The Most Dangerous Game

Friendly_Fire

Friendly_Fire

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As a soon to be hunter I find it hard to choose the right caliber for me. I've somewhat narrowed it down to either .308 or 30-06, but I'm still not 100% that's adequate. That's why I'm asking you folks :) Caliber will help me choose a good bolt action rifle (or maybe even a semi?). Sako 85 would be the dream, but more realistically Tikka T3x, Winchester 70, Ruger M77 (Hawkeye?), Mauser M18 or maybe a Weatherby. Time will tell. For optics I have no idea, don't know much about them (Vortex and Leopold seem to get a lot of love).

Here are the specs:

I want to hunt moose and maybe deer
Mid 30's, 5 foot 9 inches, around 180 pounds AKA: Manlet
Not an experienced shooter, so something cheap to shoot is a bonus
Clear cuts on my woodlot are are around 300 yards long and 100 yards wide, so farthest theoretical shot is 300 yards give or take
Will shoot factory ammo for a while, might get into reloading eventually


I'd like some insights/suggestions but I'd also like to know what you guys hunt moose/elk with.
 
Tikka T3x Stainless 308 with Leupold 3-9x40/nikon monarch 3 2.5-10x42/Bushnell Elite 3500 3-9x40 with whatever factory 180 gr soft point bullets shot best in your particular rifle. The Federal 'blue box' ammo is a pretty good place to start.

Get a sharp knife, some boots and maybe a set of binoculars and go forth and slay big game.
 
Any of those rifles in .308 are more than adequate for your purposes. 308 is a better choice as you can buy bulk practice ammo. The 3006 works fine but offers no real world advantage on game, especially with factory ammo.

It's all about a good bullet in the right place, so more important than cartridge choice is practice, and 308 practice ammo is less expensive.
 
With the postal slow downs and back log id avoid vortex scopes. Might be a while before the replacement arrives.
As for rifles you seem to be knowing what you want.
The tikkas have the same action length for 308 and 3006. Ive never had an issue with spacers in mags but its something i dont like.
Sakos are nice
 
308 is more than enough for anything you might hunt in North America save a Grizzly or Polar Bear.

I hunted moose with a 30.06 for years because the "kids needed everything" and I could only afford one gun so it also was used for deer and black bear.

As I have got older and softer I have "down calibered" everything - traded my 12 gauge for a couple of twenties and now hunt moose with a 7.08 (308 necked down to take a 7 mm bullet) and hunt deer with a 243.

Using the 7.08 I have never felt "under-gunned" hunting moose. But I do "hunt" them, I don't shoot "moose targets" at 400 or 500 yards so don't need magnum firepower.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. I had a feeling that .308 would be good enough, but some people told to to go with .300 win mag or 30-06 minimum. Some even suggested .338... I'd rather spend more on a good rifle and scope than practice ammo. Still kinda surprised you guys haven't suggested 30-06 ;)

I have a few rifles (my grandpa's) a friend is holding until I get my PAL, but I wanted to get something of my own. I have 2 .410, a bolt action .22 lr, a gervarm E1 .22 lr and an old .303 britsh. Not an impressive collection but it's a start. Planning on getting an sks for ####s and giggles depending on how this C-71 fiasco goes...

McWilly said:
Didn't see the Browning X-Bolt on your list. I'd reccomend considering that as well.
Click to expand...
I'll add that to the list of choices. Also looking at Zastava.


machman said:
"The Most Dangerous Game" made me think of the 1930's movie by that name. To Count Zaroff, the most dangerous game was hunting humans!:runaway:
Click to expand...
That's what I was referencing ;) You fell for my click bait.
 
I've tried or owned all of those guns but the m18. I'm sure the same goes for most posters in this thread. I can't think of anyone I hate. I personally have a tikka and a zastava at the moment of the ones you've mentioned but I'm a big model 70 fan as well.

Buy whichever one fits you best and shoot until you're confident at 300 yards. Which I will say is a long distance everywhere but the internet. I don't know where you live but I encountered two animals in the 2 days of hunting I did this year and both were well within 100 yards. Not that my word is gospel. I did previously live somewhere where slightly longer shots were the norm, and could find them if so inclined here.

I don't own a lot of scoped rifles but after playing with vortex I'm onto leopold on my moose/deer rifle and redfields on my scoped practice gun. A lot of guys like vortex and they never outright failed me, but for the price of the ones with really nice glass you could get a low end leopold and for me that's not even a contest.

If it means anything a very experienced guide I know up here who has probably been in on the high hundreds of moose and similar numbers of sheep goats and elk told me has never seen a leopold fail.

I personally have never shot a moose, but in my limited experience with deer elk and a couple of cartridges I don't see anything in the 30-06 308 class failing you. Up here where moose is king the .303 was and is a popular rifle. I've worked with many old timers who think there's nothing better.
 
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Weatherby Vanguard in 30-06, with a Leupold VX III 2.5-8 on top.
Best combo for the money out there, IMHO. As has been mentioned,
in factory loadings, the 30-06 has little advantage over the 308, but
if and when you start reloading for it, the '06 has a distinct advantage,
particularly with bullets from 180 grains up. Dave.
 
I'm a total Tikka convert. Their actions are unbelievably smooth and the machining on them is superb. The triggers are easily adjustable down to 2 pounds and break crisply with no creep. They only come in one action length, long. I went for 30-06 over a 308 because if I'm gonna get a long action gun, i might as well take full advantage of it and get it in a long action cartridge. I now own 2 Tikka T3X'. One stainless-synthetic lite version topped with a Leupold Vx-3i 3.5-10×40 and another blued-synthetic Battue model which will be topped with a Leupold Vx-3i 2.5-8x36. Both are in 30-06. After going through most of the guns on your list, I think these 2 rifles have found a permanent home with me.
 
ive had 3 people i know come up and ask me the same question you asked - what to get to get into shooting.

id mirror the same that was mentioned above by a few people.
308.
its cheap to practice with and easy to shoot.
there is a lot of good hunting ammo for it and every gun store carries it and usually a LOT of it.

where i will differ from all the other people who replied above is in the rifle and optics.
if your just getting into hunting i dont think id be recommending buying in with a $2000-$3000 load out right off the get go. (rifle + optics)
id recommend just getting one of the mid cheap to mid range guns and doing some practice and hunting.
get good a shooting, find out what you like and what you dont like while out hunting and then pull the trigger on a nice rifle.

unless of course you've got piles of cash laying around to invest.
they by all means jump into the deep end of your new addiction.

id say go Howa 308 or a Ruger American in 308, but a bunch of ammo, drop a all right optic on is and start shooting.
figure out where you like your safety to be, figure out if you like wood stocks or synthetic, figure out if you like box magazines or top feeds, THEN drop the big cash on exactly what you have figured out you like.

nothing worse then spending a lot of money and hating something about your rifle.

just my $0.02
 
Im going to put a vote in for a Weatherby Vanguard. I bought mine used for a very reasonable price, and put a used (borrowed) Vortex 4-12x on top of it. I find it works great and has a smooth bolt feel and a decent trigger. My local outfitter was carrying the Vanguard/Leopold scoped combo which I almost bought but it was only a 3-9x.

My friend has a Tikka T3 laminate that I really like, If I had some more cash I would defiantly add one to my collection.
 
If I only had one BG rifle, that would be a 30-06, no question.

A T3 topped with a 2.5-8 would be a very good choice for all around hunting in either chambering.
 
Eagleye said:
Weatherby Vanguard in 30-06, with a Leupold VX III 2.5-8 on top.
Best combo for the money out there, IMHO. As has been mentioned,
in factory loadings, the 30-06 has little advantage over the 308, but
if and when you start reloading for it, the '06 has a distinct advantage,
particularly with bullets from 180 grains up. Dave.
Click to expand...

Well this certainly saved me a bunch of typing.
 
For your stated purposes of under 300 moose and deer the 30-06 is fine. For a scope; the Leupold 3.5-10 VX3 (VX3i these days) is never a bad choice but if you went 2.5-8 it wouldn't change much either way.

For the rifle try the Vanguard, Winchester and Remington in no particular order. Could throw Tikka in there too. There's no use splitting hairs over the exact variation because it loosely translates to picking the handle you like. Our luck with Sako just hasn't been great. If you want a heavy expensive 30-06 look at Cooper.

Don't scrimp on the rings whatever you do. You can get the best of the best and if you join them with junk you still have junk.
 
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