What is the best rifle for everything

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upnorththodd

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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.
 
Personally I like single shot rifles for reliability, simplicity and being easy to clean.
Rugar#1.
Thompson Encore.
H&R handi rifle.

Good iron or apature sight with a rail in case a scope is needed.
 
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It's mine: browning a-bolt medallion stainless, 30-06 caliber, 22 inch light-contour barrel, monte-carlo stock with Leupold VX-3 2.5-8x36 scope. It gives 1MOA 5-shot groups with 110, 150, 165, 180, 190 and 220-grain bullets.
 
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Depends of what you want:
  • Efficiency: a 284 Winchester or a 280 Remington and above will fit the bill. The advantage of 284 Win and 280 Rem is that they have much better barrel life than a 7 Rem Mag or a 300 Win Mag while producing very good external ballistics.
  • Top all-rounders: 270 WSM and 7 Rem Mag give an extra 75-100 yards of effective range, at the cost of a shorter barrel life, compared to the previous cartridges.
  • Performance: 300 WSM, 300 Win Mag and 338 Win Mag are the great long range hunting cartridges at the cost of higher recoil.
  • Ultimate performance: 338 Lapua Magnum is the most accurate, most powerful long range cartridge at a huge cost and with a big muzzle blast.

My long range hunting rifle was a 7.5 lbs Remington 700 CDL SF 270 WSM and I sold it because I simply could not stand the recoil for extended shooting sessions.
I now tend to favor a 284 Winchester as the ultimate super efficient and super accurate long range cartridge.
Also, I've seen many 338 Lapua Magnum owners downgrade to 300 Win Mag because of recoil, blast and costs issues.

Alex
 
Might be the one that stands in the back row of my safe, a Ruger No.1 30-06. Mine is an A, wish it was an AB, but I suppose a B would be the best for the rifle in question.
 
I've said it before, and some consider it blasphemy, but---

Rem 7600 in 30.06. 3-9x40 scope of your choice. See-thru mounts optional, but I like them for close shots and quick target acquisition.
The pump action allows you to stay on target and have a quick follow up.
I've shot it out to 600yrds and it puts out a decent group. Good bolt design.
The 30.06 is highly versatile (100gr.-220gr.) and available anywhere you might be.
my .02$:)
 
Weatherby Vanguard S2, 30-06. Remington SPS, 30-06. Both have 24" barrels, economical to purchase and reliable.

New SPS triggers are ok. The Weatherby, in my opinion, is the best bet. The 30-06 not perfect for some situations, but is a very good rifle for almost all situations - Bison, Rhino's and Water Buffalo excluded.
 
lister said:
I've said it before, and some consider it blasphemy, but---

Rem 7600 in 30.06. 3-9x40 scope of your choice. See-thru mounts optional, but I like them for close shots and quick target acquisition.
The pump action allows you to stay on target and have a quick follow up.
I've shot it out to 600yrds and it puts out a decent group. Good bolt design.
The 30.06 is highly versatile (100gr.-220gr.) and available anywhere you might be.
my .02$:)
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+1. Firmly in the .30-06 camp (I have 2, 100 ATR and a K-98 Gewher) as my high-powered rifles. Takes everything I throw in it and knocks sh!t down almost everytime. Counted for numerous big game. Current round of choice loads a 165gn bullet at 2700fps.
But when the shooting allows for it, I still like to throw things from my Enfields.
 
Remington 788 in 308. Made when "thier" barrels were of better quality. This rifle in it's various calibres, has a very good reputation of above average accuracy, when directly comparing it to other economy priced deer rifles. Still can find LNIB spare parts including the detachable magazine, & easy to scope. Came in a later made 18.5 carbine or the earlier 22 inch barrelled rifle in the big game calibres. Keeping the ammunition to factory pressures is really it's only weakness. The only 788s with the 24 inch barrel were the .22 centrefire calibres.
Although I'll freely admit, a well constructed .30-06 calibre Mauser would most likely be a slightly better choice.
 
easy,.....FN built Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in 30-06 with a 3-9X Leupold VX-11:D

I don't why some guys haven't figured this out by now.....if you like to hunt in the rain get the EW version of the same rifle....easy.:):rolleyes:
 
375hh in a quality bolt gun. 4570 in a strong action
7x57 3030 303 British and 3006 are also all great choices. History has taught us you don't need big flashy numbers on paper to take game. You just need to put the bullet in the right place at the right time
 
Wildcats wont be affordable, magnums long ranging rifles barrel life is going to be short and great hunting accuracy to 5 football fields.....thats a tall order for factory rifle and I don't think you can buy one under $1000 at all. My bet would be to buy Stevens 200 ($350), install freefloated 30-06 AI in heavy #5 contour at least 24" long aftermarket barrel ($450) and 3x9x40mm Burris F11 scope ($200). Sell original barrel, buy good base and rings for that money and you will be in bussiness.....
 
gunrunner8 said:
Wildcats wont be affordable, magnums long ranging rifles barrel life is going to be short and great hunting accuracy to 5 football fields.....thats a tall order for factory rifle and I don't think you can buy one under $1000 at all. My bet would be to buy Stevens 200 ($350), install 30-06 AI in heavy #5 contour at least 24" long aftermarket barrel ($450) and 3x9x40mm Burris F11 scope ($200). Sell original barrel, buy good base and rings for that money and you will be in bussiness.....
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Simpler, any Tikka T3 with the proper chambering will get the job done.
I've seen many 270 WSM, 7 Rem Mag and 300 Win Mag which were better than 1 MOA rifle with the standard barrel contour.
The heavy barreled Tikka T3 are even better and routinely win production rifles class in competitions.

I'm not a fan of T3s but they sure shoot (I'm a custom Remington 700 fan)!

Alex
 
Wait for the contest up north to come to light.
That chap that was recruiting human species targets.
Should be some enlightening results?

Cfmji or cmji or cfji, anyways, the guy with the handle that
sounds like a radio station.
 
rookie wildcat said:
+1. Firmly in the .30-06 camp (I have 2, 100 ATR and a K-98 Gewher) as my high-powered rifles. Takes everything I throw in it and knocks sh!t down almost everytime. Counted for numerous big game. Current round of choice loads a 165gn bullet at 2700fps.
But when the shooting allows for it, I still like to throw things from my Enfields.
Click to expand...

lol.:D Ditto for both.:cool:
 
This is easy, I have 4 rifles that do all of this very well...........Semi-custom Win supergrade with 26" bbl rechambered to 340 wby......Factory Rem 700 300 wby stainless in a Brown Presicion Fiberglass stock......Factory Rem 700 CDL in 300 RUM.....Factory Rem 700 CDL 7mm RUM. Glass as follows: 340 3-9 Zeiss Diavari.....300 Wby 3.5-10 Leup Vari X III......300 RUM Leup Vari X I 4-12.......7mm RUM Leup Vari X I 4-12.

All of these rifles shoot sub minute @ 100 mtrs and carry energy and trajectory sufficient to hunt to 700 mtrs if you so choose and are capable.
I wouldn't hesitate to take a bison at extended range with the 340, using either a 225 TTSX which it loves or 250 accubond. And yes I have shot bison before and am quite aware of how tough they can be, but I'm also aware of how this rifle shoots and the downrange energy.
 
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