[drugan]

I am moving to new England and want to get a Rifle for deer hunting. Any recommendations would be great.

[jeepejeep]

You can never go wrong with a 30'06 IMHO. If you need/want fast follow up shots there are some semi-auto's and my favorite the Remington 7600 pump.

[Sniper03]

Jeep is right! One of the best all around versatile hunting rifle is without a doubt the 30-06. And in your area the 308 cal is also a good choice. Both have ammunition readily accessible from any store from Wal-Mart to small mom and pop shops. And the 30-06 is good from lighter grain bullets for varmints to heavy bullets for example Brown Bear! You can find a good rifle in either caliber at a reasonable price and usually there are a lot of great used ones out there also. A lot of them were purchased with good intentions to hunt with. In reality they are sighted in shot a little at first and live in the gun safe the rest of the time!

03

[TruggieTex]

Just to add my remedial thoughts and observations on deer sized game calibers:

Thick woods 30-30, 30-06
Open distance shot .243, .270, 30-06
Crazy distance 7mm mag, 300 winmag

Once again, just what I have seen at camp. Any above will work, as will many others. The most important factor is your comfort with the rifle...have seen many hunters that are awkward with their firearms.

[Jeepergeo]

30-06 is my vote too. If you can afford several rifles, then yes, by all means, maybe go with 30-06, 30-30, 243. But if you get just one, the classic 30-06 is a good all round cartridge.

[jpattersonnh]

Moving to New England is a broad term. Most of Eastern Ma, and Southern NH are shotgun only. Are you talking Franconia notch, or deep in the Green Mountains? Then a light shorter range rifle will be perfect. Most of the deer harvested up here are at less then 100 yards. Popular calibers, .32 Special, .30-30, .243, 7mm08, .308, .270, .30-06. There are many guys that use muzzle loaders all season long. They are exempt in shotgun only areas, so the really can be a great way to go. There are very few places that you can find a shot that is over 120 yards. There are plenty of rifles in Metric, or odd calibers that would work great. The .257 Roberts is one. If you are close to Southern/mid NH, let me know. I can help you out.

[66ford352fe]

Claymores are beautiful.

[303tom]

Thirty-aught-six..................

[Georgiahunter]

I have a .308. Most responses will be either .30-06 or whichever caliber that person owns.

[cottontop]

If you are new to hunting and shooting your best bet would be a .243, and then learn to shoot it accurately. Many years ago, Jack O'Conner did an extensive research project on "brush" guns. He found that any bullet, now matter how big and slow could be deflected by brush. He right away recommended that a hunter use a smaller caliber that he/she could shoot accurately and try to shoot through openings in the brush and not try to plow through it. The .243 is plenty suitable for deer, it is light to carry through brush, and it has little recoil, which will enable you to be more accurate.
cottontop