My thinking for a first hunting rifle

A

afish29

New member
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
Toronto
Hello, I need to rack up a couple posts to get access to EE, so here we go:

I just got my PAL and restricted. Not totally new to guns after a decade in the military, just never used them outside of work. I'm hoping to join my friends hunting deer and moose mainly around Parry Sound and Muskoka, but we may make trips further north. The deer hunts are mostly driven hunts, and I've been told I'll be dogging lots for years as the new guy. I don't know much about the moose hunts. I've been told you rarely see anything further than 50 yards away in those woods.

I've got a great wishlist of guns for each different scenario, but not the money for it all in one shot. So I'd like a one gun solution that will get me going and allow me to put that money towards something nice to use, get a good optic etc. This is my thinking and what I've come to, but happy to have my Google-conceived idea shot to pieces:

-able to take deer, moose, bear
-recoil that won't make me want to shoot it less
-reasonably light and short due to all the bushwhacking I'll be doing
-ammo availability and cost that encourage practice
-something I can enjoy using to practice marksmanship at the range
-all-weather, dependable, would love it to become my end of the world rifle once I have safe full of guns for every occasion

I'm thinking a .308 bolt gun with an 18-20" barrel. Top contenders are the Tikka T3x CTR or Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle. I've also thought about getting a used T3x, getting the barrel chopped to 18", and chipping away at customizing it over time with all the aftermarket bits available. For optic I'm thinking a 1-6 or 1-8 LPVO.

The other idea was to get a Browning BLR in .243 for deer and coyotes, and a nice bolt action in 7mm PRC for moose and anything where I get to be in a stand, something like the Browning x-bolt pro SPR, but that's way more money.
 
You put a lot of good thought into this.

Would recommend against a "tactical" style rifle as you're carrying extra weight while bushwhacking for nothing, IMO. Although at least it does soak up recoil you don't need a 9lb scoped heavy barrel setup.

Would go with a Tikka T3x Lite if you could live with the 22" barrel. They make a 20" compact model and the Battue with sporter barrel but she's a tad light and whippy for me haha

Not a ###y end of the world rifle, a stainless Tikka, but then its not like you NEED more either. But I get the idea!

If you don't mind the weight though, the CTR is a shooter.
 
As Joel said, a "Tactical" style rifle will weigh a little more and might get tiresome lugging around after awhile but that being said my go to is a 9.5lb 257 wby and I dont find it bad to carry all day.

Id look for something like a 270 win, 7mm-08 or even a 6.5 creed. Each one offers more than enough gun to take a deer or elk (at a reasonable distance with good bullet choice and shot placement) 308 would be a fine choice as well but its against my religion to own one so thats why I didn't list it ;)

Recoil on the calibers listed will be very tolerable pending the rifle fits you right, thats a big factor thats overlooked. Ive shot a few 30-06's that hurt way more than a 300 win mag, because they didn't fit me properly. Buy a gun that fits you, feels good, shoulders nice and than select a caliber that ammo is available almost everywhere and wont break the bank to plink/practice with. Any magnum is going to cost some coin and the recoil after 10 rounds is going to get old in a hurry.

A Tikka T3X Compact in 6.5 creed or 7mm-08 would be a fine choice. although it does have a shorter LOP, you might find that comfier for you.

Another good option that I think fits the bill alright is a Savage 110 Apex Predator. Cabelas just had them on sale for $799 with a Vortex Crossfire 2 scope, and they come in 6.5 creed and 308. 308 comes with a 20" barrel and on 6.5 creed its a 24" barrel, fluted medium weight barrel and threaded muzzle so down the road should you want to put a brake on it to reduce recoil even more thats already done for you.

Good luck with your search.
 
The CTR may not be the best choice, but a Tikka T3x would be a fine first hunting rifle. For that kind of hunting, a Battue in 308 or even better, 30-06 would be super. Or, for a little more money, an all-weather Winchester M70 or Ruger M77 would have definite advantages over the Tikka (CRF action, way better stock, no plastic, etc) but you can’t accessorize it as easily. Tikkas have a detachable mag, which for me is actually a detractor in a stalking rifle. Others love it.

I regret buying every rifle I’ve got that doesn’t have iron sights, but that’s just me. You absolutely do not need a scope for shots at 50yds. In fact, the scope just gets in the way.

You mentioned a BLR - also a great choice, especially if it has iron sights, but more work to field strip and clean. I guess it depends what kind of weather you hunt in.

Good luck hunting next season!!
 
You've got er pretty much figured. My advice is to handle (and shoot if possible) as many different models as you can before buying to see what feels good. Lots of people will try to sway you towards/away from one specific rifle or cartridge based on their experiences - listen to them, add a grain of salt, and go with your own judgement in the end. Your preferences and needs may very well evolve over time anyway so I wouldn't worry about trying to make a 100% decision the first time around. Have a look at the ammo shelves in a few stores and you'll soon get a sense of what's commonly available. As long as you can find the ammo consistently and it's not $6.50/round, there's not many bad choices that you can legally use for big game in terms of lethality. Everything's a trade-off so if you pick something middle-of-the-pack like a .308, you'll have adequate capability and shootability in most realistic regimes.
Cartridge selection is the most over-discussed aspect of the hunting world in my opinion. Had a friend ask my opinion on upgrading from a 7mm RM to a 28 Nosler. Dude, that's gonna cost you money and not change your life at all, but whatever blows your hair back.
 
If I'm going by the idea of buy one now and do it all for years to come then I recommend going with a stainless steel firearm. The firearms that hold up the best at our camp, from things like pushing bush, and general wet weather conditions like sitting in a rain storm, or a fresh melting snow fall. Are the Stainless steel guns. If your going to be the guy walking through the woods, you couldn't ask for a better material to have a gun made from. Good stainless steel guns just take a better beating then blued, anodized, cerakoted or many other finishes and it doesn't scratch or rust the same.

I suggest a Winchester model 70 Extreme Weather MB, or any of their other varieties designed for harsh climates. There have been a few over the last few years with different finishes. But the Extreme weather one is stainless steel and would be the one I recommend. The Winchester model 70's coming out of Portugal are top notch firearms and will literally last you a life time. The only thing is it's got a 22" inch barrel so it doesn't meet that criteria, but 22 inch is still manageable. It does have a three position safety something I like. It's available in .308 as well, which isn't a bad choice as it's affordable and available while working on all the game listed. Personally if it was for moose and bear I would bump that up to a 30/06. But the choice is up to you.

If spending 1800-2400 on a rifle is too much of a cost, then there is nothing wrong with going Tikka or browning x bolt. They both make a stainless model as well. The Tikka is on sale at cabelas right now, though I am sure there are many site sponsors that also sell it and might have a sale they'd be worth checking out first. They are not as nice as a Model 70, but they have good barrels, and strong and smooth actions. I would love a tikka t3x in a Canadian made Cadex defense Tundra strike stock installed. But I do also love what the Japanese company Miroku is putting out for the browning brand and Winchester brands. They make the Xbolt and AB3.

 
Last edited:
Tikka T3 in 308, and a decent scope in the $350 range will do damn near everything you need it to do and cover pretty much all the areas you mentioned. .308 for the win...
 
Doubt controlled round feed is really an advantage over a Tikka...or that besides prefernce of look or fit/comfort which is individual, the other rifles come with better stocks.
 
A Tikka ctr or Ruger scout in .308 would work well, look at a 20” barreled Howa 1500 as well.

I love my Ruger scout, accurate, nice weight to carry around, great irons or multiple options for mounting a scope. 6.4 lbs in a synthetic stock or 7.4 lbs in the laminate, AICS mags are great and cheap. 3,5,10 rd mags are readily available, you can’t go wrong with one and they’re available again. Look at the price of spare CTR mags lol.
 
Being in Ontario you may want to rethink the 308 in case you want to hunt in some of those areas with a caliber restriction.
As far as ammo availability and bullet selection in modern rifles it is s pretty tough to beat the 6.5Creedmoor
A nice bolt action that fits you will work well and most are pretty easy to tear down as opposed to the BLR.
Cat
 
iron cat said:
Being in Ontario you may want to rethink the 308 in case you want to hunt in some of those areas with a caliber restriction.
As far as ammo availability and bullet selection in modern rifles it is s pretty tough to beat the 6.5Creedmoor
A nice bolt action that fits you will work well and most are pretty easy to tear down as opposed to the BLR.
Cat
Click to expand...

Went with 6.5 CM here too.

Butcherbill said:
Look at the price of spare CTR mags lol.
Click to expand...

The Ruger does have that over it! So much the better if you can live with 3D printed CTR mags lol. My regular T3 3d printed 223 mags work great.
 
iron cat said:
Being in Ontario you may want to rethink the 308 in case you want to hunt in some of those areas with a caliber restriction.
As far as ammo availability and bullet selection in modern rifles it is s pretty tough to beat the 6.5Creedmoor
A nice bolt action that fits you will work well and most are pretty easy to tear down as opposed to the BLR.
Cat
Click to expand...

Great point. Because of 50 years of experience with it, I'm an advocate of the 6.5 x 55. Like the Creed it handles the lightest varmint bullets up to about 140 gr with great accuracy; unlike the Creed, because of the heavier case capacity it handles heavier 160 gr bullets. If you are considering hand loading/reloading, the selection of bullets available in 6.5 lets you tailor and tune your loads the way you want. I presently load 85 gr Sierra hollow point for ground hogs and 158 gr for my two military surplus range toys. My Scoped Zastava M70 and my 1900 Obendorf with original tangent sight shoot both these loads within 1 inch point of aim at 100 yards. Try that with a Creed. LOL.
 
meroh said:
great point. Because of 50 years of experience with it, i'm an advocate of the 6.5 x 55. Like the creed it handles the lightest varmint bullets up to about 140 gr with great accuracy; unlike the creed, because of the heavier case capacity it handles heavier 160 gr bullets. If you are considering hand loading/reloading, the selection of bullets available in 6.5 lets you tailor and tune your loads the way you want. I presently load 85 gr sierra hollow point for ground hogs and 158 gr for my two military surplus range toys. My scoped zastava m70 and my 1900 obendorf with original tangent sight shoot both these loads within 1 inch point of aim at 100 yards. Try that with a creed. Lol.
Click to expand...

x2!!
 
Have a look at the Tikka t3x battue light. 308 and 6.5 CM are both good cartridges for the use case you've laid out. Especially if you're not going to be reloading, there's a lot to be said for choosing a popular cartridge when it comes to price and availability of ammo. Unless you've got specific hunting opportunities in regions with caliber restrictions, I wouldn't let that influence my choice of rifle.
 
For an optic, like Kamlooky said, something like a 2.5-8x36 would be a good idea. The disadvantage of a 1-6 or 1-8 LPVO like you mentioned is low light performance at higher magnification. LPVOs typically have an objective that is 24 mm (with a 30 mm tube) and at higher power, the "exit pupil" is small and light availability for your eye could be less than ideal for hunting. LPVOs have gained in popularity from their benefits in competition, typically during daylight where the longer shots wouldn't be affected much by having a smaller objective lens. A 2.5-8x36 or the enduring classic 3-9x40 would still work fine for shorter range but give more hunting versatility for medium to longer ranges in low light. These typically have a 1" tube and can be lighter as well. A Leupold VX-Freedom would do the job.
 
Joel said:
You put a lot of good thought into this.

Would recommend against a "tactical" style rifle as you're carrying extra weight while bushwhacking for nothing, IMO. Although at least it does soak up recoil you don't need a 9lb scoped heavy barrel setup.

Would go with a Tikka T3x Lite if you could live with the 22" barrel. They make a 20" compact model and the Battue with sporter barrel but she's a tad light and whippy for me haha

Not a ###y end of the world rifle, a stainless Tikka, but then its not like you NEED more either. But I get the idea!

If you don't mind the weight though, the CTR is a shooter.
Click to expand...

I agree with Joel, T3x compact or T3x Battue is all you will ever need.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom