One of the things I like best about deer hunting is that you can use just about any rifle you want. For half a century, a 30-30 lever-action was the definition of a deer gun. Pumps and semi-autos had their day—and still have their fans. Today, with the long-range craze going strong, bolt-actions have become the dominate deer hunting rifles across America. They all work just fine for deer hunters.
The question is, Which rifle is best for you and you style of hunting? Over the past several years, I've tested just about every new hunting rifle made, and so I've drawn from that experience to choose the best deer rifles for 2024 below. Many are new for this year, but some are current models from a few years back that are so good, I couldn't leave them off the list. Deer rifles are as diverse as those who use them, and it’s a guarantee that your buddy thinks his is better than yours. You might not agree with my picks, but I’m certain that if you pick one compatible with your hunting style, the gun will do its part if you do yours.
Best Overall: Wilson Combat NULA Model 20
Best New-for-2024: Browning X-Bolt 2 Speed
Best Value: Ruger American Gen II
Best Long Range: Christensen Arms Ridgeline FFT
Best Straight Wall: Mossberg Patriot
Best Woods Rifle: Marlin 336 Classic
General-Purpose Deer Rifles
Right off the bat, we need to split deer rifles into a few separate categories, because it's impossible to compare a long-range deer rifle with a woods gun. That said, when most people say "best deer rifle," they are talking about a general-purpose rifle, one that can get the job done in the thicket, on the farm, or out on the prairie. So, that's where we'll start—and it's also the reason why three of our awards—Best Overall, Best New-for-2024, and Best Value—go to guns in this category.
Here's the cream of the crop when it comes to the most versatile rifles for deer hunting. If you’re looking for a single deer rifle capable of serving you from coast to coast for the rest of your life, look no further.
Related: The Best Rifles of 2024, Tested and Reviewed
Best Overall: Wilson Combat NULA Model 20
Specs
Length: 39.38 inches
Weight: 5.17 pounds
Barrel: Wilson Combat, button rifled, 416R stainless, 16.25-, 20-, and 22-inches, depending on cartridge. Threaded at 5/8×24.
Action: Bolt, two-lug with Sako style extractor and plunger ejector
Trigger: Timney Elite Hunter
Capacity: 4+1 (hinged floorplate)
Finish: Armorlube DLC (action) Armor-Tuff (barrel) Hard Anodized (floorplate)
Stock: AG Composites with Kodiak Rouge (tested), Canyon Rouge, or charcoal grey finish
Chambering: 243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor (tested), 308 Winchester, 358 Winchester
Wilson Combat's NULA Model 20 came out last year and won our Editor's Pick Award for the best new rifle. At the time, I said it was a damn-near perfect big-game rifle—and it still is. So much so, that as good as the new crop of 2024 rifle is, none of this year's guns is better for deer hunting than last year's top model.
The reason we picked the NULA Model 20 as the best new rifle—and why I'm picking it as the best overall deer rifle now—is simple: It weighs in at just a shade over 5 pounds, is perfectly balanced, handles like a fencing foil, and shoots like a benchrest rifle. I was hunting with NULA rifles for two decades before Wilson Combat bought the company, and I still believe they are pound-for-pound the best and most-accurate rifles made. This updated Model 20 is a fantastic rendition of the rifle Melvin Forbes made famous in 1985, and with the enhancements of the hinged floor plate, Timney Elite Hunter trigger, muzzle threading, and barrels contoured to each cartridge/chambering, you could argue that the Wilson Combat version is even better. I’ve tested five of these rifles. and they were all dime-splitting accurate. All metal surfaces are finished with Armor Tuff, the safety locks the bolt handle down, and three stock finish options are offered. If there’s a downside to this rifle, it’s that cartridge choices are limited to the 243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08 Remington, 308 Winchester, and the 358 Winchester. But seeing that four out of five of those are on my list of best whitetail cartridges, maybe the only real downside is the suggested retail price of around $3K.
Related: Wilson Combat NULA Model 20 Full Review
Best New-for-2024: Browning X-Bolt 2 Speed
Specs
Length: 43.75 inches (with all stock spacers)
Weight: 6.69 pounds (with magazine)
Barrel: 22-inch fluted, threaded at M13x0.75
Action: Browning X-Bolt 2
Trigger: 3.0 pounds
Capacity: 4+1
Finish: Smoked Bronze Cerakote
Stock: Composite Vari-Tech user-adjustable stock with OVIX camo
Available Chamberings: 308 Winchester (tested), 243 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 6.8 Western, 270 Winchester, 7mm Rem. Mag., 7mm PRC, 28 Nosler, 30-06 Springfield, 300 Win. Mag., 300 PRC
This brand-new Browning X-Bolt is a sub-7-pound, traditionally styled, bolt-action hunting rifle available for a dozen deer-capable cartridges. The action is similar to older X-Bolts and includes a two-position safety that locks the bolt. A bolt-release button is located on the bolt handle. For the Speed 2, Browning has added an additional bolt-guidance surface, which smooths operation, as well as a new trigger that’s user-adjustable and very nice. The main enhancement, however, is the OVIX camo stock and it's hidden adjustability. You can tune the stock to fit you at the grip, length of pull, and comb height, and yet there are no visible external adjustments. And, of course, there’s the flush fitting Browning rotary magazine, which is one of the easiest to load and smoothest operating detachable magazines for any rifle. The rifle’s fluted 22-inch barrel is a bit long for ideal suppressor compatibility, but it’s lean, trim, threaded, and fitted with a radial port brake. In the end, Browning made a very good deer rifle, and made it better for 2024. There’s a lot to like about the X-Bolt Speed 2, and the suggest price of $1469.99 is fair, too.
Related: Browning X-Bolt Speed 2 Full Review
Best Value: Ruger American Gen II
Specs
Length: 41.25 inches
Weight: 6 pounds, 7.4 ounces (actual)
Barrel: 20 inches, cold hammer forged, 5-grooves, RH twist, threaded at 5/8”x24
Action: Bolt action, with three lugs and a 70° throw
Trigger: Ruger Marksman Adjustable (4.0 pounds as tested)
Capacity: 3+1 (10+1 in 204 Ruger and 223 Remington)
Finish: Gun-metal gray Cerakote
Stock: Synthetic stock, with adjustable LOP, modular comb, optional weight kit
Chambering: 6.5 Creedmoor (tested), 7mm-08 Remington, 308 Winchester, 450 Bushmaster, 204 Ruger, 223 Remington
Ruger’s original American rifle is one of the most affordable and best-selling centerfire bolt-action deer hunting rifles made. But it's a very basic rifle. So for 2024, Ruger updated the design with the Gen II, and they loaded it with practical features. Ruger created a more ergonomic and modular rifle stock that allows for adjustment in length of pull and height of the comb. They added a 20-inch, cold-hammer-forged barrel, with spiral fluting; a threaded muzzle; and a radial-port muzzle brake. The Gen II also comes with Ruger’s Marksman Adjustable trigger, a three-position safety that locks the bolt, and all the steel surfaces are finished in Gun Metal Grey Cerakote. Ruger even offers a stock weight kit to tune the rifle’s balance if you use a suppressor. My test rifle shot astounding well, and there’s no question you get a lot for your dollar—and a very capable deer rifle—with the Ruger American Gen II, which retails for a little of $700. There are cheaper rifles on the market that will work in the deer woods, but you won't find a better value, given what you get, than the new Ruger American Gen II.
Related: Ruger American Gen II Full Review
Long-Range Deer Rifles
Long-range, open-country shots at deer can present themselves anywhere from a South Carolina bean field to a Montana river bottom flanked by alfalfa. If these types of shots are the norm where you live and you want a deer rifle designed with distance in mind, you're in luck, as you have more options than ever. Some of these rifles can be unreasonably heavy, however, which is why I picked these two outstanding and relatively lightweight models for deer hunting.
Best Long-Range: Christensen Arms Ridgeline FFT
Specs
Weight: 5.4 pounds
Barrel: 22 inches, carbon-fiber-wrapped, threaded at 5/8”x24
Action: Bolt action, with two-lugs and M16/Sako-style extractor
Trigger: Adjustable Trigger Tech
Capacity: 3+1 (6.5 PRC) varies with chambering
Finish: Cerakote
Stock: FFT Carbon Fiber
Chamberings: 22-250 Rem., 243 Win., 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 -284 Norma, 6.5 PRC, 270 Win., 6.8 Western, 7mm-08 Rem., 280 Ackley, 7mm Rem. Mag., 7mm PRC, 28 Nosler, 308 Win., 30-06 Springfield, 300 WSM, 300 Win. Mag., 300 RUM, 300 PRC
This is not a brand new rifle for 2024, but it is fairly new to me, as I negligently overlooked it for a few years. I finally got my hands on one for testing recently and was very impressed. Christensen builds this rifle on a two-lug action with a M16/Sako-style extractor, and it has a Remington 700 footprint and accepts Remington 700 scope mounts. It comes with a carbon-fiber wrapped barrel, and what some folks don’t know is that Christensen Arms pioneered that process—and therefore know how to do it right. What really sets this rifle apart is the lightweight stock that allows the completed rifle to weigh only 5.4 pounds. It comes with a sub-MOA guarantee—and will meet it—and standard features include a Trigger Tech trigger, a threaded muzzle, a radial-port muzzle brake, and your choice between 20 deer killing cartridges.
Springfield Armory Boundary Carbon
Specs
Length: 43.0 inches
Weight: 6 pounds, 12 ounces (actual)
Barrel: 22-inch carbon fiber wrapped or fluted stainless steel, RH 1 in 8 twist, threaded at 5/8”-24
Action: Model 2020 bolt action, with fluted 4140 steel Nitride coated bolt
Trigger: Trigger Tech (3.0 pounds as tested)
Capacity: 4+1
Finish: Satin stainless Cerakote
Stock: Synthetic AG Composites Sportsman carbon fiber, Rouge camouflage
Chamberings: 6.5 Creedmoor (tested), 308 Winchester, 6.5 PRC, 7mm Rem. Mag., 7mm PRC 300 PRC, 300 Win. Mag.
The Springfield-Armory Waypoint is a well-made precision-style rifle, and their Redline is a very lightweight and compact hunting rifle. Their new Boundary Carbon is sort of a hybrid cross between the two, and it has some interesting features that make it ideal for open-county deer hunting. The first is that Springfield-Armory chambers these rifles in an array of extremely flat-shooting cartridges. The second is that the stock has a built-in M-Lok rail in the forend for bipod or tripod attachment. The third is that it comes with two QD sling-swivel attachment points on the left side of the stock. And to round things out, it comes with a Picatinny scope rail, threaded muzzle, and a radial-port muzzle break. My test rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor shot great, but there were feeding issues on early production guns that have been corrected. The carbon-fiber wrapped barrel version goes for $2599, and a steel-barrel version is also available and goes for $2173.
Related: Springfield Armory Boundary Carbon Full Review
Best Woods Rifles for Deer
Deer live in the woods. Sure, you’ll see them in crop fields and on the open plains, but they relish the cover that timber provides. If that’s where you hunt, a fast-handling and compact woods rifle is just thing for the quick, close-range shots you're apt to get. Traditionally, woods rifles have been lever-action, semi-auto, or pump guns, but modern bolt-action rifles are now being made to serve hunters who prowl the evergreen and hardwood forests looking for their buck. Here's the best of the bunch.
Best Woods Rifle: Marlin 336 Classic
Specs
Length: 38.5 inches
Weight: 7.21 pounds (actual)
Barrel: 20 inches, 1-in-12 twist
Action: Lever action
Trigger: 4.5 pounds
Capacity: 6+1
Finish: Satin blued steel
Stock: American black walnut
Chambering: 30-30 Winchester
Hunters have been chasing deer with lever guns for well over 100 years, and they’ve been doing it with the Marlin 336 since 1948. It is a classic, and when Remington/Marlin filed bankruptcy in 2000, hunters across America collectively held their breath. Ruger is what let lever-gun lovers start breathing again; they purchased Marlin and the Model 336 lives again. What's more, neew Ruger-made Model 336 rifles are some of the best that have ever been. The Classic version weighs in at about 7 pounds and is just a tad less than a meter long. Lever guns are not known to be tack drivers, but my test rifle turned in five-shot group averages right at 2 MOA. These new 336s function flawlessly, and the trigger is better than you’d expect. They’re only available in 30-30 Winchester, but for tracking big bucks in the timber or for jump shooting them out of the corn patch behind the barn, a 30-30 is all you need. The only downside is that modern lever guns made right are not cheap; new 336 Classic retails for $1279.
Related: Marlin 336 Classic Full Review
Wilson Combat Model 20S
Specs
Length: 35.0 inches
Weight: 4.80 pounds
Barrel: 16.25 inches, w/ 5.8x24 threaded muzzle and thread protector
Action: NULA Model 20S
Trigger: 2.75 pounds (as tested) adjustable
Capacity: 5+1
Finish: Armorlube DLC (action) Armor-Tuff (barrel) Hard Anodized (floorplate)
Stock: AG Composite
Available Chamberings: 300 HAMR (tested) 22 ARC, 223 Remington (Wylde), 6mm ARC, 6.5 Grendel, 300 Blackout
You might think this is the same rifle as the Wilson Combat NULA Model 20. It’s not. At only 35 inches long this rifle is extremely compact and useable inside even the most compact blind or shoot house. Weighing in at less than 5 pounds it is also incredibly light and will not hold you back when climbing even the steepest West Virginia mountainside. Like the NULA Model 20, the 20S comes with a Timney trigger and an Armor Tuff metal coating, and it has a sub MOA accuracy guarantee. For deer in the hardwoods, I’d go with the 300 HAMR cartridge which offers better ballistics than the 30-30 Winchester. And if you hunt in a straight-wall state, the 350 Legend is an option too. The NULA Model 20S is not cheap. It has a suggested retail price of $2995, just like the NULA Model 20. But is an exceptional wood rifle, and if you want to hunt deer suppress, this rifle is just about perfectly designed for it.
Related: Wilson Combat NULA Model 20S Full Review
Best Straight-Wall Deer Rifles
Straight-wall deer rifles are rifles chambered for centerfire rifle cartridges that do not have a shoulder on the case. Though regulations vary, straight-wall cartridges are mandatory in a variety of states/locations including Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio. However, you can deer hunt with a straight-wall rifle cartridge in other states too, as some deer hunters prefer them.
Best Straight Wall: Mossberg Patriot
Specs
Length: 42.45 inches
Weight: 7.0 pounds
Barrel: 22-inch fluted
Action: Bolt-action, with two lugs
Trigger: Adjustable Mossberg Lightning Bolt Action (LBA)
Capacity: 4+1
Finish: nStainless Cerakote
Stock: Laminated hardwood
Chambering: 350 Legend
Mossberg's Patriot gets the nod here for three reasons. First, because it's a bolt-action, and the extra accuracy you get with a bolt can be useful in the farm country where straight-wall cartridges tend to be required, and where shots out to 200 yards or more are possible. Second, because four versions of the Mossberg Patriot are chambered for the hottest straight-wall cartridge—the 350 Legend. And third, because this rifle is affordable, which is important to hunters in straight-wall states who want to buy a second rifle for when they travel to hunt.
The four Mossberg Patriot rifles available in 350 Legend are priced from less than $500 to $735. The most expensive version is exclusively available from Lipsey’s, and its the best of the bunch for deer hunting. It weighs right at 7 pounds and comes with a laminated wood stock, Mossberg’s LBA trigger, a spiral fluted bolt, and a straight fluted 22-inch barrel. The metal work is finished in stainless Cerakote, and the rifle feeds from a very nice and reliable polymer magazine, which in 350 Legend has a 4+1 capacity. This rifle's 22-inch barrel lets you extract all the performance possible from the cartridge. You’ll appreciate that when overlooking a big Midwestern field of corn stubble.
Marlin 1895 Dark
Specs
Length: 35.5 inches
Weight: 6.0 pounds, 13 ounces (actual)
Barrel: 16.17 inches, 1 in 20 RH twist
Action: Lever action
Trigger: 5.0 pounds (as tested)
Capacity: 5+1
Finish: Graphite Black Cerakote/Nitride
Stock: Nylon reinforced polymer butt stock with anodized aluminum handguard
Chambering: 45-70 Government
This is not your daddy's lever gun. Instead, it's a unique and thoroughly modern version of Marlin's classic 1895, smartly upgraded to get the most from a proven design. The synthetic stock with snap-on comb adjustment let's you can obtain a good shooter interface with open sights or with a riflescope. The non-traditional M-Lok aluminum forend/handguard also has it’s benefits. It allows for easy QD sling attachment and for the addition of adapters to work with a bipod or a tripod. This rifle would be at home in the timber, and for close encounters there is a fully adjustable aperture sight that’s integral to the long Picatinny scope rail. It pairs nicely with the fiber optic/Tritium front sight that comes standard on the rifle. And it takes naturally to a scope, should you want to add one. It also comes with a threaded muzzle and radial-port muzzle break. The 1895 Dark is an ideal woods rifle for deer, but configured as it is, and chambered in 45-70 with ammo options that include subsonic loads and Cape-buffalo killers, no lever-action rifle is more versatile. It retails for $1,379.
How to Choose the Right Deer Rifle for You
For the list above, we chose rifles that come chambered for good deer-hunting cartridges, of course, but the truth is that cartridge choice isn't all that important for deer hunting, within reason. Pick one that's suitable for the distances you will shoot, but just as important, pick a cartridge that you can shoot well, that you have confidence in and one you have some connection to. The three most important aspects of a deer rifle are that it fits you, fits your style of hunting, and that you like it.
If you enjoy prowling the timber or even stand hunting in the hardwoods, you’ll want a compact fast handling rifle that will let you jump shoot an escaping buck or snap shoot one coming by hot on the tail of a doe. If you hunt out west and mostly spot and stalk or even sit a high stand, a rifle well configured to shoot across canyons and crop fields or down a sendero is a good idea. And then of course you have the straight-wall states where you’re limited to just a handful of shorter-range cartridges. But even in those locations, the type of rifle you use matters.
Deer rifles can range in price from around $500 to six times that much. In most cases you’ll get what you pay for, with more features and better precision. But the deer are not as impressed as your buddies will be with how much money you spend. Still, buying the best rifle you can afford is never a bad idea. You should not overlook pride of ownership and bragging rights around the campfire, because both are an integral part of deer hunting.
Final Thoughts
When I was growing up, semi-automatics and lever guns dominated my family deer camp, but I wanted more precision than semi-autos and lever guns offered. So, I started my deer hunting with a bolt-action rifle, but I’ve since learned that in the hills of West Virginia, I can do just as well with a lever gun, and I really enjoy hunting with them. Ultimately, your hunting and shooting skill will have more of an impact on your deer hunting success than the rifle you choose, but a deer hunter ought to also really like their rifle, and in some cases, a bad choice can hinder your success.
Maybe the greatest thing about deer hunting is that you can use so many different types of rifles successfully. And while the old axiom of beware the man with only one rifle has merit, he might not have as much fun in the deer woods as the hunter who has several to choose from. The best deer rifle is a very subjective thing and few of us will agree on the answer. And, well, that’s the way it ought to be.
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