Whitetail Deer Rifle To Be Used Mainly In Texas
Hi Experts,
I am in the market for a new whitetail deer rifle to be used mainly in Texas and Arkansas. I do not buy rifles very often, so they tend to become members of the family. (For example, I am currently using a 7.65mm Mouser that I browed from my Dad....but that is another story) My selection is somewhat limited due to the fact that I am a left handed shooter plus I really want to stick with a wood stock.
I have found several nice rifles, some used, some new. For example:
New - Sako .270
Used Weatherby .257 mag
Used Weatherby 7mm mag.
Of these calibers, what is the best for whitetail in Texas and Arkansas.
P.S. I already know someone if going to respond with "A well placed shot is the most important issue" but for me doing the research is part of the fun.
Thanks.
I am in the market for a new whitetail deer rifle to be used mainly in Texas and Arkansas. I do not buy rifles very often, so they tend to become members of the family. (For example, I am currently using a 7.65mm Mouser that I browed from my Dad....but that is another story) My selection is somewhat limited due to the fact that I am a left handed shooter plus I really want to stick with a wood stock.
I have found several nice rifles, some used, some new. For example:
New - Sako .270
Used Weatherby .257 mag
Used Weatherby 7mm mag.
Of these calibers, what is the best for whitetail in Texas and Arkansas.
P.S. I already know someone if going to respond with "A well placed shot is the most important issue" but for me doing the research is part of the fun.
Thanks.
0
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Hello,
I have just been all through this same hunt and asked the same question, Remington 7 mag is the best according to many but i am also left handed and buying a new gun is out of the question and god knows how hard it is to find a used lefty fitting our needs...anyways i just got a Marlin 30 30 which is a great dual purpose gun with 150 grain bullet and a good scope and accurate shooter 225 yards is a cinch, even though most deer are killed within 200 yards...
Just grab it and grunt!0 -
For a White Tail you don't need a magnum, in my opinion.
I have no experiance with the .257 Wby however.
I think something like the .270, or .308 would work fine.
I would not suggest a .30-30, they are a bit underpowered in my opinion. If shots are going to be under 300 yards then either of the two calibers I mentioned will work fine for you. Don't go cheap on glass, remember the old addage, " You can't hit what you can't see"0 -
The best round you listed is the Sako .270. Its the perfect round for whitetail, its never let me down. Last deer I took was 250lbs, he dropped in his tracks after half way flippin over. I live in La and hunt open fields. I've only had one deer run on me, but only made it 15 yards(due to a bad shot). Go with the sako .270 without looking back. You will not be disappointed. 
You are knuckle-dragging ape with a gun.0 -
I have an older Remington model 700 BDL in 30-06 that I've used for deer for about 30 years. I hunt whitetail in Pennsylvania and shots are usually 75-100 yards, max. Very reliable, very accurate. I have alot of other nice rifles (I'm not so sure why) but I always end up walking into the woods with the 700. 0 -
I'm a righty, but my Dad is a lefty, and never had a left-handed action until I bought him an old Savage 110-L (30-06) a few Christmases ago. The price was right ($150 as I recall) and it turned out to be a first year of manufacture gun. Shoots like dream and has a pretty good trigger as well as being cheap as hell to feed. With decent hand loads, I can wring about "1 out of it and with commercial I can still get around "2. Thats not varmint accurate but it surely will do for whitetail here in Northern Illinois. If you are on a budget, simply buy the best gun you can afford and practice, practice, practice! Smoeday down the road you may be in the financial condition to get that Sauer A200 or Blaser R93, but for now, I'd bet and old Savage would do fine!
"When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
"When I was 14 I used to marvel at how ignorant my old man was...by the time I was 21 I was truelly amazed at how much the old bugger had learned in the intervening 7 years!" Samuel Clemens
"History is written by winners"(Patton)
"You get a lot farther with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone!"(Al Capone)
"There is nothing lower than the human race...except the French" (Samuel Clemens)0 -
After hunting deer in Texas for over forty years i say .270,30-06,.308 are pretty much tried and true.
If you can shoot well the .243 or 6mm are not bad under most conditions.
I recently switched from years of .270 and 30-06 usage to a .308 simply because i like my light,short and fast handling Remington 600.
But by all means if it's a new rifle you buy or a used rifle that was built after probably 1980 then by all means get that stinking lawyer devised trigger adjusted!!
mike0 -
.270 would be my choice.
Not that the others wouldn't perform just as well.
Where are you?I have freind in Lago Vista that has a left hand Ruger mod 77 old style(tang safety)in 25-06 that would work too.He's been thinkin' about sellin' it.
BW
IT'S WHAT PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THEMSELVES THAT MAKES THEM AFRAID.0 -
out to 300yds,..there is no need of a magnum. That being said,..if the weatherby rifles are MK V's,..I'd buy the sako. Now,..if they are the vanguard model,..I would have a hard time deciding between the 7mm mag and the sako 270. I do love the 7mm mag caliber,..never let me down even at 500yds and beyond.
why chase the game when the bullet can get em from here?....
Got Balistics?0 -
Thanks for all of the info so far.
I was sold on getting the Sako .270 but the rifle person at D-Rays Sporting Goods in Dallas when on and on about how much he liked the the .257 weatherby mag.
He agrees that the the .270 is a very good round but he says the .257 is Ballisticly better and a more advanced round. I found the following chart. I can't see that much difference. Can one of you experts please take a look.
http://www.pacinfo.com/~dropinsator/chart2.htm#257 Wby
The weatherby is a "Mark V". and the Sako is a "Hunter". - I really like the wood stocks.
BTW... the person at D-Rays was selling the Sako.
Thanks again.0 -
Sako is a nice piece and you can't go wrong with a .270 for whitetail. I am a Winchester man though. Go M70!
[/quote]0 -
Just for the heck of it, investigate the 25-06. Plenty of velocity, LOTS of knock down power, and shoots very very very very flat! Can be found in Remington 700 LH models. Been shooting one for over 30 years and have had NONE run on me after being tagged with a 117 grain Nosler. Also, less recoil than 308's, 30-06's, and 270's. Never saw the need to use a belted magnum on a white tail either.
Just my two cents worth.
John
The original point and click interface was made by Smith & Wesson0 -
that guy gave you some bad advice and he may have some reason to do so - that is a peculiar recommendation for the gun you described although it is a good round for certain applications - I would recommend the 270 for you although I prefer the 7MM Mag 0 -
river...
Which guy?
John
The original point and click interface was made by Smith & Wesson0
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