What do you harvest deer with?

This is my "mid-life crisis". My dad never took me hunting. So, at 45 I've decided I need to learn to hunt deer & small game. I've done a good bit of research I've a variety on hunting & shooting sites. I've talked to my friends that hunt & my brother-in-law. Apparently there is no Miata. I'm leaning towards using a .308. I'll be hunting in western, central GA. What do y'all use/recommend?

Thanks.

.270 Winchester is/was popular. Seemed like it had good knockdown and kill power with minimal destruction of the tasty vittles.

That said, I still use an ancient M1 in 30-.06.

SillyImportRacer wrote: Apparently there is no Miata. Thanks.

No. There is

jg

.308 what ? Just see what your friends are using. Of course every one has their personal likes and dislikes. When I used to hunt, I used a 30-30 lever action. It's what I had, so I used it.

Given how many I see crossing the road in my neck of the woods, I think the proper harvester is a Nissan.

Are you walking through heavy brush or sitting somewhere with an open line of sight?

I favor the 30-06 for general purpose, all conditions hunting of everything from varmint to elk. It takes a wide range of grains, has a huge effective range and ammo is available everywhere.

That said - if you have to carry it around in heavy brush all day... a 30-30 lever is nice and light and will do the job.

I also use a .270 with a badass scope for wide open spaces and long range target shooting because it shoots super-flat and does not break my shoulder but unless 100% of your terrain is wide-open it really isn't a great choice. It shoots fast and flat but a tiny twig or branch will deflect it.

In reply to JG Pasterjak:

The 700 is at te top of my list. Just haven't fully decided on caliber.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdApyFlf6DU

Ron knows best

In reply to DoctorBlade:

In the las 5 years, I've killed 2 with my 95 Accord & SWMBO has killed 3 with her 02 Grand Am. Kind of an expensive way to hunt & it ruins a lot of meat.

Georgia? Whitetail or Sika? (I assume you have both...) And yes, there is a Miata...

Winchester 30.30

SillyImportRacer wrote: In reply to DoctorBlade: In the las 5 years, I've killed 2 with my 95 Accord & SWMBO has killed 3 with her 02 Grand Am. Kind of an expensive way to hunt & it ruins a lot of meat.

I killed a buck with an E30 doing 80. It was an effective but bittersweet way to do it for sure. My dog was the only one that got any food for the effort... he spent a lot of time licking chunks out of the mangled front end.

In reply to noddaz:

Yes, Georgia. Whitetail.

My buddy in PA uses a 30-30. My brother-in-law here uses a 30-06. What makes one better for simpler terrain & vegetation? Why not a .308?

SillyImportRacer wrote: In reply to noddaz: Yes, Georgia. Whitetail. My buddy in PA uses a 30-30. My brother-in-law here uses a 30-06. What makes one better for simpler terrain & vegetation? Why not a .308?

Honestly, the .308 vs 30-06 debate is endless. Either one is fine for deer. I like the 30-06 for broad ranges of available ammo grains and the fact that if I needed it I can find it at any place that sells ammo.

The 30-30 lever action is easy to carry and will fling a hunk of lead thru thick brush in a straight line. You cannot compare the two rounds, really. If you are in a pine forest and don't plan to shoot further than 100yds, 30-30. For everything else, 30-06.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/forums/hunting/deer-hunting/whats-better-cal-30-30-or-30-06

I'd have to decide between .30-06, .308, and .270.

The .308 can do damn near everything the .30-06 can do, while being smaller, easier to shot, and often cheaper. The .270 is probably the most versatile cartridge on the market, but there's no surplus ammo for it...

I'd buy a .308, if you're not one for "something different." The Rem 700 in .308 IS the Miata of rifles.

Ruger gunsite scout in .308.

For deer I like my scoped Remington 700 in 308 here in Texas. In West Virginia it is steep and heavily wooded so I prefer my Winchester 30 30 lever with iron sights.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

SillyImportRacer wrote: In reply to DoctorBlade: In the las 5 years, I've killed 2 with my 95 Accord & SWMBO has killed 3 with her 02 Grand Am. Kind of an expensive way to hunt & it ruins a lot of meat.

I killed a buck with an E30 doing 80. It was an effective but bittersweet way to do it for sure. My dog was the only one that got any food for the effort... he spent a lot of time licking chunks out of the mangled front end.

Opening Day, '88, Pop got a fork-horn with his Marlin .32 Special Lever Action, at 7:30. After lunch, heading back out, he got a big doe with the S10 Blazer automatic.

JG Pasterjak wrote:

SillyImportRacer wrote: Apparently there is no Miata. Thanks.

No. There is jg

Misfiring Controversy

On 20 October 2010, CNBC televised a program, Remington Under Fire: a CNBC Investigation, reporting that the trigger mechanism used prior to 2007 on the model 700 could fire without the trigger being squeezed. The report stated that Remington has received thousands of customer complaints since the firing mechanism was introduced in the 1940s, and that nearly two dozen deaths and hundreds of injuries had been attributed to inadvertent discharges of 700 series rifles. Through internal Remington documents, the program showed that on multiple occasions, the company considered recalling the product.

The inventor of the firing mechanism, Merle "Mike" Walker, now 98 years old, told CNBC he proposed what he called a safer trigger in 1948 while the product was still in the testing stage. Walker said his enhanced design was rejected because of the added cost, 5 1/2 cents per gun...

I would seriously consider something else

I will use my H&K G3 (7.62x51mm / .308). Need a new scope for ranged hunting as that's only a 4x, but once I get that and get a license, I'll be all over it. I would rather hunt hog than deer, but thank God we don't have hogs on our place. As others have said, it really depends on range and what youi're comfortable with. My father in law uses anything from a 220 Swift to a 22-250 all the way up to a 7mm Mag. for deer.

I had a 700 with no issues. Remington said they would NOT recall the 700 because it would bankrupt the company.

If you want cheap to buy, cheap to shoot, reliable and just plain old school cool

Mosin Nagant You can get them for $80~$120 with all the trimmings. Just remember, it is metric, and the iron sights can be adjust for 1000m.

Given this is your first foray into hunting it is a cheap reliable gun with plenty of cheap reliable ammunition and it is pretty accurate. If you find you want to continue you can upgrade later to a nicer weapon.

Conquest351 wrote: I will use my H&K G3 (7.62x51mm / .308). Need a new scope for ranged hunting as that's only a 4x, but once I get that and get a license, I'll be all over it. I would rather hunt hog than deer, but thank God we don't have hogs on our place. As others have said, it really depends on range and what youi're comfortable with. My father in law uses anything from a 220 Swift to a 22-250 all the way up to a 7mm Mag. for deer.

Check regulations in the county you plan to hunt in. A semi-auto rifle is not allowed for hunting anywhere in PA and a lot of other states. It is in upstate NY though, IIRC, by county. Some allow it some don't.

jere wrote: I would seriously consider something else

Safety sammy says "Leave the safety on until you are ready to fire" so even if it goes bang - it should be aimed at something you were planning to shoot.

I have 2 of them and put hundreds of rounds through each over almost 40 years. No mistaken bang-bang. I've never even heard of that problem. I suppose I'll have to google a bit now.

SillyImportRacer wrote: Apparently there is no Miata.

Miata.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/i-hate-deer-miata-contentsniff/4926/page1/

Last one I harvested I used a Volvo.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

Conquest351 wrote: I will use my H&K G3 (7.62x51mm / .308). Need a new scope for ranged hunting as that's only a 4x, but once I get that and get a license, I'll be all over it. I would rather hunt hog than deer, but thank God we don't have hogs on our place. As others have said, it really depends on range and what youi're comfortable with. My father in law uses anything from a 220 Swift to a 22-250 all the way up to a 7mm Mag. for deer.

Check regulations in the county you plan to hunt in. A semi-auto rifle is not allowed for hunting anywhere in PA and a lot of other states. It is in upstate NY though, IIRC, by county. Some allow it some don't.

This is why I live in Texas. I could use a .50 BMG if I really felt like it. LOL