Looking for the right Bolt Action Rifle to hunt with next season. Preferably a .308 or a .30-06. Was thinking a Remington 700. Thoughts?
Printable View
Looking for the right Bolt Action Rifle to hunt with next season. Preferably a .308 or a .30-06. Was thinking a Remington 700. Thoughts?
What will you be hunting?
mule deer, elk, hopefully white tail back in the mid-west
Hard to go wrong with a Rem 700. My favorite rifle is a Ruger M77 chambered in 280 rem. I also like the Savage rifles...very accurate out of the box.
30-06 and 308 are fine rounds and will take any game you list. Some prefer the Magnum rounds (7mm, 300, 338) for elk. I would tend to shoot something you are comfortable with, that has an ease of ammo acquisition. 30-06 is hard to beat on that basis. Every little gas station/convenience store in the midwest sells 30-06 ammo.
Savage also makes very good rifles. I have the 111 hunter in 30-06. Paid $400 shipped.
30-06 is a good round for a lot of hunting, and a Remington 700 is hard to beat for the price. Savage are good too, my .300 win short mag is a savage. I have a 30-06 Rem 700 that I bought for my wife's oldest until he decided he'd rather shoot stuff on the xbox than be bothered going hunting.
I am a big fan of the Remmie 700 due to its flexibility in the aftermarket to customize and upgrade it to your heart's content. Still, when it came to getting a new hunting rifle, I settled on the 30-06 in a Thompson/Center Icon (http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/icon.php). Went with the Weathershield model and I don't think there is a better value available. The T/C Icon took both a buck mule deer and cow elk this past season.Quote:
Originally Posted by cincy_stripes
FN-FAL :D
My first was a Savage 111 in 30-06, a little cheaper than the 700 with the packaged scope even. Scope was kinda crap but I threw it on my 22 anyway and bought a burris for the 06. I think remmy has one or 2 closer in price to the savages now though.
Get a 30-06, ammo is available even in these crazy times, plus lots of good used rifles available at decent prices. If picking up a new one, think about the Weatherby Vanguards, very underated with great out of the box accuracy.
While I love my Remington 700, had I not got a good deal on it (bought it from family) I would have probably gone with a savage. My dad has the model 110 in 7mm mag and I like it a lot, plus some savage models have the accutrigger.
All of these rifles mentioned are good choices, though the FN-FAL might not be what you want to take on that hunting trip, all kidding aside though, no matter which rifle you go with I would get one with a polymer stock. I like wood stocks just as much as the next guy, but after a few years of use and abuse they can be a pain in the ass.
I have a Savage 11 11FPX3 with the accutrigger in 308 win that I use for deer. Love the trigger and out of the box with lighter (147 gr or 150 gr) bullets shoots great groups. It doesn't much like the 180 gr bullets for whatever reason.
I see you're in the Fort. Gannett Ridge has a Tikka T3 in .30-06 for a reasonable price. I have the same rifle in .308 and love it. Tikka's are light and very accurate out of the box.
I'm partial to Browning x-bolt in 30-06, 270, or 300WSM.
Rifleman's rifle, winchester model 70. Hopefully you plan to boycott colorado hunting this year, and spend your money elsewhere.
I like weatherby vanguards. I have one on 06 that has two elk to its credit. I would look at going to a 270 though, it will do almsot everything an 06 will do, and is a bit more versatile for game like pronghorn.
I say go with a Savage, Weathery Vanguard, Rugers, or Tikka. 30-06 or 270 is my .02
This is what I am going to be running this season but in .300 mag. Pics will follow once I get my scopes mounts from LaRue. Along with some cool swag I am hoping.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stevensje
I'm partial to synthetic stocked rifles. They don't show the dings and scratches so much and you don't have to worry about the point of impact changing due to weather related issues that wood-stocked rifles may have.
I've got a Mod 70 in .30-06 that has never failed me, so I'm kinda partial to that caliber.
Find a rifle that fits you and one you feel comfortable with. That is the rifle you should buy. Also, don't go cheap on optics. You get what you pay for.
Can you do Elk with .270?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Irving
If you mean is a .270 a big enough bullet/caliber to harvest an elk, the answer is yes.
270 yes it works great on elk, see jack O'Connor, i looked for a picture and couldn't find one quickly of elk taken with a 270. Generally for a 270 Win, use a 130-140 grain bullet, say Barnes.
Diameter wise it is only 0.007" smaller than a 7mm (0.284 -2.77).
Yes, but many hunters still prefer 30-06. Ammo availability and power to go after even bigger beasts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Irving
Sent from my DROID Pro using Tapatalk 2
Another 30-06 fan here. You've got a lot of great choices in rifles even at the low cost end today. Personally, I'm looking hard at the Ruger American Rifle for my first bolt gun. I hunted last year with an M1 Garand. :)
Btw - I will be boycotting CO for hunting this year.
I think I know what caliber I want, but any recommendations on which 700 model to get? All the variations are a little overwhelming for this rookie. I would be using this to hunt deer and elk.
I know/knew many old timers in MT that the .270Win was/is the only hunting rifle they own. I guess by the piles of elk/deer antlers in their yards, sheds, garages, it worked well.Quote:
Originally Posted by zulu01
Myself, I have .270, .308 and .30-06 and have used each to take deer and elk.
Normally those are calibers that ammo can be found at nearly every sporting goods store/department across the nation at reasonable prices.
I have a Rem 700 BDL in .243 from 1973 and a Rem 700 ADL synthetic stock in .30-06 from 1997. I am hoping to convert the ADL to BDL at some point.
As an alternative you may want to look at a Winchester Model 70, Weatherby Vanguard 2 and Howa 1500.
I have a Win 70 Featherweight in .270 that is rock solid and a tack driver. Also have a Ruger M77 in .270 that shoots better than the Win. I'm partial to 140gr bullets for these.
I also have a Howa 1500 stainless in .308 that can keyhole 7 shots at 100 yards. I like 150gr here.
The -06 I shoot 150, 165 and 180 gr.
Yep, more confusion. :)
I have a Ruger M77, CZ 527, Remington 700, and a Browning BAR. I have shot other people's Browning A-bolt and a Tikka. I like them all. Really it comes down to your price point and the features you want.
30-06 is the most versatile round.
There are way too many variations of the model 700 right now, IMO. Couple that with their website, the last time I visited it, half of the million models offered were discontinued. I would suggest a look at the winchesters. Look at any of the new M70s, or even the model 70 classics that were made from the 90s and up. Ive had nothing but good luck with them and their accuracy. Browning Xbolts are also pretty decent. There are a lot of other rifle brands to consider, and if you still want to be like everyone else, and carry a m700, then look at the CDL, or CDL-SF. Personally, M70 featherweight would be the rifle to get IMO, and if you dont like it, Ill buy it off your hands lol
Hope this isn't a totally stupid question but what is ADL vs. BDL vs. CDL vs. SPS and so on. I am looking at Remington's shitty website and I can't figure out exactly what the differences are beyond the obvious stock materials and such. While I'm asking newbie questions, what makes a gun a varmint version?[panic]Quote:
Originally Posted by losttrail
Mostly different barrel lengths, stocks, and finishes. Varmints all have a heavy or semi heavy barrel (bigger around).
As a DI told us going through BT, the only stupid question is the one that is not asked. But stupid people sometimes ask questions. From your questions, you are not a stupid person.Quote:
Originally Posted by zulu01
Remington has gone insane with far too many versions of the 700.
ADL - Basic version. Synthetic stock, usually a matte finish on the steel. Does NOT have the hinged floor plate that allows for unloading the magazine out the bottom of the rifle.
BDL - Used to be the top of the line model, still up there. Wood stock, checkered and engraved. Blued finish, has the hinged floor plate.
CDL - Similar to BDL, subtle differences
SPS - don't know.
Varmint - Larger diameter barrels, longer barels, usually synthetic stocks.
Honestly, while I love the two 700's I have, if I were looking for a new hunting rifle, I would be looking at Winchester Model 70, Ruger M77, Weatherby Vanguard Series 2, Howa 1500 and possible Savage 110 or 111.
IMHO Remington has lost a notch or two from what they were even 20 years ago much less what they were in the '60's and '70's.
Varmint guns typically have heavy barrels to manage heat from shooting better, and are usually in 223, 22-250, and calibers similar. I'm a little rusty on remingtons, but their BDL was a pretty shiny stock with white spacers and rifle sights on top, and drilled/tapped for a scope. CDL is a more conservative look, ditching the gawdy white spacers, no rifle sights, cleaner look IMO. ADL used to be a basic wood stock with a blind magazine(no bottom metal) with sights, but I think now its just a blue/synthetic stock combo, entry level m700. SPS is a synthetic/stainless gun, I think. CDL SF is a CDL stock'd gun, stainless with a fluted barrel. Of those listed, the CDL and CDL-SF are the two that appeal to me most. I would handle other brand guns as well, and see what you like best. Too many buy into the remington BS that they are the most accurate guns out of the box, and everything else is junk. Truth is, their push feed system and weak extractor has no advantage over other guns out there.
I'd add Tikka T3 Lite to that list. Light, accurate, affordable; what's not to like.Quote:
Originally Posted by losttrail
Just picked up a Vanguard in 30.06 a few weeks back. I'd narrowed it down to that or the TC Venture. Can't wait to get to get out to the range and try it out. I've read nothing but good about them both...Quote:
Originally Posted by Jherexx
The rem 700, win model 70, and ruger m77 are some of if not the best selling rifles in the last 40 years. I personally shoot rem 700 and weatherby mkv. The vanguard is a howa and the howa is a japan rifle, and I Personally won't send my money that direction. People can say what they want about the 700 but let's face facts, the Remington 700 is the most widely used and cloned action for everything from hunting rifles, custom build, military sniper platforms and competition rifles in the country. Take it at face value but that says a lot to me about the design, quality and durability.
i'd go with a savage long action, 110 for a blind mag, 111 for a mag, your call. The kewl thing about a savage is that it's cheap to rebarrel to a different caliber...
There are a couple of Savage .30-06s on Armslist right now for $350 or less.Quote:
Originally Posted by buckshotbarlow
^^^^^THIS^^^^^Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave
Is there an advantage to a fluted barrel? I imagine there is some weight savings, but any other reason to get one besides it looks cool?