Best Deer Hunting Rifles Under $1000

Selecting a deer rifle might seem as generic a choice as you can have in the sporting world, but it’s not. A deer rifle has as much variability as a fishing rod. You wouldn’t take a fly rod ice fishing and you sure wouldn’t try to set up a tip-up on a fast-moving stream. These examples might be a bit extreme, but you get the idea.

There are two species of deer in North America, the whitetail and the mule deer. Both have different habits, inhabit different habitats, and are hunted differently. Add to that, the regional differences that can affect identical species of deer. You’ll find much larger whitetail bucks in the Great Lakes than you will in the South, and the mule deer you hunt in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Idaho are different than those hanging out in the cornfields of Nebraska and the Dakotas when hunting season arrives.

In general whitetail deer are taken at much closer distances than mule deer. A quicker, easier-to-target rifle is essential for the quick action you get when only a glimpse of a whitetail buck is all you might see in a week-long hunt. Mule deer can be found at close range in heavily wooded areas, at moderate distances in farm fields and foothill draws, or up to a half mile away on mountain slopes. Accuracy and reliability over longer distances are keys to selecting a good rifle for muleys.

We’ve broken down some things to consider in selecting the right rifle for your style of hunt.

• Accuracy
• Trigger
• Reliability
• Weight
• Type of deer
• Caliber
• Action

Accuracy

We live in a blessed era when it comes to accuracy. Most deer are harvested at less than 100 yards, but in western states, shots of 600 to 800 yards have become routine thanks to the magical ballistics achieved by modern rifles. Whether you’re shooting a lighter .243 or a high-powered .338 Win Mag, a good deer rifle should be flat-shooting at 200 yards. The bullet may drop after that, and the amount of drop is important in considering the distance you’re likely to be targeting a big buck.

For whitetails in heavier cover, a shorter-length rifle is often a better choice since you’ll have to traverse that thick cover to set up for a shot. The shorter length allows you to swing the rifle into the firing position easier as well. In western mule deer hunts, a rifle that is accurate at 400 or more yards is a must. A little extra weight is a good thing on these hunts since it stabilizes your shot. A rifle you’re comfortable with in each situation is what you’re after.

Trigger

Just as all calibers are not equal, and all rifles are not either, all triggers are not the same. A trigger can make the difference between a great shot and another campfire story on the one that got away. Triggers have evolved as an integral component of modern big-game rifles. An adjustable trigger is often the best choice, though a trigger set by the manufacturer that is perfect for you will suffice as well.

The old days of the “hair trigger” are gone. Triggers are set for moderate pull. If you enjoy a lighter pull, take that into consideration when trying out a new rifle. An adjustable trigger takes the guesswork out of the equation since you can tweak the settings at the range to find an optimal pull for you. The lesson you learned a youngster remains the same today when it comes to firing a rifle. Focus, breathe out, and squeeze the trigger. A trigger adjustment that works for you will enhance your accuracy as well.

Reliability

What use is a rifle that won’t do the job when the time comes? The quick answer is that it just becomes a club if you can’t fire accurately when you need to. Reliability is the one intangible that can’t be ignored when purchasing a hunting rifle. It isn’t just the act of firing, but also in the cycling of cartridges between shots and the ability to remain accurate no matter the conditions.

Reliability is one of the prime reasons so many hunters prefer bolt-action rifles. The mechanism is simple, and if a jam occurs, which is an infinitesimal chance in modern rifles, you can usually clear the chamber by manipulating the bolt or at worst clearing it with a pocket knife. If you prefer a semi-automatic, or lever-action deer hunting rifle, pay close attention to the reviews, especially on cycling and rate of fire. You don’t want a rifle prone to jamming in cold conditions on a late November mule deer hunt.

Weight

You might consider this a weighty issue, but its more than just a bad pun. The weight of a rifle is a determining factor in many metrics. The heavier the rifle, the less the recoil is the general rule. You can use compensators and recoil pads, but the best recoil management system remains a heavier rifle. This is very important in higher energy calibers such as .330 Win Mag,.338 Lapua and .338 Win Mag.

On the other end, the weight of a rifle can become a problem if you’re hiking a long way to set up for a shot. The weight of the rifle is a concern for many hunters who work at higher altitudes in the Rockies after mule deer. A heavier rifle is more difficult to carry into the high country than a lighter one. Weight has little relationship to accuracy with a skilled shooter who has learned to manage shooters' flinch. If someone is prone to flinch at impeding recoil, go with the heavier rifle.

Type of Deer

The foothills and high ridges of the Rocky Mountains were once the exclusive domain of mule deer. Over the last century, and heavily in the last 50 years, whitetail populations have expanded across the nation. You can find whitetail deer in all 48 contiguous states. Whitetails are flighty, secretive, and prone to early morning and late afternoon feeding, rarely exposing themselves during daylight. Trailing and stalk work for whitetails, but tree stands are one of the preferred methods. An accurate rifle, sighted into a pre-determined distance from a tree stand is a great way to hunt whiteys.

Mule deer are animals of the western plains, foothills, and mountains. Mule deer are often in the open during all times of the day, but in a full moon prefer to feed at night and rest during the heat of the day. They are animals you can spot at great distances. With their keen senses, they are difficult to stalk on open ground, hence the need for longer-range rifles.

Caliber

It’s an age-old question, which caliber is the best for deer hunting? The .30-06 was once the king of deer hunting rifles, with significant challenges from the .270 and .308. While all three calibers remain popular there are many others that do the job just as well.

If you’re taking out a youngster, are small framed or female, you can’t beat the .243 as a deer rifle. It packs an effective ethical punch at 200 yards on any size buck. The .25-06 is considered a classic by many deer hunters, with the venerable .30-30 popular in heavily wooded and brushy areas. Recent inroads by the 6.5 Creedmoor and the 6.5 PRC into distance deer hunting are also great long-distance choices. Adherents of the .300 Win Mag, the .338 Win Mag, and the 7mm-08 enjoy the power over distance of these calibers for mule deer but some consider them too much firepower.

Action

The classic deer rifle you read about as a kid in Field and Stream or Outdoor Life was the venerable bolt-action. The bolt-action remains the platform of choice for all big game hunters, especially deer hunters. The reliability of the bolt action, its capacity to fire higher energy calibers without a problem, and its wide range of cartridges in terms of length, width, and bullet size make the bolt action the “go-to” platform for deer hunters. You can group single-shot rifles with bolt actions since they offer similar performance aside from rate of fire.

The lever-action rifle made popular in the late 1800s and immortalized in TV and film westerns has brought down a lot of deer at relatively close range. Lever-action rifles can be used with a scope, but the action is awkward for most hunters. For iron sight shooting, rapid rates of fire, and reliability the lever-action is your answer.

Semi-automatics, with their need for smaller, lighter powered cartridges to cycle effectively don’t lend themselves well to deer hunting aside from a few sport models of the AR-15 in .308. Ethical deer hunters strive for the “one shot – one kill” which makes rapid fire rifles not as important.