What is the best rifle for everything

mikeystew said:
A parker hale or churchill .303 british lee enfield.

You said for "everything", from predators, to moose, to battle. I have a churchil #4 conversion and can hit a 10" gong at 200m with it no problem using the flip up ladder sight, And id have no problem making a 300m shot into a mooses' vitals either. Not super pretty, but i dont care for pretty "working guns". Pretty range guns are a thing of beauty, but not something i feel comfortable pushing bush with or taking into a soggy tent for days on end. Not to mention, the .303 has killed just about everything on earth yet is very comfortable to shoot, and the #4 action is one of the most reliable and quick to cycle actions ever made.

Otherwise, id say, the best gun for everything is not a rifle, but a 12 guage shotgun... pump action, 18" barrel with replaceable chokes, and a rail for a scope.
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My vote goes here! The good old "Chevy four-door" of real rifles. I guess I am a bit lop-sided here, as a Churchill No.1 Mk3 was my first "big" rifle. I still have it and still treasure it.:)
 
Ruger Gunsite Scout

Am interested in one, anyone have experience with it?
Only put this in because not mentioned but seems to fit bill.
cheers
 
upnorththodd said:
Hey all
The age old debate. What is the best rifle for everything? Not just calibre, the whole setup. Rifle, caliber, barrel length and diameter etc.

Parameters: Accurate for the range to 600 yards. Able to maintain 100 yard tight groups, for minimum 5 rounds in succession. Large game hunting to 400-500 yards (not including bison, that’s a whole different thing). A little heavy is OK, but not too heavy. Durable. Long barrel life. Ease of loading ammunition. Affordable for the average guy/gal. Assume the shooter is above average so don’t take user error into account.

I know, a tall order. I have my ideas in mind but I want to know what the rest of you think. Once we agree on a rig (or agree to disagree) the next topic will be what to load…..One load for everything.
Hopefully some of you are interested in this thread and not too bored with this age old discussion.
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you're pretty much describing a 300 mag. problem is, there are lots of situations where a fairly heavy, scoped 300 mag is not the ideal tool for the job at hand.
 
Frankly, a lot of rifles will fit your criterion, and so will a lot of cartridges.
There are a lot of variables that you need to fill in to make your choice easier.

For everything: Including what? Gophers to Black bears, ground squirrels to Grizzly, or just Deer & bear.

Big Game: Define big, and what expected range. You did say 600 yards, but do you expect to take big game out there?

Tight groups: again, define tight.

A little heavy is OK: you need to get that down to specifics too. A guy that is a stand hunter can tolerate a hell of a lot more weight than a guy who walks. I have rifles that weigh 6-7lbs, and some that go 12-14.

Long barrel life: isn't really much of an issue anymore for the average shooter, unless you're into warp speeds, and that's not likely in a big game rifle.

Affordable, Like what? $1200, or $5000? More? Less? If a guy is looking at a rifle as a one shot deal, he may be willing to go a tad further for a rifle of top quality. If he's married on a tight budget, the milsurps may look good.
 
I think it all depends were you live. If you live in Ontario, then a 270 is hard to beat, because it can be used with 100gr bullets for yotes, 130gr bullets for deer, and 150gr bullets for moose. After a 270, I would say a light gun is nice, because carrying a gun all day gets heavy if its 8lbs plus scope. I also prefer a stainless barrel for bad weather, which is hard to avoid. I also prefer a detachable magazine for convenience, and a adjustable trigger for a light pull, and better accuracy.
 
mag627 said:
Am interested in one, anyone have experience with it?
Only put this in because not mentioned but seems to fit bill.
cheers
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There are a lot of opinions on this thread that would have held weight 30 years ago, but the scout concept is one to the top contenders now. One guy earlier said the Steyr Scout and a couple have mentioned the Enfield.

The GSS is probably the best choice because:

1) Well built and rugged
2) Iron sights
3) Stainless steel
4) 308win cartridge can be found anywhere
5) 1-2 inch groups make it reasonable for 300-400 yard shots
6) Very flexible scope options
7) AI mags are long, allowing some flexibility for the handloader (220g bullets, TSX, etc)
8) Medium contour barrel
9) Short and compact
10) Decent factory trigger

The Enfield places a close second in my opinion, and the reason it's such a good rifle is too numerous to mention. The Enfield doesn't come in stainless (obviously) and the headspace limitations are a setback. The Enfield is however a far better battle rifle than the Scout, but the Scout is better than most newly manufactured rifles today that aren't soley sold as military guns, in terms of battle rifle capability.

Other contenders would likely be Garands, M1A's. The 7mm rifles are surprisingly underrated for 'do it all' scenarios but their biggest drawback is the barrel burning. There was also a guy who mentioned that the 12g shotgun was a good choice and I agree. I don't think anyone mentioned the 45-70 but in a stainless lever rifle, that's not a bad choice either.

EDIT: For the smart ass that asks how you plan on shooting a rabbit, it is possible with most rifles to shoot 70 grain shotgun pellets with 3 grains of titegroup from a rifle cartridge. With a shotgun, you can get 3 inch chamber inserts that allow you to shoot 22lr and other calibers. Now of course a dedicated rifle is best for this kind of work, but if you really only had one to do it all, this is the only true option you'd have other than casting super light bullets and loading your rounds down (or using a slingshot).
 
I have a fondness for the Garand rifle. But I think it's one achillie's heel is it's 1936 designed gas system. One cannot grab any over the counter 30-06 ammunition and expect it to not possibly damage the op-rod. Not a very good characteristic for an 'everything rifle.'
 
I don't know man, a 150 grain bullet going about 3k fps can kill pretty much anything short of big african game. The 30-06 is a fantastic cartridge even if you can't go over 165 grains. I personally prefer short actions but I wouldn't get emo if the only gun I owned was a Garand.
 
Dogleg said:
Its pointless. The guys with one gun won't try to do everything, and the guys that try to do everything have no interest in one gun.
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Of all the guns I own and use and shoot it seems when I seriously go afield after expensive non-dangerous game it is my old semi custom stainless Rem 700 300 Wby that fills my gun case. It has accounted for more animals in my trophy room than all other rifles combined. From sea level in South Africa to the 14000 ft Mongolian high altai to the 18000 ft Pamirs in Tajikistan, and from point blank range to more than 550 mtrs this rifle gets the job done.
I agree with Dogleg's generalization, though, in order to develope a particular love for one or two calibers you have to shoot them all, many times over many years and under many circumstances to gain a certain respect or love for any given one or two.
The 300 Wby with several different loads has become one of my all time favorites but in my hunting experiences and my hunting formats and locales. Another hunter who hunts different terrain and cover or less varied landscapes as I, may well be more comfortable with a different caliber and platform from which to launch it.
To SOBO, there are those of us who quite regularly make shots, one shot kills, in excess of 500 mtrs. If you know your rifle and load and shoot it often enough at these ranges you find hitting a pie plate at 600 yds actually becomes rather mundane and not particularly challenging. Doping the wind is the greatest challenge, but on a calm day I can put 5 consecutive shots from 4 or 5 of my HUNTING rifles in a pie plate at 600 yds. I will say that I am fortunate enough to have access to a range where I can practice this kind of shooting all I want.
Also SOBO have you ever heard of a game called rifle sillhouette where we shoot at targets offhand at 500 mtrs, one does not need to be sand bagged to hit things out to 600 yds!
 
I borrowed this related info from The High Road:
Quote

SlamFire1February 20, 2012, 11:40 AM
If you have to start somewhere for load data, Master Po's temple has a collection of NRA loading data for the Garand.

I deleted the URL to Master Po's as I have been informed it is infested with malware.

Still, having shot 10's of thousands of rounds through Garands, it is my opinion that with a 150, 47.5 grains IMR 4895 is a max.

Pressure wise, the locking mechanism can take more. Recoil wise, you speed up the operating rod much faster you will experience bent operating rods, excessive peening in the receiver heel, and mal functions. There were lots of malfunctions with the 2001 Garand Match ammunition, that stuff was clocking 2900 fps and the CMP had to tone down the ammunition from all the complaints they had.

If you notice with the data from Master Po, the heavier the bullet the more you have to cut the charge. This is directly related to gas port pressure.

The specification you see about GI ammunition being 2750 fps +- 50 fps is only true in one Frankfort Arsenal pressure barrel. (My guess as to a FA barrel, but it was one barrel) All ammunition acceptance was calibrated to that pressure barrel. That pressure barrel was not a Garand.

The best way to determine the proper velocities for a Garand is to shoot US GI ammo, the earlier the better, when the Garand was pulled from service all that was left was machine guns and I believe the ammunition started getting hotter. You will find that once you chronograph 50's vintage US GI 30-06 the velocities with 150's are about 2600-2650 in a Garand.
 
My first choice, a used Husqvarna 1600 series in 30-06 (look at Trade Ex website). Second choice (if you want new and/or synthetic stock) Marlin XL7, also in 30-06. No iron sights on this one.

Have/had both and in my opinion, they are the best value in the "Best Rifle for Everything around $500 :p" category, A.K.A. "BREA 500" category :D.
 
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