by FJ540 on Sat Oct 22, 2016 12:34 am
I've done all of them but the vehicle. Really depends on personal preference. The only bolt gun I've hunted with has been a single shot Cooper in .25-06. Never needed a second shot with it. Blew a hole the size of my fist out of the back side of a deer shot too close range. I've killed a few with AR's and they're kinda heavy IMO (I carry a 5 round load in a 10rd pmag). Same with my Cetme in .308 (heavy). I've also hunted with, but not taken a deer with a Maverick 500 pump 12 ga (lightest gun I've taken afield for deer).
Depending on how far you have to hike the rifle, and what kind of hunting you're doing (blind, stand, or spot/stalk), and the distance the shots cover; the ideal gun will vary, at least for me it would.
I'd really like to try a lever gun in something like .357 mag some time. Good balance, pointability, and not too heavy, while being plenty lethal (like 300BLK is), overall they're quite compact for a 16" barrel, and easy on the shoulder. Doesn't really matter these days though, since I've gone to trying to tag out in archery season instead of gun hunting at all. AR10's zero'd at 100yds if I fail putting a bolt through one in the next 2 weeks. I'll hunt with that because it's got a cherry yet, not because it's any better than my '15 in 300BLK.