New to guns need help buying a bolt action hunting rifle

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Bammer7x

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Hey,

As the title states im quite new to purchasing firearms, I currently own the Troy AR102, Derya MK12, and a Berreta M9A3. I am looking to get a hunting rifle chambered in 308, one I was looking at was the FN SPR AX5 XP, now I think know what you're going to say, but the reason I was looking at something like this was because I want something both for long distance fun at a range and something that when needed to will kill with the upmost efficiency and precision. It is quite a heavy gun which makes me think it wouldnt be a good choice for hunting so that's why I wanted to turn to the experts over here at Canadian gun nutz.


TL;DR
I'm looking for a .308 rifle I can take to the range or out hunting and be accurate at 300+ meters. I do not need something too light weight because I am a big guy 6'3 311lbs but I just need something under $3500 that will be fun, accurate and do its job.

Edit: I've narrowed it down to 4 options all in .308
Tikka t3x
Ruger m77 mkii
Winchester model 70 super grade maple
X-bolt medallion/hells canyon

At the moment I am leaning more towards an xbolt but that winchester looks so nice. That being said I do prefer accuracy above all because when I go hunting I do not want the animal to suffer.


Edit: I have settled on the sako 85 bavarian carbine in 270 winchester, thank you everyone for the help, but this will be the rifle for me. I will upload photos at some point :)
 
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When i was younger, and big strong guy, my "go-to" deer rifle was a Ruger M77 varmint model in .308. I have the older one, heavy barrel, blued steel and walnut stock, and it's a sub MOA rifle. I love the lock-up when I chamber a round and it just feels right. I took a lot of deer with that rifle in perfect confidence knowing that I couldn't miss out to 400 yds. Age taking it's toll, my current favourite is the Mossberg Patriot. It's much lighter, supremely accurate, and easy on my old bones, recoil wise. With my handloads, it too is a sub MOA rifle though I admit that I'm not fond of the composite magazine and hardware. I understand that using modern composites cut manufacturing costs and lightens the rifle, but I'm still a steel and wood kind of guy. Given your budget, I agree with much of what CreamySmooth has written, but at the end of the day, find a rifle that feels good to you and has the reputation for excellent accuracy. Give us all a update when you've made your choice. Good luck to you.
 
Well you got the funds for a Tikka Arctic, a decent Cooper, Barret Fieldcraft, Xbolt hells Canyon in the McMillan stock, lots of options with that budget if you want to spend on something nice. I'd lean towards the Hells Canyon, beauty rifle, great stock (make sure to get the McMillan version), decent triggers, nice short 60 degree throw.
My 308 target rig is a Savage 10HS, it's pretty heavy, but deadly accurate, and you can get 10 round mags for it which is nice.
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Tikka for a budget high quality rifle. Christensen Arms, Mesa or Mesa Long Range. Both are nice mid range options...….There are so many good ones now a days. I
 
You want a toy for the range that you can also hunt with? Buy yourself an ATRS Modern Hunter. You'll need to not get too ridiculous with your desires but you should be able to get close to your budget's top end.
 
All i can say is i have owned many different makes of rifles and the only brand i hunt with is tikka and sako. everything else in my opinion is fine but the tikka and sako never fail are extremely accurate for out of the box with no modifications needed. spend some money of glass and you will have those guns for life. do not cheap out it will not pay off.
 
I had a Tikka T3 in 308 and it was great for accuracy. Nice trigger too. Sold it and bought a Sako A7 in 300wsm. Very similar guns.
 
Can't really go wrong with any of the manufacturer's offering in 308 today for what you want to do.
For hunting, stay with a rifle in the 6-7 lb range for the bare rifle, paired with lightweight rings and bases (Talleys) and a quality lightweight scope(Leupold or Swarovski - a 3.5-10 x 40 or 3-10x42 will weigh in at 1 lb) and you should top out about 8 lbs for a quality rifle within your budget.
Anything much heavier gets to be too much of a good thing on long hikes or in the mountains. Any outfit too light, and it becomes difficult to hold steady and shoot accurately when your heart rate is up and the adrenalin is pumping. I know many people like the really lightweight rifles, but I prefer a little heavier, but do not want to be packing 11 lb or heavier rifles while hunting, as I do not sit in a stand or ground blind. And I rarely, if ever take an offhand shot over 100 yards. (I'm just not that steady)
I too am a bigger guy at 300 lbs and 6'2" so find packing a scoped rifle of 8-8.5 lbs to be fine for all of my hunting, whether it be in the open fields or prairie, dense bush or mountains. Other than my lever action rifles, all of my bolt actions have barrels ranging from 18" to 24"
Good luck in your search!
 
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I personally don't think that trying to combine a range rifle and a hunting rifle into one gun is a good idea... you are just compromising to much on either... nothing wrong with your choice of cartridge... but choose a bolt action sporting rifle with 22' - 24" barrel in a sporting stock for your hunting rig, lots to choose from in your budget range. I am a hefty lad too and don't mind carrying an 8 - 9 pound (all in) rifle afield... even carried an 8.5 pounder in the mountains for goats with no ill effect... so don't worry too much about going to the ultralights.
 
Bammer7x said:
Hey,

As the title states im quite new to purchasing firearms, I currently own the Troy AR102, Derya MK12, and a Berreta M9A3. I am looking to get a hunting rifle chambered in 308, one I was looking at was the FN SPR AX5 XP, now I think know what you're going to say, but the reason I was looking at something like this was because I want something both for long distance fun at a range and something that when needed to will kill with the upmost efficiency and precision. It is quite a heavy gun which makes me think it wouldnt be a good choice for hunting so that's why I wanted to turn to the experts over here at Canadian gun nutz.


TL;DR
I'm looking for a .308 rifle I can take to the range or out hunting and be accurate at 300+ meters. I do not need something too light weight because I am a big guy 6'3 311lbs but I just need something under $3500 that will be fun, accurate and do its job.
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hoytcanon said:
I personally don't think that trying to combine a range rifle and a hunting rifle into one gun is a good idea... you are just compromising to much on either... nothing wrong with your choice of cartridge... but choose a bolt action sporting rifle with 22' - 24" barrel in a sporting stock for your hunting rig, lots to choose from in your budget range. I am a hefty lad too and don't mind carrying an 8 - 9 pound (all in) rifle afield... even carried an 8.5 pounder in the mountains for goats with no ill effect... so don't worry too much about going to the ultralights.
Click to expand...

In addition to which, when loaded with match ammo, and topped with an appropriate scope, you just might be surprised how well a sporter can shoot at a half mile and beyond. The best rifle for you depends on the type of terrain you intend to hunt in, and the style of hunting you intend to do. If you're frequently in and out of a vehicle, a detachable box magazine is a nice feature. If the terrain is rugged and steep, the lighter the rifle, the better you'll like it. Sometimes its not just the weight of the rifle you need to consider, but all the other #### you have to carry with you. I suggest getting a carbine sized rifle, topped with a variable low power scope for hunting, and a second scope, this one with greater magnification, for target shooting and long range work. Then go out and shoot the hell out of your new rifle until you can shoot up to its potential.
 
My most accurate gun to date is a savage model 16 in 6.5 creedmor and I own 3 other 6.5 so I wouldn't count out savage as it was 1/3 of the price of the others as well.
 
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