Choosing a good deer gun can be a daunting task. The fact of the matter is the rifle is only as good as the hunter that uses it. Any high powered rifle will do the job since most shots are taken at less than 100 yards. Even that is a long shot for someone to hit the vitals. You might hit the deer but to hit the vitals is what's important. I've used an older 35 Remington with open sites because I prefer them and nailed a couple of great shots at around a hundred yards. But you have to consider you have to be a great shot to do this and you have to be very comfortable with your gun operation and sites.

Some hunters become frustrated when trying to choose a gun that incorporates all the features they consider necessary in the ultimate deer gun. The bottom line to me is two things, number one, does the rifle fit you nice. Does it feel good when you bring it up to your shoulder. This means everything because that's what you're going to be doing just before taking that shot of a lifetime. And the second thing is that once you get that rifle up to your shoulder, are those sites going to be right where you expect them to be. There's no use shouldering a rifle nicely just to find that where your cheek rests on the butt of the rifle doesn't line your eyes up nice with the sites.

The sites themselves is something to select also. My preference is wing type sites that kind of draw your eyes down to the fine point of the joint of the wings. This is the point that I prefer to use to shoot something with because it is a very small spot. It's not a general spot like the kind of sites that you aim to flush the front site across the back site. The wings help to gauge where on the deer you are intending to hit for no one should just shoot a deer. You need to shoot for about a foot round circle that is just behind the shoulder and up a bit.

I've never cared for the overkill type rifles that are dangerous to 5 miles. They have a flat trajectory but their high speed is less likely to make the shot veer off if it hits even a twig along the way. A slower and larger slug will carry through brush to hit the mark.

I've never much thought of using a shotgun although many people do. This just goes to show you that you're not going to be shooting very far ordinarily once you come across a deer.

Choosing the right gun action is another thing to consider. I mostly count on taking only one shot because that kind of calms me down and not go blamming away at the deer. If you are counting on taking 3-4 shots that's probably the number of shots you'll take before hitting the deer. But anyway you can take your pick of semi-automatic, (best but definitely use the one shot method), pump action or bolt action. Some even like lever action but that's seems to be known mostly in older rifles these days.

Long range guns are normally longer and heavier than short range guns. So you'll see some of these guys with the overkill type rifles finding them pretty heavy and somewhat cumbersome by the end of the day.

To sum it up once again I have to say stick to the basics and not because so and so uses it, or it looks pretty. Whatever brand it is, make or model as long as it comes up to your shoulder very comfortably and those sites are bang on where you expect to be when you shoulder the rifle, you're all set.