Rifle window shopping for new hunter

[Addicting]

Sorry to highjack thread....
Savage 110 or Weatherby Vanguard?

Tikka and for God’s sake not a Creedmoor if you’re ever considering elk hunting.

 

[Cogreeny]

I wouldn’t rule out the new model 700 adl as a choice either I just picked one up in .223 and was pleasantly surprised with it. Hopefully Remington is back on track and turning out quality guns again. Hard to beat the aftermarket support the model 700 has.

 

[FREAK]

I'd get a tika in .308 with the vx3 3.5-10 or as nice as you can afford in the zoom range of 3.5-15. .308 is always in stock and has a lot of options for practice ammo. There are enough bullet options to hunt any animal in north America. I've had a heck of a time finding ammo for my 7mm or 300-win Mag and when I do find it, you'd think it was gold plated.

 

[geetar]

Tikka, .308, Leupold fixed 6x. Keep it simple.

I’ve got the same in .270

 

[Don Fischer]

Spent a couple days extra in Spokane thanks to the Southwest flight debacle. Got a chance to take my girlfriend's 22 year old son to Sportsman's and Double Eagle to handle some rifles and have him get familiar with what he liked. I haven't "shopped" for a rifle in a few decades so nearly everything on the rack was new to me.

Joe was introduced to firearms by the Army and accompanied some friends into the field for moose while stationed there.

I told him we weren't looking for specific calibers but for him to find a rifle/safety position/ stock material/price point he liked. While there we talked about what ammunition was readily available. Looking at the ammo shelves, we saw plenty of 6.5CM, 308 and 30-06. I think in our discussion we narrowed it down to .308 and 30-06.

From my experience with a .300 WM I wanted him to have a rifle he was comfortable practicing with regularly. I think I'm going to ask his Maternal uncle to take him out to get some recoil practice.

He liked the Tikkas, Ruger American, and a couple others. My one and only large caliber rifle I bought used from a family friend gunsmith. Any shopping tips I can pass along to Joe ?

Nice to see someone doing it what I'd call right!

 

[Don Fischer]

Get as nice as he can financially swing. Nothing worse than buying cheap and trying to upgrade later. Cheaper ones don’t hold value like nicer ones.

Of those two mentioned I would go Tikka all the way over River American. No way I would ever choose a Ruger American if I had other options.

He should get what he likes at a price he's confortable. I buy guns to shoot also, not as investments! Better to shoot what you can afford and if you can up grade later if you want to and can afford it.

 

[Farmerj]

I’d find an older savage pre accutrigger and dump the barrel on it for the caliber you finally choose.


You can put a pretty decent rifle together for a fraction of the cost with a new production gun and still have half the price left to add for a scope budget.

 

[Don Fischer]

I would 100% recommend to get the next step up if financially possible. Good goods will last a long time and unless you want to buy another one just because, a good rifle in a quality caliber can be used for all hunting needs practically.

I recently shot a new to me rifle, Savage in 30-06 with a muzzle break and was absolutely shocked how much it helped the recoil compared to Savage .308, which are fairly similar. I would 100% make sure to have one put on or get a gun with one.

Probably a good idea to get all you can afford. But good goods will only last a long time if PROPERLY TAKEN CARE OF!

Never shot a rifle with a muzzle brake, see no reason for the brake if you buy a rifle in a cartridge you can handle in the first place! A 300 mag or 30-06 will not kill any North American animal any deader than a 7mm-08 with a well selected bullet and well placed shot!

 

[Don Fischer]

Cool. I kinda figured the shortest distance was a straight line. There I go again over thinking things. Thanks.

Only thing you may have over though was the cartridge. I had magnums years ago and had to learn to shoot them and to handle the recoil, shoot them often! Go get a 300 mag without ever having shot one and you may or may not be able to handle the recoil. Best would be to find someone that has one and will let you try shooting it and see what you think after you pull the trigger. When I got my 338mag I was already using a 7mm mag and had finally got to where I could shoot it. Got the 338 mag and a box of ammo to stop and shoot it on the way home. Fired three rounds and ended up with a really black and blue shoulder. I did learn to handle it but unless I was after dandgeous game there was nothing I'd shoot with it i would not have shot with my old 7x57!

 

[300stw]

my 525.00dollar ruger american 6.5 prc. with a 180.00 burris 4.5x14. has taken 17 head of big game, 41 coyotes, numerous porcupines ground squirrels and 2 angus cows,

holds .7 moa out to 700 yards,,, im jonesing for a tikka or howa carbon stalker. but cant see spending the cash,,
this thing lives in the sxs or pickup, gets beat up, but keeps working

 

[NAHMINT]

Tikka in 6.5 creedmoor 7mm-08 308 or 270 topped with a leupold vx3 3.5-10. I think the tikka 30-06 is going to be a bit sporty in the recoil department for a new shooter.

Sometimes its the stock-fit....
Had a '06 in a Remington 700ADL. LAMINATED.
and
a one of the first 1000 1964 model70 Winchester push feed in '06.
the REMINGTON was a pleasure to shoot with 150,180 and 220 gr. rounds........the model 70 was the worst ''kicker'' I have ever shot,but it was a tack driver.... I'm near 6' and 230# .
I have a model88 in .284 win. and find it less enjoyable to shoot than my .300wm.Savage........
so,as suggested, try some different calibers AND rifles to see what works.

 

[Watts307]

Probably a good idea to get all you can afford. But good goods will only last a long time if PROPERLY TAKEN CARE OF!

Never shot a rifle with a muzzle brake, see no reason for the brake if you buy a rifle in a cartridge you can handle in the first place! A 300 mag or 30-06 will not kill any North American animal any deader than a 7mm-08 with a well selected bullet and well placed shot!

Yes of course it needs to be cared for.

The muzzle break just helps cut down recoil and it is quite noticeable. Say you get a nice gun, it may be a hunting gun but also may be just fun to shoot. Muzzle breaks add life in the shoulder on longer shooting days.

Correct, a dead elk is a dead elk. personally I like the .30 calibers but my response is coming from a business side....having worked and sold guns and work outdoor retail off and on over the years. Every store, selection, state at any given time is different 100%. However finding 30-06, 300WM or .308 is better odds then the perfect 7mm-08, or the PRC rounds, or the Creedmoor's when the fads started, 6.8 Western, Ultra mag etc.

 

[Don Fischer]

Yes of course it needs to be cared for.

The muzzle break just helps cut down recoil and it is quite noticeable. Say you get a nice gun, it may be a hunting gun but also may be just fun to shoot. Muzzle breaks add life in the shoulder on longer shooting days.

Correct, a dead elk is a dead elk. personally I like the .30 calibers but my response is coming from a business side....having worked and sold guns and work outdoor retail off and on over the years. Every store, selection, state at any given time is different 100%. However finding 30-06, 300WM or .308 is better odds then the perfect 7mm-08, or the PRC rounds, or the Creedmoor's when the fads started, 6.8 Western, Ultra mag etc.

That I agree with! Something that get's me is it seems implyed that spend more money on a gun and it will last longer. Don't know that that is true! Depends a lot on care. As for muzzle breaks, most people wouldn't need one if they were shooting a cartridge they could handle in the first place. Just something to hang on the front of a rifle to make it shootable as I see it. Other than to reduce recoil, what use is it?

 

[ridn9high]

Other than to reduce recoil, what use is it?

A good brake helpe keep the muzzle from jumping and the shooter can watch bullet impact. Those brakes that come stock on the bergaras are junk.

 

[Redman]

Seekins PH2...No fault forever warranty even if purchased used.

 

[PNWGator]

Tikka in a .223 is the answer… unless .22 centerfire isn‘t legal. Then Tikka 6.5CM is the answer.

Don‘t overthink it.

Right bullet matters.

 

[220yotekiller]

encourage him to go light recoil for his first, nothing like having to break bad habits because you have a rifle that kicks to hard.

 

[F250]

A good brake helpe keep the muzzle from jumping and the shooter can watch bullet impact. Those brakes that come stock on the bergaras are junk.

Why do you say they are junk ?

 

[VikingsGuy]

I don’t think someone should learn to hunt/shoot with a break. Tough on ears, tough on others at the range. Muzzle flash and loudness can also lead to flinch in newish shooters. Too many effective cartridges that have low-ish recoil to require buying a blunderbus that required break.

 

[howl]

First off, does he not already have an AR? You can do an awful lot with an AR with a decent scope on top.

As for bolt actions for hunting, all the new guns are good enough these days. Those cartridges are fine, but note any load over about 120gr gets kinda punchy in those lightweight rifles after maybe 20 rounds. Of your list that leads you to 6.5CM.

The places where you can go wrong are the mount and scope. DNZ one piece mounts are fool-proof. Others are great, but fool-proof is fool-proof. That leaves scope.

The place where people tend to go wrong on scopes is too high a magnification on the low end. It's easier to hit something at a little distance with not so much magnification than it is to hit something at short range with too much magnfication. An example of a plenty good all-around scope is Meopta Optika5 2-10x. Another is Leupold 2.5-8x. Pretty much $300+ and not from China gets you good enough. In some cases it's even less.