Hunting rifle advice

[dteed4094]

Check out a few bolt actions for fit and feel. Stevens 200 is inexpensive, light, accurate and comes in several calibers. I wouldn't limit my capabilities with a 30/30. In my area there are many opportunities to shoot deer farther than 30/30 would ethically be capable of. 700 Remy is a beautiful gun, 30.06 would be my choice.

[bricktop]

Iron Butt makes a great point, although I have a lovely Winchester feather weight in 7mm/08, my last buck was shot with a Marlin 336 in 30-30. There is something about a Marlin 30-30 (or winchester 94) that just says perfect for close in encounters with Pa whitetails. Damn I can almost smell the Hoppes # 9 following these cool evenings.

I'll second the Winchester 70 featherweight. Great woods gun, easy for carting around, etc. Only thing is they aren't cheap. My first few years of hunting I used my grandpa's Win 70 FW in 257 Roberts. Ended up getting two deer with it.

[keystoneman 85]

Check out the Marlin XL7 and XS7 rifles. You can get them with the cheap 3x9 scope package for about $320 - these rifles are great. Bolt is super slick and they are capabale of half inch groups at 100 yards.

[Mush]

Paradox,
Everyone on this board has been in your shoes asking “what rifle should I get?” You state you are a 15 year old of average height and weight looking for a Pennsylvania “Deer” rifle. I will agree you picked a fine rifle and caliber without question. Is it the rifle for you today for your intended purpose? You said:

To Rifle hunt whitetail deer in Pennsylvania. (Remember shotgun only in Allegheny County).
Normal Penna. View in the woods and hills - 100 to 200 yards average shot.
Your size and age (thinking you will grow some and want a “keeper” rifle).
You have 15 year old eyes (us senior guys need a scope to see what we are shooting at).

You did not mention if cost was a factor (15 year olds normally don’t have unlimited funds).
Is this rifle only for Whitetail or is varmint hunting a possibility?

I have heard that the calibers that take the most Pennsylvania Deer are the 30-30 and the 243. As a 15 year old I hunted with a 243 Remington 760 Game Master. It was the only rifle I had access to.

You (with good eyes) don’t "need" a scope to hunt deer in Pa. Granted, a scope helps you aim better but many deer were taken with out one. And you can always buy a scope after you become proficient with open sights. You need enough power to harvest deer. You also need enough practice to hit what you are aiming at so the cost of ammo is a factor. If you wish to go up into a tree stand or crawl through brush, the shorter rifle is easier to handle.

In my opinion, the Winchester 94 or Marlin 336 Lever gun in 30 30 is the top of the list. If all you want to do is hunt deer in PA you can’t go wrong with either. Light rifle, short (easy to use in the brush) and enough power to bring home meat. I like the Marlin over the Model 94, but that is personal preference.

That said, IF you want to hunt varmint (ground hog, coyote, or fox) and I highly recommend this for practice for deer season. If you can routinely and accurately kill a ground hog size animal at 200 yards, a deer at 100 - 200 yards is not so hard. I would look at the 308 family of rifle. The 243 ammo is everywhere and not too expensive. Recoil is easy on you and ground hog out to 300 yards (with a scope for me) is in range. I like the 260 Remington but ammo is harder to find and choices are less. If you reload, this is not a problem. The 7mm-08 is a fine round (I use the 7-08 in a Stainless Rem Model Seven as my go to gun) for varmint and deer. If I could only have one rifle, this would be it. The 308 is common as you can get (along with the 30-30 and 30-06 rifle and ammo in PA.).

I left out the fine calibers such as the 257 Roberts and the 6.5 x 55 Swedish only because ammo is harder to find and a little more expensive if you don’t reload.

I would (in order) look at the Marlin 336 (or Winchester 94) in 30-30, a Savage/Remington/Ruger in 243 then the 7-08 or the 308.

IMHO the key is not the rifle or caliber but the skill of the shooter. You can kill a deer with any caliber, it all depends with how well you can shoot.

[Hokkmike]

I need some help.
I would like to purchase a rifle to hunt whitetail deer with.
I am about 5 ft 5 and weigh about 110 lbs at the young age of 15.
I have already hunted with my rem 870 12 ga and have had no problems at all.
I am planning on purchasing a 270 win rem 700.
Would you agree with me?

It would be a good choice!