Island Deer Rifle

[Steelhead S2]

Hi all,

I am just brand new to hunting... and very enthusiastic. I think I'm decided on a deer rifle to buy. Probably bad move to buy it mid season, but I don't want to miss this season either.

After much research and lots of conversations I have pretty much decided on a weatherby vanguard series 2, 30-06. Fitted with a redfield scope. I am looking for something that won't break the bank, but also something that I won't want to replace right away.
I am going with a blued barrel because it's cheaper and it's available.

Anyone here have any experience with these firearms? Any other good suggestions? Any inexpensive used ones in good condition and of good quality?

Thank, I'm sure soem of oyu will provide very helpful insights.

 

[hambone]

I'm not a seasoned hunter by any means but I think that's a great choice in caliber bbecause its good for island deer as well as larger game if you decide to go after moose, elk etc. In the future.

 

[wolf]

30-06 is a great rifle i have owned one since I was 15 years old it my go to gun love it I have the bushnell elite scope on it and must admit a very good scope for the money.
That gun has taken many a deer and many moose with it a great all around weapon.
good choice

 

[Steelhead S2]

Thanks guys!

 

[Sculpin]

Sounds like a great choice for the reasons already posted. Odd 6........jack of all trades. Good luck this season.

 

[IronNoggin]

Odd 6........jack of all trades. Good luck this season.

BINGO! Probably the most versatile chambering out there, there are more loading recipes and bullet types/sizes for the 30-06 than any other. One long-standing saying (which I believe to be true) is that if a North American hunter was faced with having but one rifle, his choice should be the 30-06 for that very reason. Good to Go for everything from Antelope and the smaller Island Deer to Moose & Elk.

You might want to reconsider the Blued aspect though. Most seasons on the Rock are damn WET! A Stainless version requires much less in the way of immediate daily care under these conditions.

Remember to practice a fair bit and get comfortable with it. The saying The Rifle is Only as Good as the Man Behind It is very true!

Good Luck and have FUN with your new toy!!

Cheers,
Nog

 

[wolf]

Side note if you like to tinker like I do get someone to teach you to reload if you have the chance and like NOG said practice I bet you I have gone thru a few thousand rounds thru that gun as i tried many a load configuration bullet/weight/powder/ many many hours but that thing i put up put on target and i know its going to get hit.
I personally use 150 gr hornady lead with IMR 3031 powder at 46 grains and its chrony at almost 2900 fps, your gun will only shoot a certain load. factory is good but its not custom to your gun and reloading you can fine tune it with soooo may aspects length of shell etc. and trust me dont worry about getting more zip out of the gun an animal doesnt know if the bullet is going 2500 fps or 3500 fps.

When I was experimanting i was trying all these different loads and powders etc and even had some tumbling hitting the paper and thats not what you want i found out you want more consist accuracy over anything else, so when you put your crosshairs on an animal and your concentrating on the kill zone you know its going to hit true. you have to respect the animal your killing and do it as fast a quick as you can.

BTW that gun is a BSA featherweight with a muzzle break you know when I shoot LOL LOL
it has its own "CRACK" to it rather sharp.

good luck Wolf

 

[Steelhead S2]

Thanks again fellas. The wet coast factor probably does make stainless the better choice. But $200 is $200, and they don't have a stainless model in stock. Are we talking way more work, or just a little more work?

As for reloads, I do enjoy tinkering, and I know I'll get there one day. But not till I have the time to concentrate.

 

[Sculpin]

Thanks again fellas. The wet coast factor probably does make stainless the better choice. But $200 is $200, and they don't have a stainless model in stock. Are we talking way more work, or just a little more work?

As for reloads, I do enjoy tinkering, and I know I'll get there one day. But not till I have the time to concentrate.

It's not that much more work just make sure you dry everything off after an outing in the rain (the best time to be blacktail hunting IMO). I own quite a few rifles and only one of them is stainless and guess which one has never been out hunting or took an animal.......yup the stainless one lol. After a wet day I hand wipe any moisture off the rifle, remove the bolt and sling, open the scope caps, and put it in my back room with the temp turned up a bit higher than normal with a fan going to circulate the air to improve the drying time. I leave it like that for a few hours and it's dry. I then give it all a light wipe down with some oil and put her back in the safe.

If you don't want to get into hand loading right away I would just buy three or four boxes of different manufacturer's ammo with the same bullet weight that you want to shoot and try them all. Pick the one that seems to shoot the best out of your rifle and use the others for practice (remember what Nog said practice practice practice). Practice isn't always about shooting groups either so don't worry about banging off the less accurate ammo. You can use it for just throwing lead down range practicing form etc. and keep the brass for later if you want to get into reloading. Don't skimp on ammo either. Buy some with good quality bullets. I would suggest heavier than lighter for accuracy out of factory ammo. This is just my opinion from my experiences. My odd 6 likes 165 and even better 180 grain factory loads.

Cheers,
John

 

[Jencourt]

like NOG said practice I bet you I have gone thru a few thousand rounds thru that gun as i tried many a load configuration bullet/weight/powder/ many many hours but that thing i put up put on target and i know its going to get hit.

good luck Wolf

I think that is the biggest key. Confidence in what you are shooting. Wheather it be a custom load or a factory. I Did something many years ago that changed my hunting and shooting forever. I spent many a round shooting paper . Although it did give me practice it always had me trying to hard as I got out further and further and I was no longer hitting the bulls-eye so to speak.

I was told by a life time shooter to go get a bag of small balloons and set them up at 100,150,200,250,300. He then said to continue to aim small but trust your gun and the round you are shooting.(In my case it was 165 grain 3006, the best round for that gun in my opinion) He then said to remember that a deers lung is not the size of a cross on a paper target so hence the balloon. Once I started popping balloons at all those yardages It raised my confidence by 100 times over. All of a sudden instead of missing the Bulls-eye by a couple inches at 200 yards I was hitting what I was shooting at. Something about making that balloon go away that hits home way harder than being close to a bulls-eye.

After that I just new if I put my gun on an animal and squeezed I new without a doubt that it was going down.

As far as the 3006 is concerned I agree that it is the best all round gun on the market and for anyone who is to own only one game rifle it can not be beat. Also for what it is worth I know a few guys who have multiple guns yet it seems the old 3006 gets the most work.

Cheers: Ray

 

[fish stalker]

quick reply from the ol man says those can be expensive and check out savages.

 

[Evenweight]

one part of the criteria on buying a gun for me would be to make sure the gun has a box magazine or clip. No loaded guns in a vehicle right (for damn good reason).... well if you have a separate magazine ready to go. step out of vehicle pop mag in gun cycle action and aim. other wise find bullets insert individually in gun cycle gun etc. also take down at the end of walk etc is quicker rounds don't end up on ground and getting dirty.

just a few thoughts

 

[Chaos]

Or you could drop one in the chamber and kill it with one shot!! Not sure why you would need a full clip.

 

[reelfast]

having hunted big game for vitrutally all of my life, i have gone through any number of rifle calibers. the 30-06 was one of my first choices for many of the same reasons mentioned above. but then i tried the 308 before the wonderful hand loads were developed for short and long range shooting. from there through any number of callibers until the 270. flat shooting and, for me, the perfect deer rifle. 130gr bullet and a well placed single shot is all it takes. very accurate and you won't be flintching. move up to elk, not enough rifle. for this you need a bigger caliber as well as flat shooting. either the 7mm or the 300WM fits that bill. both flat shooting with a number of fine over the counter loads available. most of the time 'on size fits all' is a falacy but do as you please. the rifles of choice for me having gone from an original belgin made weatherby, an incredable rifle, are the good old tried and true Remington 700s.

all of this is predicated on the assumption that you will carefully evaluate your kill possibility and pass on an animal if the shot is going to be iffy. because i really like to eat this game, my shot of preference is the neck, hit or miss, no damaged body parts and more importantly meat. there are plenty of critters around, patience is my moto as i never fail to fill the pot.

 

[Islandgirl]

30.06 is a great gun
I used 150g for a deer load and 180g for moose.
I have experiemented with different loads and powders and what works right for my gun. I could send you the info but it maybe different for your gun. Let me know if you want the info.

A very important step is breaking in the gun.
I beleive it goes something like this...

Fire the first 3 shots cleaning the barrel between EVERY shot
Fire 5 shots then clean the barrel
Fire 10 shots then clean the barrel

Nog has a VERY GOOD point about buying stainless, mine is SS and I really like the low maintenance.

Good Luck

 

[Sculpin]

A very important step is breaking in the gun.
I beleive it goes something like this...

Fire the first 3 shots cleaning the barrel between EVERY shot
Fire 5 shots then clean the barrel
Fire 10 shots then clean the barrel

I use this method from a guy that has shot more than a few rounds.

http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.ca/2010/11/equipment-barrel-break-in.html

You have to scroll down the page to take it all in.

 

[NautiGirl]

In my neighbourhood, just use a baseball bat. The deer are so thick and so unafraid of us they walk right up to you. Want my address? LOL

 

[Little Hawk]

I started hunting with the old 303' British but after my first Grizzly encounter decided something more substantial was in order. I bought my 1960's vintage Remmington 700 chambered for 30-06' off an old guy in pub where I used to work. It's a mauser (shorter barrel) and is great in the bush. But with a shorter barrel you sacrifice some velocity which is not so great if you need to reach out. So I tend to get close to what I shoot (200' yds or less) and there's no issue; 'BOOM-dead'!

I do agree and wish that my old Remmi' had a clip. Sometimes you need to load fast and it's good to have another round or two if you are off a bit with your first shot or something is trying to eat you. Trust me, hunting is not like a John Wayne movie where every shot kills.

The reason the venerable old 'Odd-Six' has such a following is that many - if not most - hunter's can only afford one gun and this cartridge truly has the capacity to be loaded for several applications. Also, recoil is moderate and most can handle it.

However, if you are not gun-shy I would also throw the 300-Win/mag into the mix as a good general all-purpose caliber, if you can shoot it straight. This cartridge truly puts you into the heavy-weight magnum club and is awesome for longer, flat-shooting, big-punch applications. It can also be loaded down into 30-06' territory for smaller deer etc. It's easier (and safer) to reduce a load than say try to 'jack-up' a 30-06' load into 300-Mag territory.

Me, I'm perfectly happy with my old 700-Remmy Odd-six. I load & shoot Barnes 180-grn boat-tail 'X-Bullets' (2700-2800 fps/muzzle) and they are simply devastating.

Let us know what you choose; then we talk about scopes.

Good luck to you.

 

[Steelhead S2]

Thanks guys. I was all set to make a buy last weekend, but I was struck down by a little flu and a great big turkey dinner. I will keep you posted.

Thanks especially for the "breaking in" tips.

 

[IronNoggin]

... from there through any number of callibers until the 270. flat shooting and, for me, the perfect deer rifle. 130gr bullet and a well placed single shot is all it takes. very accurate and you won't be flintching. move up to elk, not enough rifle. for this you need a bigger caliber as well as flat shooting.

In the right hands, Jack O'Conner had it right.
I've taken eight elk, and over a dozen moose with the 270. Practice, and understanding both your limitations as well as realistic opportunities is all it takes. The 30-06 is still likely more suited for the One-Gun Man IMHO.

...the rifles of choice for me having gone from an original belgin made weatherby, an incredable rifle, are the good old tried and true Remington 700s.

My "Guide Gun" and Go-To for larger game always has been, and still is a Belgian built 300 WBY Mag. You are absolutely correct. An Incredible rifle. But well beyond most in terms of affordability, and more importantly, the ability to to shoot and shoot well.

Neck shots are fine with those who can and do shoot less than MIA at distance. Most can't. Thus most would be much better advised to stuck with the tried & true Boiler Room pokes.

A very important step is breaking in the gun.

Great point, and well adhered to if you want long-term extreme accuracy!

You've made some decent choices Steelhead. Let us know from time to time as you require any advice to bring this project along...

Cheers,
Nog