All Round Recommendation

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kingdarb

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Hey Guys. I am new to hunting (getting my license this year) but I have some experience shooting rifles, handguns and shotguns. I am going to look to pick up a long gun this year. Specifically, I am looking for a bolt action rifle that is a sort of jack-of-all-trades that will be able to handle deer and moose. I'm noy looking for the ferrari of hunting rifles, but I'm not looking for the pinto either.

Thanks!
 
Winchester Model 70, either Featherweight or Sporter. .270/7mm-08/.308/.30-06 all good choices for a new shooter. Decent prices on these models. You get a very functional, reliable gun that is also classy and attractive without too much embellishment. A good wood and blued gun only gets better with age.
 
CZ550 carbine, kevlar in 30-06 or Winchester 70 extreme weather in 30-06. Winchester is probably a slightly better choice since in comes in stainless, but that's about the only advantage, though the shorter barrel length with the CZ is nice. Both guns will do everything you want in a caliber that's do the job and is easily found at any gun counter.
 
I'm very happy with my Remington 700 Mountain DM in .270. This would do what you want quite nicely. Cost about $1450 with Burris FF II Ballistic Plex scope, case & ammo... all in.
 
Everyone is going to have an opinion. Fact is pretty much any off the shelf hunting rifle will work just fine. Remington 700, Winchester 70, Tikka T3, Ruger M77, CZ 550 would all work great. Only rifle I would avoid is a Remington 710/770. I would also avoid combo packages and the scopes are usually of poor quality.

As for caliber you can't go wrong with a .30-06 for a do everything.

Don't cheap out on optics as they are very important. Some good choices on a budget include Bushnell 3200 series, Nikon Buckmaster series and Leupold VX-1. Don't spend less than this price range on a scope. If you want to step it up a bit the Zeiss Conquest series offers a great bang for the buck at about $500.
 
Stainless synthetic Browning X-Bolt chambered for 30-06 or .270. About the same price as a T-3 but a better designed rifle IMHO. Top it with a Bushnell 4200 or Leupold VX2 and you will be set for the rest of your life.
 
This is kinda like asking what the best woman for a wife is. Beyond the basics, it's a personal choice thing. As to the basics, as has been said, any of the better bolt action guns with a caliber like '06 or .270 will be all you ever need. I also agree with the recommendation to not go to the bargain basement for a scope. My personal choice for all-rounder is a Leuopld M8 4x. There's nothing more disheartening to hunt your a-- off, get a good shot, then throw up your rifle to look through a fogged scope or one that doesn't hold zero. Good luck.
 
There are lots of good rifles out there. And like Cam said everyone has an opinion. Go out and shoulder as many rifles as you can at all of the local retailers. Find one that fits you, that shoulders nicely. Once you have the make and model then look for the calibre.
Again, everyone will have an opinion. Of the 7 guys in our deer camp, there are no two rifles alike, and everyone is using a different calibre. 30-30, 270, 243, 30-06, 308, 300WM, 7-08.
So if you are looking for one calibre to do both deer and moose... 308 and 30-06 are both good ones. Most of the hype on any calibre is designed to sell more rifles. Find out what is popular calibre in the area, measure that against the calibre you think you want, and then check the supply of factory ammo at your local gun store and CT. If you have someone who reloads, talk with them, get their input and get them to teach you how to reload.
Component availability will be an issue in the not too distant future, so popularity will be a factor.

What ever you spend on the rifle, spend 3/4 of the amount on glass. So if you buy a 700 dollar rifle, spend 400-500 on a scope.

Then go to the range and practice, practice, practice.

Thats my two cents for what its worth.

Good luck its a great sport!
 
I don't think it makes a great deal of difference which cartridge you choose; the choice of a proper bullet is far more important. For big game we look for 1.5X expansion and about 18" of penetration; but in many cases we get just over 12" with 2X expansion and less if the bullet comes apart. This performance is expected from cartridges which commonly have bullet weights between 130 and 200 grs and velocities approaching or slightly bettering 3000 fps. If you expect to do a great deal of varmint shooting, you might prefer a cartridge on the lower end of the scale, but if you commonly hunt the larger species of big game, or hunt big game in an area where you might anticipate bear trouble, the higher end of the scale might be a better match for you. The scale of cartridges is pretty well represented by calibers ranging from 6.5 to 8mm, smaller bullets are a tad light to ensure good penetration and large wound volumes, and larger ones are heavy enough to introduce recoil issues for some people. Otherwise we would all just use .375s and be done with it

If your rifle is going to be a pure big game rifle, I think there is enough of an advantage to a controlled round feed action to choose it over a push feed. If you disagree, thats fine and you probably won't be any worse off for it; there is a certain allure to being able to drop a round on the follower ahead of the bolt and close the bolt, without having to feed from the magazine. This is particularly true if you are a handloader with a penchant for seating your bullets long for better accuracy.

Any rifle of any type that fails to feed, fire, or eject cartridges reliably, should have the problem identified and corrected before that rifle is taken afield. Still, I think that the CRF actions provide a slight advantage in reliability over the push feed, so they remain my preference in a big game rifle, where reliability and power tends to trump match accuracy. More importantly though is the decision to have the rifle equipped with iron sights, the quality of glass you intend to use, the type of stock material you prefer, and whether you choose a shooting sling or a carry strap.
 
When I saw this title, my first thought was "Seriously? Another thread on the rifle recommendations?" Well, it is still my thought, but so far this seems to be actually half-decently sane. Only 2 posts even mentioning magnums and not recommending them at all. I am thinking...are these people actually members of CGN?? Recommending .270s, .308s, and .30-06 based cartridges? Recommending Bushnell glass and Remingtons instead of Zeiss and Sakos?
I can only take one conclusion from this...it is too early in this thread for those struck with "magnumitis" to be awake and around. Surely this will turn into such a thread shortly. Until then, I enjoy the sane recommendations of my fellow shooter and hunters here. Thank you for such a refreshing thread this morning. Restores my faith in the advise that you can get on here.
 
@wildcat - haha. I have found the advice on this thread to be very helpful. In fact a friend of a friend has a winchester 70 featherweight in 30.06 with a scope (not sure which kind) that is left handed (as am I) and he is looking to offload. I will give it a look and see what I think.
 
Any brandname rifle in any cartridge from 25-06 up to the .300s.
And for a budget scope which will stand up, consider an elite series Bushnell, or a Burris Fullfield II. If the budget allows consider going to a Zeiss Conquest or Leopold VX3.

Oh, and don't buy a Remington 710/770.
 
Although 30-06 isn't in vogue (for what ever reason) you can probably hunt anything in North America with it. Pick the manufacturer of your choice.
 
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