So I took an AR to axis deer hunt this weekend, SMH...

[Craizie]

.25-06 or .243 would be fine, and could be used for varmint duty, too.

Those are both too expensive ( for me ) for non game animals. I'm not paying $1 to kill a varmint.

[YALE]

Those are both too expensive ( for me ) for non game animals. I'm not paying $1 to kill a varmint.

The AR could still be used.

[Craizie]

The AR could still be used.

I thought he just borrowed that?

[YALE]

I thought he just borrowed that?

Shit, you're right. I get not wanting to pay hunting ammo prices, but we're not talking about that much expenditure. Most hunting rifles see one box of ammo a year, maybe two.

[Sleeper]

what yale says is true. I shoot 5-10 to make sure its still shooting well. Then one shot to kill deer with. or a coyote like i did this year.

The goto rifle here back in the day was the .243
rem corlok for deer and some super light 60gr varmit loads.

I like having dedicated rifles. So .308 for deer/elk etc
.223 for coyotes, ground hogs etc
.22 for the trap line

[Craizie]

Shit, you're right. I get not wanting to pay hunting ammo prices, but we're not talking about that much expenditure. Most hunting rifles see one box of ammo a year, maybe two.

It's just my preference. I went through a phase where I had to have the "hottest" gun on the market to hunt with. I quickly realized you didn't any of it for varmint / predator hunting. I built a stupid expensive .308 AR to go pig hunting with that I thought would be awesome. After about 20 minutes of carrying it around I regretted it. Every pig we saw was +/- 50 yards.

[YALE]

It's just my preference. I went through a phase where I had to have the "hottest" gun on the market to hunt with. I quickly realized you didn't any of it for varmint / predator hunting. I built a stupid expensive .308 AR to go pig hunting with that I thought would be awesome. After about 20 minutes of carrying it around I regretted it. Every pig we saw was +/- 50 yards.

I'm totally picking up what you're putting down.

[Craizie]

I'm totally picking up what you're putting down.

Word.

[dee]

Get a 308 or 30-06 if you are worried about ammo cost. Unless you plan on shooting critters past 300 the "flatness" of the rounds trajectory isn't going to matter.

[Gtracer]

Love my tikka in 7-08, shoots dimes at 100

[Ruffdaddy]

300 rum

[S_K]

holy shat, there are like 10 different versions of the T3, then about 20 different calibers. Head is spinning. Id like a flat shooting gun, if i put my cross hairs on it id like it to hit it, not have to worry about shooting above it due to the weight dropping it over distance. Do I need a bull barrel? 25-06 suffice or would you go larger? Deer, pigs, varmint usage.

Another vote for the Tikka.

Go with the T3 lite in smaller calibers. (243, 25.06, 7-08) This will get you a very light soft shooting gun (@ 8 lbs with scope and ammo).

If you go with a larger caliber, go with a heavier rifle to absorb the recoil like the standard or hunter version.

Personally I would skip the heavy barrel in a hunting rifle.

[krazy kris]

I like the 17hmr for critters and predators

[TX_Snake]

I have a Mosin-Nagant 91/30. 7.62x54R, knocks deer down, and mostly anything else, easily. Took a little bit of range time to sight it in, but I can hit targets out to 200 yds easily, I'm sure if I found a longer distance range it would have knock down power past 300yds. I free floated the barrel and that improved accuracy quite a bit.

[AnthonyS]

I'd carry my M1A around, but it's too damn heavy which is why I'm seriously considering a Ruger Gunsite Scout in 308. I can hunt near anything with it, and 10 rounds is more than enough to lug around. I wonder if they make a 5 rd magazine for it yet?

I know Yale got a CZ in 7.62X39. Honestly, I'm a bit jealous. That is about the perfect rifle for varmints, pigs and TX sized deer.