Weapon of Choice

[bullets13]

[quote name="tvc184" post="741998" timestamp="1263175046"]
[quote author=bullets13 link=topic=61867.msg741839#msg741839 date=1263163521]
i just started hunting this year for the 1st time in 15 years, and i used a TC 25-06.  i didn't take any shots at game this year, but i love the way the gun shoots.
[/quote]

The TC's are interesting and I wouldn't mind having one. They are probably some of the most well crafted guns on the market.

I just wish someone would donate it. I can't bring my self to spending as much money on one gun as I can buy 3 different Remington 700's for.
[/quote]

beautiful guns.  i like all of the options as well... both aesthetic and functional.  it's kind of need having a gun with interchangeable everything.  i'm still considering buying a .270 barrel for it, but i like what i have right now.

[tvc184]

The TC's are great guns. I just can't see myself spending as much on an interchangeable barrel as I an buy an entire new gun that the equal in accuracy and function. If I get one though, it will probably have to be donated by a rich relative that I am unaware of.

I look at it much like the Ruger No.1. A beautiful rifle that I can't bring myself to buying because I don't need a $1,000 single shot rifle that will kill no more deer than my other "cheap" guns.

[westend1]

The favorite gun I have is a Ruger #1 in .22-250.  It's a great shooting rifle, but hard to justify when you could get a Remington 700 for less.

[tvc184]

westend1 - The favorite gun I have is a Ruger #1 in .22-250.  It's a great shooting rifle, but hard to justify when you could get a Remington 700 for [b]MUCH[/b] less.

I have a Remington 700 synthetic stock in .270 and a Savage Model 11 with the AccuTrigger in .223. Both shoot 3/4" groups at 100 yards. I love a lot of other guns and would enjoy having them. For my hunting purposes though, I can't drag my billfold open for something that I really like mostly to look at.

Anyone wishing to donate however..............

[BearBryant]

[quote name="Bucof2010" post="742164" timestamp="1263231866"]
I honestly think .270 is best all around gun.
[/quote]

I like it too but will be going back to ole faithful next year.... My 30-06.

BTW- My 8 yr old shot a buck yesterday evening 1-10-10... A big ole shaggy long horn spike..

Remember how I said that the 3 previous deer and hog that dropped by a 243 this year???  Well this buck was shot and ran like he was breaking out of prison.  Had to track him.. But it was shot placement.. He shot a little further back than he should have.. ALso the deer was slightly quartering towards us.. I had lost the blood trail but thankfully the green eyes on the deer were picked up by my very very small flashlight.  I lucked out.

[westend1]

[quote name="tvc184" post="742391" timestamp="1263257755"]

westend1 - The favorite gun I have is a Ruger #1 in .22-250.  It's a great shooting rifle, but hard to justify when you could get a Remington 700 for [b]MUCH[/b] less.

I have a Remington 700 synthetic stock in .270 and a Savage Model 11 with the AccuTrigger in .223. Both shoot 3/4" groups at 100 yards. I love a lot of other guns and would enjoy having them. For my hunting purposes though, I can't drag my billfold open for something that I really like mostly to look at.

Anyone wishing to donate however..............
[/quote]

I bought my son a Savage Mk II .22 last Christmas.  It has the accuTrigger and I like it a lot...  It's truly a $200 tack driver.

[westend1]

[quote name="bearbryant" post="742429" timestamp="1263262484"]
[quote author=Bucof2010 link=topic=61867.msg742164#msg742164 date=1263231866]
I honestly think .270 is best all around gun.
[/quote]

I like it too but will be going back to ole faithful next year.... My 30-06.

BTW- My 8 yr old shot a buck yesterday evening 1-10-10... A big ole shaggy long horn spike..

Remember how I said that the 3 previous deer and hog that dropped by a 243 this year???  Well this buck was shot and ran like he was breaking out of prison.  Had to track him.. But it was shot placement.. He shot a little further back than he should have.. ALso the deer was slightly quartering towards us.. I had lost the blood trail but thankfully the green eyes on the deer were picked up by my very very small flashlight.  I lucked out.
[/quote]


Glad you found him.  Nothing sucks much worse than losing one.

[BearBryant]

[quote name="westend1" post="742437" timestamp="1263263315"]
[quote author=bearbryant link=topic=61867.msg742429#msg742429 date=1263262484]
[quote author=Bucof2010 link=topic=61867.msg742164#msg742164 date=1263231866]
I honestly think .270 is best all around gun.
[/quote]

I like it too but will be going back to ole faithful next year.... My 30-06.

BTW- My 8 yr old shot a buck yesterday evening 1-10-10... A big ole shaggy long horn spike..

Remember how I said that the 3 previous deer and hog that dropped by a 243 this year???  Well this buck was shot and ran like he was breaking out of prison.  Had to track him.. But it was shot placement.. He shot a little further back than he should have.. ALso the deer was slightly quartering towards us.. I had lost the blood trail but thankfully the green eyes on the deer were picked up by my very very small flashlight.  I lucked out.
[/quote]


Glad you found him.  Nothing sucks much worse than losing one.
[/quote]

Thats one of the worst feelings in the world.. About like when the Democrats win elections.. LOL  I feel as if I'm a very ethical hunter and I get totally knotted up knowing when I've left a deer out in the woods to rot.. And my little boys God bless their souls can stomp all over every trace, blood spot, and sign out there in their zeal to find it.. Truly a test of patience...  But they are learning..

[Champ Kind1391714823]

Now ya see a lil contraption my good pal Austin Freeman has come up with is a mixture between a trip wire and a flint lighter and an arrow. basically the animal crosses the trip wire, sets off a few arrows crippling it then a mixture of diesel and styrofoam coats the deer as a flint lighter ignites the lil guy. Once ya get there you've already bagged a pretty swell meal and its already cooked :D    just don't make sure you tell other hunters where it is first. . 

[Guest bigcat]

I will stick with my 30-06, plenty of gun for SE Texas.

[rip2506]

[quote name="tvc184" post="741022" timestamp="1262995579"]
Out of curiosity, of the many calibers available, is any of them really any better than the others at typical whitetail distances?

Can a .308, .260, .270, .280, .264, , 25-06, 30-06, 7mm (the several available), 8mm, etc., do a better job than any of the others?

I can see maybe a 300 Win Mag being better at extended ranges like maybe 600 yards but even that is debatable. I can understand the fairly light weight rounds like the 22-250, .223 and .204 maybe not having a lot of energy at say 200 yards.

I see people make statements like, well if I decided to kill a bull moose in Montana then I wouldn't have to buy a new gun if I had a 300 Win Mag. That may be true but unless that is something on the immediate horizon on someone's agenda, is it simply wishful thinking or an attempt to justify something in someone's mind? I guess I could go buy a Ford 3500 pickup on the assumption that maybe someday I may decide to start my own construction company and may need such a vehicle. I love guns and think if someone wants a gun, who cares why? Buy five of each for all I care.

Back to the original question, in the typical deer hunting scenario of usually 100 yards or less but almost certainly not over 200 yards, does it really matter?
[/quote]

No Not Really, just personal prefernce.That's why I like breaking out the ol' 30/30 from time to time. It's just the mood I am in that day.

[rip2506]

[quote name="bullets13" post="741839" timestamp="1263163521"]
i just started hunting this year for the 1st time in 15 years, and i used a TC 25-06.  i didn't take any shots at game this year, but i love the way the gun shoots.
[/quote]
Hear, Hear for the .25-06! ;D

[rip2506]

[quote name="bearbryant" post="742006" timestamp="1263176472"]
[quote author=westend1 link=topic=61867.msg741857#msg741857 date=1263166091]
.25-06 is a great round for all around hunting.   Plenty of range and will knockdown anything you are going to see here in Texas.
[/quote]

Really??  

I've never shot one but I hadn't heard much good about it.  Just heard it was a fast flat shooting gun.  

Would it be a good youth gun?[/quote]

Wow all this Beautiful .25-06 Glory. Short Story: My Grandfather was an astute and avid deer hunter who ran into some bad luck. Some heathen wiped out his entire gun collection. He replaced All of a dozen or more of those stolen rifles with One bull barrelled Ruger M77 in .25-06.  When I got it I was a little disappointed it was not a more popular .270. Now several deer later, I am a Happy camper and realize the old guy knew what he was doing. So much so I bought my nephew one.

[tvc184]

[quote name="rip2506" post="751132" timestamp="1264718356"]

Wow all this Beautiful .25-06 Glory. Short Story: My Grandfather was an astute and avid deer hunter who ran into some bad luck. Some heathen wiped out his entire gun collection. He replaced All of a dozen or more of those stolen rifles with One bull barrelled Ruger M77 in .25-06.  When I got it I was a little disappointed it was not a more popular .270. Now several deer later, I am a Happy camper and realize the old guy knew what he was doing. So much so I bought my nephew one.
[/quote]

But what can the 25-06 do that can't be done with .260, .264, .270, .280, .308, 7mm-08, 30-06.......... ?

Again, is one head and shoulders above the others for taking of whitetails?

[BearBryant]

throw in the .243 with the others. 

[liltex]

Sometimes you get lucky w/a rifle like mine-Win.model XTR 25-06.First time I shot it on a 200 yd.target once sighted in you could shoot 5 quick rounds and cover them w/a silver dollar.No spread from heated bbl.Rep.from Carters Country tried to buy it from me and said he knew the intials of the gunsmith that tooled the rifling.Being a meat hunter I love to make head shots as good scopes and marine corps rifle training helps game die quickly.Once took 5 deer and 2 big hogs in less than 30 min.on a exotic hill country lease one morning about 10:00 am.The other early risers(7)of them saw nothing early.Full moon night before.I left the deer camp after 9:00 a.m and walked a ways to a hilly revine w/a pond.A lg.rock had a nice mesquite w/a fork just perfect for a rest as I could see at least 5 differant game trails leading to the water hole.Found out later no other water source on 8,000 ac.Shared the kill evenly w/all.I can attest to it that my biggest game has been taken in remote areas near water,thickets close by oak flats towards the middle of the morning when most hunters have gone home or at camp and the woods are quiet.I've found the deer get the lg.whiteoak acorns first,red oak acorns then the rest in se texas.Anybody else ever seen any cow oak acorns?Some in the Trinity river bottom between Lib/Dayton.They are as big as wh.oak acorns but the hull almost covers the entire acorn.Deer love em.

[643]

The last time I took a head shot was when I was about 15 and that was 41 yrs ago, after an ORDEAL my dad finally cut the deers throat, I learned a lesson that day that you havn't, I'll be the first to admit I only had a Leopold sitting on a Rem Mod 740 30-06 and NO Marine training. I'll also admit I aim for the boiler room whereas if I'm off and inch or three I'll still put the animal down in a VERY humane way, if your off an inch or so you'll be dealing with the same thing I was 40yrs ago. BTW Whiteoak acorns fall FIRST and most are done by Mid Nov, the acorn that the hull covers is a Overcup and Redoak ARE the LAST to drop....BTW I shoot a TC Encore 280 with a Nikon 6x20 and will say any gun is only as good as the optics on it...  

[rip2506]

.25-06, say it with me class, let it roll of your tongue .25-00006!

Ok that was stupid, but I am still posting it. :D

[GET a HIT #24]

MY favorite would be my mathews dxt 70# 28inch draw gold tip arrows with a 100grain rage 2 blade wich i had the privelege to take a 129 5/8 ten point in evadale this past season

[tvc184]

The DXT is yesterday's news......  ;D

[GET a HIT #24]

Yep z7 next year

[tvc184]

[quote name="SATCHEL" post="777999" timestamp="1268838104"]
Yep z7 next year
[/quote]

That's okay if you are a Mathews snob.  ;D

I was thinking more like the Destroyer 350 from Bowtech.  :D

[GET a HIT #24]

i use to have a bowtech tribut but nothin is smoother and quieter in my opinion

[chosen1]

i like to use my knife.
better adrenaline rush... jmo

[westend1]

Well. i got a new Bowtech destroyer 340.  Has a slightly larger brace height than the 350 and it will allow a draw length over 30".  If you are thinking of buying a bow. you need to shoot one of these.