Please help me pick a deer rifle and caliber.

[Theohazard]

I’m an experienced shooter but I’ve never hunted anything bigger than a rabbit. I’m looking to go deer hunting next season and I need some advice on what rifle to buy. Here are my preferred requirements for that rifle:

-bolt action (semis aren’t legal for hunting here in PA)

-a caliber good for both smaller game and deer (I don’t intend to hunt anything bigger than a deer)

-a factory threaded barrel (I’m a silencer guy)

-no bigger than 30 caliber (don’t have a silencer for anything bigger)

-a low recoil round

-a flat shooting round within normal hunting ranges (I don’t need a long-distance round, but I’d like to have minimal drop within 200 yards or so)

-preferably a short action

The caliber I’ve chosen so far is .243, it seems to fit my needs perfectly. Though I’m open to suggestions. And the rifle that seems to fit my needs is the Ruger American Predator in .243, though to be honest, I haven’t found another rifle that hits all those requirements.


Does anyone have any other caliber or rifle suggestions? Is the Ruger a good, accurate rifle? Are my requirements off, and if so, why? I’m a hunting newbie so I appreciate all the advice I can get. Thanks.

 

[Old Stony]

I'd opt for the American as well, but in 6.5 Creedmore. I currently have one and of all my rifles (I have quite a few), it is my favorite to use on a daily basis. It would meet all your requirements, and give you better performance on deer sized game. Recoil is very light.

 

[ligonierbill]

How come you're asking us? You've got it all speced out, and it looks like an excellent choice. In the off season you can knock off a few pesky coyotes.

 

[Blindstitch]

You might also consider 7mm-08.

 

[Tallest]

I really agree with the 7mm-08 recommendation. But like LBill said, you’ve found something that has everything you want. I don’t know of a 7mm-08 with a factory threaded barrel.

I have the Ruger American Predator in .223, and it is a great rifle for the money. If you go with what you’ve selected, you won’t be disappointed!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Lohman446]

There are a lot of calibers that are suitable for your intended uses and your various caveats. When I purchased a new "small" caliber deer rifle last year I opted for a .243 so I likely followed a lot of the same thought as you have.

You are going to get a ton of suggestions and most of them will check the boxes you are interested in.

 

[Tallest]

Out of curiosity, I did some digging. You haven't stated a price range, so price no object, this would be my first choice given your criteria. I have a friend with a very similar Kimber, and it is a joy to shoot. It's also a 7mm-08, and I know it has taken at least 30 Va and WVa whitetail.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/745532989

 

[Theohazard]

Are there any 7mm-08 rifles with factory threaded barrels? I believe Ruger offers the Predator in 6.5 Creedmore with all the specs I mentioned, so that might be a better alternative.

So how would the 6.5 Creedmore stack up to the .243 as far as shooting smaller game and as far as being flat-shooting out to 200 yards? Also, I assume the 6.5 is better for deer, but how much better?

Thanks for all the comments so far.

 

[ligonierbill]

Do you care about ammo cost and availability? Do you load your own? If you load your own, pick whatever floats your boat. (If you don't, you should.) They will all kill deer completely dead with one good shot a lot further out than you're shooting. But it's something to consider.

The old timey "dual purpose" round is the .257 Roberts. It's now "old timey" because of the .243 Winchester, as good a dual purpose round as you'll find. I have both and would be confident shooting a deer at any range I would care to shoot (not all that far).

Don Lewis, the late PA Game News writer, was of the opinion that 7 mm was the optimum bore size for a hunting bullet. A good argument can be made. The 6.5s are hot right now for long range shooting. I haven't tried the Creedmore, still back with the 6.5x55. But they're nice shooters.

We get hung up on the perfect caliber, but of course there's no such thing. Stay with the .243...unless...you might want to take it elk hunting sometime.

One more thing. I suggest you check out E. R. Shaw in Bridgeville. They are marketing rifles that are essentially made to your spec at a fairly reasonable price. They rebarrelled a Mauser for me a couple years ago and are working another one now.

All that said, when I am on stand in Butler County next season, I will most likely be packing a Ruger American .243.

 

[Mobuck]

I'm ASSuming you are wanting to end up with a suppressed rifle that is actually manageable in the field so barrel length would be in that 16-20" range.
243 is a good compromise between deer sized game and "small game"
6.5 C is going to lose a good bit of it's frosting from a short to medium length barrel
308 will perform much better on deer sized game at the expense of more recoil and ammo cost but is quite viable as a general use round even from 18-20" barrel

 

[Tallest]

FWIW - The OP did mention low recoil. In my experience, the 7mm-08 has lighter recoil. I have shot the Ruger American Standard 7mm-08 side by side with the Ruger American Predator 6.5CM (a heavier rifle), and the 7mm-08 was definitely lower recoil in that comparison.

Theohazard - I have found a couple of factory threaded 7mm-08s, but for the most part, they are going to be in a higher price range than the Ruger American line.

I did see a used Rem700SPS in 7mm-08 with a threaded barrel on GB. It was in the $600 range.

 

[zipspyder]

@Tallest, that seems odd as I own the RA in 7mm-08 and firing standard Remington 140 grain ammo it has a more severe recoil than my Savage .308 due to the RA being much lighter. In fact I was unpleasantly surprised. Awesome, accurate gun and more recoil doesn't bother me but was taken aback. The butt end is basically hollow plastic with a smaller square piece of Styrofoam shoved in it for vibration control. To be fair I think the Remington ammo is some of the highest fps off the shelf ammo you can get for it.

 

[Tallest]

@zipspyder - You're right, ammo does play a significant part. In the 7mm-08 I was shooting Winchester Ballistic Silvertip 140 grain. In the Creedmoor I was shooting Hornady Precision Hunter ELD 143 grain. So yes, a heavier bullet. However I have found my 7mm-08 to be quite mild with anything I have put through it, be it hot factory stuff or hand loads.

If it were me, I'd say your 308 is a peach!

 

[OzeanJaeger]

I also think you are spot on.

 

[Art Eatman]

I've tagged a couple of dozen bucks with my .243. All bang-flops, no tracking.

 

[MarkCO]

I own a Ruger American Predator in .243Win and I like it a lot. I also own 3 different 6.5s including a 6.5CM. The Predators are really good rifles and I don't think you can go wrong with it. I mostly shoot Pronghorn, and sometimes deer, predators, hogs and varmints with mine. I have also owned (and sold off) 7mm-08, .308 bolt guns. I'd stick with .243 or 6.5CM.

Why might you want a .243 over a 6.5CM, or vice-versa?

At normal pressures, the 6.5CM barrel will last a little longer than the .243Win barrel. The 6.5CM has a better selection of match ammo for plinking at ranges past deer hunting range, but both are capable 1200yard calibers for just hitting steel and paper. The 6.5CM is decent for Elk, the .243 is marginal. The .243 has 30% less recoil. The .243 does better with light varmint rounds. With a .30 caliber can, the 6.5CM will be a little quieter than the .243, but the .243 will be more accurate with the suppressor (usually).

The differences are minor, but they are measurable. The biggest factor for me would be range...with the 143ELDx, I'd be fine shooting deer out to about 800 yards, with the .243, out to about 450 (given the perfect set up and conditions of course, which don't happen often). That is irrelevant if you plan on staying 400 and in.

 

[jackstrawIII]

I have a Kimber 84M in 6.5 Creedmoor that's a great little gun and checks all your boxes. Works well with a wide range of bullet weights for hunting diverse game.

At around $1,100, The Kimber is at a different price point than the Ruger American, but if you're willing to go up to the $700 range you can find a Kimber 84 Hunter that should fit the bill nicely too.

Don't have any personal experience with the Ruger Americans (yet), but I hear good things.

 

[bacardisteve]

Ruger American predator in 308. Why? Because its threaded takes ai mags is accurate lightweight and 308 mil surplus ammo is cheap if you ever want to plinking with it. 308 will also give you the ability to step up to larger game in the future if you ever want.

 

[MarkCO]

Oh yeah, when you get the .243 or 6.5CM, definitely get the AI mag version.

The .243Win is M#26972 and the 6.5CM is M#26973

 

[Theohazard]

Do you care about ammo cost and availability? Do you load your own? If you load your own, pick whatever floats your boat. (If you don't, you should.) They will all kill deer completely dead with one good shot a lot further out than you're shooting. But it's something to consider.

I don’t reload currently. I may in the future, but I just don’t have the money or the time right now. But ammo cost isn’t a huge deal since I won’t be shooting much. Good ammo availability would be nice though.

One more thing. I suggest you check out E. R. Shaw in Bridgeville. They are marketing rifles that are essentially made to your spec at a fairly reasonable price.

I should mention I work at a LGS, so I can get all the main manufacturers at dealer cost. That means I can buy a rifle like the Ruger Predator at under $400 before tax.

I'm ASSuming you are wanting to end up with a suppressed rifle that is actually manageable in the field so barrel length would be in that 16-20" range.

You know, that’s something I thought about, but I decided to go with a normal-length barrel (in a the case of the Ruger, 22”). I still want a long enough barrel to get good velocity out of the round. I do understand it might end up too cumbersome in the field with a silencer on it. And having never deer hunted before, I’m not sure how practical throwing the can on right before the shot will be, so I might decide not to use it at all. But I still want the option to put my silencer on it so I’m specifying a threaded barrel.

Theohazard - I have found a couple of factory threaded 7mm-08s, but for the most part, they are going to be in a higher price range than the Ruger American line.

The Ruger has great features and is pretty cheap. Unless someone can show me a rifle in the same price range that fits my needs as well or better, I’m strongly leaning towards the Ruger.

I've tagged a couple of dozen bucks with my .243. All bang-flops, no tracking.

Great to hear stuff like that. Like I said, I don’t plan on hunting anything bigger than deer.