Suggestions for all around rifle

[swmetroman]

I'm looking to purchase a new rifle. I would like to get something that will perform well out west for deer or occasionaly for an elk hunt. Not looking to spend more than $1,500 on a gun/scope package. Any suggestions as to model and caliber would be apprieciated. Scope?

[c&amagn]

Caliber wise if you want to stick to just one gun and one Caliber I'd go with the 7mm-Rem Magnum, or the .30-06 Springfield. You can't go wrong with those two calibers and that's why they've been around for a long time. The 7mm depending on your grain will shoot a little flatter, but both calibers will take down any game in North America with a well placed bullet. You might want to also check out the 7mm WSM (winchester short mag) caliber, the casing is necked down to create more speed and energy with less recoil. The ammo is a bit spendier but a great caliber too. If you've got that much to spend, that go all out, find a nice Remington, Browning or Winchester Rifle (which just came back this year) with nice 3x9 or 4x12 Leupold II or III scope and you'll be good to go.

Good Luck,

[PerchJerker]

I'd agree with the 7 mag or the .30-06 recommendatiions, they are two of my favorite all-around calibers. Regarding the gun I assume you're going with a bolt action, and I think they're all good so go with the one that feels the best and looks the best to you. Personally I am a fan of Browning but there's a lot of good choices. The scope is the most important part, don't skimp on that.

[mrklean]

I have a 7mm and love it, depending on if you buy ammo or reload you can get loads from 100 grain to 175 grain, cant beat a classic

[jaydog]

300 win mag better elk gun then 7mm but not much fun target shooting but have seen more 30. cal groups under 1 inch then most big rifles plus the 7mm seems to not hit the numbers the reload books tell it should be getting u can get bullets all the away up to 220 grn i have a 300 short mag in browning A bolt 2 years ago it drop 600 lbs elk at 250-300 yrds like nothing

[NETim]

'06-shorthand for "all around." It's been doing the job worldwide for quite a spell.

[PEATMOSS]

The 30-06 is a great all around rifle for deer, black bear as well as most moose and elk hunting situations. The ammo is avaible in probably the widest variety of loads and is one of the least expensive.

One real strong word of advice would be to make this purchase from a reputable dealer close to where you live.

[superbee]

Two excellent choices are the .270 and 30-06. They have a proven track record and will work on almost any game in N America with the exception being Grizzlies. They would still do the job, but a little light in case of a touchy situation. The other upside to both calibers is that ammo is readily available at alomost every sporting goods store and if you reload there is a ton of data for both cartridges. They also don't have much recoil, which can be a problem for alot of people not used to shooting the larger calibers. I personally shoot a 300 ultra mag, but it does kick hard and alot of my buddies wouldn't tolerate it for their gun.

[Rotwieler]

7mm MAG. flat shooting with lots of energy. My next pick would be a .300 Winchester Short Mag, also flat shooting with lots of energy. If you think Elk hunting is a maybe and you would do 99% deer hunting, i like the .270 myself. I shot a big cow Elk with one in Colorado.

You could get a nice set up in a lot of brands. Rem 700, Win 70, Ruger M77, Tikka T-3, Savage 114 classic, Browning A-bolt, and still have money left over for a Quality scope and be under your price.

I would suggest purchasing the scope and gun separate rather than as a combo.

[BobT]

Ditto superbee's recommendation.

A lot of people like the lighter recoil from the .270 but I have found that using 150gr. or lighter ammo in my 30-06 reducdes recoil considerably and still has the punch to do the job.

Bob

[Blair Nelson]

First off, I'll assume you are not a handloader.

In a recent poll 112% of handloaders surveyed expressed a firm to vehement opinion on what constituted the perfect "all around rifle".

A while ago gunwriter John Barsness suggested getting a 30-06 bolt gun with a fixed 4x scope and spending the rest on ammo with 180 grain bullets. Sample a bunch of brands to see what your rifle "likes" then buy every single box you can get from that lot (at least a case). Of that case shoot up 9 boxes practicing from field positions and save a box for hunting season.

The above can be done with about any cartridge if you have a favorite rifle that doesn't happen to be a Turdy-Aught-Six-donchaknow.

If you were looking at a "deer ... mebbe elk" rifle I'd lean towards a compact short action Remington 7 or Kimber in 308 or 7mm08 if a handloader. More important than the chamber or bullet, I find being able to handle a rifle in tight places essential to my deer hunting.

Your rifle and scope budget is more than enough for a quality rig.

[swmetroman]

Thanks for the info guys. I agree, I should be able to find something really nice for much less than $1,500. That's alot more than I planned to spend anyway. I think I can keep it under $1,000 easily. I like the Tikka T3 so far, but not sure about caliber. Does the 7mm 08 do as well with long range as the 7mm Mag. I'm assuming you mean you'd have to hand load to get a heavier bullet for larger game if I go with the 7mm 08? I've also had someone tell me to go with a 308 and just shoot 165gr for everything and I'd be fine? What do you guys like for scopes?

[mrklean]

From what i heard the 7mm 08 is pretty small, like .270 size but i may be wrong, my ladies friends dad was gonna buy her one so its probably not that good for long range at all

[vister]

the 7mm-08 is a cross between 7mm and .308. u don't quite get the same results as a 7mm. however a 7mm-08 is an excellent choice for whitetails, a 7mm rem mag is a lot better all around caliber, for whitetails, elk, moose, etc. pretty fast and extremely flat shooting

[TrophyEyes]

Cal.- 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag or .270 Short mag are my favorites. Browning A-Bolt is my personal favorite, however I do like the Tikka T3 and some of the Weatherby options. Scopes, I had been a Leupold VX-II guy all the way, but my new Nikon Monarch is awesome.

[SDbowhunter]

I'm on the 30-06 band wagon. It's great cartridge. Personally I shoot a 270. 7mm Mag is just to big for whitetails in my opinion. Either you take it in the shoulder or you take in in the ears with a muzzle brake. Neither are all that appealing to me. I'd rather have a caliber that you can afford to shoot and shoot often rather then lug some cannon in the woods. It's all about shot placement and I would not be afraid to take an elk with my 270. Hands down I'd buy a Tikka.

[BobT]

When I bought my 30-06 I was looking for a used bolt-action rifle in either .270 or 30-06. I chose the '06 because it was the first opportunity I got that met my needs. I think I would be just as happy with either cartridge for the hunting I do, which is primarily in northern MN. I know that it would be adequate should I ever decide to put out for a trip west as I know I can find a load suitable.

Bob

[sparkydm]

SWMETROMAN, your original post states that you are looking for mainly a deer rifle and maybe elk. IMO a short action round would fit the bill. The .308 family is in this class. The military developed the .308 to replace the 30-06. They wanted a round with less recoil but similar ballistics. That being said the .308 doesn't lag behind 30-06 velocities by much. Also, you will find .308 ammunition wherever ammunition is sold. Many people use it for elk with much success. If you hunt out west you may want something that shoots a little flatter such as the .260 rem which is a .308 case necked down to .264". The down side is it would be too light for elk. 7mm-08 as stated by another poster and the .308 would be my top picks. Benefits of a short action rifle is reduced weight and length. Old time hunters that I have known all say that the best rifle is the one you can shoot most accurately. Good Luck!

[fishandshroom]

06 You can shoot anything with. Imo it is the most versatile gun. Adjust grain and take it anywhere. A huge bonus is if your in the field with a 300 short mag and run outta ammo your hunt is over; with a 30 06 you can more than likely bum a couple shells from someone if not youll prolly find some in the glove box or down the seat of the truck.

[BigWadeS]

I have to say I am with Bob T on this one, I had an .06 and liked it but wanted a .270, now I have one of those so I think I have the best of both worlds, but now I want my dream 7mm Mag, but I will wait because my other 2 will and can take anything I will be hunting for a very long time in many situations....good luck it's always fun shopping,

For a scope, I have had great success with the Nikon Buckmaster series and also with the Burris scopes,

[Christopher Quast]

[PoorWordUsage] is that thing clear. Will put the rest on next post

[Christopher Quast]

I shoot a 270 shortmag and love it for both hunting around minnesota and out west and I have a Bushnell Elite 3200 Series scope on it and the thing is a tack driver out to 300 yds or more never had a reason to sight it in past that point.

No matter what you buy have a gunsmith work the trigger for you and what I mean by that is have him get all of the creep out of it some rifles are bad and some are good from the factory and not just talking about brands either I mean individual rifles themselves.

Also have him adjust your trigger weight down to around 3 pounds or lighter but keep safety in mind. Most rifles come with around a 6-8 pound trigger pull weight which is rediculous it's all about keeping insurance costs down for the companys and I'm sure there is also regulations about this too. I will continue in next post

[Christopher Quast]

I believe any experienced shooter knows this fact I actually heard about it 4 years ago and all of my buds said OOOH you cant shoot good because your afraid of your gun and thats why and then I did own a Rem 300 Ultra mag too and lo and behold every one of them has had it done know and also added muzzle brakes (but I dont need one since I'm shooting a 270 shortmag)which helped their acuarracy even more and these couple of tricks will turn that baby into a tack driver.

They are very comparable to a 300 shortmag but and actually use the same casing the shells are cheaper and there is less recoil with the 270 shortmag

If you check out the ballistics on these guns you will be pretty impressed and the thing I like most is shells (Federal Premium Nosler Accubonds) 140gr run about 33.00/box and when you jump up to a 300 short mag they typically are about 5 bucks more a box.

I talked to a couple of Colorado boys last year and alot of them hunt with a 243 and have shot and killed elk at 250yds goes to show it's all about shot placement.

Here are the ballistics on both calibers from federal site: First is energy in ft lbs for both and the bottom 2 are trajectory tables

Load No Caliber 50 Y 100 Y 200 Y 300 Y 400 Y 500 Y

P270WSMA1 270 Win. Short Magnum 0.3 1.2 -5.6 -16.2 -32.7

P300WSMD 300 Win. Short Magnum 0.3 1.2 -5.6 -16.3 -33.3

Load No Caliber Muzzle 100 Y 200 Y 300 Y 400 Y 500 Y

P270WSMA1 270 Win. Short Magnum 3183 2796 2450 2140 1862 1613

P300WSMD 300 Win. Short Magnum 3518 3036 2611 2237 1906 1615

Hope this helps you out and give you a better look at things in general

[Gordie]

I also am a 30-06 fan it to me is probally the most versital caliber/gun on the market. I shoot a weatherby vanguard and was just reading that this is the most out of the box accurate rifle there is. at least in the artical that I read.