Changing my mind about my first bigger rifle, opinions please.
- Thread starter a_n_o_n
- Start date
Yep..
Quote of the year!
Seriously, unless you plan to be in and out of a truck all day, or want to load quickly because you're piling out of the truck to get a snap shot, there is not much practical use to a dm. I love floorplates on a hunting rig. Nothing to get lost, caught on branches, left at home, rattle around making all sorts of noise. I also never truck hunt, load once in the morning and unload when finished hunting.
OP, your comments are slightly confusing and seem to contradict themselves. You mentioned in your first post that you wanted a 308 precision rifle with heavy barrel, you cant afford that so now you want an entry level hunting gun so you don't waste money and can still save for that precision rig. I get that, but you also listed your priorities and said that #1 was hunting and #2 was precision target shooting. That tells me in essence that you want a gun that is suited for hunting. As has been mentioned before, a heavy barreled gun it absolutely no fun to hunt with. I bought one without handling it and sold it within a week because they are heavy and cumbersome and heavily front weighted and people that hunt a lot do not choose a heavy barrel if they have a choice. So that means that first and moremost you want a decent hunting rifle. So cheaping out on your first priority so that you can buy your second priority sometime down the road isn't the logical choice in my mind. Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with a 30-30, but for your purposes it's not ideal, and for the same money you can do much better
If you are trying to conserve money on ammunition and want a precision rifle then I would suggest buying your hunting rifle in 308 as well so you can share ammo, and if you begin to reload it will cut down on dies and powder costs. Buy used, firearms don't degrade in quality from being used, there are guns from the 50's that still work great, sometimes better than new ones. if you're set on new then there are plenty of options that have already been mentioned, pretty much every manufacturer makes an entry level bolt action rifle that will be cheaper than a 30-30 and much more accurate.
Also, don't be fooled by the rem 700 action compared to the tikka. The SPS actions can be a little rough, but that is rough metal on metal contact that wears down with use to a smooth glide. Tikkas are smooth because they have too much tolerance in their machining. They are a "sloppy action". there's a difference between sloppy and smooth. i've got nothing against the tikka guns, they're light and they shoot straight, that's all a gun is required to do, but please don't call them a high end gun, the T3 were brought onto the market as entry level economic guns and have only jumped in price because of the demand for them, the machining didn't change.
So if hunting is your first priority like you've said it is then buy quality the first time, it'll also shoot dang straight at the range. BTW a bull barrel doesn't make the gun any more accurate, it just keeps the barrel from heating up as fast
If you are trying to conserve money on ammunition and want a precision rifle then I would suggest buying your hunting rifle in 308 as well so you can share ammo, and if you begin to reload it will cut down on dies and powder costs. Buy used, firearms don't degrade in quality from being used, there are guns from the 50's that still work great, sometimes better than new ones. if you're set on new then there are plenty of options that have already been mentioned, pretty much every manufacturer makes an entry level bolt action rifle that will be cheaper than a 30-30 and much more accurate.
Also, don't be fooled by the rem 700 action compared to the tikka. The SPS actions can be a little rough, but that is rough metal on metal contact that wears down with use to a smooth glide. Tikkas are smooth because they have too much tolerance in their machining. They are a "sloppy action". there's a difference between sloppy and smooth. i've got nothing against the tikka guns, they're light and they shoot straight, that's all a gun is required to do, but please don't call them a high end gun, the T3 were brought onto the market as entry level economic guns and have only jumped in price because of the demand for them, the machining didn't change.
So if hunting is your first priority like you've said it is then buy quality the first time, it'll also shoot dang straight at the range. BTW a bull barrel doesn't make the gun any more accurate, it just keeps the barrel from heating up as fast
RedRabbits
Regular
- Location
- Holberg/Nanaimo BC
Sometimes some people over think when trying to decide on a new gun. I'm glad I've never had to contemplate too hard. Just buy the R700 and don't be intimidated by a Tikka
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
You hit the nail right on the head. I think our poor OP may have stroked out over the whole thing. Shame really.
No kidding. When a friend recently got into hunting he asked what to buy. I said get a Win M70 Extreme weather in 708 or 308 and go kill everything you want and not need to buy another rifle unless you want to tackle grizzlies. Easy.
So rather than agonize about detachable magazines and how smooth different actions feel in the store, he took my advice ad got one in 708 and killed a black bear, deer and moose.
Trouble is that too many noobies get to much wrong information along with the good stuff and cannot tell the diff.
Some folk seem to have their mind made up and won't listen to any advice at all even after posting for that same advice.
Some folk seem to have their mind made up and won't listen to any advice at all even after posting for that same advice.
I would agree with some other posters and say get the 700 SPS tactical. These actions do smooth out with use and you said you wanted to shoot lots so I'd stick with that. I have a 700 BDL DM and the only reason it is a DM is because I got an obscenely good deal on it. The detachable magazine is over rated for a hunting/ target rifle. Trust us.
Any precision rifle you get will gradually get modified so why not start with 1 of the actions with most aftermarket options in existence.
A marlin .30-30 Is a fantastic hunting tool and will cover the hunting needs you have specified.
The route you're headed down isn't a mistake, but if you're going to build a precision rifle in the rifle in the spring you may want to look at a model 700 hunting rifle in .308 or .30-06 to meet you're hunting needs now. They can be found used in good condition in the 500$ range, and then you can use it as the basis of your precision build, by rebarrelling and putting a new stock on it.
Any precision rifle you get will gradually get modified so why not start with 1 of the actions with most aftermarket options in existence.
A marlin .30-30 Is a fantastic hunting tool and will cover the hunting needs you have specified.
The route you're headed down isn't a mistake, but if you're going to build a precision rifle in the rifle in the spring you may want to look at a model 700 hunting rifle in .308 or .30-06 to meet you're hunting needs now. They can be found used in good condition in the 500$ range, and then you can use it as the basis of your precision build, by rebarrelling and putting a new stock on it.
I think you need to change yer mind about changing yer mind.
Get a lever and then add to the collection.
Nothing wrong with a BLR.
Fun to shoot and accurate enough to be dangerous.
I sure don't regret the 358 win here in the BLR configuration.
Get a lever and then add to the collection.
Nothing wrong with a BLR.
Fun to shoot and accurate enough to be dangerous.
I sure don't regret the 358 win here in the BLR configuration.
WeatherdoG
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Trenton, ON
Get the 30-30 and then the 308, we are only forced to choose one with women.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
My advice is to forget the lever action for the time being. What you're after is the rifle that you can do the most with, shoot a bear in the willows on one hand, and ring a 12" gong at a half mile on the other. A general purpose rifle is not a new concept, and any rifle cartridge becomes more versatile through handloading. As an example a .30/06 loaded with heavy premium bullets is suitable for the largest North American game including bison, loaded with 150 gr bullets it makes a dandy deer cartridge, with a 130 gr mono-metal spitzer it shoots flat enough to take a speed goat standing on yon hill, 125 gr spitzers will ruin a coyote's day, and with cast lead or with inexpensive jacketed bullets, or with military ball loaded over a pinch of pistol powder, its a dandy choice for small game for the pot. And when loaded with 210 gr Matrix or Berger VLDs, those 12" gongs will be singing to you, if you do your part.
A .308 will do much of what a .30/06 will do when loaded with bullet weights up to 180 grs, but from there on out the .30/06 is in another class. Reams of paper have been wasted comparing the accuracy potential of the .308 vs. the .30/06, and with any given ammunition, under any given circumstances, the difference is purely hypothetical for most of us. Trust me, you can't make use of the difference in accuracy, but you can make use of the ballistic advantage the .30/06 has over the .308. While we are on the subject, lets dismiss this notion of a heavy barrel. With a cold bore shot, the accuracy potential of a heavy barrel and a sporter barrel is equal provided the quality of each barrel is the same. Thus the bullet impacting at 300 yards will be as far from your intended point of aim with the sporter barrel as it is with the bull barrel. The difference is that your sporter will weigh about 7.5 pounds and the match/varmint rifle will weigh 12-16 pounds. If you opt for a long barrel it might make 20; mine does. If you are serious about big game hunting, you will find it arduous enough when carrying an 8 pound rifle, never mind one that weighs twice as much. Now a traditional lever action is a joy to carry due to it's light weight and thin profile. But a .30/30 is not going to give you much gratification at a half mile, or a quarter mile for that matter. A modern sporter weight hunting rifle of reasonable quality is a much more useful tool, in that it does many things well, rather than either the match rifle or the traditional lever action, both of which have specific missions.
It sounds to me like the T3 is the rifle you compare all others to, so stop the hand wringing and just get one. You aren't going to be happy with a bargain basement rifle or with a rifle which fills a specific niche. While you are putting the cash aside to get one, shoot your girl friend's rifle, and get the tools you need to handoload for it, at which poi8nt there are advantages to having a pair of like chambered rifles. And handloading will make those rifle more versatile, than shooting that Chicom ammo to save money, unless you want to make Mexican Match.
Get a hunting rifle for hunting, get a target rifle for targets and then get a lever because there cool. Don't try and get a target rifle for hunting. The average distance I have shot game is 30-80 yards and who the hell wants to pack a 10 pound rifle. But keep in mind you can plink away with a hunting rifle you just will have to let the barrel cool more frequent
I was all about a detach mag like you on my first rifle but now I like hinge floor plate.
I was all about a detach mag like you on my first rifle but now I like hinge floor plate.
Don't waste your time with wimpy stuff my first purchase was a rem700 xcr in 338lapua no regrets get some reloading gear and you have a do it all rifle it's light enough to carry and hunt 225sst coyotes plenty of choices for big and small game heck get some solids and go on safari lol then load some 285 hornady's and shoot a mile.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
Punctuate. Please. It helps keep your bad advice organized coherently.
