Dylan,

You might want to put a question like this under 'General Hunting' so you don't get questioned by someone.

Your question though is a good one, and among hunters is a pretty subjective topic.  The answers you get will depend on the hunting situation, the range, to some degree your skill, the rifle you're using, and often just a hunter's preference. 

Many hunters when they're hunting doe will shoot them in the neck to ruin as little meat as possible.  Sometimes a neck shot is the only one you have, especially if you're still hunting in heavy cover or rattling.  Most of the neck shooters I know are good shots that practice a lot, and several of those will limit their effective range to suit what they feel is their level of competentcy.  Some hunters will neck shoot when using small caliber rifles like a .220 Swift, .223, .22-250 or even a .243.  I sure don't recommend that, but I know several good hunters that do.

I've always been a heart/lungs shooter.  Its a quick, humane kill that leaves the most room for any shooter error.  And even in the best  of situations things can and do happen.  Lung shots also leave a great blood trail and when properly done don't ruin a lot of meat.  Sometimes I'll take a shoulder shot if a lung shot for some reason is not available, like when an animal is quartering towards you.  It'll  immobilize the shoulder, hit the upper lungs and, depending on the angle, keep away from the stomach/intestines.  If all other options are not available, and if I feel comfortable enough, I'll take a neck shot.

First, welcome to the site.  There are a number of folks here that will try to help you in any way they can so feel free to talk about anything you might need to get started. 

If you want to meet some hunters try to frequent a gun shop, shooting range, or someplace where they congregate and start asking questions.  At most places I've gone there will be a number of folks very willing to share their experiences, and over the years I've really learned a lot from essentially complete strangers.

You're on the right track about equipment too - its paramount.  While many people shoot a .243 I'd strongly recommend something heavier if and when you buy.  There are a number of choices (.270, 7mm Rem Mag, .30-06, .308, are a few), but a .25-06 Remington is a minimum in my opinion.  That .303 you have sinks like a rock after 100 yards (my first deer rifle was a .303 Enfield) and can't tell you much about your Mauser.  Depending on where you hunt they could work for the short term, but understand you'd have to learn how those rifles behave and likely limit your range.  Also, when you get your rifle there are some things to consider for purchasing ammunition, gun cleaning, and breaking-in the barrel.

Here is a link to a by-the-numbers method on how to field dress a deer.  There are also some you tube videos on the subject out there.

Hope this helps.

Matt,

The .308 is an excellent whitetail round, and you should see deer run off a lot less versus that .243.

I shoot a .308 as well (as does my eldest son), but for some reason it doesn't like 150 grain bullets very well.  Different rifles seem to like different bullet weights, so I'd recommend going with the weight/bullet design your rifle groups with best.  Try several types of ammunition as time and budget allow.  My particular rifle can shoot a 165 grain or a 168 grain equally well (right at 1" at 100 yards), depending on the manufacturer.  The difference in trajectory and performance is minimal versus a 150 grain but the increase in accuracy is worth it.

I'd also recommend that you break in your barrel.  There are a number of different methods to do this, so look around on the web for the one you like best.  Most of them generally go something like this: shoot a round, clean your barrel.  Shoot 2 more rounds and do it again, then shoot 3 more, etc, etc.

First, you're going to have to have your license and proof of ID on your person whenever you go into the woods to hunt.  Depending on your age you might also need to provide a Hunters Ed Certificate to get your license.  You will also need to be very careful to start and stop hunting within the designated legal times (30 min before sunrise and 30 min after if memory serves correctly).  And, to be extra cautious I'd check with the area game warden to see which newspaper or other reference he uses for what designates sunrise/sunset.  There are web-based ways of finding that information but I'd use what he uses.  If you shoot a deer the first thing you do it fill out the tag and tag the animal (have to cut-out the date and fill in the required tag information). Its very important that you use the right tag...don't use a two buck county tag in a one buck county.  That is, not all game rules apply to every county and you need to be aware of the county game rules.  You don't have to check in a harvested deer if you're hunting private land (the mananged game lands may have some other requirements but I doubt it).  As well, you have to be careful that you transport the animal correctly - you can quarter a deer and ice it down but you must have a 'proof of sex' with the quartered animal, etc.

There are other rules and regulations you need to be aware of that are too much to go into here.  Check out the TPW annual at: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/

Hope this helps.

Kes,

Unfortunately most of my knowledge about small calibers is from personal experience, and from helping others.  I remember another time a friend of mine's son about 24 years old so not a newcomer, shot a big mule deer south of Bakersfield, TX with a .243.  Best we could tell from the evidence (and there wasn't much of it) was that he was shot a little too far back or that maybe the bullet deflected a little rearward off a rib.  There also didn't appear to be an exit hole since there wasn't anything on the ground where the deer was hit, but we knew he was by the faint blood trail, the type of blood, and the shot picture from the hunter (he thought it was hit in the 'boiler room').  We looked for that deer for hours and never found him.  The young man was sick about it, because the buck had a nice body size.

My point is not to berate small calibers.  Its just that I wouldn't want something like this to happen to anyone, or to the deer.  When you shoot an animal you want it to go down and stay there.  Granted, had this deer been hit better or the hunter had used a better bullet (he was shooting a standard 87 or 100 gr spitzer point, can't remember) maybe the subject might be moot.  But, this was too much deer for the gun either way.  A larger caliber and bullet would have certainly created an exit hole and a better track, if not anchored him on the spot.  Would you run into this in Llano?  Likely not.  But still, let's give ourselves a little cushion.  

Kevin,

Here's what I know about what was done your rifle (and there are plenty of guys on this site that can tell you this as well). 

If you're rifle is a straight BDL then the modifications were likely done by a gunsmith and not at the Remington factory.  If the gunsmith that did them knew his stuff, all of the above are very good modifications. 

 The trigger job just reduces the pull required to fire the gun.  Remington triggers are not great (takes too much to pull them), so that's definitely a plus.  They've tried to change this recently with a trigger redesign but I don't know how that's ended-up.

The barrel recrown supposedly helps with bullet stabilization as it leaves the barrel, helping the accuracy.  The Model 700 Senderos (as well as the PSS and others) have that done at the factory. 

Most of the aluminum-bedded guns I've seen have come from the factory too.  The action is set down in a aluminum bedding block so that when you screw the action/barrel into the stock it makes for a close tolerance fit, dampening action and barrel vibrations and thereby increasing accuracy.  The smiths I know usually work with fiberglass for bedding the action, in much the same manner. 

Two things I'd suggest when you start shooting: First, before you do anything I'd clean the snot out of you rifle.  A lot of folks don't clean their guns well and that can give you fits with accuracy, especially with hot rounds like the 7mm.  Try to get a brass rod too so you won't affect the rifling.  They're not easy to come by anymore and graphite might be another option.  As well, I'd run some copper solvent through it.  Copper build-up can really affect your accuracy.  Second, since it seems to me that most guns in a given caliber don't shoot all bullet weights well.  I'd get several weights/loads and try them out and see which does best (if you can, you might want to talk to the previous owner and see how the gun shot to save you some time, as well as the number of rounds put through it).  I'd also try to clean the barrel after every 10-20 rounds until I got a feel for when accuracy starts diminishing due to powder residue et al. 

Hope this helps.

I had the same problem you did with my 25-06.  Like Paul said, don't shoot another round of that ammunition in your rifle.  Mine happened with commercial ammunition, so even with that stuff you have to be careful.

I would also shy away from lighter (100 grains and under) ballistic tip type bullets in a .25-06.  I've had them split on a deer's shoulder and make a real mess (made 2 entry holes and vaporized practically every organ in that deer's body cavity).  Maybe a stouter bullet design in those weights might work, don't know.  3200 fps or so is really moving along.

Every gun likes different ammunition, so keeping in mind the above I'd try these commercial loads:

Federal 100 grain Triple Shock

Federal 115 grain Nosler Partition

Winchester 110 grain Accubond

After my little problem I went with a Federal 117 grain BTSP moving just under 3000 fps and never had another problem.

I've also had the fragmenting problem with smaller 0.257" bullets in a 25-06, which is somewhat slower than the .257 WM.  A 100 grain bullet fragmented on a deer's shoulder at 100 yards a number of years ago which litterally vaporized everything within the body cavity (and led to a very unpleasant clean-up).  Went to a 117-120 grain and had no problems whatsover from that point forward.  Perhaps bullet construction can help that like a Nosler partition or Barnes X-bullet or the like. 

BTW, I owned a Sako .25-06 for over 20 years and absolutely loved it...took whitetails from 20 yards to over 250 with no problems.  Recoil was very manageable...in fact in was a real joy to shoot.

Richard/Dick,

I think you're skirting Jason's points here because your going back to the 'baiting' argument without defining what 'baiting' is.

You need to see at the very least that 'baiting' is a very subjective term.  As we've discussed before (and to expand on Hardy's point a little more), up in NY the farmers often leave partial fields unharvested so that wildlife will feed.  I know that to be the case because I've seen it done.  But, using your reasoning is hunting around those fields considered 'baiting' when you know that the crops are still there and that the deer will come to feed on them?  If true, are you saying the only ethical solution for the hunter/farmer is pick-up every cob or every remnant of crop so that the deer will not feed there?  What about the issues Jason brings-up about a oak flat, or even a pecan orchard?  Is hunting around an orchard baiting?  We used to hunt around abandoned apple orchards all the time.  You need to clarify exactly what you mean by 'baiting', because if you conclude the idea that any manmade food source is 'baiting' then you will not only bring a boatload more subjectivity to the definition (and I think barking up the wrong tree), but in effect eliminate most of the food sources deer use. 

I find your arguments about the NE pretty ironic in light of what happened to me years ago when I lived in the NE.  When I bought a license one year the fish and game department also gave me seeds to plant in the wild to enhance wildlife food sources.  Now, if I remembered where I planted those seeds the next year, after these plants came up, would that be 'baiting'?  BTW, the state never said that it was illegal to do so. 

To get where I think you're heading, if I leave several cups of corn in an area that is not going to 'feed' any kind of population of deer, so I think your definition of 'feeding' deer is a little misleading.  It might attract them and that's it.  And, the ones I'm hunting aren't going to come anywhere near a feeder until nightfall, especially after the first shot is fired.

If you're talking about the outfitters/landowwners that feed protein at their ranches most of the ones I know would not shoot a deer around a protein feeder for the reasons you state.  They can answer that for themselves, but the way I see it supplemental feeding is simply a game management tool and that's it.

And, to add on what Jason  Lee just wrote, we used to call NY the 'alien nation'.  Not because of the people but because of the wacky laws there.  If I lived in a state that had strict limitations on what firearms I could use (i.e. no rifles except in the Adirondack Park area), severely restricted my season, and required that I go through a waiting period to buy a firearm, I'd be very concerned not only about the future of hunting but my right to keep and bear arms as well.