Which rifle in 30-06?

Thanks everyone for your advice.

Having perused all of the choices you presented me with (Egads, that's a rabbit hole and a half!), I am leaning towards the following:

Howa 1500 Gamepro II in 30-06 (of course!). It's only $100 more than the Mossberg or Savage, so I'll just buy a smaller cleaning kit :D

I think I'm too green to buy and maintain an "antique", ditto to buy used reliably.
I also wanted a rifle with a box mag, not a hinge plate.

Howevs, I'm already thinking of my second purchase, and will likely be a Husqvarna 1900 or variant.
 
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Don’t buy a HVA 1900, you will end up wanting more and that new Howa won’t see use anymore!!
Real rifle are addictive, real wood all steel….
Good luck
 
Another choice to consider is a Browning A-Bolt, or A-Bolt II. Some people complain that they are overly complicated or that there is a dearth of aftermarket parts for them, but the truth is that in the 30 years that my brother has been hunting with his, and the 22 years that I have been hunting with mine, neither of us has had to replace a single failed part.

I will say that I bought mine as a bare action and had to source parts to build it, but Western Gun Parts had everything that I needed except the stock and barrel. I bought a Ted Gaillard contoured blank with the intent of building the rifle at the SAIT "Gunsmithing" course, however I was called to the swinging arm ranch within a few weeks and never got to put the parts together, later dropping them with #### Pietsch to be built. I ended up buying a used take-off walnut stock from a local gun store and refinished it to complete the build.
 
AB3006 said:
Thanks everyone for your advice.

Having perused all of the choices you presented me with (Egads, that's a rabbit hole and a half!), I am leaning towards the following:

Howa 1500 Gamepro II in 30-06 (of course!). It's only $100 more than the Mossberg or Savage, so I'll just buy a smaller cleaning kit :D

I think I'm too green to buy and maintain an "antique", ditto to buy used reliably.
I also wanted a rifle with a box mag, not a hinge plate.

Howevs, I'm already thinking of my second purchase, and will likely be a Husqvarna 1900 or variant.
Click to expand...

Good choice, and one of the sponsors has it on sale for $839.99 at this time.
 
AB3006 said:
Thanks everyone for your advice.

Having perused all of the choices you presented me with (Egads, that's a rabbit hole and a half!), I am leaning towards the following:

Howa 1500 Gamepro II in 30-06 (of course!). It's only $100 more than the Mossberg or Savage, so I'll just buy a smaller cleaning kit :D

I think I'm too green to buy and maintain an "antique", ditto to buy used reliably.
I also wanted a rifle with a box mag, not a hinge plate.

Howevs, I'm already thinking of my second purchase, and will likely be a Husqvarna 1900 or variant.
Click to expand...

Congratulations, good choice.
 
AB3006 said:
I am just about to buy my first own rifle (since the 1980s when I had a lever 22LR). I have fired a few different ones, but like a dog coming back to its vomit, I keep coming back to the 30-06.

Yes, I know there are better cals out there, more accurate, more powerful... simply MORE BETTER. But I just like the '06, and one day I'd like to get into reloading, so there's that.

Now, I'm looking at two beginner, but not bottom of the barrel rifles: a Savage 110 Engage Hunter XP in 30-06 with a Bushnell Engage 4-9x40 scope (22") and a Mossberg Patriot in 30-06 with a Vortex 3-9x40 scope.

Both would be used for range time most of the time, and once or twice a year to find Bambi.

One additional consideration is that I may (may, but not necessarily) want to take out the action, stick it on a chassis with better optics and take it out to punch some long-range paper or silhouettes.

What would be your advice?

I have also looked at some used Husqvarna 19XX series rifles, but how they relate to HV chainsaws, which I have used, I don't know.
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Lots of good ideas here, but maybe have a look at Intersurplus. They have 50's era 98 mauser rifles with FN commercial actions, mostly Husqvarna. No matter how long you keep and use these rifles, they will be completely reliable and accurate. Easy to get parts for any 98 mauser if you ever need it (probably won't). Be patient and find one without the crack in the tang. You will not find a higher quality rifle with CRF anywhere. And to top it off, they are around $400 for the ones in best condition. I have had 2 Weatherby Vanguards, they are fantastic rifles, no worries there. The Savage 11/110 series are great rifles with a couple of quirks, but once you try a 98, especially an FN, you won't look back.

Also, reloading for the 30-06 is the way to go. You can custom make lighter loads with 130 gr (or even smaller) bullets, or build up to 220gr (or heavier) bear pills. It's a fantastic hunting cartridge and very versatile, but IMHO a bit heavy recoiling if you do a lot of target shooting.
 
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AB3006 said:
I am just about to buy my first own rifle (since the 1980s when I had a lever 22LR). I have fired a few different ones, but like a dog coming back to its vomit, I keep coming back to the 30-06.

Yes, I know there are better cals out there, more accurate, more powerful... simply MORE BETTER. But I just like the '06, and one day I'd like to get into reloading, so there's that.

Now, I'm looking at two beginner, but not bottom of the barrel rifles: a Savage 110 Engage Hunter XP in 30-06 with a Bushnell Engage 4-9x40 scope (22") and a Mossberg Patriot in 30-06 with a Vortex 3-9x40 scope.

Both would be used for range time most of the time, and once or twice a year to find Bambi.

One additional consideration is that I may (may, but not necessarily) want to take out the action, stick it on a chassis with better optics and take it out to punch some long-range paper or silhouettes.

What would be your advice?

I have also looked at some used Husqvarna 19XX series rifles, but how they relate to HV chainsaws, which I have used, I don't know.
Click to expand...

Husqvarna firearms started with barrel manufacturing for the King of Sweden in Huskvarna Sweden in 1689. In 1867 the company became a limited company under the name Husqvarna Vapenfabriks Aktiebolag. The last Husqvarna firearms were made in 1972.

They made their first motorcyle in 1903, and chainsaw in 1959. In other words, they made guns for a lot longer than they ever made chainsaws.
 
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Enjoy your new rifle.

My suggestion would have been to buy a used Brno, either a 600 with the receiver pop up peep or a 21 small ring. Quality that can’t be beat, accurate and built to last.
 
Yay, it's NGD today!

My purchases from Tenda arrived: Howa 1500 in 30-06 and "my son's" Savage 110 in .243.

Working now, pics to follow. I'm super happy, because it's my first rifle since my old Sears lever action 22LR on the parents' farm.

ngd-today.jpg
 

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Tactile first impressions (haven't shot them yet) from fondling the rifles at home.

Side by side:
Action
Howa 1500: Smooth and sure, no rough motion. Bolt removal/insertion is easy peasy.
Savage 110: Smooth, but seems rougher than the Howa. Needs to wear in. Bolt removal/insertion is fiddly, need to press the bolt release and trigger. Comes with a cable lock for the action.

Stock
Howa 1500: Thicker, beefier stock. The overmolding makes it better to handle and gives a surer hold. The butt is hollow and feels distinctly jankier than the rest of the stock and jankier than the 110's butt, but the buttpad is decent.
Savage 110: Thinner, plastic stock. Grips molded into it. Butt seems more solid than on the Howa (less hollow-sounding) and has a great buttpad. Comes with shims to change length of pull. Fore part of the stock seems flimsy.

Optics:
Howa 1500: Crappy Nikko Stirling Gamepro scope. The reticle isn't teabag, but it has a narrow FOV, and it's easy to move your head out of alignment. I thought it was OK until I tried the scope on the 110.
Savage 110: Pretty decent Vortex Crossfire II scope. It has a better FOV than the NS on the Howa and much better, brighter glass.

Feed:
Howa 1500: Hinged floor plate, a bit stiff to operate, but should wear in. Feeds snap caps no problem.
Savage 110: Removable box mag, easy out, easy in. Steel sides, nylon bottom. Feeds snap caps no problem.

Overall: the Howa is generally a better "feeling" rifle and seems more premium and quality (thank you, gang, for dissuading me from the 110 as my main rifle). Alas, it has much crappier optics. The 110 will be a great starter for my boy. It isn't as good as the Howa, but with the optics and the lighter caliber, will be a fine target shooter and first hunting gun. I won't pull a bonehead and switch the scopes. Not that kind of Dad :D
 
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riversrest said:
Standing by for range results.
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Took them out to the indoor range today, fired them for the first time. Quick clean before shooting, and then put through 5 rounds each, quick wipe, then a further 15.

Howa 1500 30-06 - PPU 150gr M1 FMJ
Savage 110 .243 WIN - Federal 85 gr, HP

First impressions:
Egads, but they're both loud in an enclosed space! I was super surprised how "recoily" and loud the 243 was. I had never fired one before, and was expecting A LOT less than the 30-06 (I have fired these before, so knew what to expect). But, other than the sharp crack! of the report (as opposed to the boom of the 30-06), they were remarkably similar. Yes, gentler, but not that much.

The 30-06 is sooooo consistent (target pics coming). Once I figured out the scope offset (shooting at 25 yards, not 100), was able to group nicely - target papers coming soon. Recoil was more of a push or shove back, rather than a smack.
I wasn't able to do the same for the 243 (the boy was having WAAAAAY too much fun), but will work it out next time. The recoil was more of a smack, though gentler than the more consistent shove of the 30-06.

All in all, Oooh yeah! Very pleased.
 
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