What rifle combo under 1k do you recommmend for deer hunting?

[tug]

I work on the rifle line at a public shooting range. I see over 100 scoped hunting rifles per year.

Think backwards. On everything.

Where and what do you hunt, regularly? Or are your thoughts aspirational, as in putting yourself in the boots of someone in Montana shooting elk at 600 yards. Be honest with yourself.

More on backwards thinking. Assign a value to all.

• Your ammo selection/caliber is critical. You need affordable practice and expensive hunting ammo. You'll recover game more reliably with bullet technology from 2020 than from 1940. Get 3x20 rds of hunting at $2/rd. 100 rds of practice at $1/rd.
• You need a legit sling/mounts, and learn how to use it.
• You need high quality rings and bases, and know how to mount a scope correctly. If you don't use a torque driver and the correct adhesive, it is not correct. If you don't have levels, your reticle is not correct.
• You need a legit cleaning kit, with fluids developed this century.
• You need a high quality scope with magnification and reticle that matches your purpose. Confirm tracking and holding zero. Beware US branded lines made in China. Get caps.

Now that you have a dollar value on the above items, what do you have left for your rifle? If you start with $1000, you still will have $500 or more for a rifle. Remember, people rarely sell rifles that shoot straight or scopes that hold zero and track. And NIB rifles/scopes are sometimes defective.

I won't approach the rifle/caliber question. Leave that to others. But if you follow this method, you won't end up with a $100 scope on a $900 rifle shooting obsolete ammo thru a fouled barrel.

 

[lafn96]

Weatherby Vanguard .308 w/Leupold vx-3i included for $799

 

[DaveTN]

First decide if you want new or used. Any big name bolt action .308 or 30-06 is what I would look for. You probably aren't going to be shooting over 100 yards. You don't need a high dollar target rifle to shoot the center out of a target at 100 yards or take a deer. You need the ability to do that and unfortunately, we can't buy that.

I would have always said a Remington 700, but I don't know how their new bolts are doing. I'd want American Made, so like most here have said Ruger or Savage would be at the top of my list.

I say .308 or 30-06, but fact is I'd want .308 because I shoot at the range and at times want to shoot a lot of ammo. There is a lot of cheap .308 range ammo available. Not so much if you pick a designer round. Also 30-06 isn't as popular as it once was and finding low-cost ammo for the range could be tough. Even M2 ball is bringing a premium now due to scarcity.

Just get something and get started. Chances are you will want to change/upgrade pretty quickly anyway.

 

[TN Larry]

CVA Cascade rifle with the Vortex Diamondback HP deal posted above. The Cascade has a cerakoted, threaded Bergara barrel and comes in several different calibers. Your local Walmart should have one.

 

[pk117ac23]

Lot's of great thoughts here, OP. I successfully filled freezers for years with Savage Axis .308 from Walmart I bought for $239 back in 2019. If you've got a few Hundred more, I'd go Tikka, Weatherby and get a threaded barrel cause you WILL want to get said gun suppressed once you fall in love with shooting sports like we have here!

 

[BamBam77]

Can't go wrong with a Ruger American in a common caliber, I'd lean toward 308 due to long term availability, ballistics, and bullet variety.
For hunting optics, I always like Luepold. They're still made in America, which does matter a great deal to me. They're high quality even in their lower end models. I have a VX Freedom I got last year for $300 on my 30-30 that I couldn't be happier about

 

[Smells Like Sulfur]

I think it depends on what you're trying to do. Are you long range hunting over open fields, or pushing through thick brush?

An old, well used, cheap break action will kill just about anything you point it at, and you can get one of those for around $150, chambered in any caliber you can imagine.

The rifle is less important than practicing with that rifle that you choose and being able to hit vitals. I knew (dead now) a guy who hunted exclusively with a Ruger 10/22. He could put that bullet through a dime at 200 yards, and drop a deer every shot. I am not, however recommending a .22 for deer hunting, lol.

Go to a gun store, and ask to handle different rifles in calibers that are legal for hunting deer. Some guns "fit" some people better than others. Write down the names of the rifles that you like, then go home and research them.

Get that rifle, and go to a range as much as possible. Fire it prone, standing, and laying down sideways, until your proficient enough to hit vitals in any position. Make sure you practice with at least some of the ammo you will be hunting with. I was shooting cheaper bullets at targets, and when I went hunting, I found that I had more of a ballistic drop because of the heavier and slower moving projectile.

Again, optics come into play with your type of hunting. I got a scope that would do 24x, and found that I never used it past 4x, because the areas I hunt in don't usually provide the opportunity for a shot over 50 or so yards. I hunt with a muzzleloader, and at full zoom at 200 yards, the bullet would drop out of the field of view anyway. The nice scope ended up being an overkill waste of money, I'm currently looking for a replacement. Remember, people have been hunting with iron sights way longer than scopes, while a nice optic is important, it's not nearly as important as being a good shot.

 

[DaveTN]

Remember, people have been hunting with iron sights way longer than scopes, while a nice optic is important, it's not nearly as important as being a good shot.

^QFT!!^

While I'm old and can't shoot iron sites anymore, I always smile when I see "Will that rifle hold 1/2 MOA?"

 

[TNRifleman]

CVA Cascade topped with a Meopta Optika 5 or Tract Response scope will push right to $1000 but will be the best setup in that price range. If I really had to break it down, I'd search for a good used rifle and spend more on the glass.

 

[vonb]

Only you can answer what you want. I prefer Tikka these days.

 

[BigCityBubba]

If you are willing to spend $1000 consider a bergara B-14 hunter in 308 win. If you are only hunting a couple of times a year and never plan to leave the state, go cheap. A cheap rossi with $50 scope will kill a deer and get out for $300. The bergaras sell at sportsmans warehouse for $700. You will most likely hang on to that rifle for the rest of your life. I say 308 win because it was the only centerfire ammo that you could consistently find on the shelves over the last 3 years. After taxes that leaves $230. You can get a decent bushnell, burris, vortex, athlon or whatever for that. The Bushnell Trophy HD is a great scope for the money. You can replace at a later date if you want something better or you are going out west and you don't want to risk a hunt of a lifetime on a $200 scope.. Don't get some ridiculously high magnification. A simple 3-9 is all you need especially if its an inexpensive scope. The main thing with glass is that you can see through it in low light and does not change point of aim. I once bought a crossbow that came with a scope. The first morning I hunted with it, I could not see through it to shoot until about 30 minutes or so after shooting light. In other words, don't trust a no brand scope that comes on the rifle. They are worth about $10 and thats probably a little high. The better scopes give you crisper clearer pictures. are repeatable, more reliable, and are better in low light which is why if you are going to spend allot of money on a hunt of a lifetime, they are worth it.

 

[wsm]

I have two CVA CASCADES one 350 legend and other 308 ,Leupold vx3 scopes.

 

[PillsburyDoughboy]

Some of the suggestions above about the Ruger and Savage seem spot on.

Stick with Leupold or Ziess entry level scopes. They are about as good of money spent . And good glass for the money. You will.come under that $1k budget too.

 

[timberjack86]

Mossberg Patriot

 

[fairchaser]

You don't need $1,000 rifle to go deer hunting. You can buy a cheap rifle from Walmart, slap $100 scope on it and go hunting.

A nice gun will not make you a better deer Hunter. Buy what you can afford and get in the woods.

Absolutely true. But a bad gun and cheap scope could ruin your hunt and wound a deer. I've seen it happen. If the rifle can hold MOA and the scope will hold zero, you can kill anything if you are proficient. You can buy that for $1000.

 

[BigCityBubba]

Why do people like to bring up need? This is America. What does need got to do with anything?

 

[ImThere]

Ruger American compact on 7mm08 or 308.
Leopold vx freedom scope

 

[PillsburyDoughboy]

Ruger American compact on 7mm08 or 308.
Leopold vx freedom scope

Great advice

 

[Hammer]

Remington 700 in 308/243/7mm-08
Plenty of aftermarket upgrades out there

Refurbished Vortrex from AA Optics plenty of choices in your price range
Full Vortex Lifetime Warranty

 

[EastTNHunter]

Weatherby Vanguard .308 w/Leupold vx-3i included for $799

That would be hard to beat for the price