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Wile E

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I'm new to hunting and I am wondering what calibre and what brand of hunting rifle to buy. I will be hunting moose, caribou, and black bear in and area that can be thick but also wide open and long range. I would appreciate any and all advice.
 
Get a 300 WSM or the 300 win mag if you want cheaper shells. Dont buy a cheap remington 700 whatever you do.
 
Nothing wrong with rem 700's I dont own one as my hunting rifle but I have a varminter in 223, its a tack driver.
 
Nothing wrong with rem 700's I dont own one as my hunting rifle but I have a varminter in 223, its a tack driver.

Im sure they are fine for hunting just like any other rifle, but I have heard nothing but bad about these things in regards to fit and finish. I have handled tons of them while I was looking at a new rifle and I just cant bring myself to buy one because of the prementioned. It all depends on how pickey the owner of his rifles are but they are cheap to buy and quality wise.
 
Im sure they are fine for hunting just like any other rifle, but I have heard nothing but bad about these things in regards to fit and finish. I have handled tons of them while I was looking at a new rifle and I just cant bring myself to buy one because of the prementioned. It all depends on how pickey the owner of his rifles are but they are cheap to buy and quality wise.

Pretty sure you don't mean 700's, you are thinking 710, 770's, but I won't put words in your mouth :D.

For cartridge, I'd pick what you like between 270 and 30-06 with everything in between including short actions. The magnums will give you a extra 100yds, but it really doesn't come into play until you are out past 300 yards. The magnums will kick noticeably harder.
 
If you are new to shooting you should avoid magnums as the extra smoke and ruckus doesn't get you that much more range.

The list of great new hunter cartridges is long, mine looks like this: 30 30, 270, 280, 308, 3006, 7x57, 8x57 to name a few. These are milder kickers that will take all the game you have mentioned.

I personally am a fan of 3006 due to it's unique combination of power, versatility, availability, and economy - but all of the above would be fine.

As far as rifles, well, you need to go out to a well stocked sporting goods store and handle a Remington 700, a Winchester Model 70, a CZ 550, a Ruger 77 mk II, and probably a Tika. One or more will feel "right" to you.

My observations are that Remington quality (yes in the hallowed 700's) is off and the trigger sucks. CZ's are well made but a little bulkier. Winchester's are well made and I think an excellent value these days. The Tika's are fine and shoot well although I don't care for plastic parts on a rifle.
 
For cartridge, I'd pick what you like between 270 and 30-06 with everything in between including short actions. The magnums will give you a extra 100yds, but it really doesn't come into play until you are out past 300 yards. The magnums will kick noticeably harder.

X2, what he said, and choose a model you feel comfortable with, good luck.
 
The nice thing about the 300 Win Mag is you can always reload it down to other 30 cal performances.

But this doesn't work so well in reverse. :D
 
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As mentioned earlier as a new shooter you should avoid the big magnums.

If you must have a magnum the 7Rem mag kicks a lot less than the 300Mags. If you do your part it will do its job well.
 
If your grandfather or father hunted and are still around ask them what they used or find some old timers in your area and ask them. Believe it or not some people did shoot animals and feed their families without using plastic stocks and ultra mags. A .270 to 30-06 will be fine. I swear some people think game animals have morphed into these bullet resistant super animals since the days our grandfathers hunted the same hills.
 
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