RE: Stats for Hunting Rifles etc.

["Eric Benson" <ebenson@xxxxxxxx>]

Lincoln asked....
> What I'am looking for is what you might use to go deer hunting for. I'm
looking for a rifle, not a shotgun.
> Anyone who can point me in the right place would be great.

Couple things to think about:

* Picking a deer rifle is a bit like arguing operating systems, draft beer
or pickup trucks.  Everyone has their opinion.

* The characteristics of the rifle are will depend on where you are going to
be hunting.  If you're going to be in tight woods, you're probably going to
want a shorter, faster rifle firing a moderate cartridge.  On the other
hand, if you're hunting in a more open area, the shot is going to be at a
longer distance and you'll want a longer barrel, heavier rifle in a larger
caliber with better ballistics.

So in close thickets, you might have a 30-30 lever action, but if you're up
in an open section of Montana, you might go for a 30-06 or something.

* Deer aren't that big as far as animals go, so people tend to use something
between a .243 (6.17 mm) to 30 caliber (7.62 mm).  One of the more standard
deer rifle rounds was a 30-30.  Today, I've seen people rant about how the
Russian 7.62 mm x 39 mm is an ideal deer rifle round.  If you start going
for Elk, you'll probably want something bigger, perhaps 30-06.

* In the US, states and communities have increasingly limited or prohibited
deer hunting with a rifle, but have continued to allow shotgun hunting.  The
argument is with the increased urbanization of the US, there is an increased
chance of a missed shot from a high power rifle endangering people.

* Both Rob and Chris's stats packages contain some excellent choices.  At
the risk of starting a flame war, a couple of good suggestions would be:
Marlin 30: Longarm 26 IA 7 SPD 1 ROF 400 Range 2 3.2 lever .30-30 6I
(http://www.kracik.com/me/w_hunting.html)
Remington 700 Mountain: Longarm 28 IA 7 1/2 ROF 500 Range2 3 bolt .280r 4I
2-7x (http://www.kracik.com/me/w_hunting.html)
Remington 7400: Longarm 26 IA 9 4 600 2s 3.3 semi .270win 4B -- +10 (Rob
Thomas)
Savage 10 Sierra: Longarm 28 IA 10 ½ 500 2s 3.4 bolt 7mm-08 4 internal B-2
(Rob Thomas)

And others... but that probably gives you enough for the scenario.

-Eric