Mike Bleech

One of the best advantages to writing a newspaper column is the opportunity to write a ‘best deer rifle’ column. Just about every deer hunter has an opinion on the best deer rifle. If the subject comes up in a group conversation, most hunters will put in their two bits. And just about every outdoors writer has an opinion, though few get to write about it without a regular column.

The key difference between the opinions of outdoor writers and deer hunters in general is that the writers are exposed to a lot of new information before hunters in general.

Otherwise, the only qualification for making a meaningful comment on the best deer rifle is experience. I have had the opportunity to hunt deer in several states and provinces. So have many local deer hunters. Warren County has a lot of very serious deer hunters. I have been around deer hunting circles in many places enough to make this statement without prejudice.

Choosing the best deer rifle is not an exact science. But it is a science. Ballistics become the effects of a bullet on a deer. Trajectory affects maximum practical range.

My opinions about a best deer rifle have changed through the years.

For many years I thought that the .30-06 Springfield could not be beat as a cartridge for deer hunting. No doubt I have taken many more deer with the old Remington Model 700 BDL ’06 than with any other cartridge. I still think this cartridge belongs in any serious conversation about a best deer rifle.

When the time came that I needed a lighter deer rifle, it was time to take a serious look at the cartridge for which the rifle would be chambered. Already I knew I wanted the rifle to be a Browning A-Bolt. That was long before the X-bolt. After seeing just one buck taken with the .280 Remington, then studying ballistics and bullets available, the new A-Bolt in .280 Rem. was purchased.

After taking a few deer with the .280 Rem. it became clear that a well hit deer would take four or five bounds before dropping. Although I realized switching to a softer bullet like the 165-grain Hornady Spire Point used with the ’06 would stop the bounds, I decided to switch to a Savage Model 11 chambered for the then-new 300 Winchester Short Magnum.

The .300 WSM is indeed an excellent cartridge for deer. It exceeds the ’06 in power and range. And if a hunter needs a rifle that will do well with any North American big game, this cartridge fills the bill.

Several things factor into deciding on a best deer rifle. Plenty of knock-down power without going overboard is at the top of my list of determining factors. Accuracy is important, however, this is not really a big factor because I have not seen a factory rifle in many years that was not sufficiently accurate.

Fit is a factor that should be important, though it is not often mentioned. In years past outdoor writers suggested being measured before buying a rifle. That is fine if you can afford a custom rifle. But my audience is mainly too middle class to spend money on a custom rifle. And guess what else? Rifles that may fit according to body measurements do not point to a rifle fit that works best for me.

So a choice in rifle model is a very personal factor. I recommend that a prospective deer rifle buyer should handle as many rifle models as possible. This should include bolt action rifles, pump action rifles and lever action rifles. Suitable chamberings are available in all of these rifle types.

As it typically does, factors for determining the best cartridge for deer hunting become the focus of the best deer rifle conversation.

At this moment, if I were to buy a new deer rifle I prefer that it be chambered for the relatively new .26 Nosler. Although I have never even seen a .26 Nosler cartridge, I have done a good deal of hunting with a .264 Winchester Magnum. Ballistics are similar.

With the same bullets used, at about the same velocities, I got knock-down kills on a pronghorn at 526 yards, a nice mule deer at 385 yards, and a few whitetails at considerably shorter distances.

But do I think the .26 Nosler is the best cartridge for a deer rifle?

No. It is just very cool.

I do not think there is any single, best cartridge for deer hunting. However, using my emphasis on adequate knock-down power, my preferences for a very good deer rifle is any of the more popular 7 mm and .300 cartridges.

But do not try to tell Jeri, my wife, that the .257 Roberts is not a great cartridge for deer. And I would not try. It tends to produce immediate knock-down kills. I used her rifle when I made my longest shot ever on a whitetail, approximately 300 yards. It was hit well, but ran about 30 yards.