Friday, January 1, 2010

Get the Right Deer Hunting Rifle For Your Season

By John Eagleheart

Selecting your deer rifle is one of the most significant hunting decisions you can make. Selecting a firearm which has the ballistics, design, action, sighting and size to accommodate your hunting area and personal capability is the basis of achieving your goal once your prey is hunted and located. Your ultimate success depends upon having a deer hunting rifle that fits all these criteria.

The Significance of the Location You will Hunt

The two main types of deer hunting environments are the deep woods/dense brush and open range country. You may be hunting in an area that has a mixture of both these environment types. Every hunting environment has different styles of shooting and require rifles with different characteristics.

Deer Hunting Rifles for Deep Woods or Dense Brush

Deer hunting rifles for a hunting area of woods and brush should perform best in close to medium range shooting. The average shooting distance in this type of environment is from twenty-five to two hundred yards. You will be best served if your deep woods deer hunting rifle is relatively light, less than nine pounds including scope, and short, with a barrel length of less than twenty-two inches. Maneuverability is important when hunting in dense brush. Deer hunting rifles which can be reloaded quickly, such as automatics and lever actions, are suggested in rough country deer hunting since fast follow up shots are frequently needed. Heavy bullet cartridges for brush penetration are needed, such as .270 caliber or larger and at minimum a 120 grain bullet. Calibers or cartridges which exceed 2200 feet per second velocity are not suggested as bullet deflection by the brush must be at a minimum. Scopes of four power or adjustable scopes going down to 3X are suggested, and if the terrain only allows shots of up to fifty yards you may prefer open sighting. Practice at the rifle range to determine if you can become comfortable with open site shooting.

Open Range Hunting Deer Hunting Rifles

The best deer hunting rifles for open areas are made for long range shooting, and most are best at shooting 300 yards or farther. In this situation, mobility is less important than being able to shoot accurately, and the ability to make long distance shots. That said, most open range deer hunting rifles are heavier than their deep woods counterparts, and have a longer barrel. The best calibers and cartridges for open range deer hunting, are flat shooting, and high velocity. 6MM (.243) calibers or higher will work well, and bullets from 100 grains or heavier will be best. When shooting larger caliber rifles, heavier bullets are generally best for accurate shooting. The minimum required scope for most shooters is a 6x9 variable scope.

Personal Choices

When choosing a deer hunting rifle, follow the recommendations above as they best suit your hunting situation and consider your degree of comfort in using high caliber or magnum powered rifles. Consider how inclined you are to tote a 10 to 12 pound long rifle all day in the field.

Visit a nearby hunting rifle dealer and test out various models, kinds, and sizes from different makers of deer hunting rifles to see what feels good. Whenever you have the chance, ask successful hunters what they use and why. Ask friends to permit you to hold and handle their rifles and find out what you like and dislike about it. - 16887

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