Which is the Best Deer Hunting Rifle? by Steve Nickson
Hunters have never had such a large selection of firearms and cartridges as they
do today. For a deer hunter beginner starting out, the decision is a difficult
one because there are so many firearms that will do the job.
So how do they go about choosing?
This article is designed to give the beginner some guidance about the most suitable
rifles. Experienced hunters will already have made their choices and will
probably have strong views about the 'best' rifle for them.
It is important to state that there is no 'perfect' or 'right' rifle for deer
hunting. Many hunters swear by certain calibers, but equally there are others
who will argue for differing calibers.
The debate will never reach agreement because in the end it comes down to
personal preference.
However, to assist the beginner, this article will focus on rifles, and not cover
muzzleloaders, handguns or shotguns.
Most decisions revolve around the action and the caliber.
The action is the mechanical means by which the cartridge is delivered from the
magazine to the chamber. The simplest action is the single shot bolt action.
This is a very popular action because of its accuracy and reliability.
A lever action has a lever next to the trigger that is moved forward and then
moved backwards and this action removes the previous empty cartridge and
replaces it with a new cartridge. It is a popular rifle from the western movies
and is chosen for its speed.
Pump actions and semi-automatic actions are rapid firing mechanisms that can
cause problems due to jamming or failing due to not being clean and maintained.
The next decision is to choose a caliber.
The most popular hunted animal in
Low velocity, medium calibers like the 30.30
High velocity, smaller calibers such as .243 Winchester, .260 Remington and 6mm
Remington increase the effective range out to about 250 yards, however the
projectile weights tend to be light.
High velocity, medium weight calibers offer the best versatility and are good
up to about 300 yards. The calibers include examples like the .308
The bullet weights usually range between 150-180 grains; however they can go as
low as 130 and up to 220 grains.
They are ideal for the whitetail, including the larger bodied northern
whitetail bucks, and even elk and caribou.
The short magnums are suited for long distance (greater than 300 yards) because
of their flat trajectory.
The rifles can come with synthetic or wooden stocks, and stainless or blued
actions and barrels. This is really a personal preference.
So for a deer hunter starting out who is confused by the large selection of
rifles for deer hunting, the best versatility is offered by high velocity,
medium calibres such as the .308 Winchester, .270 Winchester, 30.06 Springfield
and the .280 Remington, with loads ranging between 150 and 180 grains.
Steve Nickson has hunted deer for over 40 years. Learn how you can bag the
biggest buck of your life at Hunt For Deer
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