# what kind of gun??



## She-Hunter (Sep 18, 2006)

What kind of gun do you all use for deer hunting? My husband says the heavier guns are better. The research I did says lighter guns have a harder kick while heavier guns have less. I just wonder whats best for a woman. The 30-03 was a damn heavy gun!! Holding it more than 45 seconds or so and I didnt have the control I had at first. I know that having a bar from the tree blind will help that but I just wonder if there are better or other options or if I should just stick with whats worked so far. While Ill just be using Daves shot gun this year, I would like my own for next year.

Trisha


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## timberdoodle528 (Nov 25, 2003)

If you're looking for a slug gun, you cannot go wrong with an H&R Ultra. 20 or 12 ga - either one. I have the 20 ga, and LOVE IT. It's heavy, so like you said, it doesn't kick at all. It's also very accurate. 
I know a guy on this site that just bought one, (12 ga.) and he was going on and on about how accurate it was. Their not too expensive either. 
It's one of my favorite guns, I know if you get one... you'll be very happy with it.
There was just a thread about these guns.... here's the link. You can read what everyone had to say about them. Good luck!!!

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=151268


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## 1wildchild (Apr 14, 2003)

Are you interested in a shot gun or rifle? A semi Auto really helps with the kick. I love my 1187 12 ga. I also have a Ruger Mini 30 semi auto rifle. No kick but plenty of punch for deer. The mini 30 is a pretty short gun as well, comfortable if you have short arms.


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## Joe R. (Jan 9, 2002)

If you are looking for a rifle look at the Ruger .44 mag. It is about the same weight as the Ruger 10/22's. It's a good accurate gun with little recoil. I wouldn't recommend it for shots over 100 yards though. They are made in lever action and semi-auto. They may have a bolt gun, but I'm not sure on that one.

Joe


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## frznFinn (Jan 25, 2004)

I used to use the 44 mag but it leaves a less than desirable blood trail.I now use a rem 280.I love it.


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## Outdoorsman54 (Mar 30, 2005)

Where will you be hunting?
Rifle zone or shorgun zone?
What type of range will you be shooting deer at?
These are all factors in trying to answer your question as to what gun would be best for you.


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## Firecracker (Aug 19, 2005)

hello, I am new to "huntin" I am going with my 12 year old son to Hunter safety next week. I dont own a gun now never have. So any help on what to get would be GREAT!! WE live in Rifle so I am told, by jays


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## Bunny (May 23, 2006)

I use a muzzle loader... the Thompson-Center Omega. It only weights 7# and doesn't kick much at all when using 100 grains of powder. Its small and compact.


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## Lindsey (Jan 22, 2000)

My wife uses a 20 gauge shotgun for all her hunting in Michigan.
She has a rifled barrel that she uses to kill deer and hogs with sabot/slug loads out to 100 yards, and a smooth bore barrel that she uses with shot loads for small game, game birds and turkeys.

You can hunt deer in the rifle zone with a shotgun and slugs. My wife does.

If your budget is limited, a 20 gauge or 12 gauge shotgun with two barrels is an economical way to cover all the firearms hunting seasons. 

Dunhams, Jays, Franks, and the other larger gun shops often have the Remington 870 and Mossberg 500 combo packages on sale at good prices this time of year. If you are smaller framed, look for the youth versions of these shotguns with shorter stocks and shorter barrels. Invest $250 - $350 in a good pump action shotgun with bird and deer barrels and you won't need to buy another gun for the rest of your life. Good used guns can sometimes be found for even less. 

Most folks don't notice the kick when shooting at game. I wouldn't worry about that. Recoil is more noticable when sighting in or practicing. 

Lindsey


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

Get a light weight bolt action with a 20" barrel chambered in either .243 or .260 Remington.

Here are a couple of examples that I bought for my sons to use when they were younger. The bottom one is a Winchester 70 custom classic in .243 and the other is a Remington Model 7 in .260.

Both have almost no recoil and are plenty of gun for any Michigan whitetail. They only weigh about 6 lbs.

I also have a Ruger .44 carbine that my kids have used and that is another option. If your shots are going to be under 50 yards it would be a good choice, too.


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## shadow (Feb 14, 2005)

munsterlnder how do you like the 260. ive always used a 270 or 30-30 for my deer needs but was looking for something a little lighter. i was thinking a 260 savage


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## Munsterlndr (Oct 16, 2004)

shadow said:


> munsterlnder how do you like the 260. ive always used a 270 or 30-30 for my deer needs but was looking for something a little lighter. i was thinking a 260 savage


If you mean the .260 Remington I like it a lot. It is virtually identical to the venerable 6.5MM swede cartridge which has been around for many years and has killed it's share of game from deer to moose. The rounds are the same except that the .260 Remington is based on the .308 cartridge case and is a short action case. The 6.5 swede is a medium action case. Very little recoil and a very versatile round. I'm not familiar with a caliber called the .260 savage.

There is a great round called the .250 Savage originally called the .250-3000. It was the first really high velocity small caliber round and is an excellent whitetail round. Hard to find factory ammo for it, though. You can occasionally find a used rifle chambered for it and both Remington & Ruger have offered it in recent production models. Probably most commonly found in used lever action Savage 99 rifles, which is what it was originally chambered for.

If you are used to a .270 another option would be the 7mm-08. This is another round based on the .308 short action cartridge and is probably the most versatile all around deer & larger game round there is. I have a 7mm-08 barrel for my Encore and like this caliber a lot.

.243 is probably the smallest caliber I would recommend for deer. I've used the .243 to kill a number of deer and never had a problem but it is not as versatile as some of the other calibers mentioned.

All of that being said, my primary hunting rifle is a Sako Finnlight chambered in .270 and there is definitely nothing wrong with the .270!


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## shadow (Feb 14, 2005)

lol no i mean a savage in .260rem. i like the 6.5x55(i think thats right) alot my buddy has one and we have swapped at the range a few times very light kick compared to my .270 and .270wsm so i think i would really like the 260 if its comparable


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## hoot619 (Feb 15, 2005)

for FrznFinn 
Do you still use ball of twine tied to your gun so you don't lose it?


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## tedshunter (Dec 27, 2004)

You might want to check out some Bolt Actions chambered in 7mm-08.Excellent round for Whitetail and will reach out if you need to take a long shot and with very little recoil.I have a Remington Model 788 and have taken many deer with this gun.I also have never lost a deer that I have shot with this rifle,most of the time they have dropped in thier tracks.


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## wolfpacks999 (Sep 10, 2006)

for rifle i use a 243 and love it.


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## Nikki (Aug 29, 2006)

I have a 20g, I love it.


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## poisonivie (Nov 2, 2005)

I've been deer hunting with a Marlin 30/30 since I was 15 years old. I have the same gun today! I love it! It's not too heavy and it's easy to haul around the woods. I've taken several deer with that gun. The first deer I shot was when I was 18 years old at 160 yards, right through the heart, up on the UP. Took an 8 point at 40 yards the next day! Since then, I've taken several other deer with that gun. I don't plan on switching any time soon. It works great for me! 

This is a picture of me when I was 18 with my second buck that year (the first one was just a 3 point).


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