The "ideal" deer rifle would have to be chosen with a particular hunting scenario in mind.
What you'd use for a 400 yard shot across a soy field near Albany, GA is not the same gun that's ideal for shooting in the thick woods and rolling terrain of the north Georgia.
But, here's a gun I wish were more common, more affordable.
Pump action, like the Remington 760 or 7600.
Stainless steel, for the barrel, action, and all exposed metal parts.
It could be blackened or given a non-reflective finish.
It would use detachable box magazines in 4-round and 10 round sizes.
Quick-change barrels available for several calibers that are all based on the .308 Winchester case. I'd get one barrel in .338 Federal (.308 necked-up to take a bigger bullet), and one in .260 Rem.
The barrels would be 20" and threaded for a suppressor or flash hider or whatever accessory you'd like. A thread protecting collar, if you don't care for anything else.
The fore-end would have to be SLIM. Not fat like grabbing a 2x4 board.
The butt stock would have to have a cheek pad for use with a high-mounted scope, AND an adjustable length-of-pull with a range of 12.5" to 14.5"
It would come with fiber-optic light-gathering iron sights, intended for really close range work or maybe out to 100 yards if your scope broke or got knocked out of alignment during a hunt. The sights would be larger than normal for iron-sighted rifles, reflecting their purpose to serve for short-distances only. This isn't like a Mauser, Mosin, or 1903 Springfield where the iron sights were expected to serve at all ranges out to 1000 yards.
The trigger pull has to be good. Out of the box. Not more than 3 lbs, and crisp.
Accuracy requirement would be 2 m.o.a. with any factory ammo (good brands only, not mil-surp or Eastern Bloc imported stuff).
I'd put a low-power scope on this like a 1.5X - 5X ( 1" tube, and only a 32 mm front lens) and use it out to 300 yards.
What you'd use for a 400 yard shot across a soy field near Albany, GA is not the same gun that's ideal for shooting in the thick woods and rolling terrain of the north Georgia.
But, here's a gun I wish were more common, more affordable.
Pump action, like the Remington 760 or 7600.
Stainless steel, for the barrel, action, and all exposed metal parts.
It could be blackened or given a non-reflective finish.
It would use detachable box magazines in 4-round and 10 round sizes.
Quick-change barrels available for several calibers that are all based on the .308 Winchester case. I'd get one barrel in .338 Federal (.308 necked-up to take a bigger bullet), and one in .260 Rem.
The barrels would be 20" and threaded for a suppressor or flash hider or whatever accessory you'd like. A thread protecting collar, if you don't care for anything else.
The fore-end would have to be SLIM. Not fat like grabbing a 2x4 board.
The butt stock would have to have a cheek pad for use with a high-mounted scope, AND an adjustable length-of-pull with a range of 12.5" to 14.5"
It would come with fiber-optic light-gathering iron sights, intended for really close range work or maybe out to 100 yards if your scope broke or got knocked out of alignment during a hunt. The sights would be larger than normal for iron-sighted rifles, reflecting their purpose to serve for short-distances only. This isn't like a Mauser, Mosin, or 1903 Springfield where the iron sights were expected to serve at all ranges out to 1000 yards.
The trigger pull has to be good. Out of the box. Not more than 3 lbs, and crisp.
Accuracy requirement would be 2 m.o.a. with any factory ammo (good brands only, not mil-surp or Eastern Bloc imported stuff).
I'd put a low-power scope on this like a 1.5X - 5X ( 1" tube, and only a 32 mm front lens) and use it out to 300 yards.
