Your first deer rifle! It’s a milestone for all deer hunters, one that marks the transition from using borrowed gear to hunting with your own.  It’s a special rifle that holds a lot of nostalgia in a hunter’s heart, even decades later. While we’re honored if a rifle eventually becomes a family heirloom, we make tools – not mantlepieces. So, our first priority is to build rifles that are accurate and dependable in the field. 

There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to choosing a deer rifle for yourself or for a new hunter in your life. It can be a daunting task with hundreds of options in every conceivable configuration, but we’ll break down what to look for and why.  

Fitment

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again – rifle fitment matters. The better a gun fits you, the better you’ll shoot. Read: Why Fitment Matters

Fitment can generally be thought of in three main areas for rifles: 

1. Length of pull is the distance from the center of the recoil pad to the face of the trigger. This is a crucial measurement for finger placement on the trigger and developing muscle memory to consistently shoulder the rifle.
2. Comb height is where your cheek meets the top of the stock when your rifle is shouldered and affects how your eye aligns vertically with the scope. If the comb is too low, you’ll be stretching your neck upwards to see through the scope and losing solid contact with the stock. If the comb is too high, you’ll be smashing your face down into the stock or twisting your head to see through the scope. Either way, it’s not comfortable or a proper fit.
3. Eye relief is the horizontal distance from your eye to the scope. Too much or too little and you won’t find a good sight picture in the optic.  You want a clear picture through the scope with no black shadows around the edges.
   

If any of these three areas doesn’t fit you, you’ll end up adjusting your body into unnatural positions or develop poor techniques, which will impact accuracy. 

What to Look For

Many of the guns from yesteryear were designed with a “one size fits all” mentality, which means guns fit the average-sized male. At Savage, we know that hunters and shooters come in all shapes and sizes, adolescent hunters conveniently hit growth spurts right before season opener, bulky winter layers can restrict movements and even your style of hunting can impact your needs for rifle fitment. So, let’s try to make your first deer gun fit you, not the other way around. 

1. Adjustable Stocks have been around for a while, but mostly as aftermarket purchases geared towards target and competitive shooters. In 2018, we announced a new innovation called AccuFit. AccuFit is an adjustable stock system available on many of our products, including our Model 110 lineup that allows the shooter to fine tune the length of pull and comb height of the stock without a gunsmith, special tools or aftermarket accessories – you just need a Phillips head screwdriver. AccuFit allows the shooter to adjust the length of pull between 12.75” and 13.75” in 0.25” increments and to raise the comb height in 0.125” increments. Read: How to Adjust AccuFit
2. Compact Stocks are one of the most common fitment strategies for smaller-framed hunters. Compact stocks typically have a length of pull of 12.75”, about an inch shorter than full sized stocks.
3. Aftermarket Accessories like cheek risers or recoil pads are another option to adjust a rifle’s fitment. 

Tip: When you’re shopping or adjusting the fitment of a new rifle, it’s best to wear the clothes you’ll be wearing in the field. Don’t wear a t-shirt while adjusting your AccuFit if you’re going to be hunting from a tree stand wearing bulky layers and a heavy coat because you might need a slightly shorter length of pull with the bulky layers.  

Caliber

Spend two seconds on Google or any hunting forum and you’ll pick up dozens of answers to the age-old question of “What caliber should I get?” We’re here to tell you that there isn’t one right answer to this question, but there are definitely wrong answers. First and foremost, check your local hunting regulations to rule out any calibers that are not legal to hunt with in your state. 

The main things to consider when selecting a caliber for your deer rifle are:

1. Recoil is one of the primary factors to consider when choosing a caliber. We recommend a caliber with mild recoil that won’t rock your world. 
2. Ballistic & Terminal Performance takes a bit of research, but it’s vitally important. The best thing to do is to pick a caliber whose performance matches your hunting needs. For example, if you hunt in an area that is wide open and most of your shots will be over 300 yards, consider a caliber with flatter trajectories. You should also consider the various bullet options available and evaluate the terminal performance, especially if you plan to use this rifle for other types of game in the future.
3. Retail Availability is key. This is your first deer rifle -- we want you to shoot it! And you’ll need ammo to shoot. We recommend choosing a caliber that is widely available and has plenty of factory load options.

What to Look For

This is by no means an exhaustive list of acceptable calibers, but these are our favorites to recommend for new hunters. They all feature similar case sizes and similar powder charges. As you go up in bullet diameter, you will have more energy, but at the expense of increased recoil. They can all make a great deer cartridge, but your individual needs will impact which one is the best fit for you.

1. 243 Win is the lightest recoiling option on this list with lighter bullet weights, but it still has what it takes for an ethical harvest. 243 Win can also play double duty as an excellent varmint or predator cartridge round with lighter bullets.
2. 7mm-08 Rem has a great balance between recoil, bullet weight and velocity. It also has less drop and is less affected by wind than a 308 Win with similar bullet weights.
3. 6.5 Creedmoor is the “new kid on the block” so to speak for. Love it or hate it, 6.5 Creedmoor has become extremely popular as an effective light recoiling deer cartridge. With comparable ballistics to the classic 308 Win and its wide availability at retail, 6.5 Creedmoor is an excellent option for any deer hunter.
4. 308 Win and other .30 caliber cartridges have been a favorite for American deer hunters since the early days of the 30-30 Winchester. 308 Win is extremely effective and versatile with excellent availability from 110 grain to over 200 grains.
5. 270 Win is a cartridge derived from the 30-06 Springfield and is the only long action cartridge on our list. It’s a very flat shooting cartridge that is at home in the woods as it is in open country. The 270 Win is a classic cartridge that was a favorite of the legendary gun writer Jack O’Connor.

Special Features

Depending on your needs as a shooter, your style of hunting, or your local regulations, you might need a few “extras” built in your deer rifle. Good news – we have a ton of options! 

1. Left Hand rifles used to be few and far between, but we pride ourselves on offering the most left-handed options for our southpaw friends! If you are left eye/right hand cross dominant, you may want to consider shooting a left-handed deer rifle as well. We explain the reason why in How to Determine Eye Dominance and Deal with Cross Dominance. 
2. An Adjustable Trigger is one way to customize a rifle to fit your needs better. Adjusting the pull weight can help you optimize the accuracy of the cartridge you’re shooting. The AccuTrigger is an adjustable trigger that is found standard on many of our rifles, including all Model 110s. If you’re looking at an Axis rifle with this upgraded trigger, look for an Axis II. Read: Trigger Pull Weight: Why It Matters
3. Scope Packages are an awesome way to get a good bang for your buck (#notsorry about that pun). We’ve gone to the effort of pairing up select hunting rifles with quality scopes, mounting and boresighting them – right at the factory. When you buy a Savage rifle with “XP” in the model’s name, it’s ready to sight in straight from the box. 
4. Slugs and Straight-Walls are special types of ammunition that are locally regulated by your state – check your state’s regulation books to know if this applies to you. If your state only allows slugs, you might actually be looking for a deer shotgun. If your shotgun has a smooth bore, you can shoot rifled slugs with a modified choke to hunt deer. We manufacture a special type of firearm called a slug gun, which looks and operates like a Model 110 rifle and has a rifled barrel, so you can shoot sabot slugs to hunt deer. Some states that have traditionally only allowed slugs for deer hunting are now starting to allow straight-walled cartridges like 350 Legend or 450 Bushmaster, which we offer in dozens of models.
5. Weight is an important factor to consider, depending on your style of hunting or individual needs. Reducing the weight of your rifle is best if you have some distance to cover with your boots. Every ounce counts when hunting in the mountains or for mule deer on the western plains. A lightweight rifle also might be a good option for someone who simply wants a lighter deer set-up. Keep in mind that the trade off with a lighter rifle is more felt recoil. 

Savage’s Top Picks for a First Deer Rifle

Helping hunters find the perfect rifle for them is one of our favorite things to do, so let’s dive in and look at our top picks for a first deer rifle!

Good

Axis 2 XP

The Axis 2 XP is one of our most popular models – and for good reasons! It’s durable, it’s accurate, and it’s a deer-slayer. It has the user-adjustable AccuTrigger and comes packaged with a 3-9x40mm scope that is mounted and boresighted. 

Better yet, we build the Axis line-up in a wide range of popular hunting calibers (including straight-walled cartridges), and we offer it in multiple configurations. Need a compact stock? Don’t want the scope? Prefer a camo pattern? Are you left-handed? We’ve got you covered!

Better

110 Apex Hunter XP

The 110 Apex Hunter XP is one of our favorite models to recommend for new hunters, especially adolescents. It’s part of our Model 110 line-up (did you know that the Model 110 was released in 1958 and is the longest continuously produced bolt action design in North America? That’s 65 years of proven action in the deer woods! Talk about time-tested.) and has an adjustable length of pull stock. With the adjustable length of pull, this rifle can quite literally grow with a hunter between seasons.  

The 110 Apex Hunter XP checks off so many boxes for us – in addition to the adjustability in the stock, it has the AccuTrigger, it’s packaged with a Vortex Crossfire II 3-9x40mm scope on a one-piece EGW rail, we build it in tons of caliber options (straight-wall too!), and we build a left-handed model as well!

Best

We’re going to punt on the Best Deer Rifle and give you two Best rifles. We’ll explain why!

110 Storm

The 110 Storm is a top-shelf model for a first deer rifle. It has the Savage Accu-trifecta – AccuTrigger, AccuFit, and AccuStock. AccuStock is an aluminum rail system that secures the action three-dimensionally along its entire length. It has a stainless-steel barreled action, which is great for high moisture hunting and a bit more rust-resistant. 

Let’s not forget to mention the range of caliber options and we build the 110 Storm for lefties too!

110 Ultralite

The reason we can’t decide on the Best rifle is because we haven’t addressed the need for a lightweight rifle yet! As mentioned before, weight is extremely important for certain types of hunts and if that applies to you, then we can’t leave the 110 Ultralite off this list. 

The 110 Ultralite gets its name because it tips the scales at 6 lbs. To do this, we skeletonized the receiver, spiral fluted the bolt, and teamed up with PROOF Research to put a Savage-designed carbon fiber-wrapped stainless-steel barrel on it. In short, this rifle is built for the extremes of the backcountry. 

But wait, there’s more! We also build the Ultralite for our lefty friends! And we dressed up the 110 Ultralite Camo with our brand-new Woodland camo pattern!

So, there we have it! We hope this guide helps you find your perfect first deer rifle. We make dozens of configurations of hunting rifles and even more purpose-built rifles. But if you haven’t found the perfect one for you, we also have nearly endless possibilities for custom rifles in our Special Order Shop. Give us a call and see how we can help!