Favorite or go-to .308 or 30.06 rifle for hunting?

BigUglyMan said:
I sold my Stevens 200 earlier this year not because it was inaccurate (far from it), but because it was lacking in the je ne sais quoi department. That left me without a 30-06 rifle, an intolerable position (well, except my Garand, but we'll overlook that). But let's back up a little.

When I was 16 my father laid out his hunting rifles on his workbench and gave me, and my brother, our pick of his rifles for my birthday. Oddly enough we both picked 30-06s, him a ABolt Stainless Stalker and me a Sako AIII (can you see the Fudd shining through?). Of course, I decided after a couple of years that I needed more horsepower and traded Dad for his M700 Classic Super Grade 300WM. I never shot the rifle exceedingly well from the bench though it was my primary hunting rifle over the years I spent in the Chilcotin taking my best Mule Deer (stop clapping, I've only shot two) and my first moose (clap now, it was offhand at 300 yards...the first two shots were merely warning messages that the evil was lurking). Eventually Dad's efforts to work up a load and my efforts at becoming a more proficient shooter wore the barrel out and I sent it off to ATRS to be built for LR shooting.

Enter the previously mentioned Stevens. I had moved North and wanted a beater that I could strap on an ATV, throw in a boat or lash to a komatik without breaking down into tears every time I went over a bump. The 300 had a scorched barrel and my only other sporting bolt rifle was my 416 Rigby which I didn't want to treat like a rental car. The Stevens seemed like the perfect candidate. I topped it with the 3-9x Burris that came off the 300WM and started brewing up handloads to test. I was saddened and a little bored to find that the bargain-basement rifle would crowd three 180 grain Partitions into just under a half-inch when I could keep the coffee jitters down. Boring. shot the rifle that way for about 6 years before I sold it. When I jerked the scope off I found that the rear scope mount (I was using Talley Lightweights) was flopping around loose yet the rifle still printed tight groups. This was after numerous trips on the land and 4 physical relocations with all the bumps and bruises associated. I haven't heard from the new owner so the rifle must be chugging right along.

So there I was, with nothing but a Garand and several thousand component bullets that required launching. Now, you might point out that I do have the 300WM as well as a Pre 64 M70 in 300 H&H. This is entirely true. I also have a Savage 308. So I really wasn't gagging for another 30 caliber rifle. But two years ago my brother gave me a framed photo of my father standing with a caribou he had just shot on one of his winter excursions near Yellowknife (remember when there were caribou on the Ingraham Trail and you were allowed to shoot them?). Well the rifle he was holding in that photo was none other than that old AIII that I had picked off the bench 20 years prior. So I hatched a plan. You should always have a plan. Several years ago my brother developed a fetish for the long, tapered king of the medium bores, the 375 H&H. He somehow borrowed the Old Man's Whitworth 375 and had used it for years to shoot such ferocious megafauna as whitetail deer and coyotes. Somehow the rifle had never made it's way back to Saskatchewan and came to reside in the basement of a subdivision home in Southern Calgary. Pops had pretty much quit hunting a few years ago and I seized upon this opportunity, not to sewer my little brother, but to tip the scales of justice back into equilibrium. I suggested to Dad that it might be fair and just to let sleeping 375s lie and to send the old 30-06 out East to live with his firstborn. It took a couple of months but he suggested to me last month that I should have, again, the Sako. Well, Hannibal Smith couldn't have said it better..."I love it when a plan comes together". Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, before I absconded with the '06 I told my brother that it was going to happen. His initial comment was "I somehow feel like I'm getting screwed". Much brotherly reassurance ensued and I convinced him (and I actually believe this to be true) that the two rifles were pretty much of a muchness and that no one was coming out ahead of the other. Dad actually suggested to me that he thought the 375 might be worth more. I'm fine with that. Turns out the Sako (according to it's serial number which I just checked tonight) was likely made in 1978, the same year I was born, and purchased new by my father (probably from Reliable Gun and Tackle in Vancouver). Couple that with the fact that it was his primary hunting rifle for the last few years he hunted in BC and all the time up North until he bought that ABolt, and it was far and away the rifle that I wanted to fill my 30-06 vacancy.

So like Johnn, Clarke and probably a schwack of other folks on this board, I've got an heirloom 30-06 that I'll never part with. I would suggest, senor MackForce, that you search for the same. And if you don't find yourself in a situation where an heirloom is nearby, buy yourself an heirloom that you'd be proud to pass on to your firstborn.

Thus endeth the sermon.
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And a great sermon it was, saving me much typing.
 
I was a dyed in the wool savage guy until I bought a t3 in 308 last fall. It just does everything well. It will shoot 110gr vmax to 180 gr nosler and everything in between to within 1.5" groups at 100yards. 3" clusters at 400 yards are no problem. The trigger is superb and it fits me just perfectly. It's a nice weatherproof package with a stainless elite 3-9x40 and tallry lightweight rings. I really can't say enough good things about it.
 
This beauty right here is my favourite, and my suggestion. Ruger M77 in .308

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The Kurgan said:
Tikka T3 Battue Lite in 30-06. Lightweight, 20 inch barrel, 5-round DM, fibre-optic open sights and a QD scope set-up. Great trigger and very accurate !
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Ouch! My shoulder hurts just reading this!:)

Kidding aside, I was about to say my Husqvarna 1600. But after being reminded of my very competent Battue, I am changing it to: my scoped 1600 for sitting and 308 Betty with open sights for bush walking.
 
savagelh said:
I was a dyed in the wool savage guy until I bought a t3 in 308 last fall. It just does everything well. It will shoot 110gr vmax to 180 gr nosler and everything in between to within 1.5" groups at 100yards. 3" clusters at 400 yards are no problem. The trigger is superb and it fits me just perfectly. It's a nice weatherproof package with a stainless elite 3-9x40 and tallry lightweight rings. I really can't say enough good things about it.
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Been thinking of a Tikka T3 in .308 as well. Have never bothered with them until recently. Handled one in a store and it was impressive. The Superlite in .308 looks like a handy rifle.
 
In 308 win I will choose something with character : BLR takedown, Fullstock Bavarian carbine (e.g. Sako or Zastava if on a budget) or Steyr scout. The Fullstock Bavarian will work in 30-06 also.
 
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I'm becoming quite fond of my Mauser M12 30-06, it handles and shoots very very well; although if I could only have one it would likely be my Brno ZG47.
 
Rem 700 BDL in .308. Still my #1 go to deer/moose rifle since the 1980's.
I've bought and tried all the brands, but the 700 fits me well.
Might try the Zastava Z98 in .308 this year. I like the 8 lbs full size rifles.
 
hoytcanon said:
I'm a Ruger guy, but since you didn't list that option, I will give a big thumbs up to the M70.
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Well, I am seeing many suggestions not on your list, so I will put it out there... 90% of the time I will be carrying a Ruger... either an M77 or a No.1... often in .308 or .30/06... regardless of the conditions, they never let me down and the perform flawlessly and with accuracy.
 
For me (all 30-06)...with open sights, it would have to be my FN Mauser and early Parker Hale Safari - both on K98 actions and receivers. With a scope, well then it is my Zastava Mauser M98. They are all a bit on the heavy side, as there is zero plastic on them, they all group fantastic and most of all - no fiddling with a mag. the Zastava has a hinged floorplate while the other two are blind floorplates (true to the K98 design). 150 to 180 grain pills all day long. All have irons on them too.
 
Shortened to 22" barreled stainless T/C Prohunter with Boyd's pepper (black/gray) laminate stocks is my current favorite 30-06.
 
Aint that the truth ^^


WL


Edit- sorry I am replying to something from the first page- in regards to Remigntons being good but bad PR on new stuff so old versions well priced
 
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Mine is a Remington 750 semi auto.308. Nice little bush gun with a 1.5-5x30 scope. Changed the wood stock out to synthetic as the wood was too nice to take out to the bush. Gonna run some 180gr through it this fall. Reliable and accurate.
 
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