Hunting Rifle Advise

rblain

rblain

New member
EE Expired
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Location
Coquitlam, BC
Hello everyone,

I'm new to this forum and have been seaching for info on a good all around hunting rifle. As much as I'd like to buy 4 different rifles, I'm looking for one rifle that will do everything. Probably be hunting Deer, Moose and maybe Elk.
I've got a few buddies that what me to buy a $2000.00 WBY but that a little over my budget and a 300 WBY is too much of a canon for me.
Make, model and caliber. Tell me what you think

Thank you
 
there was a post in the Hunting Arms section a while ago that had a great outline of exactly what your looking for. I cannot remember the post but if you go through that section im sure you"ll find it if you look for threads along the same line as yours.

I would suggest that you narrow your search down a bit.
Are you looking for a Bolt, lever, semi?
What is your budget?
Where do you hunt? Open alberta a bolt with a scope maybe better for you, conversely in boreal ontario a win lever in 30 30 would be a nice bush gun to carry.

These are all things you need to consider.
 
300 wsm browning stainless stalker with boss ...will do everything you asked for ..180 gr. winchester supreme accubond bullet will do the rest but only if you do your part ........scope of your choice just too many good scopes out there ..
 
Welcome to the site....if you do some searches on this forum you will find a gut load of info about choosing a all round rifle....it's actually a hard quiestion to answer b/c we don't know anything about you. Where you hunt, how long you've been shooting guns...etc. If you want to buy a "new" gun, go to a good gun shop and pick up and try a few. One of 2 will probably "feel" better then some of the others....once you've got 1 or 2 that feel right...start thinking about what cartridge to get it in....this is a can of worms in it's self and can generate pages of debate on this site....but when all the smoke clears I think you'll find that anything from the 270 WIn and up will be fine with proper bullet choice. With Elk in the mix the good old 30-06 would be a slightly better choice with it's bigger bullets..as would the 7RM and the 300WM...althought if this is your first gun I'd suggest staying away from a magnum until you've been shooting for a while. The 300WBY is a super round, but the guns are often expensive and so is the ammo. There are several 30-06's and 270's (mine!) for sale in the EE right now for around 800$. Add 500$ for a good scope and you've still got enought left over to buy a pile of practise ammo....which is thr most important part. Pitched
 
Stevens 200 or Marlin XL7 in .30-06 or .270 Winchester or .308 Winchester (that last one will change the Marlin model to XS7) with a Bushnell Elite 3200 scope in 3-9x40.

The above will do nicely for hunting deer, elk, moose for the rest of your life and to get a gun that will give you measurably better performance you'll have to spend about twice as much.

And then all it takes is practise to outshoot and outhunt your friends who just throw money at it and have guns and scopes that cost two to four times as much as yours.
 
Last edited:
Get a .30-06, or a .270, or if you really want to feel like a big man in front of your friends, then a 7 Rem Mag. It's not usually a good idea to get a 30 cal magnum as your first rifle, and even the 7 mag is pushing it.
Get it in a bolt gun you like, and put some decent glass on it. Then shoot it a lot, especially using field positions at 200 yards. If you follow these steps, then you will be able to kill a moose, elk or deer with ease.
 
I would'nt reccomend a magnum calibre for your first gun or as an all rounder.
I just shot 2 whitetails this morning with my .308 at 200 yards and they are just as dead as if I had used my .300 win mag. I shot a moose with the same .308 rifle a few years ago, it is still dead.
I would'nt hesitate to shoot an elk with it, and it's way nicer (and cheaper)
to shoot than my win mag.
I normally shoot all my deer with my .243, but I have a muley buck tag this year and I want a bit more bullet weight for a big buck.
My vote goes to the .308 as an all rounder to get comfortable with.
.30-06 is next if you really feel the need.
Look at the price of ammo before you go big. Remember you need to practice with it a lot, and a barrel heating, ear splitting money burner is'nt nice to spend the day with on the range.
Savage is a good place to start, then Marlin, then weatherby vangaurd if it was me.
 
.30-06 bolt gun, any of Win70, Rem 700, Ruger 77 or Savage 110 with a 4x Leupold scope. Shoot 180gr bullets for elk and moose and 150-165gr for deer. A sound used rifle is just fine. Ditto for the Leupold scope which has a lifetime warranty. Practice a lot, get to know the rifle and take shots at a reasonable range.

This approach has stood the test of time and it still works.
 
All around caliber would be the 30-06 with a 165gr premium bullet like Barnes TSX, Nosler Accubond or Partition. It will do all you ask of it and more. As for action I would suggest a good bolt action such as Remington 700 (stay away from the 770) Browning, Winchester, Ruger, Savage, Marlin, the list go's on. A would also suggest looking at the Vortex line of optics, good quality scopes for the money and you can't beet there warranty.
 
rblain said:
Hello everyone,

I'm new to this forum and have been seaching for info on a good all around hunting rifle. As much as I'd like to buy 4 different rifles, I'm looking for one rifle that will do everything. Probably be hunting Deer, Moose and maybe Elk.
I've got a few buddies that what me to buy a $2000.00 WBY but that a little over my budget and a 300 WBY is too much of a canon for me.
Make, model and caliber. Tell me what you think

Thank you
Click to expand...

Welcome to the club. You have made a very good posting for your first.
If this thread keeps going long enough, which it probably will, you will have virtually every make of rifle and every calibre in the books, recommended for you to buy.
In your case think of ease of shooting, how common the calibre is, which governs the price and availability of the ammunition. The most common calibre in north america is the 30-06. It has been made by every company that makes centre fire commercial rifles, in every action ever designed. In spite of all the calibres that have come along to replace it and make it obsolete, it is still as popular as ever. It will kill any game animal found in north america.
My strong advice would be for you to buy a 30-06, bolt action rifle. Take a hard look at the rifles available for it.
There are a lot of fine people on these threads, people with a wealth of personal knowledge, gathered over a lot of years. These people can and will, give you the best advise possible, regarding shooting, handloading and hunting.
There are also a lot of others, who are just starting out.
 
I'd like to thank everyone for your responses. You've been most helpful. I'm trying to nail down a decision before the big sale coming up next month. I've held a few different rifles to see how comfortable they are and I think I have the caliber narrowed down to 30-06 or 300 win mag.

Rick
 
Do you want wood or synthetic?
Personally, I think the Remington 700 SPS is a good buy for synthetic. Savage makes really good bolt action rifles for the money. What's your budget?
 
Honestly, I'm probably looking middle of the road Not gonna do the economy thing and then find something nicer for a few hundred dollars more next year. I was looking at the Tikka T3 Lite and it comes up to position really nice. I'm just headin out the door to Wholesale Sports to handle a bunch of different rifles. Synthetic or wood, doesn't matter.
I'd like to compare a bunch of diiferent makes because i know they all have their own feel.
I'll check back a little later.

Rick
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom