husqvarna 1600 vs new savage/rem700

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shores

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Hi,
In the market for a new rifle in the next while for coyote, deer and moose (a large range).
I live in the country and coyote and deer would be the main draw, I can always get a second rifle for moose if absolutely necessary.
The husky 1600 at tradex look really nice, bent bolt and tapped for weaver ring bases already.

vs something like a rem 700 or savage 11/111 in .270 or equivalent.
I've heard that 6.5x55 has light recoil and very accurate, but cannot take heavier bullets for really heavy game, at least at distance.

Would I be off better getting a slightly larger caliber or longer action (308) in a new rifle, or are the huskys that darn good for the price?
 
For deer and coyotes the 6.5x55 is fine. And the 6.5 is a fine moose round at any sensible range. That long heavy bullet will wade a lot of meat. In Sweden the 6.5x55 is viewed pretty much in the same light as the .30/06 is on this side of the pond. Quality wise the Husky has it all over the Rem/Savage offerings with a price saving to boot.
 
shores said:
Thought about them, more easy to find ammo and a bit cheaper, but more recoil too?
I'm pretty new to centrefire, not sure if its a big jump
Click to expand...

Have a good pad installed - Pachmayr Decelerator - and you will be fine. Do you hand load? The .30-06 is very flexible and you can tailor loads that suit the purpose. From a 125gr Ballistic Tip at 2650 fps to a 220gr Partition at 2600 fps and everything in between. The 125gr load will have very similar recoil to the 6.5x55. The 220gr will have more recoil, but with the .30-06 you can either start and stay at the bottom end or move up.
 
The .30/06 is my favorite cartridge because you can do so much with it, particularly if you're a handloader. From cast bullet loads at 1600 fps for plinking and small game hunting, they are no more destructive than a hi-speed .22 to 220 and 240 gr bullets for the biggest game in North American it covers the bases as well as the niche cartridges do. A .30/06 loaded with 130 gr Barnes TTSX loaded to 2600 fps has mild recoil and blast, shoot flat over normal hunting ranges, and won't do a moose any good either. If you find the recoil manageable, and most do, you could load 150 gr TSXs to 2700 which was the original bullet weight and velocity of the .30/06, which with a vastly inferior full patch military bullet Stuart Edward White collected hundreds of head of African game, mostly for camp meat during his 6 month safari in the early 20th Century. No North American game could stand up to the combination of the 150 gr TSX from at 2700, although at that velocity its a bit short in power to be legal for bison in the Yukon, where the recommended minimum is a 180 gr .30/06 with a premium bullet or a minimum energy of 2800 ft-lbs.

If you don't care about selling the hides, the 130 gr Speer hollow point would be a wicked coyote bullet. In my experience they are wonderfully accurate and like a flying ashtray, they are incredibly destructive on light game. But if the .30/06 is a bit more than you can enjoy, a 6.5X55 is a good minimum for a general purpose big game cartridge, and when loaded with 150-160 gr bullets, its more than a match for moose.
 
The Savage/Remington option will no doubt provide you with a good trigger out of the box......likely more easily adjusted also.
The Husqvarna trigger will likely be in the 5 pound plus range and require a $ 50 to $ 100 trigger job to sweeten it up.
 
The Husqvarna is a great rifle, no flies on the Rem or Salvage either. A new rifle has warranty. A 6.5 will work for coyotes to moose, even better if you reload. I wouldn't be worried using one for moose.
 
Personally, I'd be happy with either the Husqvarna 1600 or one of the new Savage package rifles in stainless with the Weaver scope.

'Could make either work for the task at hand.

:canadaFlag:
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NAA.
 
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