OT: again deer hunting rifles

Sorry, I'm usually pretty good about that..

.......................

I think I still have some of your posts from the Fido Firearms forum back in the BBS days. Norm Johnson & Ed Harris used to hang out there too. It was a great place for solid information. This group is similar with regard to information from people who have been there and done it.

RWL

You got a 600 in .243? GACK!

Ive been looking for one, or its cheaper brother the 660 in that caliber for years. Got one in 308 and the Buck Rodgers version in 350 Mag.

Marvelous mountain rifle and damned accurate. The .308 has walked a gazillion miles with me and taken a lot of wild boar and yodel dogs

Gunner

"Liberalism is a philosophy of consolation for Western civilization as it commits suicide"

- James Burnham

Good advice all..but the reason you buy a 30-30 or SKS..is it gives you a reason to buy something else when you upgrade to other areas.

Though..no excuse is really needed to buy another gun..but having an excuse makes it ..excusable

Gunner

"Liberalism is a philosophy of consolation for Western civilization as it commits suicide"

- James Burnham

You may have. Id had a couple articles published in Handloader and was a contributer to Handgun Tests (the old original version that pissed off the manufacturers ) and was sorta prolific both in writing and in shooting.

Im old now...sigh

Gunner

"Liberalism is a philosophy of consolation for Western civilization as it commits suicide"

- James Burnham

Some liked a well tuned M14 (M21)

While a bit heavier..it sucked up recoil better, had 20 in the box and was easily fitted with a hush puppy.

Gunner

"Liberalism is a philosophy of consolation for Western civilization as it commits suicide"

- James Burnham

Thanks Gunner and everyone. I'm going to send that link to him and his Mom and Dad. We shoot but none of us were into hunting. He's a senior and a high school wrestler so I don't think recoil will be much of a problem. The area is southern pine forest in the lowlands of SC. Thanks Karl

Great. Now I want an SKS. Karl

commits suicide"

commits suicide"

The way I see this situation is that a guy that has more experience to draw on has a better likleyhood of knowing when he has the right gun, and when he needs a different one. A fella that's working after school to pay for it, like this young guy is going to be, is better off with a gun that will fit pretty much all the possible options without being too far out of the template for any of them. This seems one of those situations where dropping the coin on another gun is a "sometime in the future" option, while the need/desire is current.

Once one has the means, one needs no other reason than "want" to buy another tool or toy. For now though, I think the recipient of this whole story would be better served with a tool that is as good a universal fit as possible. I think that would make for better experiences in the long run, too, with a better chance that he will actually enjoy the experience, and not decide that the money would have been better spent on a new xbox.

Cheers Trevor Jones

You should. Interesting little guns. And cheap.

commits suicide"

Semi-automatic rifles are not legal for deer hunting in all states.

Steve

Ed Harris is hanging out on the CB-L on yahoo groups.

Wes

I thought that they were legal, as long as the magazines held no more than 3 rounds? Is that no longer true? I recall special hunting magazines being sold for SKS guns, limited to 3 rounds only?

i

You got one of those things.

That was the worst recoiling rifle I've ever handled. Shooting it was like stepping on a rake.

A buddy of mine had one back in the 70's. It took me two years to get rid of the flinch it left me with after a weekend of shooting.

Paul K. Dickman

Depends on the state... where I live (Indiana), exactly *no* breech-loading rifles of any sort are legal for deer hunting. Legal firearms here are shotguns, muzzle-loading rifles, and certain pistols. Pretty much the same next door in Illinois, too, as I understand it, except they don't allow pistols.

Bah! They are legal in Michigan...

Maybe you don't know what a semi-automatic rifle or shotgun is?

Obviously you folks don't have enough deer!

Maybe not. Depends on who you talk to, and what part of the state you're in. Main problem is a Department of Natural Resources that doesn't seem to use a lot of common sense when issuing regulations. There are parts of the state that are so hilly, and so sparsely populated, that an M-16 would be safe to use.

For example... "any legal weapon" may be used to hunt squirrel. So: it's perfectly OK for me to go squirrel hunting with my .243 rifle. I can stand on the ground and shoot up at something in a tree, with a rifle which fires an

85-grain bullet at a muzzle velocity of Mach 3. That's legal. Maybe not too smart, but legal.

But I can't climb up in a tree with the same rifle, and shoot down at a deer on the ground.

That's stupid.

And the .243 is legal for coyote. But not for deer. Figure that one out.

Clothing doesn't meet the hunter orange requirements unless it's *solid* orange. "One or more of hat, cap, coat, vest, or coveralls, solid hunter orange in color." So forest-camo coveralls, forest camo face mask, and a solid hunter orange baseball cap is enough orange to satisfy Indiana law. But blaze-orange *camo* from head to toe is not. How much sense does that make?

I speak only for my state, Nevada, and since I have not deer hunted in a long time, that law might not even still be in force. My advice is to investigate what laws apply in the areas you want to hunt, not just the state you reside in, as you might hunt in another state, ..................... BEFORE making a major purchase.

Different states have different laws also regarding the calibers that can be used based on energy imparted by the bullets. And then, some states require that you hunt with shotguns only in certain areas.

It is always a good idea to check things out.

Internet advice is okay, and it is free. It is clearly worth twice what anyone pays for it. But, it might not be applicable to every situation, every person, and every locality.

Deer hunting varies vastly. In Nevada, anything less than 200 yards is a close shot, and must involve a seriously dumb deer. In some states, if the deer isn't really close, you never see it because of the vegetation. Just another variation to the idea of finding location specific advice.

Unlessen, you're like me, and have a rule that one cannot own too many guns, knives, fishing poles, or tools. In which case another gun, usable or not, is a valued thing.

Personally, I've just about picked out a Remington 700 BDL stainless synthetic in 300 short mag. And a Savage 22.250 for coyotes. I shop for one to five years before buying any particular gun, to make sure it is what I want, and when I buy a gun, I rarely sell it. I've had my longest one for fifty years, now. My grandpa gave me a 22 rifle. Others, I have had for very long times, the next oldest since 1966.

Steve