X2 shame on Sako.
first hunting rifle for ontario
- Thread starter cdndfs
- Start date
X2 shame on Sako.
Well if you want opinions I'd recommend getting a 308 or 30-06 if you want a do-it-all big game caliber and personally I'd rather take the 30-06 simply due to the fact that it does better with heavy bullets for moose and big bears. However, realistically the 308 will do 90% of what the 30-06 will do with the slightly less recoil, which I'll add that you really don't feel when you're shooting at game anyway. If you think your also going to do a bit if bench shooting than the 308 may be a better choice but as a pure hunting round, I again prefer the 30-06.
Rifle recommendations are hard, lots of good rifles out there and I've owned a least one rifle from most of the major brands, in the end it really comes down to personal preference. I'm a big ruger fan, they're tough, reliable and I like the 3 position safety and controlled round feed features. All of my rugers have been good shooters also. If i were to recommend a slightly higher end rifle I'd probably say Kimber or Cooper, but again that's just me. Like I said earlier it's really personnel preference, try to handle a bunch rifles and see what you like.
Good luck and happy hunting!
Rifle recommendations are hard, lots of good rifles out there and I've owned a least one rifle from most of the major brands, in the end it really comes down to personal preference. I'm a big ruger fan, they're tough, reliable and I like the 3 position safety and controlled round feed features. All of my rugers have been good shooters also. If i were to recommend a slightly higher end rifle I'd probably say Kimber or Cooper, but again that's just me. Like I said earlier it's really personnel preference, try to handle a bunch rifles and see what you like.
Good luck and happy hunting!
cdn1canhunt
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- southwestern ontario
To the op there is no rifle season for deer in southwestern Ontario these are shotgun and muzzle loader areas only buy a good slug gun. If you want to hunt with your rifle coyotes would be the critter. Look to the varmint calibers. A .270 as suggested or .243 would fill a dual role if you head north of Hwy7 to hunt deer or moose. If moose in on your list go for the . 270 if just deer I'd move to a .243
Good luck.
Good luck.
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I've had several .30/06's and none of them kick me as hard as a 12 gauge fired in cold blood. The difference between ..30/06 and .308 is pretty minor, but I would pick .30/06 unless for some reason I wanted a short action rifle.
Trimmer 905
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Ah-h-h,the old "south of 7" adage. It went out with the square wheel. "Shotgun Only" applies to the gun hunt for Deer (including controlled hunt WMU's) in certain regional municipalities and Counties which are clearly listed in the Summary. The ".270 rule" applies to SMALL game,only.
Check out what calibre your hunting buddies are using. Better to be able to borrow or share ammo than have to waste a day or more going to town to buy more. Also be aware that a small town hardware or general store may not stock much beyond 30.06, 308, and 30-30.
Getting scammed has become a bigger issue today than it ever was in the past due to the way we conduct everyday transactions now. It’s much harder to scam somebody using a brick and mortar style of dealing. However, when the customer doesn’t know what they have till they have it, is a completely different story. A lot of shady sites out there will present the deal of a lifetime to you and you might even be tempted to buy into them. A classic case in point is Online Weapon Stores of which there is an abundance out there, each trying to undercut the last. It’s because of this huge variety and extremely low prices that we tend to buy into such scams but there are ways to avoid getting scammed online.
As several people have pointed out, check your area or the area you are hunting for calibre restrictions. Other than that, I would like to add my thoughts and ask a question or two.
What are you planning to hunt? Where are you planning to hunt? (farmers fields, the bush, etc.) Will you be selling, giving away, using or mounting the hide, if not now, sometime in the future? Will you be processing the meat yourself or sending it off to the butcher?
Personally, I hunt in southern Ontario, mostly in second growth areas which still can get pretty thick so I go with a 303 or 308. More than punching through the brush, I really don't like spending an hour looking for the animal afterwards and dragging it the extra 200+ metres. People who know me knows that I am lazy... not by nature but rather from being worn down from years of marriage.
The trade off of a bigger and more powerful cartage is that less of the hide can be used. I have a friend that hunts everything and when he hunts coyotes he uses a 222 because he sells the fur. I think he gets like $90 a pelt or something like that. Other creators like fishers I think he gets over $200 but don't quote me on that. He tells me that if he hunts with anything bigger, it will destroy too much of the fur. It might not be worth anything to the buyer or it might be difficult to mount by a taxidermist but what do I know, I don't do either and he does both.
And my other question is, have you considered a nice semi like a BAR or FNAR? I only mention this because 1, a semi is plenty accurate for hunting, especially in Ontario. 2, If there is a ban on semis, you will be a head of the game and 3, a Semi holds their value better than a bolt action (IMO).
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Here's a selection of used SAKO rifles from Tradex. You can have full confidence in the description and declared condition of the rifles on this site. Most are chambered for the .30/06 is a good versatile performer suitable for a wide range of game, but if you live in a part of the province that imposes caliber restrictions, the 6.5X55 is a better choice. I'd pass on the .338s if you don't have big rifle experience.
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-0
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-aiii-30-06-0
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-5
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-7
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-10
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-av-338-win-mag
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-4
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-aiii-65x55
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-2
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-av-338-win-mag-0
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-12
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l691-30-06
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-13
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-0
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-aiii-30-06-0
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-5
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-7
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-10
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-av-338-win-mag
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-4
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-aiii-65x55
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-2
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-av-338-win-mag-0
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-12
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l691-30-06
https://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/sako-l61r-30-06-13
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Actually Nosler makes a .277/160 Partition and Woodleigh makes a .277/180, but from what I've seen the 180 would be happier with a twist faster than 1:10.
The Sako's are great rifles! Very smooth actions and accurate rifles. I have 4 now (all left handed), in 6.5x55, 7MM STW, 30-06 and 9.3x62. Two are older models while the other two are the new Model 85's. I have not experienced any of the ejection problems that others have experienced or are referring to, so it may be certain cartridges in certain action lengths; as mine are all long actions it could be why I have not experienced these problems. Many of the newer Sako's have very nice wood.
I have over 10 custom rifles (mostly because I am a lefty and like many cartridges that are not standard production) and I believe that the newer Sako's at approx $2500 are a very good value compared to building a custom rifle today. A nice, used Sako for under $2000 (and can be found as low as $1200 for an earlier production model) is even a better value.
The WSM's do have a feeding issue and the magazine follower must be machined to allow the short, fat case to feed into the chamber without binding. Winchester/Browning learned this quickly after introducing the WSM's in the early 2000's. With a WSM rifle that has the feeding issue resolved, I would not hesitate to purchase either a 270, 7mm or 300 WSM; they are very good cartridges that perform very well, and produce less felt recoil than their standard counterparts as they provide the same performance with about 10% less powder due to a more efficient case design. Still have a custom 300 WSM. Sold my 270 WSM as it wasn't a lefty.
It sounds like in your area, cartridges such as the 6.5x55/6.5 Creedmoor/260, 7mm-08, 308, 270/280/30-06 are going to provide you with the performance that you will need for your intended game (except where the caliber restriction applies). All will cleanly harvest deer, moose and bear with well placed shots inside 200 yards, or further (300 yards) in the event of hunting larger openings or fields. Moose and black bears are not overly tough animals to harvest cleanly with common cartridges of less than magnum performance, especially at shorter ranges. And your moose are not as large or heavy as the northern varieties found in western Canada and the far north.
Lots if used 270's simply because it is a very popular cartridge. In the 270, I prefer the 140 gr bullets just because it is a good compromise of weight, velocity and BC/SD numbers that will provide flat trajectories and penetration, even for the longer shots.
In any of the above mentioned cartridges, a good cup and core bullet, such as the Nosler Partition or AccuBond, in weights from 140 to 180 grains, will provide all the performance that you will need on the animals you mentioned. Other factory loaded ammunition from Remington, Winchester and Federal, with bullets such as the Corelokt. Power Point, Uni-Cor or Fusion will also do well on those animals at those ranges. As always, bullet placement is key.
In Sweden and Norway, they harvest more than 100,000 moose a year with the good old 6.5x55. It is a very nice cartridge to shoot, very accurate, and outperforms what its paper ballistics figures would have one believe.
I have over 10 custom rifles (mostly because I am a lefty and like many cartridges that are not standard production) and I believe that the newer Sako's at approx $2500 are a very good value compared to building a custom rifle today. A nice, used Sako for under $2000 (and can be found as low as $1200 for an earlier production model) is even a better value.
The WSM's do have a feeding issue and the magazine follower must be machined to allow the short, fat case to feed into the chamber without binding. Winchester/Browning learned this quickly after introducing the WSM's in the early 2000's. With a WSM rifle that has the feeding issue resolved, I would not hesitate to purchase either a 270, 7mm or 300 WSM; they are very good cartridges that perform very well, and produce less felt recoil than their standard counterparts as they provide the same performance with about 10% less powder due to a more efficient case design. Still have a custom 300 WSM. Sold my 270 WSM as it wasn't a lefty.
It sounds like in your area, cartridges such as the 6.5x55/6.5 Creedmoor/260, 7mm-08, 308, 270/280/30-06 are going to provide you with the performance that you will need for your intended game (except where the caliber restriction applies). All will cleanly harvest deer, moose and bear with well placed shots inside 200 yards, or further (300 yards) in the event of hunting larger openings or fields. Moose and black bears are not overly tough animals to harvest cleanly with common cartridges of less than magnum performance, especially at shorter ranges. And your moose are not as large or heavy as the northern varieties found in western Canada and the far north.
Lots if used 270's simply because it is a very popular cartridge. In the 270, I prefer the 140 gr bullets just because it is a good compromise of weight, velocity and BC/SD numbers that will provide flat trajectories and penetration, even for the longer shots.
In any of the above mentioned cartridges, a good cup and core bullet, such as the Nosler Partition or AccuBond, in weights from 140 to 180 grains, will provide all the performance that you will need on the animals you mentioned. Other factory loaded ammunition from Remington, Winchester and Federal, with bullets such as the Corelokt. Power Point, Uni-Cor or Fusion will also do well on those animals at those ranges. As always, bullet placement is key.
In Sweden and Norway, they harvest more than 100,000 moose a year with the good old 6.5x55. It is a very nice cartridge to shoot, very accurate, and outperforms what its paper ballistics figures would have one believe.
