First hunting rifle

[Wildcard12]

I'm looking into getting my first hunting rifle when I get a bonus from work next year. I want something that I can do some long range shooting with, and also take elk and deer hunting.

I'm currently looking at the Browning Hells Canyon LR and the Howa's 1500 Randy Newberg edition. I'm wanting to keep it under $2,000 but might consider going over that a little. I really like the Macmillan model in the hells canyon, but that puts me right at the top of my budget without scope, rings, or bipod. My question on that is if the MacMillan stock is worth the extra $800. And my next question, is on the Howa. How suited is it for long range shooting? I guess I would probably want to replace the scope eventually for something with more magnification.

As for caliber, I decided on 300 win mag, but might also consider 6.5 Creedmore. For target shooting I'd like to reach out to 1000 plus meters, and for hunting, I would like the ability to kill an elk at 500-600 yards if I wanted to, but would try to keep my shots to 400 and under.

Does anyone have any suggestions for rifles and/or/scopes for these applications? I'd like a muzzle break, and some adjustability on the stock without adding too much weight (I'm a big guy, so extendable stocks are nice. Pretty much required for true long distance shooting.) For scopes, I'm looking for something in first focal plane that is set in MOA rather than mils (does anyone still use mils?)

Thanks for any advice!

 

[SticksMcKinley]

I think the Howa package would be hard to beat for your first rifle and have some funds left over for plenty of ammo. I think a brake would be a good idea, especially for a magnum, but I don’t know which one would be best for you. 6.5 CM would be easier on your shoulder and your wallet.

Plenty of folks use mils and MOA is fine, too. It’s really about your preference. I wouldn’t worry about FFP unless you can’t deal with using full magnification on your scope for range estimation. If you plan to use a rangefinder and ballistic matched turrets, you won’t miss it.

 

[Seahawksfan0613]

I recently purchased the Ruger American 6.5 CM and a Vortex high power scope for this season, replacing my old Weatherby 300 win mag about 14lbs with the scope, I didn´t draw out for hunting but I am excited for when I draw out.

 

[TM0218]

I bought my current rifle setup for the same use that you’re wanting. I got a Remington 700 SPS tactical aac-ad in 6.5CM. I went with a used Vortex PST FFP in MOA (nice thing about used is if something is wrong with it Vortex will repair/replace no questions asked). That setup ran me about $1150 or so. The nice thing is with the extra money you can customize to what YOU specifically want/need, not what a manufacturer thinks. Even adding an adjustable stock and new trigger you probably would still be under $2k. My gun very comfortably shoots 1 MOA out to 500 yards (furthest I’ve had the chance to shoot) and I’ve been very pleased with its performance on deer.

 

[Don Fischer]

Was your first car a $100K car? Sounds like you want to try to get right to the top what ever it cost's right from the start and you probably haven't a clue what you can handle. That 6.5 Creedmooe mentioned above I think would be a good bet. I saw one once and have shot several different cartridges on a quite similar case, 308. My though on the rifle is simply get one you like the looks and feel of and call it good. Rifle is not going to make you a good shot, practice will! If your really serious about hunting, I think your gonna find you have no need for a long range rifle, rather you'll learn to close the range. That is called hunting, the other is simply shooting! Baby steps!

 

[N2TRKYS]

I've only been elk hunting and handful of times, but I can already see that a packable rifle is much better than a heavy, long barreled rifle. Luckily, I started going out West with a Remington Model Seven, so I already had that covered.

Get your rifle for what you're gonna use it for 90% of the time and learn to live with the other 10%.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Miller8812]

I have an Xbolt in .300 with a VX5 and I like it a lot, never shot a howa but I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one. If you want a FFP scope the Randy Newberg edition comes with a SFP so I would buy the bare rifle if you went the Howa route and look hard at the Mark 5 from Leupold if you can swing it, maybe you can find one used and stay in budget. Tons of people use mils, otherwise companies wouldn’t make scopes that use it.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I recently purchased the Ruger American 6.5 CM and a Vortex high power scope for this season, replacing my old Weatherby 300 win mag about 14lbs with the scope, I didn´t draw out for hunting but I am excited for when I draw out.

Welcome to HT!

 

[Pucky Freak]

I'm looking into getting my first hunting rifle when I get a bonus from work next year. I want something that I can do some long range shooting with, and also take elk and deer hunting.

I'm currently looking at the Browning Hells Canyon LR and the Howa's 1500 Randy Newberg edition. I'm wanting to keep it under $2,000 but might consider going over that a little. I really like the Macmillan model in the hells canyon, but that puts me right at the top of my budget without scope, rings, or bipod. My question on that is if the MacMillan stock is worth the extra $800. And my next question, is on the Howa. How suited is it for long range shooting? I guess I would probably want to replace the scope eventually for something with more magnification.

As for caliber, I decided on 300 win mag, but might also consider 6.5 Creedmore. For target shooting I'd like to reach out to 1000 plus meters, and for hunting, I would like the ability to kill an elk at 500-600 yards if I wanted to, but would try to keep my shots to 400 and under.

Does anyone have any suggestions for rifles and/or/scopes for these applications? I'd like a muzzle break, and some adjustability on the stock without adding too much weight (I'm a big guy, so extendable stocks are nice. Pretty much required for true long distance shooting.) For scopes, I'm looking for something in first focal plane that is set in MOA rather than mils (does anyone still use mils?)

Thanks for any advice!

Please correct of if I'm wrong, but from your post it sounds like you are new to rifle shooting and hunting. I would recommend buying a used .22 and asking someone to help you learn to shoot at the range, then accompany you hunting for squirrels or other small game. Once you've got that mastered, with your budget I'd recommend a mid range Howa, Browning, or Tikka. 6.5 CM should be fine. This will let you shoot elk out to about 300 yards with proper shot placement, although I'd recommend putting a self imposed limit of 150 yards on any big game until you have a few animals under your belt. If you want to get into 1k yard target shooting you're looking at 5-7 grand for a custom build heavy rifle which is impractical for hunting.

I've been rifle hunting for 25 years and have never shot an animal over 200 yards.

 

[Wildcard12]

Was your first car a $100K car? Sounds like you want to try to get right to the top what ever it cost's right from the start and you probably haven't a clue what you can handle. That 6.5 Creedmooe mentioned above I think would be a good bet. I saw one once and have shot several different cartridges on a quite similar case, 308. My though on the rifle is simply get one you like the looks and feel of and call it good. Rifle is not going to make you a good shot, practice will! If your really serious about hunting, I think your gonna find you have no need for a long range rifle, rather you'll learn to close the range. That is called hunting, the other is simply shooting! Baby steps!

Please correct of if I'm wrong, but from your post it sounds like you are new to rifle shooting and hunting. I would recommend buying a used .22 and asking someone to help you learn to shoot at the range, then accompany you hunting for squirrels or other small game. Once you've got that mastered, with your budget I'd recommend a mid range Howa, Browning, or Tikka. 6.5 CM should be fine. This will let you shoot elk out to about 300 yards with proper shot placement, although I'd recommend putting a self imposed limit of 150 yards on any big game until you have a few animals under your belt. If you want to get into 1k yard target shooting you're looking at 5-7 grand for a custom build heavy rifle which is impractical for hunting.

I've been rifle hunting for 25 years and have never shot an animal over 200 yards.

Thanks for the advice, but I guess I should have added some information about my experience in my original post. I am a fairly experienced shooter, but new hunter. I started archery hunting last year, and I've been learning something new every time I'm out in the woods. I enjoy the challenge of getting close to big game, hence I started off bow hunting. I am just interested in learning a new way to pursue game and combining it with another interest of mine, shooting.

As for the $100K car analogy, I get what you are saying, but I have already been there. I have some time behind a number of military grade sniper systems in various calibers and at ranges exceeding 1600 meters. I don't say that to brag, and I don't consider myself an experienced long range shooter yet (I am attending a military sniper school in a few days), but I've shot some pretty expensive, top of the line equipment and I don't look at a $2,000 rifle as going straight to the top, but it's the best I can afford.

I ask these questions because I am not very familiar with what is available on the civilian market. And i sincerely appreciate all of the information, experience, and advice already shared.

 

[mtmuley]

Remington AWR. Leupold VX-5 HD. All up with rings and mounts under 2K. mtmuley

 

[Wildcard12]

Remington AWR. Leupold VX-5 HD. All up with rings and mounts under 2K. mtmuley

I like what I've seen about that VX-5

 

[N2TRKYS]

I like what I've seen about that VX-5

Pairing that scope with a Remington 5r would be pretty cool.

 

[mtmuley]

I like what I've seen about that VX-5

Look at what brockel (a member here) has done with the AWR and you will like what you see there as well. mtmuley

 

[Wildcard12]

Look at what brockel (a member here) has done with the AWR and you will like what you see there as well. mtmuley

You weren't joking. Looked back at his post from May about his AWR in 300 rem mag. Pretty impressive grouping, especially at 500 yards.

 

[fishing4sanity]

@Wildcard12 if having a rifle with more adjustability is important to you, you might want to look at some of the chassis style rifles. Howa, Seekins, Bergara, etc make chassis models, but the cost and/or weight may not be where you need. Christensen Arms MPR comes close to your budget and is pretty light. You mentioned FFP in scopes, I have a strong preference for FFP scopes and prefer MIL scopes. It's very easy to blow a budget on good FFP scopes, a couple of less-expensive ones that might be of interest; Burris Veracity (I think there are both FFP and SFP models) and Athlon Ares or Midas Tac. Now, if glass has a higher budget, there are lots of nice choices, but it can get spendy quick.

 

[mtmuley]

In my opinion, chassis stocks and MIL scopes muddy the waters for new rifle hunters. It's not hard to fit a stock to your lop. And the less adjusting to do to a scope, the better. mtmuley

 

[Wildcard12]

In my opinion, chassis stocks and MIL scopes muddy the waters for new rifle hunters. It's not hard to fit a stock to your lop. And the less adjusting to do to a scope, the better. mtmuley

I've used chassis stocks before, my only worry is the weight. The chassis rifles I've used would not be my first choice for hauling up and down mountains for a week. I can tape a foam pad down to adjust comb height if I need. LOP is a different story, although I bet I can find some aftermarket butt pad that will let me adjust for LOP a little bit.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Thanks for the advice, but I guess I should have added some information about my experience in my original post. I am a fairly experienced shooter, but new hunter. I started archery hunting last year, and I've been learning something new every time I'm out in the woods. I enjoy the challenge of getting close to big game, hence I started off bow hunting. I am just interested in learning a new way to pursue game and combining it with another interest of mine, shooting.

As for the $100K car analogy, I get what you are saying, but I have already been there. I have some time behind a number of military grade sniper systems in various calibers and at ranges exceeding 1600 meters. I don't say that to brag, and I don't consider myself an experienced long range shooter yet (I am attending a military sniper school in a few days), but I've shot some pretty expensive, top of the line equipment and I don't look at a $2,000 rifle as going straight to the top, but it's the best I can afford.

I ask these questions because I am not very familiar with what is available on the civilian market. And i sincerely appreciate all of the information, experience, and advice already shared.

The additional info helps. One thing to consider is that a select few long range shooters use their set up for hunting whereas no hunters use their set up for long range shooting. Hunting brings a set of variables that are either absent or much less important for range shooting- shooting around obstacles, elevation shooting, shooting while concealed, backpacking, follow up shots, weather conditions, and durability to name a few. You can either get a gun that's great for range shooting and works ok for hunting, a hunting rifle that sucks on the range, or a combination of both types that excels at neither. I would suggest buying a hunting rifle then get a true target long range rifle for your next toy.

also - when shooting at animals remember that they move, you'll be under adrenaline dump, and you Need enough energy with your bullet to effectively bring them down. Therefore max distance at animals needs to be less than what you can hit at the range.

Welcome to hunting

 

[Wildcard12]

The additional info helps. One thing to consider is that a select few long range shooters use their set up for hunting whereas no hunters use their set up for long range shooting. Hunting brings a set of variables that are either absent or much less important for range shooting- shooting around obstacles, elevation shooting, shooting while concealed, backpacking, follow up shots, weather conditions, and durability to name a few. You can either get a gun that's great for range shooting and works ok for hunting, a hunting rifle that sucks on the range, or a combination of both types that excels at neither. I would suggest buying a hunting rifle then get a true target long range rifle for your next toy.

also - when shooting at animals remember that they move, you'll be under adrenaline dump, and you Need enough energy with your bullet to effectively bring them down. Therefore max distance at animals needs to be less than what you can hit at the range.

Welcome to hunting

Thanks for the thoughtful response! All of your points are definitely things I will consider. And just so my intention is clear, I just want to say that I have no desire to shoot an animal 800 to 1000 yards away. I would just like the option to confidently put a lethal shot on an animal out to 600 if I need to. I would prefer to shoot much closer than that. I have the ability to shoot a 300 win mag or 308 well past 600 yards, I just want to make sure I have a rifle that is up to that task, and a projectile that will quickly kill an elk sized animal.