Readers Respond: Tell us About Your Favorite Semi-Auto Deer/Big Game Rifle, and Why You Like it.

Responses: 51

By Russ Chastain, About.com Guide

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I killed many bucks with the 742 Woodsmaster, and later the 7400, but after losing not one but two trophy bucks I'll never use one again. It's too bad because I liked these guns. They shoot straight, have low recoil, and are kinda heavy. Yup it jammed, gonna try a Winchester Model 100.
—Guest buck knocker

Got this beast from my Grandfather. Big and heavy. Has never jammed on me, and has never failed me in what I ask it to do. The caliber is 30 Rem, and it has killed deer and two elk for me.
—swampdog62

My knock-around, carry-everywhere-and-hunt-the-brushy-draws gun is a 30 caliber M1 carbine. At 68, mine is as old as I am and seems to be holding up better than I am.
—Guest Ron

I bought a Browning BAR semi-auto about 27 years ago, and it is just as accurate as a bolt action rifle. The reduction in shoulder kick is noticeable, especially in the larger calibers. It is certainly faster and more useful than a bolt action will ever be, and I am surprised the manufacturers don't go this way. Maybe it's harder to produce to accommodate all the ammo that is out there. For us that like 100-round magazines as opposed to four-round mags, politics will interfere with this design. It is not hard to clean.
—Guest golujan

I shot a Remington 742 in 280 Rem from 1961 to 2002, and now my son uses it. We've used it for everything from coyotes to moose at up to 400 yds. Every few years it would rip a rim and leave the casing in the action, this is corrected by polishing the chamber. The 7400 I replaced it with does the same (notably it came with a little offset brass brush for cleaning the chamber). They are both reasonably accurate. I think they are lighter and easier handling than BAR.
—Guest Soup G

My main stick is a Savage 110, but I came across a good deal on a Ruger Mini-30 in 7.62x39 for plinking. It had a 3x-9x scope with BDC for a 30/30 (which tracks close to the 7.62). My hunting partner remarked it would make a good brush gun knock-around rifle. Took it to the range and it shoots dead on. I have a bunch of 5 round Ruger mags and it has never jammed on me so far. Ive got some 20s and 30s but have not used them. If Tapco would start making mags for this rifle I'd be happy. Not a precision rifle, but it's good for deer. The back-up peep sights are pretty decent also.
—Guest JackO

I purchased this rifle for my wife and she seldom gets to use it. It's chambered in 243 Win and I love it. It's nearly 40 years old and still shoots sub-MOA.
—SamDH

I'm with crankythunder, my model 100 Winchester is plenty accurate, versatile, and a pleasure to shoot. The 308 can be used for varmints, deer, elk, even bears and pigs. My cousin shot it for the first time the other day and killed a coffee cup (3.5 in diameter) at 80 plus yards, free standing shot. Not a target rifle, but a nice, enjoyable hunting rifle. Now, if only 35 Rem were in a semi-auto, ahh that would be Heaven.
—Guest Bill Hilly

"7400 Jam Jam," not much good to say about it. Jammed on me shooting at a deer of a lifetime!!!!
—Guest Deer slayer

Mine is battered. It has never jammed! It shoots under 2 MOA with reloads. It is hard hitting to 100 yards. 250 Nosler Partitions penetrate well enough for moose. It is light enough to ride on my mountain bike for grizzly bear defense. It is an absolute delight to shoot and my wife and kids can handle it. Perfect execution of a great concept.
—Guest Gregor

My old and battered looking Ruger carbine still shoots tight groups and is 100% reliable. I love it and it's great to pack into the tight scrub country I hunt here in New Zealand. Have started using the Speer 240 grain Gold Dot in my handloads, excellent bullet, it holds together even at top velocities.
—88pete88

[From the editor: This person claims it's not legal to hunt with semi-auto rifles. That is not correct! Semi-autos are perfectly legal in most hunting areas - but not all of them. Make sure you check local regulations.] "It is illegal to use a semi rifle except for practice."
—Guest legal

I have had one of these for a while, I love the way it swung and handled from the start. It would group around 2 inches all day long and at the ranges I hunt, it was fine. I kept it clean and oiled, used only cheap factory ammo and it liked 150's. Oh, when the screws worked loose on the barrel, a simple application of blue Loctite and a good, big screwdriver made it shoot 1 1/2 inch groups.
—Guest rootin-tootin

I have a Remington 740 in 30-06 it has gone though hell and back on a lot of hard hunting trips. It's old (but so am I), and it never fails. I bought a Browning BAR in 30-06 for long hunts out west. It's pretty, but heavy.
—Guest craigt

I originally had a Remington Model 740 Woodmaster that was a high-school graduation present in 1961. The rifle was a 30-06 and had fancy carving on the wood. That rifle always jammed after the first or second shot. In 1974 I bought a 30-06 Model 742 carbine at a sale. I took it home and transfered the fancy wood from the old 740 to the new 742 and it was a perfect transfer. In 1979 while hunting I had the first and only opportunity to have 3 deer come my way from 3 different directions. I shot all 3 deer. My two brothers had to put their tags on 2 of the 3 deer to take them home. The 742 worked perfectly.
—Guest R. A. MENZEL