lifetime rifle for my son

razorbeck said:
Do not buy him such an expensive gun to go to university, people steal ####, some people panic and have it seized. I say give it to him as a graduation present but him a budget gun to go to Alberta
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I wouldn't want my kid walking through campus with a rifle case visible that can only attract all sorts of unwanted attention. A breakdown centerfire rifle would easily fit in a regular backpack and will be easier to discreetly safely legally store in his room. Maybe consider the Browning BLR Lightweight 81 Stainless Takedown Lever action. It's available in 30-06 and a number of other caliber selections as well and I see that a number of Canadian retailers carry this rifle. Drilled and tapped this might fit the bill plus no one will be targeting his room for an easy firearm theft as long as he keeps quiet and just goes about his own business. There's going to be lots of opportunity to get him that perfect rifle for a lifetime after graduation. That's how I would look at it.

https://www.browningcatalog.ca/52/


Canuck1977 said:
In my opinion your son should be picking out his own rifle with you at his side. Someone’s taste in firearms can vary greatly, especially from father to son sometimes. Evanguy gave a good example above.
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I agree with this, it's a very good point.
 
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In my opinion your son should be picking out his own rifle with you at his side. Someone’s taste in firearms can vary greatly, especially from father to son sometimes. Evanguy gave a good example above.

In my case my favourite hunting rifles are chambered in 6.5 Swede, and stainless. My fathers dream hunting rifle was a Jungle Carbine. Don’t make the mistake of assuming you know what your son would like. You may end up buying him a rifle that only gets used when you hunt with him...

If I had my fathers rifles, even though they where junky old sported 303’s they would be my prized possessions. I was out of country, and my mother thought it would be a good idea to let the cops take care of my father (deceased) firearms for safe keeping... Needless to say I didn’t inherit them.

If someone gave my a 30-06, 270, 300 win I would sell it or re barrel for a caliber I find interesting.

Maybe cleaning up one of your firearms and mounting a new scope would be a better gift and mean more than a new firearm with no history.
 
I would look at Cooper Firearms, you can get them through Prophet River. Truly custom options to make it "one of a kind". I got one done with checkered bolt knob, fluted bolt and custom serial number, my initials and birthday digits and my daughters. She will get it when I'm gone

they have wood, synthetic stocks tons of calibre's to choose from...and typically very accurate.
 
I'll bite. Model 70 classic or controlled feed all weather in 3006. They go for about 1k used, probably 1500 new ......if you could find one. Spend say $600 on a good, known brand scope. Nothing super fancy with dodad target turrets or Christmas tree reticle, the 3-9x40 is probably the most popular and commonly produced configuration for a reason.
 
In my opinion you can’t go wrong with .270 or 30-06. I’ve been using my browning x-bolt in .270 for 12 years now and it has taken 3 moose, 6 whitetails and I can’t even remember how many coyotes. My buddy swears by 30-06 and everyone in his family uses 30-06, you should see they’re room of taxidermied animals at they’re cabin (he calls it the room of death), they probably have $60-70,000 worth of mounts.

As for the brand, if your going to pay up to $4000 for the rifle/scope combo I’d be looking into Sako/Leupold combo in stainless (thinking long term as you suggested) as bluing will wear off over the years
 
Good for you! That is a truly a great show of support! My suggestion is something classic that holds historic values. Long range lightweight composite may be the in now. But a figured piece of walnut and blued steel
Will always have a classic sense of prestige. Like mentioned coopers are very nice. Same as a deluxe Sako. If a 270 may be considered there is a fine one on EE that is a Sako custom ordered deluxe. 30/06 is a excellent all around cartridge and I suggest if you venture to others stick with one thats been around for
A few decades. Don’t look past the metrics.
 
As was already mentioned. Don't even consider anything you like, want or value. Let him pick it out. He is the one that will have to live with it. Or are you hoping he won't like it and give it to you LOL. Talk to him about it then get him a gift card at whatever gun store you want.
 
I'd get either a Sako or a high quality US manufacturer like Kimber, Cooper, Nosler, or Christensen Arms. But let him pick it out, as others have mentioned.

30-calibre is a great bore size but is really a compromise calibre. Worse ballistics than the 6.5-277-7mm class unless you go to the 300 WM or PRC sized cases (with added recoil). I use a 300 WM but 30-calibre is not necessary for medium sized soft skin game; also isn't as good as the 338+ moose-hammer cartridges on the really big critters. 280 AI is pretty slick, I'd say. Can't go wrong with a good old 270, either!


Edit: Yes, the guy with "762" in his user name is saying that 7.62mm might not be the greatest ever bore size depending on what you're doing with it! ;-)
 
Very tough question because the answers are all ‘personal opinion’ but if you must do this without your sons input...another option (ie my two cents) might be a low mileage Sako 75 stainless 308w (with a spare magazine) ... the short action Sako 75’s are a little lighter than the longer 30/06 actions ... and put it into a new Macmillan stock (they are very nice) as by now most of the factory synthetic stocks on the older 75’s are getting a little worn. Suggest a 2.5-8 leupold on it (reasonably light). ‘IF’ the Sako needs to be rebarreled - there are some great options - I believe starting at the model 75 Sako stopped using metric threads.
 
Once again this community delivers! Thanks for the awesome suggestions. I was pretty sure I knew his tastes so I showed him some pics of rifles "I am looking at for myself" lol. He leans toward composite/synthetic stocks and either stainless or with cerakote finish in different colors. He is a big lad like his dad and has shot my 45-70 trapdoor and lever and my rem 700 in 30-06 without any issue so I figured 30-06 / 300 win mag or 7mm mag for range of game he can use it on. Something for deer up to moose and bear if he gets into that.
 
Let the father pick the rifle, the kid is very lucky to have a father like that! Let's just hope the OP isn't steered in the direction of mass produced junk that so many like to peddle on here. Sako, CZ, Kimber, Miroku, Pedersoli, Uberti and Henry would be where I would look based on my 30 years of shooting experience. Or, buy quality used from a large assortment of manufacturers--when effort and pride was taken in firearms production.
 
razorbeck said:
Do not buy him such an expensive gun to go to university, people steal ####, some people panic and have it seized. I say give it to him as a graduation present but him a budget gun to go to Alberta
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I'd bet dollars to donuts, if he's staying in Res, no guns allowed. If not, drunken room mates don't make for good company.

Grizz
 
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