.308.. good rifles?

swrmacmullin

swrmacmullin

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Hey fellow gunnuterz, i recently sold my lever action, and am looking to get a deer/coyote combo gun in bolt or semi auto

First off, do you guys think .308 is a good choice for this? and second, what brand of rifle would you guys suggest?

Im looking to spend about 750.. Tops. The cheaper the better. ( if possible, 750 WITH the scope)

Have been looking to a Howa 1500 chambered in .308, any opinions on this?

Thanks for your time and opinions!!
 
The .308 is a good cartridge and the Howa is a good action. I'm not sure if Howa makes a short action though, so if you purchase a rifle with a standard length action, you might as well get it in .30/06 or .270.
 
swrmacmullin said:
Oh okay, makes sense... So it would be better to get a short action so I would be able to cycle rounds more quickly?
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In reality the time difference is negligible. What I have seen happen more often with long actions is "short stroking". This is pulling the bolt back enough to eject the fired shell but not pick up the next shell in the magazine. This typically happens at the worst possible time in the heat of the moment. Come to think of it, ive never seen it happen with a short action.

Im a .308 fan. Love 'em.
 
A Howa .308 will treat you right. I just started to mess with a hogue stocked 20" barrel Howa varmint in .308 and the first 3 loads I tried were all sub MOA; two of them well below MOA. The Howa action is very nice and has a decent trigger.
 
Im kindof at a crossroads right now, Im pretty sure i want a .308 caliber, but im debating between the Night Train and the Howa, price wise the Night Train is more appealing, but im also aware that a person gets what they pay for...

Does anyone have experience dealing with both these rifles?
 
Bitumen said:
Remington 700 SPS Varmint is well within your price range.
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X2. The remington 700 and also the stevens 200 are good candidates that will fit the budget. Both are capable of good accuracy and both are good platforms to do upgrades down the road if you wanted to improve the accuracy for coyote/target. with the nightmare II down the road if you want more accuracy there isn't much in the way of after market support ie better triggers, better stock to improve apon the rifle and I certainly wouldn't wast money getting a better barrel installed on a mosberg. The howa is also a good budget platform to start with and can easily be improved. I hate to see someone get into shooting buy some gear and down the road find out they basicly need to replace it if they want to take their marksmanship to a higher level. With the remington 700, stevens 200 and the howa they can be improved appon as your skill and expectations increase. A 308 will fit the bill for what your looking for.
 
The 700 comes with a .308 length action as well. But the reason I suggested you chose a .30/06 over a .308 in a standard length action is you get a bigger bang for the buck. If you restricted yourself to the use of bullets weighing 150 grs or less, there is no advantage as the ballistic performance of the .308 and the .30/06 are nearly identical. But once bullet weight exceeds 180 grs, the .30/06 clearly has an advantage that can be exploited in the field. The .270 shoots a little flatter than either .30 caliber cartridge and kicks a little less (if that sort of thing matters to you) until you begin to load it with 150 gr or heavier bullets.

Any of these 3 cartridges will suit your needs, whereas going much larger or smaller puts you into more of a niche cartridge rather than a general purpose cartridge. All 3 produce fine accuracy and good terminal performance. All 3 are readily available at you local hardware store if you intend to shoot factory ammo, and all 3 are easy to acquire components for, if you decide to handload.

One final word is not to overlook the used rifle market. Check out the Tradex site and Epps used gun section by clicking on the links above. Sometimes you can pick up a gem for less then you could afford if it was new. I recently got my left handed son a Ruger 77 in .270 with a 3.5-10X Leupold scope in after market rings, in virtually new condition, for the cost of the rifle alone. I've bought several Husqvarna and Brno rifles from Tradex, and all have been good value for the money I spent. Its been a very long time since I bought a new off the shelf gun.
 
I use my 308 as an al round caliber - but also use for heavier game as well.

In terms of the caliber, for just deer and coyotes, I much prefer the flatter shooting 6 mm (in 243). It too is a short action - as the 243 is a necked down 308 cartridge.

As for the rifle - $750 is not that high a price for rifle only. With a decent scope ($200 to $250), that leaves your rifle in the $500 range. Now you are beginning to limit things a bit. Some folks swear by the Stevens rifles - I do not have direct experience with them, but have fondled them in the store. The ones I have seen remind me a bit of the old Savage 111 as a top loader only.

The Ruger American is getting positive reviews and there are plenty here that swear by the Axis. I own a higher model Savage and quite like it. I also had an older 111 (which was a top loader only - no floorplate) which was also a very nice shooter.

Do not discount Weatherby (my personal favorite) or Remington either. Although they are pushing the envelope for your budget.

Another consideration is to look for a good used rifle. I know on the EE there are some great deals for scopes and rifles.
 
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