What are the top-10 deer rifles? Here's one man's picks(PA)

observer-reporter.com ^ | 3 June, 2012 | George Block

[wjcsux]

Ditto on the Savage 99. Mine is in .250 and I have had great success with it.
I have a 99 in .300 Savage. It has downed many Elk, Antelope, Javalina and Deer in its many years. Its a great rifle for hunting. I also have a Remington 700 in 6mm Remington that I really like for deer.

[Ghengis]

Have taken deer with a few different rifles and shotguns. I loved my Model 94
30-30 (like a dummy, sold it right before Winchester quit making guns). I love my Remington 742 30.06 (passed down to me by my late father). And I love my Marlin 1894s in .44 mag and .357 mag.

There's a lot of great deer guns out there.

[Smokin' Joe]

I also must point out that the Marlin 1894 in .44mag works as well as the Model 94 out to a few hunded yards.

While I like .30-06 up on the flats (180 gr Core-Lokt from a Winchester Model 70), down in the bottoms and the breaks here I like the Marlin in .44 Mag. It is short and easy to work with in the brush, with all the knockdown power you need at shorter ranges, and not easily deflected by the stray willow.

[Smokin' Joe]

Say, Colonel, Assuming that is the venerable .250-3000, do you know of any good places to get ammo? No one up here stocks it.

[archy]

I have to agree with RC One -- the FAL and M1A work very well on the deer, the FAL especially. The M1A is a bit more accurate, but a lot heavier to lug around, especially in hilly terrain.

Concur. The M1A has better iron sights, a consideration for me if it's raining in deer season. Conversely, they're all grooved and tapped for a scope mount if that's one's preference.

The adjustable gas system of the FAL/L1A1 allows a wider choice of commercial ammunition, anything from 125-grain *light recoil* ammo from Remmie, to 180-grain softpoints for double duty in dear country where a surprise encounter with a bear is also possible.

My usual pick is a Garand. But the last whitetail deer I got was with a Kar98k German Mauser boltgun. They'll all do the job if the shooter does his or hers, and the deer are there.

[SJackson]

I do not know if any military ever used the model 94 Winchester

You'll find "spruce" 94s, which were used by military (possibly privite security but don't think so) guarding the spruce forests in the northwest needed for aircraft production during WWI. Early in WWII Canadian militia forces organized to conduct guerilla actions in the event of a Japanese invasion were issued 94s. Interesting, the 95 was used militarily due to chamberings, but in NW Canada (US too), 30-30 would have been easier to come by for guerilla forces. Don't know if that was part of the decision, but the rifles are out there on the used market. Think I've read about 94s being exported under lend lease and to Central America, but don't know specifics. The National Rifleman has had a couple articles on the subject in the last 6 or 7 years.

[Texas Colonel]

Sir,
Winchester Silvertips are still readily available down here, but I am to the point where I am buying some Hornady dies and reloading my own. Silvertips are deadly on our small white tails, but I know there are better projectiles out there and want to take advantage of that.

As an aside, I went as far as having a .250-3000 barrel made for my Encore and it's a tackdriver.
V/R
Texas