If you’re looking for a deer hunting rifle, congratulations! While Americans love hunting all kinds of game, from squirrels to moose, the most popular game animal in America is the whitetail deer, followed closely by the mule deer. Because these species are so similar, the same rifle can easily be used for both of them.
So what’s the best deer hunting rifle money can buy?
We’ve done our research, and come up with fifteen candidates for America’s best deer rifle. Because everyone’s needs are different, we’ve listed a variety of calibers, configurations and prices. Chances are, at least one of these guns will be ideal for you.
That said, there are a few things we looked for in a good deer rifle.
First off, we decided to limit ourselves to the most common deer hunting calibers: .30-06, .308, .300 Winchester Magnum, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .30-30 Winchester. While .223 caliber ARs are perfectly fine for deer hunting – under the right circumstances – they’re sporting rifles, and are often ill-suited for deep woods use.
Similarly, while the 6.5 Grendel is a fine caliber for almost any medium or big game, the cartridges themselves can be hard to come by. We wanted rifles that were both designed for hunting and chambered in calibers you can buy at your local sporting goods store.
We also chose to stick mostly with bolt-action rifles, with a few exceptions. Although semi-auto and lever-action rifles are just fine for deer hunting, they’re not nearly as common.
Ready? Let’s begin!
Best Deer Hunting Rifles
The Winchester XPR is a .30-06 bolt action hunting rifle with a 3-round removable magazine. It’s also available in 11 other calibers, ranging from a lightweight .243 Winchester all the way up to the powerful .338 Winchester Magnum. The XPR is based on Winchester’s famous Model 70, with some modifications to make it more affordable.
This primarily comes down to the bolt and the stock. First, the bad news: the stock on this gun is made of cheap, hollow plastic. To give it better balance, you’ll probably want to pack it with old socks or other padding. Thankfully, the butt pad is made from heavy-duty leather, which makes the recoil manageable.
The good news is that the new, 3-lug bolt works just as reliably as the Model 70’s more expensive Mauser bolt. It’s easy to remove for cleaning, using a small ridged tab on the side of the chamber. This gun is designed with right-handed shooters in mind. The safety is located just below the bolt on the right side of the gun, instead of on the center of the tang.
Pros
- Available in a dozen calibers
- Easy to remove bolt for cleaning
- Heavy-duty butt pad
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Right-handed only
- Hollow stock
Why It’s Recommended
The Winchester XPR is an affordable, reliable budget hunting rifle that will get you off your butt and out in the field.
2. Winchester Model 70 Featherweight
The Winchester Model 70 bolt action may just be the most popular deer rifle in the world. This is partially due to the fact that it has so many iterations, making it ideal for a number of purposes when on the hunt. The Model 70 Featherweight is a throwback to the pre-1964 Model 70, which had a controlled round feed. However, it keeps the three-position safety that’s been standard on Model 70s since 1964.
This rifle has a beautiful walnut stock, with stippling on the fore grip for a better grip. It also has a recoil-reducing Pachmayr Decelerator butt pad, which you’ll appreciate in a .30-06 rifle. If .30-06 isn’t your thing, you can always choose the .300 Winchester Magnum, .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, or nine other calibers.
The Featherweight lives up to its name. It weighs only 7 pounds. While there are no iron sights, it comes drilled and tapped for a scope. The only real downside is the fixed, 4-round magazine. That should be plenty for deer hunting, but can be a pain if you want to take it to the range regularly. This rifle isn’t cheap, but it’s one of the most accurate lightweight rifles you can buy.
Pros
- Three-position safety
- Lightweight
- Controlled round feed
- Available in more than a dozen calibers
- Low-recoil Pachmayr Decelerator butt pad
Cons
- Fixed magazine
- No iron sights
- Expensive
Why It’s Recommended
All told, the Winchester Model 70 Featherweight may be the best hunting rifle on our list. The only real downside is the lack of an iron sight. And let’s be honest, you’ll want an optical sight for any serious deer hunting rifle.
The Ruger American Rifle is a lightweight, .30-06 hunting rifle with a 4-round removable rotary magazine. The free-floating barrel is well-bored enough to be accurate for medium-range shooting. Screw an optical sight into the pre-drilled holes, and you’ve got yourself a rifle that can’t miss.
While a lot of people are skeptical of Ruger’s rotary magazines, we find them very reliable. While the composite stock isn’t exactly beautiful, it’s well-designed with a solid feel that puts it head and shoulders above most cheaper stocks. That said, it has a hollow butt, which comes with the usual balance issues. Remove the butt pad and stuff it full of fabric to balance things out.
This rifle only weighs 7 pounds, and is available in both left and right-handed versions. Both versions come with an ambidextrous tang safety, so you can go shooting with your friends. It’s available in three other calibers besides .30-06: .243 Winchester, .270 Winchester, and .308 Winchester.
Pros
- Accurate, free-floating barrel
- Left and right-handed versions available
- High-quality composite stock
- Available in four calibers
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Hollow stock
Why It’s Recommended
The Ruger American is the best deer hunting rifle you can buy on a slim budget. Thanks to the rotary magazine, jams are a rare occurrence, and the accuracy is excellent for this price range.
The Ruger American Predator is the most popular 6.5 Creedmoor rifle on the market, and it’s not hard to see why. To begin with, it’s very affordable compared to most long-range rifles. For another thing, it’s pinpoint accurate – with the right sight, you can hit a dinner plate at 1,000 yards 10 out of 10 times.
Like the Ruger American Rifle, the Predator puts most of your money into a high-quality, free-floating barrel, which is why it’s so accurate. It has a similar, well-designed composite stock that’s a little on the light side and may need to be stuffed. The whole package weighs 7.3 pounds, and comes pre-drilled for optical sights.
Also like the Ruger American, the Predator has an ambidextrous tang safety, and ships in left and right-handed versions. The external magazine holds four rounds. If you prefer a different caliber, it’s also available in .22-250 Remington, .223 Remington, .300 Winchester, .308 Winchester Magnum, and 6.5 Grendel.
Pros
- Accurate at long range
- Lightweight
- Available in several calibers
- Left and right-handed versions available
- Affordable
Cons
- Hollow stock
Why It’s Recommended
The Ruger American Predator is the best deer rifle for long-range hunting on a budget. It may not be the prettiest gun out there, but you will hit your target.
The Savage Arms Model 12 is a 6.5 Creedmoor hunting rifle with a 4-round capacity external magazine. Be warned, though; at 11 pounds, this isn’t a brush gun. This is a long, heavy rifle for shooting from a stand or long-distance from a shooting mat. Part of this weight comes from the heavy, solid composite stock, which is well-balanced, and provides plenty of recoil resistance.
If you’re looking for a type of long-range hunting rifle that doubles as a target rifle, the Model 12 fits the bill. The trigger is adjustable all the way down to 6 ounces. We’re not sure if there’s a technical definition for “hair trigger”, but this fits the bill pretty well. Of course, for everyday shooting, you’ll probably be better off with the factory default 20-ounce trigger pull.
The ambidextrous tang safety is easy to operate, and the bolt can be removed for cleaning with a simple slide release. In addition to 6.5 Creedmoor, it’s available in .243 Winchester, .260 Remington. Our only real disappointment was the aluminum magazine, which is surprising on an otherwise excellent rifle.
Pros
- Extreme accuracy
- Ambidextrous tang safety
- Durable composite stock
- 26” barrel for added accuracy
- Adjustable, lightweight trigger
Cons
- On the heavy side
- Metal magazine
Why It’s Recommended
The Savage Model 12 is a beast of a hunting rifle at a price that won’t break the bank. Throw a quality sight on it, and you’ll be shooting within .5 MOA.
The Bergera B14 HMR is an ergonomic, bolt action rifle with a 5-round external magazine. At 9.25 pounds, it’s on the heavier side, and it’s also long, with a 26-inch barrel. The ergonomic stock has a shock-absorbing butt pad, as well as a cheek rest for added comfort when on the hunt.
This rifle is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, it’s pinpoint-accurate out to about 400 yards. That should be plenty for most deer hunters, but it’s not a good long-range target rifle. The reason for this is that the barrel is designed for low ballistic coefficient rounds, meaning they’ll tend to drop off quickly beyond that range. Higher ballistic coefficient rounds won’t yield a good spread.
Pros
- Ergonomic stock and grip
- Stock includes cheek rest
- Comes pre-drilled and tapped for sights
- Accurate, 26” barrel
Cons
- Heavy
- Only accurate with low ballistic coefficient rounds
Why It’s Recommended
The Bergera B14 HMR is ideal for short to medium range shots. This more or less negates the point of using the 6.5 Creedmoor, but it’s still a powerful, accurate gun.
The Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather is a bolt action hunting rifle with a 3-round fixed magazine, chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum. If you prefer other calibers, it’s available in 14 others, ranging from .243 Winchester up to .338 Winchester Magnum.
Like the Winchester Model 70 Featherweight, the Extreme Weather version features the pre-1964 extractor along with Winchester’s classic Mauser bolt.
The main selling point of this rifle is its performance in the cold and rain. The stainless steel barrel will stand up to the most miserable conditions, and the solid composite stock is designed not to affect your aim when it expands and contracts with temperature. The Pachmayr Decelerator butt pad is comfortable, and provides plenty of recoil reduction.
The only real drawback is the fixed magazine. This makes it inconvenient to reload at the range. That said, three rounds should be plenty for bagging a deer.
Pros
- Available in 14 different calibers
- Solid composite stock
- Pre-1964 extractor
- Pachmayr Decelerator butt pad
- Accurate, 26” barrel
Cons
- Fixed magazine
- Expensive
Why It’s Recommended
The Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather is ideal for shooting in poor conditions. If you regularly go out in 40-degree, rainy weather, it will get the job done.
The Remington 783 is a bolt action hunting rifle with a 3-round removable magazine, chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum. It’s also available in 8 other calibers, including .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, and .223 Remington.
Considering that this is a budget rifle, we were impressed by the solid, composite stock. It feels more expensive than it is, and has a textured fore grip and a rubber butt pad.
This rifle also ships with a scope attached, which we were excited about. Unfortunately, the scope doesn’t have any reticle, so it’s basically decorative. You’d be better off with iron sights, except this gun doesn’t have any. Basically, you’ll need to mount a new sight to get any kind of accuracy out of it.
The steel magazine was another disappointment. It’s not a huge deal, but composite is harder to bend, which means composite magazines last longer. That said, the 783 is still a nice gun considering the bargain basement price.
Pros
- Durable composite stock
- Available in 9 calibers
- Ships with a 3–9x 40mm
- Very inexpensive
Cons
- Steel magazine
- No iron sights
- Stock sights have no reticle
Why It’s Recommended
The Remington 783 is a hard-hitting, budget hunting rifle. If money is an issue, this gun will get you out in the field.
The Ruger M77 Hawkeye Standard is a bolt-action, .300 Winchester Magnum hunting rifle with a 3-round fixed magazine. If you’d prefer it in a different caliber, there are 10 other options, including .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, and .223 Remington.
The walnut stock is beautifully stained, and has checkered hashing cut into the fore grip for extra friction. It has a rubber butt pad for recoil reduction, and is priced lower than other comparable rifles.
That said, there are a couple of drawbacks. For one thing, the fixed magazine is harder to load than an external mag, and is an odd design choice for a company who’s known for their high-quality rotary mags.
The other problem is that the barrel is fixed along its entire length, and doesn’t float at all. You’ll still get a 5-inch grouping at 200 yards, but beyond that you’re not going to get a guaranteed kill.
Pros
- Beautiful walnut stock
- Rubber butt pad
- Available in 11 calibers
- Affordable
Cons
- Fixed magazine
- Not as accurate as some rifles
Why It’s Recommended
At normal deer hunting ranges, the Ruger M77 Hawkeye is a respectable hunting rifle. And it looks gorgeous.
The Brownells BRN-10 is a clone of the AR-10, with a 20-round magazine and a fast, semi-automatic action. It’s chambered in .308 Winchester. Because it’s designed like an AR-10, there’s no room to mount an optical scope, but the iron sights are very accurate, and the ergonomic pistol grip makes it ideal for brush hunting.
This rifle is expensive, but that’s reasonable for a high-powered, semi-auto rifle. It’s also illegal in several states, so check your local laws before you try to place an order. That said, you won’t have any issues getting a follow-up shot off with the BRN-10.
Pros
- Great for follow-up shots
- 20-round magazine
- Ergonomic pistol grip
Cons
- No scope mount
- Expensive
- Not legal in all states
Why It’s Recommended
The Brownells BRN-10 will put 20 rounds downrange quickly. It’s reasonably accurate at medium ranges.
The Mossberg Patriot Rifle is a .308 Winchester, bolt action rifle with a 5-round removable magazine. It’s also available in several other calibers, including 7mm Remington Magnum, .30-06 Springfield, .300 Winchester Magnum, and .375 Ruger.
This rifle was released in 2015, but it looks like a classic hunting rifle from the 60s or earlier. The walnut stock is beautiful, and impressive considering the budget price. The fore grip is stippled for added stability. The pivot safety is located on the right side, making it awkward for left-handed shooters.
The free-floating barrel is drop-resistant and very accurate, but doesn’t have any iron sights. Thankfully, the receiver is fitted with Weaver mounts, so you can easily mount an aftermarket optical sight. Factor that into the price, since a sightless rifle isn’t very useful for hunting.
Pros
- Available in several calibers
- Beautiful walnut stock
- Inexpensive
- Very accurate for the price
Cons
- Not ambidextrous
- No iron sights
Why It’s Recommended
If you’re looking for a wood-stocked rifle that doesn’t cost a fortune, the Mossberg Patriot Rifle is an excellent, accurate choice.
The Savage Arms 10/110 Trophy Hunter XP is a bolt-action hunting rifle chambered in .308 Winchester. The removable composite magazine holds 4 rounds. At 7.25 pounds, with a length of 22 inches, it’s equally well suited on the hunt when in the deep woods or shooting from a deer stand.
The wood stock is beautiful, with a smooth, satin finish. Be careful, though. It needs some wood polish before you take it out in the rain. For whatever reason, the factory finish is very soft, and can absorb water if not properly treated.
That said, this is a nice gun. It has an adjustable trigger, and the tang safety is ambidextrous. It also ships with a Nikon 3-9x40mm scope. Take it to the range, sight it in, and you’re ready to go hunting!
Pros
- Satin finish wood stock
- Adjustable trigger
- Ambidextrous tang safety
- Comes with a Nikon 3-9x40mm scope
Cons
- Wood stock is soft
Why It’s Recommended
The Savage Arms 10/110 Trophy Hunter XP is a straight-shooting rifle with a classic look.
The Ruger Precision Rifle is designed as a target rifle. It weighs 9.8 pounds, and that’s before you mount a scope on it. Thanks to the integrated Magpul M-LOK rail, this is easily done.
The rifle is chambered in .308 Winchester, and ships with a removable 10-round magazine. It’s also available in .300 Winchester Magnum, 6.5 Creedmoor, 2.43 Winchester, and .338 Lapua Magnum.
Both the composite stock and the comb are adjustable. No matter what your size, this bolt-action rifle will be well-sized for you. It also has an ergonomic pistol grip, so you can easily use it with a bipod.
The free-floating barrel is forged from double chrome-moly steel, and is pinpoint accurate well over 200 yards. If you’re hunting from a deer stand, you’ll never miss your target.
Pros
- Long-range accuracy
- Ergonomic and adjustable
- Ambidextrous safety
- Several calibers available
- Ships with an M-LOK rail
Cons
- Heavy
- Expensive
Why It’s Recommended
The Ruger Precision Rifle isn’t for deep-woods hunting. But wow, this is an amazing deer stand rifle.
The Winchester Model 94 has been in production since it was first released in 1894. This was the first lever-action smokeless powder rifle ever manufactured, but Winchester has made plenty of improvements since its original release. The 6-round tubular magazine is easy to load, and the action is smooth and easy to work.
This rifle only weighs 6.5 pounds, so it’s easy to take into the deep woods on the hunt. The tang safety is easy to operate whether you’re left or right-handed. The stock iron sights are accurate enough for hunting at any reasonable range.
That said, if you want to mount optical sights, it’s easy enough to do; the receiver comes pre-drilled with mounting holes.
Pros
- Classic design
- Lightweight
- Ambidextrous tang safety
- Adjustable iron sights
Cons
- Fixed tubular magazine
- Expensive
Why It’s Recommended
The Winchester Model 94 is an accurate, easy-to-use hunting rifle with a classic design.
The Henry 30-30 Lever is a lever-action hunting rifle with a 5-round tubular magazine. Like most lever actions, it’s chambered in .30-30. At only 7 pounds in weight, it’s ideal for hunting in deep brush where other rifles could be inconvenient.
The stock iron sights are adjustable, and are pinpoint accurate out to about 100 yards. Beyond that, you’ll probably want to mount an optical sight on the top. To help with this, the hammer is grooved to accept an extension.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Adjustable iron sights
- Extendable hammer for mounting optical sights
- Beautiful hardwood stock
Cons
- Requires flat or blunt-tipped bullets
- Fixed tubular magazine
Why It’s Recommended
The Henry 30-30 Lever is a workmanlike rifle that’s equally useful for short and medium-range hunting.
Key Considerations
If this is your first deer rifle, you probably have some questions about what makes one rifle better than another. We’ve tried to be as thorough as possible in our reviews, but there are a couple of things that deserve special attention for new hunters: caliber and action.
What is the Best Caliber Rifle for Deer Hunting?
When considering a rifle caliber, there are two main considerations: the size and shape of the bullet, and the size of the cartridge. A heavier bullet will hit harder than a light bullet at the same speed.
However, the heavier the bullet, the more powder is required to fire it, which means you’ll need a bigger cartridge with higher recoil.
With that in mind, let’s look at the five most popular deer hunting cartridges.
.30-06 Springfield
The .30-06 was originally developed by the US military in 1906, and remains in use to this day in many foreign militaries. The bullet is 7.62mm in diameter, identical to the current NATO standard, except that the NATO cartridge is a bit shorter.
It’s suitable for hunting out to very long ranges, but has significant recoil.
.308 Winchester
The .308 Winchester was developed in 1952, and is the commercial cartridge on which the current NATO cartridge is based. It’s very similar to the .30-06 Springfield, but has a shorter cartridge.
Thanks to improvements in smokeless powder between 1906 and 1952, it was no longer necessary to have such a large cartridge, and the shorter cartridge allows for shorter action than a .30-06, which means it’s easier and faster to cycle the bolt.
.300 Winchester Magnum
The .300 Winchester Magnum was developed by Winchester in 1963. Like the .30-06 Springfield and .308 Winchester, it fires a .30 caliber (7.62mm) bullet, but it has a larger, magnum cartridge that provides a higher muzzle velocity, with point-blank range extending as far as 300 yards.
This makes it useful for long-range shooting, as well as for big game like moose and elk. The price of this extreme power and accuracy? A lot of recoil.
6.5 Creedmoor
The 6.5 Creedmoor is a newer cartridge, created in 2007 by Hornady. It combines a .308 Winchester cartridge with a longer, but narrower 6.5mm bullet. This results in slightly lower recoil and a flatter bullet trajectory.
While it’s not as powerful as the .308 at shorter ranges, beyond about 300 yards it’s actually more powerful. This is because the lighter, slimmer bullet is slowed down less by wind resistance. It also flies truer, and is less sensitive to crosswinds.
.30-30 Winchester
The .30-30 Winchester has been around since 1895, when Winchester introduced it to go with their Model 1894 lever-action rifle. It’s still the most popular hunting cartridge for lever-action rifles, thanks to the blunted tip, which keeps it from causing accidental discharges when it’s stacked in a tube magazine.
It’s comparable to the .308 Winchester at short ranges, but loses velocity faster due to the blunted tip.
What is the Best Rifle Action for Deer Hunting?
In our list, we’ve included rifles with three different types of action: bolt-action, semi-automatic, and lever-action. While there are other actions available, such as pump-action and single-shot, these aren’t very common, and are niche rifles. We’ve chosen to stick with mainstream, frequently-used designs.
Bolt-Action
Bolt-action rifles are by far the most popular variety for hunting rifles. The main reason for this is that they’re the simplest in mechanical terms. Simple means fewer moving parts, and fewer moving parts means a lower chance of failure or jamming.
On the other hand, these guns do have two significant disadvantages: unlike semi-autos or lever-action rifles, they come in left and right-handed versions. If you’re left-handed, you’ll have to either learn to shoot right-handed, or seek out a hard-to-find left-handed action.
The other disadvantage is that they take a couple seconds to reload, so they’re not ideal for quick follow-up shots.
Lever-Action
Lever-action rifles are popular among hunters who do a lot of walking through deep brush. Because of the location of the lever, it’s easy to cock the rifle in one smooth motion as you bring it to bear, making it ideal for snap-shooting.
Since the action is ambidextrous, lefties can use one easily without needing to buy a special version or learning to shoot right-handed.
That said, these rifles aren’t available in very many calibers. Almost all of them are .30-30 Winchester, which isn’t a bad cartridge – it’s just not ideal for long-range shots.
Semi-Automatic
Semi-automatic rifles automatically load the next round when they’re fired. They’ll continue to reload themselves each time you pull the trigger, until the magazine is empty. This makes them great for taking follow-up shots. It also makes them inherently ambidextrous.
On the downside, semi-autos have a lot of moving parts, so they tend to cost more than a bolt-action rifle in the same caliber. They’re also more prone to jamming, although this should be rare with a well-designed firearm.
Bottom Line
At the end of the day, there’s no single “best deer hunting rifle”. There’s a range of options which are well-suited for particular purposes. Whether you want a long-barreled bolt-action rifle or a shorter, lever-action rifle will depend on how and where you’re hunting.
If you’re shooting from a deer stand, you’re going to have limited mobility. Since you can’t reliably count on deer coming right up to your stand, your main consideration will be range. A longer-barreled, higher-powered rifle is a better idea.
And since you won’t be walking around with your gun as much, you’ll be able to easily manage a heavier gun.
On the other hand, if you’re going to spend a lot of time tracking and stalking, a shorter, lighter rifle will be a better choice. This means you’ll need to be closer to the deer to take your shot, but you’ll also have an easier time getting your gun from point A to point B – and back to point A again.
Visit the OutdoorWorld Reviews homepage for more expert deer hunting tips including how to grunt for deer, how much calculate venison yield, how long to hang a deer for the best tasting meat and much more!
The Review
15 Best Deer Hunting Rifles
Here are the ratings of the 15 best deer hunting rifles on the market!
Review Breakdown
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Winchester XPR
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Winchester Model 70 Featherweight
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Ruger American Rifle
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Ruger American Predator
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Savage Arms Model 12
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Bergera B14 HMR
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Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather
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Remington 783
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Ruger M77 Hawkeye Standard
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Brownells BRN-10
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Mossberg Patriot Rifle
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Savage Arms 10/110 Trophy Hunter XP
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Ruger Precision Rifle
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Winchester Model 94 Short Rifle
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Henry Repeating Arms 30-30 Lever
15 Best Deer Hunting Rifles DEALS
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