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Gameskeeper
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My three deer rifles are a Weatherby .270 WIN, a Ruger M77 Hawkeye .308, and a Marlin 30/30.
I've killed deer with all of them and would say to get you a bolt action rifle first of all..... in .270 or .308 would be my preference. You can shoot either all day without any problems, especially out to those distances or further. I killed a doe at 15 yards with the .270 this year and a buck at 50 yards with the .308. Both dropped right in their tracks.
This weekend, with the .308, I made a head shot through pretty thick brush in a narrow opening on a buck at 50 yards and it was all she wrote. After that, I'm sold on my .308 for the thick stuff.
There's nothing wrong with a .30/30, I still hunt with mine but more for sentimental reasons than its effectiveness. After 2 or 3 rounds when the barrel gets warm, it's hard to hold a tight group, whereas with the bolt guns I have, I can shoot them all day with guaranteed accuracy and they're not picky as to what ammo I use or anything like that.
Also, I would highly recommend to you since you're a fellow swamp hunter, get a synthetic stock and a stainless steel barrel and the rifle will last you a lifetime without any care of hunting in adverse conditions and what not... Good luck and let us know and post some pics of what you get... 
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Woodsman
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FL_Cracker,
Thanks for the comment I do believe I am leaning toward a .308 and as far as stocks go I have always used synthetic stocks. I think they are more comfortable and much more lighter.
As far as stainless steel goes I am not a big fan. I am partial to the blued barrels but, that is just me.
You had said fellow swamphunter so I am assuming you hunt the swamps as well, ain't it awesome. I love hunting swamps and have for 17 years now, and Im still learning something every year.
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Gameskeeper
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[quote]ctswamphunter (12/4/2007)
FL_Cracker,
Thanks for the comment I do believe I am leaning toward a .308 and as far as stocks go I have always used synthetic stocks. I think they are more comfortable and much more lighter.
As far as stainless steel goes I am not a big fan. I am partial to the blued barrels but, that is just me.
You had said fellow swamphunter so I am assuming you hunt the swamps as well, ain't it awesome. I love hunting swamps and have for 17 years now, and Im still learning something every year.[/quote]
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No problem...I could talk about rifles and guns all day everyday I think..
As far as the stainless barrels, I used to agree with you, especially when all they had was the high gloss finish on them but my Ruger that I just bought has a dull finish on it and I really like it. Blends in well with oak trees..lol But yeah, blued barrels are definitely prettier and what not..
Yeah, I absolutely love hunting the swamps. I think the best part about it is that you're hunting where no one else is willing to go.. Especially in the late season down here, hunting swamps is really the only way to go if you want to kill a nice buck in my opinion. Them bucks will bed down on a swamp head and not move much. Here's a pic of one of my swampy honey holes...
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Gameskeeper
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Man do I ever miss hunting the swamps and knarly riverbottoms of south Georgia.....
I ain't found none of that around here in central Indiana since I moved here
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Woodsman
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FL_ Cracker
That is for sure a real nice spot you got just by the looks of the picture.
Here is one of my favorite spots, it's a little bit more open than yours though.
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Gameskeeper
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I don't know how I've missed this thread until now...I'll blame it on work!
I have a 30/30 and several other rifles that are all used for different types of hunting. At my place where I hunt I have many different shots I could make, anywhere from under the stand out to about 30 to 40 yards to another stand that has a 50 plus yard shot to another that has a 300 yard shot. Some clean shots, some very nasty shots like Cracker showed in a previous post.
If you do any hunting away from your place, now or in the future, you might want to think about how the other place might be. It could be a 100 yard shot or a 200 yard shot could be made. 30/30 I wouldn't recommend(some of the other guys here might would say 100 yard shot is ok with a 30/30, I'm just not that confident in it) but I would say a 270 or 308 is a good all around choice.
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Gameskeeper
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Looks like a great spot swamphunter! I love those kind of spots...thanks for posting!
I agree with J, I can usually get a good first shot at 100 yards with my 30/30 (I only have iron sights on mine), but after that barrel gets hot, we're talking a 12" three shot group sometimes, especially offhand, in the heat of the moment. Bolt guns are a lot more consistent, as you seat the round the same everytime with the bolt and they typically have longer barrels.
Are you still hunting a good rifle?
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Button Buck
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I would recommend the .270. It will harvest deer just as effectively as a 30-30 at close range and will enable you to get the buck of a lifetime when he appears at 300 yards in a opening you hadn't noticed previously.
It will also allow you to hunt mule deer or elk in the future should the opportunity come up. I shoot a 7mm Rem Magnum myself, it has worked great on whitetail, mule deer and elk.
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Trophy Buck
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If you get a chance to shoot each before deciding that will help. Everyone is partial to one rifle or another. I would suggest not going for the 30-30 which was my first rifle. Cheaper than bigger guns but more versatility if you go with my preference 30.06 Just figure if you forget or run out of ammo what is everyone around you more likely to have in deer camp? I just don't see that many 30.30 afield anymore where I hunt. Range is limited with 30.30 vs. 30.06 so if you ever travle to a place where you need more range the 30.30 may not be the option you want.
Don't get carried away is someone claims a gun is a bush buster, that is just myth. However the 30.30 may gain some help from the new ammo Hornady came out with LeverRevolution ammo.
I noticed in the vast majority of time if I shoot a deer with a .270 or 30.06 it drops right in its tracks in the rare circumstance when they do run it goes more than a few yards. With my 30.30 I have had to do some serious tracking. It has been ages since I had to do any tracking with my 30.06
My main deal is the 30.06 but again, see if you could try each at a range to see what suits you.
Good luck.
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Woodsman
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I have a .308 and a 30-30. I have a scope on the .308 and iron sights on the 30-30, I use both of them during the MN deer season. The .308 is my favorite deer gun but I hunt a heavy woods after opening weekend and find the iron sights work better in that environment.
If you are worried about recoil you can buy Remington reduced recoil ammo for the .308 or look at the 7mm-08. I would lean towards the longer reaching gun for your first rifle, the 30-30 is great but would buy it as a second gun when you scope your first.
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