Looking to buy my first hunting rifle

"...well rounded enough..." Yep. Think 165 grain bullets. A 165 grain hunting bullet out of a .308 will kill any game you care to hunt.
You must sight in(4" high at 100. That'll put you on target at 200 with Remington factory ammo). Practice shooting, off hand(standing), at 100 yards, at a 9" pie plate, until you can hit it every time. Then you'll be ready to hunt.
MSRP on an SPS is $639US. $499 is a good price, but don't forget the price of a scope.
Look into a Savage Model 10GXP3 package too. Comes with a low end scope for about the same MSRP in USD. Great rifle. Mediocre scope, but you'll have a scope.
"...trigger is too heavy for me right out of the box..." It's adjustable. Where can you have a trigger job done for $35?
 
You should take the advice from this thread and run with it. No flames, everyone agrees. Don't change your answer in this multiple choice question. Your first instinct is right.
 
That's a good choice of gun and cartridge to start out with. It's refreshing not to be trying to talk a new hunter out of getting a 300 wm!!

Following up on what Curt said - invest in the scope. More opportunities are missed due to poor quality or otherwise inappropriate scopes than all kinds of rifle malfunctions combined. Make sure to get a scope with a wide field of view, plenty of eye relief, and clear glass. Think of something in the 2-7 power range in either a Leupold rifleman vx-1 or Bushnell 3200.

Last I checked I could do better price-wise at Le Baron or the mailorder outfits than at bass pro for Leupold vx-1 scopes. Prices have been changing a lot lately, so I'm not sure if this is still true, but just a heads up.

RG

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Well I called Bass Pro today before I went up there to get the rifle. It's a good thing I did. They don't have the .308 in stock and if I want them to order it, it won't be in for about 12-14 WEEKS....

Now, they have a 30-06 in stock. What is the difference between the .308 and the 30-06. Are they comparable enough that I can grab it in this caliber instead?

Thanks again for all the good advice so far!
 
IMHO the .30/06 is a better choice than the .308 in a bolt action hunting rifle and if I was restricted to a single rifle cartridge it would be a .30/06. The action of the .30/06 is perhaps a half inch longer than the action for the .308, but this is of little importance. Velocity and accuracy of the two rounds is very similar, but the .30/06 has the advantage if you develop a preference for heavy bullets. If you prefer to stick with mid weight bullets, the .308 and the .30/06 are almost dead even. Factory ammo in .30/06 is available everywhere and if you are going to handload, and I urge you to consider it, the .30/06 becomes one of the most versatile cartridges available.
 
That's consistant with what I have just been reading. The main points I have found are: The .308 is more common and readily available as it is a military round. and The .308 is a little cheaper. Other than that, they seem to be pretty close to the same ballistically. With the 30-06 have the edge on velocity and versatility.
 
BooSSted said:
That's consistant with what I have just been reading. The main points I have found are: The .308 is more common and readily available as it is a military round. and The .308 is a little cheaper. Other than that, they seem to be pretty close to the same ballistically. With the 30-06 have the edge on velocity and versatility.
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There are few if any calibers that are more readily available than 30-06. It won't be an issue. Virtually any Walmart, CT, or Ma and Pa hardware store in Canada that stocks ammunition will have a couple of boxes of 30-06 on their shelves. I agree with Boomer. For all practical purposes the 308 and 30-06 will do the same job. The 06 has the added bonus of being able to handle slightly heavier bullets.
 
Well I took the trek to Bass Pro Shops yesterday and picked up my rifle. I ended up getting it the Remington 700 in 30-06. I asked about the .308 again and they told me that they wouldn't be able to get it for quite a while.

I also bought a Bushnell Banner 4-12x40 scope with Leupold Bases and Rings. The guys there were a great help and they mounted and bore sighted the scope for me.

Now I just need to find a some time to get out to the range and get everything sighted in!

Thanks again for everyones help.

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Congrats! My first gun was going to be an sps in .30-06. But then a beautiful rem 725 came up used and I took in instead. But that's going to be a good accurate gun for you and with the plastic stock you won't hesitate to go through heavy bush in heavy rain. A perfect hunting gun.

And don't worry about ammo availability. Every second moose hunter seems to carry a 30-06 so it very nearly doesn't matter where you are or what happened to the rest of your kit, you'll be able to find at least a couple of rounds.

RG

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