Best short range deer gun (inside 150 yards)

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[ I have a ruger 77-44 1-20 twist .
 
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[ I have a ruger 77-44 1-20 twist .
The one i had didnt do well at all with heavier bullets . Horrible in fact !!! 220 or 225's decent , 240's not so good , and 300's were just unuseable period !!! The super redhawk pistol shot all weights like a lazer but not my rifle !!! Down the road it went !!!
 
The first thing I did was to restock it with a Boyd’s thumbhole laminate. With some bedding and floating the barrel and working up a load, it has become a proven rifle. No it doesn’t shoot the 300 gr very well.
 
Definitely a can of worms lol. There's lots of folks with different ideas of "best", thus the reason there are lots of calibers.
I personally, in a modern rifle, prefer a lever action 30-30 with open sights for short range timber hunting. It's a short, easy to carry in the ready position rifle with fairly mild recoil that hits a deer plenty hard.
For a CF-my grandfathers .35 Rem. Model 141 pump from 1930's I think. With 200gr soft round nose. Freakin 150yd deer/hog sledgehammer.
For a ML- TC Omega .50
Thanks for a great thread.
Kind regards
 
Y
Love the .35 Rem.
Yes sir, me too. My grandfather " Pap short for papaw, my DAD big brother & best friend in the world" a WVa coal miner bought 2 Rem model 141 .35 pump actions I believe in late 1920's or early 30's. He got them for himself & his twin brother. There was an explosion & cave in where I'm not sure how many died or missing, but 1 was my Paps twin brother. So he much later in life, gave his brothers to his A hole son " my father" and when I was 18 he was dying from cancer gave me his .35. That was nearly 40yrs ago, I still can't pick the gun up without smiling & missin my best friend. I've shot many deer, a few wild hogs, a black bear & several foxes thru the yrs. thanks for your reply & bring back some of the best memories of my life. Kind regards
 
Whitetails at 150 yards and in, easy choice a 357 Maximum. Very little recoil and muzzle blast. No need for a T. rex load even for large whitetails. Deadly accurate.
 
For longer ranges my 110 Savage '06 in synthetic stock and 4-12 Bushnell Banner scope are all i need to 200 plus yards. It is always with me when i hunt. However in my shoulder holster is always my Super 14 Contender in 35 Remington or my 10 inch 357 Maximum stocked with 180 grn Core-Loks. Got a hell of a kick but it accurate as can be when i do my part. I have never ever been disappointed in a Core-Lok bullet by Remington. I shoot them in my 35 Remington and my 357 Maximum barrels. The Maximum has a good torque when shot. The 35 Remington is just darn bruttle when fired more than 5 times in a row. But i love them.
DL
 
From the early 50's to 1980 I used a Win 94 in 30-30. It was a perfect timber gun. Light, fast to shoulder, and reliable. A Marlin 336C will be good too.

It worked for deer, bear, and elk. It worked long before I was born and will still work when i'm 6ft under.
 
Muley
My dad kept his 30-30 with him when we went deer hunting. It was a Winchester 1894 SRC in 30-30 Winchester made in 1921. I have it now but have not taken it hunting yet.
DL
 
Muley
My dad kept his 30-30 with him when we went deer hunting. It was a Winchester 1894 SRC in 30-30 Winchester made in 1921. I have it now but have not taken it hunting yet.
DL


You have a good one. I'd take it hunting in honor of your dad.
 
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