Rifle for deer hunting in FL?

By your own admission you are a beginner. So welcome to the hunting community. It's refreshing to see you asking for advice before heading afeild.That said I feel you need alot more experience and knowledge before you pursue this sport. There are many fine choices in the price range you are looking at. But with over 30 years pursuing wild game I can not stress enough the unrealistic goals you state. Shots taken at the distances you discsribe are extreme even for the most experienced hunters I know who have untold years afeild.I suggest you find freinds who are knowledgeable in this feild and tag along with them to the range as often as you can. Shoot as many differant rifles your freinds will allow to find one that feels right in your hands and recoil you can manage first.Then break out your biology books and learn where you need to place your shots to dispatch game quickly and humainly. More inportant then the trying to select the perfect all around deer rifle, which can be debated to the end of time,is to be able to place a round of any rifle consistantly where it belongs. So before you drop 800 dollars on something you may regret later take another season off and do some serious homework. We are always looking to promote our sport, but we owe it to the sport, as well as the game we pursue to be responsible and ethical. Killing is just one phase of the hunting experience. I personally will spent my days with true deer hunters over a killer who shoots only to raise their percieved status as a hunter. If you can make that distinction then you are on the right track in my opinion. Good luck.

Okay, pick a rifle you like: Remington 700, Ruger 77 (or the single-shot #1), Savage, etc. Then decide on the caliber. The minimum deer caliber is the .243 Winchester with at least a 90 to 105 grain hunting bullet. You say you don't want to have to track a wounded deer? Good for you. Ethical hunters try for a one-shot-kill which is why I'm not recommending any sub-caliber varmint rounds like the .223 or .22-250. Then I suggest you move up to (your choice): A .25-06 Remington; .270 Winchester; .308 Winchester or .30-06 Springfield. Since you are already bird hunting with shotguns none of the recommended rifle caliber recoil so badly that you would be trouble excessively by the recoil. Just hold the rifle firmly to your shoulder like you do when you shoot your shotguns. Is it ethical to head-shoot a deer? Well... I would never do it. First of all many hunters want to keep the antlers and a head-shot would ruin them. If you want to drop the deer on the spot go for a solid neck-shot. Otherwise go for the heart/lungs which is also known as a shoulder-shot (deer's front shoulders). A good heart/lung shot drops a deer nearly as fast as a neck-shot.

Happy hunting.

H

It is ethical to shoot a deer in the head, but best to shoot for the heart. Trust me, they go down faster if you place the shot through their chest. Head shots do save more meat, but in fact the animal is more likely to survive for a little while, and will cover more ground.

I'm originally from Florida, and a 30/30 is a GREAT caliber out there in the dense forests. You'll be lucky to get more than 100 yards distance around my neck of the woods (Middleburg, if you know where that is), and the 30/30 is a nice, low recoil round for that range.

If you want to step up a notch in power though, the .308 or 30/06 will do nicely. I'd buy the cheapest new rifle I could find, and outfit it with the most expensive scope I could afford. By that I mean the highest value (some scopes are expensive, but worthless).

Much public land requires shotgun only, so in that case consider getting a rifled shotgun. That way you can accurately fire slugs up to 200 yards. Look into those rules first.

For me, I wanted to be able to hunt anywhere in Texas, including the prairies, so I went with the 7mm Magnum. If I were sticking to Florida, I would have gone much lower in power.

Good luck.

Welcome to deer hunting. If you hunt enough, you'll track, and sometimes you'll spend all afternoon looking for blood when you've missed completely. But your heart's in the right place.

You shouldn't try head shots. They're spectacular when they work, but a deer's brain is smaller than a baseball, and it's just too easy to be off that much on your shots, even if you routinely pattern touching holes on paper at the range.

As for caliber, you'll get lots of recommendations from 243 on up. I'd suggest something in the middle, along the lines of 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser, 260 Remington, 7mm08, or 7x57. Those are all big enough without ever having to be worried about the situation, where 6mm's and quarter-bores may push their limits, and don't give up anything to the 30 calibers and larger.

The specific rifle is going to depend on your hunting style and your aesthetic senses. If you always hunt from a stand, you'll want a standard rifle, but if you're still-hunting deer and hogs in the swamps and around the edges of canebrakes, you may appreciate something like the Ruger 77 Compact, the Remington 7, or the Remington 700 Mountain variant.

Check here for a great deal on a Deer Rifle.*.. > 399 Weatherby.... Get it in 30-06 or 308 caliber and save a lot of $$$.* If not buy a Remington or Savage Brand in the same calibers.* Never ever attempt to shoot a Deer in the head or neck, always aim and shoot for the lung and heart area.*

G'day mate i use a 308 win.You Can use a 30 06 but no difference between the two except 30 06 have more ammo verity and 30 06 is about 100 fps faster..338 is another good gun but it is over kill but maybe that's what you want, i here laws are different from state to state in America so make sure you don't break any laws.cheers mate

If I wear you I would get the Remington vtr it is a great rifle around $600.00. You can get it chambered in a .223, .308, 22-50, and a 204 ruger. I would go with the 308 it's a good overall caliber!

Best Hunting In Florida

go to the local gun shop and ..handle..the guns. see how they feel in your hands and against your shoulder. when you find the right fit , then you can concentrate on the caliber. i personally like my ruger m 77 mark II 30-06. i also like my dad's savage 7 mm mag. my brother has a 30-30 and it is ok, but not my favorite. a .243 is also fine for deer hunting. good luck to you . i bought my ruger in the synthetic stock with stainless barrel, nice look and i do not have to worry about..the wood getting nicked.

Yes you can use rifles down here and yes we have deer down here