I also must point out that the Marlin 1894 in .44mag works as well as the Model 94 out to a few hunded yards. After that, the .30-30 shoots much flatter. With the density of the woods in my area, 150 is all you'll need; often less than that.
Posted on 06/04/2012 4:54:22 AM PDT by marktwain
Deer hunting has been a Pennsylvania tradition for many years, and each man and woman who goes afield has a favorite deer rifle.
Hunting conditions and technology have affected choices, but there are those models and designs that stand head and shoulders over the others.
I thought just for fun - and controversy - I would name what I think are the best deer rifles produced since 1900.
I decided to concentrate on sporting designs and ignore rifles what were simply military designs used for deer hunting. A good example of those would be the 30-40 Krag. Before and after World War II, the Krag was very popular among deer hunters and downed a large share of the state's deer.
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Current rating: NaN The top 10 I'm listing are the finest deer rifles there are or have been. I consider popularity now or in the past, while also adding suitability for the job as a criteria.
There is also, of course, a little bias involved.
My No. 10 is the 19th Century designed 1873 Winchester. This was the first successful center-fire rifle, and in the 38-40 and 44-40, it downed many Pennsylvania deer. It's creation dates back to 1873, but it was still being produced in the 20th Century and was Winchester's all-time No. 2 seller.
No. 10 was perhaps my toughest decision because there were so many good designs omitted.
At No. 9 is the John Browning-designed and Winchester-built - just to compete with the big single shots - 1886 Winchester.
I would also include the model 71 Winchester in this category since it is nothing more than an updated 86 with better steel. Both rifles handle large, hard-kicking rounds, and both actions are the epitome of smooth lever actions. Both are also highly collectable.
My No. 8 rifle is Remington's old slide-action rifles, the model 14 and 141. Winchester made lever actions, but it was Remington that dominated the pump-action design. In my youth, this was the rifle of choice of some of the best deer hunters in the state.
At No. 7, why not stay with another Remington pump, the model 760 and 7600?
While the 14 was well made, it couldn't handle modern cartridges like the .30-06 and .270. Thus, with the 760, Remington still made a pump but a more modern one with updated chamberings. At one time, this was a top-selling deer rifle.
My favorite, the model 70 Winchester, comes in at No. 6. If this category was expanded from deer to all big game, this rifle would place higher. Many deer hunters just couldn't afford to buy this outstanding bolt-action rifle. Nonetheless, it is one of the top rifles in the deer woods, especially in the featherweight version.
Decisions get a little more difficult as I get to No. 5, but I will choose the Ruger 77 here. Ruger has offered a quality bolt-action rifle for many years at a reasonable price. Produced in a variety of calibers and versions, the 77 has become one of the industries' top sellers. The idea of offering scope mounts with the rifle was a unique, but good, idea.
Ruger has also always offered a good product and smartly filled some unique voids in the gun market.
No. 4 is a design that dates back to the 1800s, the 99 Savage. From the late 1800s until now, the 99 as been considered at or near the top of the lever-action rifle field. The rotary magazine meant it could use pointed bullets, and its strength allowed the use of modern high-pressure rounds. It adapted to modern pressures well.
Coming in at No. 3 is the 336 Marlin, a rifle that has been sold in high numbers. Its solid receiver allowed the scope sight to be placed where it belonged, on top of the receiver. It also had the advantage of being chambered for the 35 Remington cartridge. Its only drawback when compared to the Winchester rifles was one of weight. It is a tad heavier than the Winchesters.
At No. 2 is what is probably the greatest-selling bolt-action rifle, the model 700 Remington. Actually, the model 700 began manufacture in the 1940s as the 721 and 722 series of guns. From deer to varmints and elephants, there is a 700 that will get the job done.
Many bench-rest shooters have built rifles on 700 actions, and many deer hunters have downed a trophy with the same action. It is safe to say that the 700 is the most successful bolt-action ever made.
My top deer rifle is, of course, the model 94 Winchester. There isn't much I can say about it that hasn't already been said. This rifle and its clones have been around longer than any of us. The 94 and the .30-30 cartridge are mentioned in the same breath. To some, they even mean the same thing.
It was this rifle with which the old timers began hunting deer, and is the same rifle that many of us started out with. It has to be No. 1.
George H. Block writes a Sunday Outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter
Perhaps we should start another thread for military origin rifles. The Remington 700 is used by our military, and the AR group of rifles is increasingly favored by today's hunters.
An Armalite AR-10, an FN-FAL, an HK-91, or an M-1A...IMO ;)
Ditto on the Savage 99. Mine is in .250 and I have had great success with it.
Ditto on the Savage 99. Mine is in .250 and I have had great success with it.
I am partial to the Ruger M77 all stainless .338 but with a rubber coated Hogue fiberglass stock. Thats my moose rifle, its technically a deer rifle, moose are in the deer family.
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??
NO muzzleloaders????
We’ve been around A LOT LONGER than those cartridge thingys.
Firearms were created for the purpose of combat. To exclude “military origin” rifles would be to exclude every rifle on this list.
Got my first deer, a couple of decades ago, with a Model 94 30-30. Loved that rifle. Wish I still had it.
The article did say “produced after 1900”. There are a great many rifles that would have been excellent picks, as the author noted.
I also must point out that the Marlin 1894 in .44mag works as well as the Model 94 out to a few hunded yards. After that, the .30-30 shoots much flatter. With the density of the woods in my area, 150 is all you'll need; often less than that.
I think that would be a stretch. AFAIK, the Remington pumps were never considered by any military, and there are a lot of rifles that were designed specifically for hunting, even though any hunting gun can be used for military purposes. I do not know if any military ever used the model 94 Winchester or the 336 Marlin. The Savage 99 was produced in a military model, but I do not think it was adopted by any military. Maybe a militia unit in the U.S. bought some. I only know of one drilling that was adopted for military use as a survival gun for the Luftwaffe during WWII.
My Hawken .54 has put a lot of food on the table!
NICE
If you are making sausage, an M249 isn’t a bad choice.
Growing up in Western PA, I can’t disagree with any of the author’s selections, but I would say there were a small band of .25 calliber diehards for the general PA utility rifle. The .250 Savage, .257 Roberts, .25-06 and .257 Weatherby could be loaded with lighter bullets for reaching out and touching those groundhogs at long range, and loaded heavy for PA black bear and manage everything in between. If you could have only one rifle in PA, it’s the ticket.
My dad and I took a lot of game with a Remington 760 in .270. Hand-loads ... Chasing game ... It made for some of the best bonding I ever had with him.
The drawback with the Model 94 is getting the second shot. The rifle recoils up and you lose you target. The Winchester Model 70 recoils straight back allowing a second shot. IMHO
Optics on a charcoal burner...
That’s just wrong.
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