inexperienced (or idiotic) hunters, and are versitile for hunting small game and birds with a smooth bore barrel and lighter loads. Then your red-dot scope (1x or 2x) will be useful.
- Rick

[SmknAl]

Bill I have a rifle I inherited from Sany's dad don't know what it is but it is still oiled and ready to blow down a deer or two if your interested. I know you could pick it up cheap.

Hi Sid,

I might be interested if you wan to sell, I sold all my hunitng equipment B4 Joanne and am now regreting not keeping a deer rifle. Send me a PM with the details, make, model etc.

Thanks
ps you going to attend the Joe Wazoo reunion WWW?

[John Ritter]

Sid, I too may be interested in the rifle.

[Sparky_Bill]

Bill I have a rifle I inherited from Sandy's dad don't know what it is but it is still oiled and ready to blow down a deer or two if your interested. I know you could pick it up cheap.

Sid seems like there are a lot of folks that want a cheap gun. :lol:

Al, John when I talked to Sid right after he posted and I do mean right after I did some quick research and I think I can tell you that Sid just might be retracting the "cheap" part of that post. From what I can gather he has a gun that is over 100 years old and goes from anywhere between $800 and $3,500. I told him about this and he is looking into it. He owes me dinner now since he just came into some real money. :D

[sks700]

Sid, I've got some reference material's on antique firearms and may be able to give you some info. Give me a call.

Lee

[sstodvictory]

Lee, so you're not going to nominate an SKS for Sparky's deer rifle? Is that where your screen name comes from?

An SKS is also great for driving away other hunters from one's favorite deer stand, so I've heard.

Steve

[sks700]

Wrong SKS Steve. I had one of those a while back. It was fun (and cheap) to shoot, but nothing I'd ever recommend for hunting. The ballistics are slightly worse than a 30-30.

My screen name comes from my snowmobile. A '97 Polaris 700 Snow King Special.

Lee

[sid2002]

Springfield KRAG 1898 serial number in the 100,000 range. They made 500,000. The one I have is a Carbine model and the stock has been altered to handle a rubber shoulder protection. Other than that it is in pristine condition. Well maintained. I will be taking it to gun smiths to get valuation done before I sell.

[TBIRD]

Sparky, Our hunting group has been together for 30 plus years now and I think I can help you with your decission. We have a mutitude of gun manufactures, callibers and actions in our group and a wealth of hunting experience. We have some guys that like the smaller lighter calibers like a 243 and some that really like the more pwerfull 7mm and 300 winchester mag. Heck, one of the guys has a 340 Weatherby although he does not use it for deer. No matter what you decide on you have to be comfortable with it. You'll find that most everything these days will be fine for deer. Give me a shout.