Cheap Deer Rifles Redux

It was about ten years ago I wrote a series of articles on buying deer rifle for Deer & Deer Hunting. Of them, the one on cheap deer rifles has stayed one of my most popular. It dawned on me the other day that the topic needed to be revisited.

For the original, see: Picking a Deer Rifle On the Cheap

What got me thinking about it was that I spied a $400 Mauser 96 at Hibberds. The 96 Swede is an awesome rifle. The 6.5X55 cartridge is an excellent whitetail deer cartridge. The difference a decade has brought is that I can remember when a surplus Swede would run you less than $100 and there were guys tripping over themselves trying to sell you a plastic aftermarket stock.

A lot of what I wrote ten years ago is still true. The deer have not changed. I still think a 300 Savage is about the optimal cartridge for whitetails. I’m still not suggesting you run out and buy a 300 Savage. My point back then and now is that a 308 WIN or 7mm-08 or some such will get the job done and then some. They all kill deer. .300 Savage just happens to deliver the right amount of punch within the right amount of distance for the average whitetail hunter, and I have been using it as a reference point in my articles for over 15 years.

What has changed in a decade is the availability of good, new really cheap deer rifles. In 2008, there were oodles of Mausers, Mosin Nagants, and Schmidt-Rubins out there. You could get a usable rifle for $75 bucks. Now? The rifles are still there, but they are running $300 and up.

The big thing that has changed is the advent of popularly priced deer rifles with wickedly good triggers and superior barrels. It used to be that a taking a war-surplus Mauser, and putting it in a sporter stock would give you a cheap rifle with then-acceptable 4 MOA accuracy. A K-Mart Blue-Light Special, maybe a Winchester 670 or Remington 700 ADL might get you about the same accuracy for about twice the money, but still half of what those manufacturers were selling as their primary offerings.

Now? The miltary surplus stuff is reaching boutique pricing. For the same amount of money, however, you can buy a solid new rifle from the same bargain bin and get 1 MOA accuracy and a wickedly good trigger. This is where the top-end rifles were 20 years ago.

You want examples?

Ruger American
Savage Axis
Mossberg Patriot
Howa Hogue
Weatherby Vanguard
Thompson Center Compass

Since 2008, I have purchased both the Ruger American and the Ruger Hawkeye. Both are good rifles. Both have sub-MOA accuracy. The Hawkeye is definately the superior rifle, but it cost over twice the RAR.

At the same time, I gradually and painfully worked through my Mauser from Hell project. Yes, having a K98 Mauser in 8MM with a custom stock is cool. However, I’m well into it $400 and 5 years, and still haven’t seen bottom on it. Remember too that the rifle was basically free to me to begin with. When I’m done with the project, I’ll have a 1-2MOA deer rifle. For the money and time I am putting into this project, I would have been able to buy a pre-64 Winchester Mod 70.

What’s missing from these new bargain rifles? I’m sorry, I never will warm up to Tupperware stocks. However, they don’t warp in the rain, and they generally don’t require a lot of bedding work. They generally don’t have shiny blued finishes either. However, these are hunting rifles. Having a matte finish is not a bad thing.

The big thing that is missing is something you cannot see. The big thing that makes these El Cheapo rifles sing is the fact that computer controlled machining has removed a lot of the hand fitting that needed to be done to these rifles. That removes labor costs, and the gun makers can turn out a better product for lower cost.

Think of the everyone’s epitome– the Pre-64 Winchester Model 70. Back in 1963, that rifle in a common chambering would run you $175 and if you were lucky, you’d get 1-2 MOA accuracy out of it. You can still get a similar rifle now. Montana Rifle Company sells custom rifles built on an action that is as close as you can get to the original Model 70. The cost is going to be about $1400. That’s roughly what the Mod 70 would be going for if you extrapolate the 1963 price to today. On the other hand, you can run out to the big discount store and pick up a plastic-stocked Ruger American in 308 WIN for about $375. Adjusted for inflation, that would be a $45 dollar rifle. I’ve shot some $50 rifles from that era. They’re good rifles, but no where near the quality or accuracy of the Ruger American Rifle.

So, what’s changed in the past 10 years? When the cheap mil-surp deer rifles dried up, I didn’t know what I was going to do. At about the same time the used rifle market dried up, because of Obama. Everyone started buying rifles and the demand produced some of the best bottom-end rifles ever. If you are looking for a new Golden Age of deer rifles, this is it.

But Shaman!!! What about the AR?

I’m not a big fan of the AR platform for deer hunting. I’m not going to go all Jim Zumbo on you and say they have no place in the deer woods either. The AR platform is an answer for problems and situations that you just are not going to find hunting whitetail deer.

The deer are not shooting back.
If you’ve expended more than 3 rounds on a deer and still have nothing to show for it, it’s time to take a time out and rethink what you’re doing.
If you find that you have a hard time making a decision whether to take the medkit, the night-vision scope or the tomahawk in your day pack you’re no longer deer hunting.

The big issue is cost. This is about cheap deer rifles. There is nothing cheap about an AR.

Why not single shot rifles?

I’m not going to say you shouldn’t buy a single-shot rifle. However, I prefer having a second or third round handy without any fumbling. Single-shot rifles are also light. Light rifles mean more recoil.

Why not Levers?

I love lever guns, but they are falling from favor. One buys a lever action, because it is a lever action, not because it is the best cheap deer gun out there.