Suggestions for an-all-around rifle....

I'm not a big Savage fan personally but I must admit, whenever anyone asks me what gun they should get first, I always say "buy a Savage Axis in .308 and bring it to me". Then I check torque on the bases and rings and add a bit of fresh thread locker and drag them out to the range with me. Moose? No problem. 300m? No problem. Cheap? No problem. Scoped? It's junk, but will do for now. Accurate? Good enough for hunting moose at 300m.

I myself will continue carrying a Model 70 in .30-06 as my all-arounder. When people ask why I didn't recommend it to them I list the costs of the rifle (couple hundred more than the Savage Package) and the scope (also a couple hundred more than the Savage package), and they get the point real quick.
 
Buy a good second hand rifle from Tradex... you know, a quality rifle in a common, proven calibre that doesn't need replacing. It's nice to actually want to keep your first rifle.
 
I shoot and use a K-31 for everything including ground hogs which makes a nice splat :p, deer, black bear and American hog. As well as about 1000 pop cans.

Amazingly accurate rifle, Surplus FMJ ammo is "match" grade and decently priced, and hunting ammo can be loaded up easily or bought. Your unique compared to everyone else at the hunt camp which is a nice change and so is have a straight pull. I use the irons 9/10 times (irons ALMOST never fail like a scope can) but you can get a no tools ie. no drilling and tapping side scope mount that clears the irons and is rock solid and works great...just remember its aiming 3/4" to the right!!!

Anyone who thinks a 7.5x55 Swiss cartridge will not kill anything in North American is an idiot and yes the gun is heavier then some/most...but I am not an overweight ATV or road hunter and I suck it up and carry it just like the MEN did back in the day.

For a $300 rifle...I could not be happier :)
 
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wrinkles88 said:
Sorry to the OP, I'm not trying to hijack your thread but I am in the same position as well.

I am currently looking at the Remington 700, and the Ruger M77 both in .308. Would this be too much for coyotes? I want the option to shot coyote up to moose.
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'Too much'? So Brer Coyote joins the Pink Mist Club - unless you're after fur, this isn't a problem.
 
Agree with the rounds listed: 270, 308, 30-06

I would suggest that the 300 WM, 7 mm RM and 7mm08 are worth considering too.

Ruger M77, Weatherby Mark V (only available in some not all the above chamberings), CZ 550, Browning A-bolt and Winchestet Model 70 all get votes for make and model in the over $700 / under $1500 range. No single shots for an all-rounder.

Also, if you're a lever fan, consider the BLR. I wouldn't be trying for 1000 yd shots with it but it's forward lug design gives you commendable accuracy on realistic range shots and it is chambered in all the popular rounds including the large magnums.
 
do15 said:
As I am a complete newbie as far as longer range rifles are concerned, and I have never hunted, please bear with me.

Here is what I have in mind;
-capable of hitting say, deer-sized target up to about 1000 m
-popular caliber, nothing too obscure
-co-witnessing with iron sights, in case of optics failure or short ranges - I understand there are mounts/rings allowing for that
-suitable for even largest games (moose?)
-generally, the less costly the better. But I understand you hardly ever get more than what you pay for.

I have been eyeing Parker-Hale rifles in .308 from Trade Ex, they would probably fit the bill, and the dealer has a stellar reputation.

http://www.tradeexcanada.com/content/parker-hale-commercial-m98-mauser-308-win-0


If I am off the mark, or if if my requirements don't make much sense, don't be shy to tell me.

Thanks.
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To the OP, Parker Hale you have a link to will be fine. I prefer the 3006 but as others have said 6.5x55, 270, 7mm08, 7x57, 280, 308, 3006, etc would all be good starters. And the Parker Hales have a fine reputation.

Don't bother with see through mounts, just practice with your iron sights and then mount a good scope with good mounts and call it good. If you bugger your scope up take it off and shoot irons for the balance of your trip.

Lastly, shoot it a lot and at longer ranges if possible. There is a big difference between 100 and 300, and after 300 yards 50 yard increments matter if one is trying to call the shot on a pie plate. Then as one poster mentioned once you can call them off a bench start shooting in what I would refer to as "field positions", a whole other ball game.

Now, some of you other rascals...

cfbmi, while I acknowledge that the various fast 300's offer a marginal to significant velocity increase over an 06 I would not be an advocate for one of these to a beginner. While you were literally answering the post I don't think one of the fast 300's would be suitable. I am currently dialing in a hunting partners 300RUM in a 700 and while I don't find the recoil excessive I think that many would. This one is giving me fits because I get two touching and third one flies a little; and the trigger is not that great...

I digress, my point here is FME, a bigger hole is better, and the fast 300's recoil as much as a 338, and I would advocate that one of the 338's would deliver more energy than your 300 Weatherby. Shooting steel plate at 300 to 500 yards I have noticed a marked difference in terminal results between my 338 and the 7mmrm, the 3006, 300wm, and the 300weatherby. After 300 or 350 all of the others tend to dust the paint off the plate while the 338 is still gouging divots on a piece of 7/8" mild steel. On 3/8" mild steel at 300 yards the 338 was punching holes through it and a 7mmrm was making divots. These observations suggest to me that the 338 would hit harder and penetrate further. So, if you are going to a fast 300 just finish the trip and get a 338.

I do hunt bears every spring and have taken more than one grizzly, while I would not advocate the 06 as a premier grizzly cartridge it will in my view, if one can shoot, do just fine. I personally use my 338 or my 416 for all bears - because I choose to and, well, with bears it's all fine until it's not fine and then that extra displacement is very welcome.

As well, the 3006 is FME a fine moose and elk cartridge. My longest moose kill was with a 3006 at 425 yards. Textbook double lung, he ran about 10 yards and piled up.
 
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I like my Parker Hale .30-06 although I'm not sure I would be comfortable shooting it at the ranges you are talking about.

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To all the responses recommending a starter rifle and caliber, reread the OPs post. He says he's new to LONG RANGE rifle shooting and has not hunted. He DOES NOT say he's new to shooting or new to CF rifle shooting specifically.............hence my suggestion of the 300s for his expressed wants.

Westcoaster........your comparison of the 338WM and others on steel, and drawing conclusions about retained energy, is flawed. I start 200 gnrs at well over 3100 out of my 300 Wby with bullets possessing much higher BCs and equal or better SDs than the 338 200-250 gn bullet has, therefore my energy is not only higher at the muzzle it continues to widen the margin of retained energy as the distance increases. Increasing diameter does not necessarily increase energy nor effectiveness if velocity and bullet BCs are sacrificed. In my opinion and after owning and hunting with both, I find the 300 Wby with good 200 gn bullets to be far superior to any 338 WM load out there. The 300 Rum and the 340 Wby are step ups from the 300 Wby but not the 338 WM.

Back to the OP, buy a 300 WM and you can load it down to 2800 with a 168 match bullet if you so choose or you can load to 3300 fps if you so choose the same cannot be said of the '06 or 308 or any of the smaller cartridges recommended here. Recoil is a product of powder charge, bullet weight and rifle weight. With the 300s you can tailor this from 30-30 equivalent to fire breathing 200 grain 3100 fps 500 mtr killing machine. Few other cartridges can boast this versatility..........hence my suggestion and my rigidity in this situation. Your parameters are quite stringent and you do not say you are a noobie to shooting CF rifles only to long range shooting and hunting.
 
1000 meters? What are you intending to shoot out to a 1000 meters? Hopefully not game. Not practical or ethical unless you put HOURS on the range and have a set up that allows for that type of shooting meaning in the 1000's $$$ budget commitment.

Calibres could include .308, .270, 30-06. I'm biased towards a .280 though in the deep woods corner market, you might not find it but ANY gun shop will carry it. All those calibres are good for deer and are adequate for moose.

If you're a newb shooter my advice is to stay away from a magnum as the recoil can be a real killer to accuracy if you don't preactice with it regularly and get used to the recoil. Many new hunters get talked in to the hottest new magnum (and I have one that I can shoot well btw) and because they are not accustomned to the recoil can't shoot the rifle well at all and end up saying they have a bad rifle when it is really just shooting ability and experience. I've seen it at the range and it is truly sad! (In fact, I had a couple newbs last year ask to me to sight the rifle in because they couldn't handle the recoil! Just came up and asked me to do it!)

Having said that, shooting from the bench with a light rifle even with the above calibres can be a bit uncomfortable. So my second recomnedation is to get a recoil pad for shooting from the bench to take away the bight. Look for a PAST recoil pad.

Last, the combo iron/scope sights - I say just get used to a scope. Maybe get a variable in a 2-7x, a 1-4x, or even 1.5-5x scope. If you really want that combo, get see through rings. But then you need to contend with a scope that sits quite high and that makes you have to hold your rifle potentially in an awkward way and that will affect accuracy. You could explore scope rings that have a rail on the top that would allow you to attach iron sights to the top of your scope or put a rail base on and attach side view iron sights. Check out One Shot Tactical for these accessories. This will cost you btw. So, I say keep it simple and get a variable scope. But its your dime.

Good luck.
 
I'd reccomend a bolt rifle that fits you well and has features you like, chambered in 30-06, with either a 24" or 26" medium/heavy or heavy contour barrel.

That, and chill about hunting anything at longer ranges until you have got quite a bit of experience at closer ranges. The other thing is whatever scope you are using to hunt at "normal" ranges is going to be useless at 1000 meters and vice versa, so you'd need at least two different scopes.

If you do want to shoot at longer ranges, this rifle will still do it.
 
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