Looking for a new rifle for the 2020 deer season? Check out these seven great picks that offer a variety of features hunters are looking for, whether they're scanning open ground out west or are in a stand overlooking a food plot in the Southeast.
1. Browning: Browning’s 6-pound, 5-ounce X-Bolt Hell’s Canyon Speed A-TACS AU (Arid/Urban) includes a stable but lightweight composite stock with textured surface and right-hand palm swell, flat-finish, Burnt Bronze Cerakote finish, detachable rotary magazine (three-round capacity) and adjustable Feather Trigger.
It is chambered in .243 Winchester, 6mm and 6.5mm Creedmoors, .308 Winchester and eight magnum cartridges. Accuracy enhancements include an ultra-stiff and glass-bedded action and free-floated fluted 22-inch barrel with target crown. Recoil is tamed via the included muzzle brake (can be removed to add suppressor) and Inflex recoil pad. A-TACS AU camo blends well in a wide variety of habitats. The bolt includes a quick 60-degree lift and the top tang safety includes a Bolt Unlock Button for safe unloading.
MSRP: $1,259.99. Contact: www.browning.com
2. Marlin: Marlin’s Model 336C Curly Maple lever rifle offers a true classic with hard-rock maple forend and pistol-grip stock fitted with rubber butt plate, plus polished-blue metalwork.
Chambered in the iconic .30-30 Winchester the 20-inch Micro Groove Rifling barrel (1:10-inch twist) delivers dependable mid-range accuracy through adjustable semi-buckhorn rear/hooded front bead iron sights or modern scope compatibility. The approximately 7-pound rifle includes a six-round magazine, the classic, fast-handling lever action allowing quick follow-up shots.
MSRP: $954.99. Contact: www.marlinfirearms.com
3. Mossberg: Mossberg’s popular Patriot Predator bolt-action rifle is now offered in 6.5 PRC (also .22-250 Remington, .243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor and .450 Bushmaster). These are optics- and suppressor-ready (5/8”x24 TPI) turn-bolts with synthetic stocks finished with a durable Flat Dark Earth (FDE) synthetic stock and matte-blue metalwork or TrueTimber Strata with Patriot Brown Cerakote.
They weigh 7 pounds. Included are Mossberg’s twin-lug, push-feed machined-steel action, spiral-fluted bolt with oversized handle, four-round box magazine and standard-contour, free-floating 24-inch barrel with 1:8 twist rate and straight-edge fluting. Accuracy is further enhanced by Mossberg’s LBA (Lightning Bolt Action) 2- to 7-pound user-adjustable trigger. The integrated Picatinny rail makes optics mounting easy.
MSRP: $455 to $540. Contact: www.mossberg.com
4. Remington: Big Green’s new Model Seven Threaded Mossy Oak Bottomlands (same as KUIU model) is a lightweight and compact rifle that’s lightning-fast in tight cover, but accurate enough for the long pull.
This Remington Model Seven weighs only 5.5 pounds out of the box and includes a 16.5-inch, 5R rifling barrel that is threaded for a suppressor. Also new for 2020 is the 6.5 Creedmoor chambering, adding to .308 Winchester and .300 AAC Blackout options. The rifle includes an integrated 20 MOA Picatinny rail for simpler scope mounting. The synthetic stock is film-dipped in Mossy Oak’s Bottomlands camouflage and includes a hinged floor plate for fast and safe unloading.
MSRP: $829. Contact: www.remington.com
5. Ruger: Ruger’s new 6.3-pound Scout Rifle .350 Legend offers an agile bolt-action rifle chambered in a potent medium-range cartridge legal in Eastern straight-walled-cartridge deer seasons.
The forward-mounted, integral Picatinny rail allows the addition of a long-eye-relief scope for quick target acquisition with both eyes open, though built-in ghost-ring/protected front-blade iron sights are included. It includes a detachable box magazine, soft-rubber recoil pad and a 16.5-inch, free-floated cold-hammer-forged barrel. Three ½-inch butt pad spacers allow adjusting length of pull from 12.75 to 14.25 inches. Other features include non-rotating Mauser-type, controlled-round feed/extractor, lightweight synthetic stock with forward aluminum bedding block and rear aluminum pillar, one-piece, stainless steel bolt and three-position safety.
MSRP: $1,239. Contact: www.ruger.com
6. Savage: Savage’s new AXIS II Flat Dark Earth (FDE) comes complete with a Bushnell Banner 3-9x40mm scope mounted, bore-sighted and ready to hit the range out of the box.
It includes an ergonomic synthetic stock and proven, user-adjustable AccuTrigger. Thread-in head-spacing, floating bolt head and a 22-inch, button rifled sporter-weight, carbon-steel barrel maximizes accuracy potential, for a fraction of the cost of most hunting rifles. It holds a detachable box magazine for quick unloading after the hunt. It is offered in .243, 6.5 Creedmoor, .270 and .308 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield. It weighs about 7.5 pounds.
MSRP: $495. Contact: www.savagearms.com
7. Winchester: Winchester’s new XPR Renegade Long Range SR holds an advanced pistol-grip, wide/flat forend Grayboe Renegade Long Range stock, Perma-Coat barrel, receiver and bolt finish and a threaded 22-inch barrel (5⁄8x24 TPI) to accept a suppressor.
It weighs 8 pounds, 8 ounces out of the box. The stock comes with three ¼-inch length-of-pull spacers to create a perfect fit. It also includes Winchester’s superb zero take-up/creep/overtravel M.O.A. trigger system, bolt unlock button for safe unloading, enlarged bolt knob, fluted bolt with slick nickel Teflon coating and detachable box magazine (four-round capacity). The Perma-Coat matte-black finish minimizes glare and protects from erosion, while the Inflex Technology recoil pad directs recoil away from the cheek for more comfortable shooting. Accuracy is enhanced through a steel recoil lug, the receiver is milled from solid steel bar stock and heat-treated to be stronger, and the target-crowned barrel is button rifled, stress relieved and free floated. Look for it in .243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08 Remington, .308 Winchester and three magnum chamberings.
MSRP: $1,069.99. Contact: www.winchester.com
