rifle

[bucketmouth64]

My son is selling his savage 270 with scope. Practically brand new still. I don't think he went out on a hunt with it. I believe he only target shot with it a few rounds. Lost interest and is taking up waterfowling instead. Plus he needs the money, lol.

[Jackpine Rob]

Several gun makers tout "minute of accuracy" guarantees on their rifle right out of the box. In my opinion, this is by and large a marketing gimmick.

Most of the manufacturers do a pretty good job, and whether its a Remington or a Winchester or a Browning or a Savage or a Tikka or a Weatherby - I'm fairly confident that the gun itself is capable of MOA. Differences in triggers (think Accu-Trigger or Tikka's adjustable) can have an impact, although I have only once replaced a factory trigger. That was a Winchester, and truth be told that gun didn't fit me well in the first place...

I have an old Savage 99 that shoots sub-MOA, a Browning BAR that shoots sub-MOA, my bolts all do - or I would have ash-canned them long ago.

Look for a gun that fits you well, one you like the looks of, and then home in on the caliber. Confidence in your rifle is paramount to making the shot when the moment of truth arrives.

[pulleye16]

Remington 700 can be a hit or miss rifle. Some are dead on and others seem to stray. One thing to consider being 13 is getting comfortable while shooting. I'd "suggest" a smaller caliber with less "kick." While trying to shoot and learning how to fine tune, some will concentrate on the kick more then the shot and that can be tough to "unlearn".

30-06 is a GREAT gun and good all-around gun for just about any large game and you be very happy with that purchase...just don't let it ruin your shooting! Sometimes by shooting smaller calibers get's you more comfortable squeezing that trigger while your not worring about the kick...just somehting to think about.

[CodyDawg]

The Tikka is a great gun, but one thing I didnt like about it is that it does not have a bolt release lever. So you have to take the gun off safe in order to remove the live ammo. I didnt like that one bit and wouldnt recommend one of those for a beginner. I am a very experienced hunter and still opted for a Sako A7 as my kids may someday shoot it. I am not sure which of the guns listed above have bolt release levers so you can unload with the safety on, but I wouldnt buy one that didnt. I do love my Sako (a little more $ than the Tikka from the same company) and it shoots fantastic. There are 2 bull elk that agree with me on that too!

[NoWiser]

CD,

I agree with you 100%. I own a Tikka and absolutely love the gun. It's light, fits me great, and is very, very accurate with a Leupold VXIII on top of it. In fact, besides the recoil, I have never shot, or owned a gun I love as much as the Tikka. I would recommend this gun to everybody EXCEPT for the fact that I feel the safety is a bad design. Not only do you have to take it off safe to load/unload the gun, but the design of it makes if very easy to bump it off safe if you have it slung over your shoulder and are busting through brush. Unless I am walking in a clearing or on a trail, the ONLY time I use my sling is when there is not a cartridge in the chamber. When its loaded I carry it like a shotgun and keep my slight pressure on the safety with my thumb to make sure it does not come off safe. I can live with this because I am aware of it and go through great lengths to make sure I always know the safe is on and the barrel is pointed in a safe direction (seems like common sense, but from half the hunters I run into over the course of the season apparantly it isn't so common). My kids will not be using this gun the first few years that they go hunting with me. It just seems too dangerous. If they could fix that one thing, I think it would be the perfect rifle.

As far as caliber goes, I would probably go with .270, 30-06, or 7mm-08. Besides big bears, I don't think there is an animal in North America that I wouldn't feel comfortable hunting with any of those calibers. Depending on your size, I think for the first few years if you were to get some reduced recoil rounds and a good recoil pad like a limbsaver, you would be just fine. My gun is a 270 WSM. Kicks like a mule and ammunition is rediculously expensive and can be hard to find. I handload so that isn't so much of an issue for me, but might be for others.

Good luck! Gun shopping is fun!

[Double D]

One thing to also decide up front is if you want wood or synthetic.

You may also want to start with a reasonable priced used gun at this point. You can always buy another down the road, especially before you get married and some tells you you can't!!

DD

[walleye365]

id also go with the 7mm-08

[deets22]

i loved my tikka t3 i just hated the caliber .300 WSM was too much bullet for that light weight gun. it kicked like a mule. i would rather shoot my .30-06 off my fore head. but i loved everything about the tikka and hope to get another one soon.

i traded my tikka on a .25-06 ruger. i really like this caliber. it shoots really similar to a .270 and i like the gun too.

when it is deer season though i go to my remington 7600 .30-06 that i bought when i was 14. dad harped on me to get it ported like his gun and i ended the conversation by saying "good for you but i'm not a pansy" 13 years later and i can't leave her home in the gun cabinet too many memories and many more to make. like someone else mentioned you could probably buy one of these and also have enough money to put a quality scope on it.

just remember most guns are more accurate than their owners.

[walleye365]

deets i also got a 25-06 in model 700rem mountain and i love it you ever use it for deer i think you would be suprised. If i had to just have one gun that would be it 117gr sierra game king.

[deets22]

my father used it last season since my nephew was using his rifle. he shot a doe with it and was shocked at the damage. he hit it high and it just tore the deer up. he was shooting remington core lokt i can't remember what grain 120 i think. i will be using it for deer at some time but not for the 9 day. i am a sentimental guy who got too attatched to the first gun that i actually owned.

i shot a small 8pt 2 years ago and took out the tikka to try and poke a doe. i held it for about 5 minutes before i put it away and got out the 7600. i'll get the .25-06 out for some doe seasons and hopefully if i can swing it my first minnesota gun season.

[jay83196]

So why go with a 25-06 or 7mm-08 compared to 270? Just Less recoil? Balistic wise, variety of bullet and I would think cost of bullet is inferior to the 270. I'm all for using whatever caliber to get what you want out of it, I have a couple odd caliber guns myself but not as a primary gun mine our for specific needs.

Just curious...

[walleye365]

Jay your goin to find 270 ammo just about anywhere like mentioned before and 7mm-08 and 25-06 alittel harder to find, but iv never had a problem finding it reeds in walker has both all the time. i just like them calibers the 7mm-08 is just as differant as the 25-06 not every one is goin to be shooting them. 7mm-08 i bought for the girlfriend or my daughters to use someday well GF never went so i used it and it puts them down i shoot the 140gr noslor partion great bullet. 25-06 i bought when i was 14 and its a wildcat it does what it shouldnt best deer gun iv ever shot iv had the best performance with the sierra game king 117gr.I know im goin to get he11 for this but i think the 270 is over rated,iv tracked alot of deer shot with them that were not found i know its not all the guns fault but just never been a fan ever sense. Recoil will be or should be less then the 270 in both. Look up federal ammo.com and they got a nice ballistic chart. Its fun lookin threw all of the ballistic and you can compare to check it out.Goodluck

[jay83196]

I was just curious, I can't see how either of them would out perform a 270 they have less energy less velocity and make a smaller or equal at best hole. The only advantage is the lighter bullets giving less recoil, however 270 goes down to 130gr or maybe less.

It's just physics...

[deets22]

i think that i would bleed pretty bad regardless of what caliber it is, if you shot me in the heart. maybe even die. i wouldn't worry so much about calibers out-dueling each other at 300 yards, and worry more about myself out-performing the rifle and the caliber at 150 yards.

[jay83196]

Its not about just killing them its about killing them quicker more efficiently, less tracking . And all calibers are not made equal, or 22 etc would be legal. I agree shot placement is vital however that's what gun ranges are for to practice so whatever you shoot you can hit where your aiming. My point was not those other calibers wouldn't do job I was just curious advantage of those vs a more common caliber.

[deets22]

because we are not common men.

[klecker]

My .243 has and still does put them down faster than my .270 and or my 30-06. Bigger isn't always better. One has to look at how the energy is transferred to the the target. Bullets need to drop that energy in the target, not make big holes. With a gun aka "bullet" shock kills the target not the caliber.

How much energy does your bullet drop on the target is the key. If the bullet doesn’t drop its energy it’s just punching a hole and that’s no different than hitting them with a field point on an arrow.

[klecker]

Optics for now are not that big of an issue. Most hunters in MN, and or Wi dont shoot many deer past 100 yards if that. Learn to shoot with open sights first and formost.

No matter what gun you buy it will always shoot better than you unless you learn how it shoots. Shoot, shoot and shoot some more. Then keep shooting.

Open sights or scope keep shooting. The marines of WW1 didnt have scopes and they were making 800 yard shots with open sights.

[jay83196]

Klecker, with all do respect that doesn't make sense and I'm not doubting that your 243 does well, I have a 25wssm similar to a 243 they are good rounds, however simple physics can't be argued more velocity, energy, weight, density and bc make a difference and you can't compare 243 to either 270 or 30-06 in knock down or hitting power or any performance factor for that matter not in the same league, and I know they all will do the job, never disagreed.

Ps the caliber of choice in wwi was 30-06

[Boar]

Klecker dose make a point thou, if ya look at it this way. Now take a bear for instance, granted a completly different animal, far more muscle lb 4 lb. An needs to be looked at as such before just putting a round in an 06 or 7mm an thinking this will do it. Granted every scenario is different, but bullets hitting with high velocity can have a tendency to zip right thru an not expand or fall apart inside an discinagrate on bone. Energy is what kills at close quaters for us bear hunters. I think we have all shot a deer at less than a 100 yrds an taking out both lungs an still cant figure out how it ran 100 yrds before dropping, yes this dose not happen all the time, but on rare occasions. I shoot a hornady interlock something thats gonna penetrate an dig in an raise havok. i cant help but think of the stories of hitting a big buck an lost him, I think some hunters have to look more closely at the performance of the bullet an what its gonna do wen it enters the body. instead of just grabing off the shelf. Sometimes bigger isnt better. But I'm talking different animal which leads to different scario's. But in the bear world A guy wants energy over bait more than anything. Spot an stalk, different yet. But high velocity on a bear can lead to lost bear. It can have the tendency to fly thru like a feild point. Just my 2 cents. Lymerboar

[jay83196]

I completely agree, and general speaking a 243, would be considered a light weight high velocity lower energy round in contrast to many other big game hunting rounds. Personaly I think bullet choice can make a huge difference some are designed specifically for expansion and others for penetration.

[Boar]

Yesserie, thats why a hunter needs to look a little more closely at the what hes sliingin these days.

[knowsnothing]

Again, I dont think you can go wrong with any caliber in Minnesota. I still think comfort is the key. You want it to feel like an extension of your body, with hunting clothes on. As far as energy, I only look at the energy to determine the maximum range of the bullet. Wanting at least 900 ft/lbs for big game, I look at the yardage that falls below that and now know my effective range for a clean kill. Then I determine the type of bullet depending on the penetration needed. I like 180 grain trophy bonds for elk and load 150 grain accubonds for deer. I have shot deer with my trophy bonds and believe the bullet never got a chance to expand (small holes entering and exiting), but the impact dropped them right where they stood. You'll get a thousand differnet opinions on type of bullets later, a gun that feels natural in your hands is........ I need a cigarette.