Your first deer rifle?

[flotech79]

Remington 700 243 & ruger m77 mark II 270

 

[JJOutdoors]

I started with some old wooden 20ga pump. Don't even know the manufacturer, but I actually hunted with that for probably 15 years until they opened up rifle cartridges in my state. Then I went high tech with a bergara hmr 308, 6-24x scope, and a titanium suppressor. It's heavy to sling around, but it's fun to point and shoot. Very little sound and very little recoil.

 

[gogogadget62]

.300 Weatherby
My Father wanted me to start out lite before transitioning to the .460

 

[CJ_BG]

Technically my first deer rifle was a cva scout in 243, but the first rifle I killed a deer with was a ruger american also in 243. I got that at 10 years old and have been hunting with it since. The only deer the cva has taken so far was a doe my youngest brother shot a few years ago. That ruger now wears an upgraded scope and some boyds laminate furniture, but everything else is how I got it for my birthday

 

[CJ_BG]

Have you had good luck on deer? My wife and I both picked up a tikka t3x compact in 243 for $425 a piece. But they are the 1:10 twist so I’m pretty sure the LRX won’t stabilize. I run coppers but thinking the 80 TTSX or the 85 TSX.

I shot a doe last year with the 80gr ttsx and have seen a number shot with either that or the 80gr gmx. Unless you hit the cns or larger bones they don't cause a ton of damage. Puts deer down with shoulder shots but even the one I shot last year with an impact velocity of about 3070 into the scapula left me a bit unimpressed. Wounding was basically 1.5 inches of permanent damage located only in the spine, I put a finishing shot into that doe but if I wasn't only 70yds from her she may have been dead when I got to her. I think moving forward when loading copper bullets it will either be hammers or the DRT stuff. I have a load in my brothers mossberg 243 with a 69gr absolute hammer going 3650, hopefully come November I can see what that does for him.

 

[Ikmclean]

My first rifle was a savage 99F in .308 win, inherited from my grandfather. Still have it although I haven't fired it in over a decade