I am new to hunting and went for the first time this year and am very excited about going again this fall! I am wanting to begin looking into a gun for deer season...any suggestions?
Thanks!

calibers 243, 270, 30-06...all popular ammo/easy to find and a bunch of manufacturers at each rifle price point.

I love my browning a-bolt 7 mag.I have hunted with 30-06,270,243 and their all good deer rifles..I'm just partial to my 7 mag.Just according to how much you wanna spend I guess.What did you hunt with this past year?

Just get a 223 and be done with it
Lol, just do a search for 223 threads on this site.


I highly recommend a 7mm-08.

Every hunter has a favorite gun and a favorite round.

A lot will depend on how much would you be willing to spend on a setup (gun, mounts, scope, sling, ammo, case...etc)?

If money is an object - look to buy used from someone on this board in the Classified section. It will save you some money - and you will probably get a pretty good deal from someone that is upgrading. I suspect they will also let you shoot the gun in its configuration. Also - don't get too hung up on buying everything from a store or whatever - again, sometimes there are scopes for sell in the Classified section that can probably save you some money. The reason I recommend the Classified section is - I have NEVER met or heard of a dishonest member on this board, and I can guarantee you that if someone were to rip you off - there would be a group of folks ready, willing, and able to whip that person's arse.

[quote=Curdog]Just get a 223 and be done with it
Lol, just do a search for 223 threads on this site


Oh boy, here we go.

Somebody on this board has something you will enjoy and afford. Once you decide on what your looking for.

Cant go wrong with a tikka

If your shooting about 300 yards or less, CAN'T beat a .308. With a 7mm-08 a close second. And Tikka's ^^^^ are great guns for the $. all IMHO

I started off with a used Savage 30-06 for $225 at a gun show and still have/love that rifle, but my go to gun now is my Remington 25-06. LOVE that gun!

I went deer hunting this past season for the first time and used a friends gun - it was a Marlin 336 - I think! I want to be able to practice this summer/early fall so that I am completely comfortable with a fun for the fall. I am pretty open when it comes to price - I would rather have a good quality gun for a little bit more than a poor quality gun that I will need to replace next year.

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I really appreciate it! I can't wait to get one and head to the range!

What would you consider a reasonable amount to expect to spend on the setup - gun, scope, sling, ammo and case?

$800-$1200 for all new stuff. Depends on gun/scope, that's where you're gonna spend most of your $. Good thing about Tikkas ,they come with good scope mounts/rings and a great trigger.

My fiance bought me a Winchester 270 with a Leopold vx3 last year, it was setup and ready to shoot AMD she got it for 900.

Welcome to the forum, and welcome to the passion of hunting.

I see you are from Bham, but you should consider things that are specific to your own hunting situation.

Will you be hunting flat land or hills, public land or a lease, crowded area or mostly alone.

Variables like that make a difference.

If you hunt from a tree in the hills and hollows down by the Warrior River, then a rifle set-up for long shots is not necessarily what you need. If you are going to hunt from a shooting house on flat ground where long shots may be normal, then you may want to get a good scope and a rifle set-up and zeroed in at a longer distance for those longer shots.

Give us a little more info on how and where you will be hunting so we can make better suggestions.

If you prefer a lever action the Marlin 336 is a good one chambered in 30/30, but remember it is not as effective past 150 yards.
I would start with a popular caliber like 30/30, 30/06, or 270, that way if you run out or forget your ammo, you can pick some up at just about any country store or borrow some from someone else.
Dont short cut on optics. You can kill deer with any gun effectively, but if you get a cheap brand of scope, you could have many frustrating days afield.

Anyway, enjoy God's creation and the time spent in it. Good luck.

Buy a gun you can afford and a scope you can't.

I would suggest a marlin XL7 in a popular caliber with a scope twice the amount of the gun. I believe you could effectively kill deer just about anywhere in Alabama with this set-up.