the ideal walking stalking hunting rifle

I think a 700 TI style mountain rifle in 22/250, 243 or 250Savage would be perfect. Proper bullet selection would be important.
 
Tikka T3 Lite or Stainless Lite in .243.

1/2 MOA is not at all hard to achieve with handloads & will shoot 3/4 MOA with good factory ammo, 6 1/4 lbs bare, stellar trigger, action like it's on ball bearings.

Glass, be hard pressed to think of something more efficient than the Nikon Prostaff 5 2.5-10x40 w/ BDC reticle. Low enough for deer in the woods, high enough for long range coyote or varmint shots. BDC reticle and target type turrets. Under $400. Mount it on a DNZ Game Reaper, and you have a very nice rig.

If you really hate synthetic stocks, there's a stainless laminate model, even a blued wood model if you're into that. But for a pure practical working rifle I have to carry all day, stainless synthetic for me please.
 
Wooden stocked (for cold weather comfort) bolt action in 7mm-08/308 with preferably a detachable magazine. Laminates look nice, but they are all to often too heavy IMO. A Leupold 3.5-10x50 on top. Sporter weight profile barrel, no longer than 20-22 inches.

IIRC, just about thirty WTs fell to my older 788 in 308 on the open prairies.
The Model 7 is pretty darn nice, but it's w/o a detachable mag!

ymmv
 
I use a TC Pro-hunter with a 25-06 barrel on the prairies (open fields with brush pockets); switch the barrel to 30TC for northern SK white tails; and use a 338wm mag barrel in when in BC. Slick system if you're ok with using single shots.
 
I prefer a Browning BLR. It is light, quik pointing, and capable of a fast follow up shot if need be. As for calibre,... I use a 358Win but anything from a 243 up will do the job for coyote and deer.
 
Wooden stocked (for cold weather comfort) bolt action in 7mm-08/308 with preferably a detachable magazine. Laminates look nice, but they are all to often too heavy IMO.

T3 Stainless Laminated comes in at 6 3/4 lbs, just about perfect for a 7mm-08/.308 I think. Always wanted one in 7mm, just could never find a niche for it that I didn't already have filled.
 
For my needs on our island of tiny hillbilly deer it's either .243, 30/30 out of a H&R handi rifle with either iron sights, red dot or Leo 1x4. If I hunted open prairie I'd go with a cartridge with abit longer legs. Perhaps a 7-08.

YMMV.
 
My set up for long walks through snow and up hills is a T3 lite synthetic stainless. 25-06, 100 grain ttsx 3300 fps, groups are around an inch at one hundred yards. Right now I have a vortex viper 3x9 but I am looking for a Leupold VX-11 in straight 6 power.
 
My favorites are a 700 Ti in 270 / 08 weighing 6 lb. 4 oz. and a pre-64 in 256 Newton at 7 lb. 12 oz.
Both were done for me by Bill Leeper and are flawless in function.
 
For me? My 1955 Husqvarna 4100 lightweight 7x57 with a 4X Leupold on it.

My Remington Model 700 ADL 243 was pretty nice too.
 
In spirit with what I believe the poster is going for, I would say a .250 Savage AI on a Kimber 84 M.
Light handy and enough oomph and reach for 30-250lb animals.
 
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