The State of the Deer Rifle

Excellent read. The article covers many of the points that are being discussed daily, and points out where the detractors are focusing, and the reality of the sport. I utilize a River M77 in .338 Win Mag with a Burris Full-Field II scope for hunting Miley's and elk here in Colorado. It is as accurate a rifle as the hunter can make it, and can cause significant damage when used by a capable individual. That being said, I am now looking at moving to an AR-10 frame in .308 one due the cost of .338WM ammo (close to $2.25 a round if you can find it, and I have enough hobbies so not going into reloading), and as the article said, the stock and frame of an AR can be easily modified to accommodate any shooter. Times change, tools change, sometimes for the good, sometimes not.

I'll stick with the rifle my great granddad used, a .30-.40 Krag.

I totally agree with this article. I have been in the woods, hunting, for 51 of my 53 years on earth. I have everything from a flintlock to an AR-15 and have killed deer with most. My favorite deer rifle is a No. 4 Mk 1 .303 British that I have been hunting with since I was 13. Oh, I have replaced the wooden stock with a polymer, Monte Carlos style stock and added a scope, but it's still a 70 year old military rifle at heart. I have also laid low deer with my AR. For my distance, precision shooting, I use either, a .270, .25-06 or my .22-250, depending on the target. I have hunted with my Winchester 94, Henry Big Boy, SKS and Mosin Nagant.

So, with all that said, I believe it boils down to familiarity, comfort and quarry. I do not get into the old vs. modern debates, because from within my arsenal, I can prove, or disprove either stance.