[JamisJockey]

I'm going rifle hunting for the first time for deer this fall (done it with a bow more then once). I don't know why, but I'm drawn towards an autoloader...

I live in Utah, and the terrain I'll be hunting will be wooded, and I fully intend to stalk some (sitting still doesnt agree with my ADHD :neener: )
I'm strongly considering .30-06, just because of the commonality of the caliber. Cheap enough I could shoot year round for practice.

Thoughts?

[Art Eatman]

Unless you're a handloader, practice and plinking ammo is much cheaper for a .308 than for a .30-'06.

I have an old Remington 742 in .30-'06, and it has been quite accurate and shown no problems. I put an old Weaver K4 on it, and easily get three-shot groups inside 1.5 MOA. I imagine the 7400 series or suchlike would do.

More money, but the Browning semi-autos have very good reputations.

For sneaky-snake hunting, I wouldn't go with a fixed-power scope over 4X, really. A 1.5x5 or equivalent would work. I'm using a Weaver V3, 1x3, on my 7mm08, but mostly because of the light weight in a walking-hunting gun.

For young and healthy eyes, iron sights are good except they just won't "grow horns" at first or last light.

Just some thoughts...

Art

[ACP230]

I have had good results with an early Browning BAR hunting rifle. I got it many years ago, killed a deer, a coyote and a bear with it. Then I went off to bolt rifles, but kept the BAR.

It shot into an inch and an eighth with Remington 150 grain factory loads when I got it, and still will. It didn't like some surplus .30-06 that I fired in it.

There's a new version of the rifle now, but older ones are still available. They are a bit heavier than some other semi-auto rifles, but shoot well and look good.

[USMC]

308 for the reasons already given.


BUT

You could alway use Pvt. Pyles 50BMG. Just think about what it would do to a rabbit?

:what:

ADHD? How did you ever make it through the Marines?



:scrutiny:


USMC:

[Brian Williams]

I have a Win 70 Classic Compact in 7mm-08 that is a great gun, lightweight, accurate1.25MOA, Sturdy, wears a 3x9 33 Leupold compact scope. I should have gotten a 2x7 compact scope.

[JamisJockey]

I see alot of replies from people back east....do you know if a .308 is big enough for real deer?
:neener:
Seriously, though, I am talking Mulies, 200+ lbs is common. Is .308 enough? I'm not interested in chasing wounded deer....

What about the Remington 7400? Anyone familiar with this gun?

[Bottom Gun]

What Art said. . . .

I also have a 742 Remington in 30-06. It's nice rifle and 30-06 will be adequate for the largest deer providing you do your part.
It won't be quite as accurate as a good bolt action though and it may not stand up to as hot a load as a bolt action will.
I imagine the 7400 and the fancy version which I think is the model 4 (or something like that) will serve you just as well.

You may want to consider a bolt action though because of the strength, accuracy and increased versatility. A good 30-06 bolt action will do for anything from varmints to elk. I often use mine for varmints with 110 and 125 gr bullets and I've taken elk with it using 200 gr Partitions.

If you do decide to look at bolt actions, I'd highly recommend Sako or Tikka.

[Will Fennell]

Atc1man,
I've taken and witnessed the taking of alot of game with 30/06 and .308. Lotsa deer, quite a few black bears, tons[literally] of wild hogs, and a few Elk.

There is not a deer walking that can tell the difference in being hit with a .308 and a 30/06.

Either is plenty of rifle, unless you are planning on sniping game @ ranges that 99% of the hunters inthe USA aren't qualified to be shooting at...... if you like the .308, you'll be just fine with one.

Regarding Autoloaders in these calibers.....while I have quite a few friends that have had good luck with the Remingtons, I had one that wouldn't hardly make it through a magazine without jamming. My local gunsmith reports lots of 742's in for reliability problems. The commercial BAR seems a bit better for reliability, but I've yet to see one with a barely passible trigger, much less a good trigger.

Remember, to get good hits, its all about the trigger.

[cheygriz]

Definitely .30-06 in either a Browning BAR MKll or a Remington 7400.

A good 6X42 scpe can't be beat. I like the Hensoldt, but the Leupold or Nikon would do very nicely.

[SteelyDan]

If I wanted a semi-auto, I'd get a Browning and wouldn't even think twice about it.

[Ullr]

My Grandad's old Browning Grade I BAR spoiled me forever. :) They're awfully nice rifles. If you're planning to do a lot of walking around, you might be better served by a bolt action. It's a lot easier to lighten up a turn-bolt... Heft a BAR, a Rem 7400 and whatever other autoloaders they have in stock. Now ask to see a Rem M7, Tikka M595 or Win M70 (or <fill-in-the-blank-with-non-tactical-police-assault-sniper-military-whatever-of-your-choice>).

As to the caliber question, Will Fennell took the words right out of my mouth. .30-06 can be more versatile if you handload. But if you're planning to shoot factory ammo, .308 Win is the way to go. Cheap NATO surplus (whether you shoot it or not) helps keep prices for this caliber reasonable.

[JamisJockey]

Thanks for the info. There will be alot of walking involved. I guess if I stumble upon a screamer of a deal, it might be a semi auto. Otherwise, I really probably should go bolt.

[Smoke]

I gotta voice for the .308 also. Tons of good cheap ammo out there. Sufficient for most deer.

I also think a bolt gun is better for the purpose, of course an nice little AR-10 puts up a good argument.:)

[PATH]

I am partial to the .30-06. While it is true that there is a plethora of .308 ammo out there I don't know of anyone who puts hundreds of rounds through their deer rifle. .30-06 will take down deer, black bear, and other animals in that weight range. .308 will do pretty much the same but .30-06 is my preference.


I like the Savage package deals where they throw in a free scope. Low price, accurate, and few bells and whistles.
A good value that leaves you money to buy ammo and other things. Well that is my .02 cents. No, I don't work for Savage or have stock in the company.:D

[JamisJockey]

A good friend of mine has a Savage, I'll take a look at those package deals. Money saved on a scope means I can get a trigger job done on it :D

[ReadyontheRight]

I've been happy with my old Remington 740 in 30-06 with open sites for my brush gun. It cycles well enough for deer season, but I wouldn't trust it for a lot of constant shooting or for shots at deer more than 100 yards.

I think you would be happier with a bolt action Browning A-Bolt, Rem 700, Tikka Whitetail Hunter, Savage or any of the other great bolt actions out there. They are just inherently more accurate, solid and easy to clean. They are also a lot easier and quieter to chamber/unchamber a round when climbing trees, jumping creeks, crossing fences, etc.

You should handle as many as you can before you buy, mostly because the safeties are all different. In know the Brownings and the old Rugers have a tang safety. Lots of the others have a Mauser style safety that just doesn't come naturally to me. You should get a gun that is comfortable for you to handle safely.

Can't go wrong with 30-06!

[Smokey Joe]

IMHO: You should be handloading. Any serious rifle shooter should be handloading. The factory can't tune the load for YOUR gun. And that takes care of the expense differential, also.

Having said that, I'll reveal my own prejudice by quoting no less than Col. Townsend Whelan, who held that "For any game in North America, the .30-'06 is never a mistake."

In my neck of the woods the deer run to 200# or more, occasionally. Never hear of one not being downed like a pole-axed steer by a well placed .30-'06, or a well placed .308. Emphasis well-placed. You do your job, the bullet will do its job.

In my experience, generally, the .308 runs neck-and-neck with the .30-'06 out to about 200 yd. Then it begins to drop faster, so long-shot placement becomes more difficult at unknown ranges.

Either cartridge will do you just fine. The shorter .308 fits into a shorter bolt action, which is stiffer, a factor in accuracy. The larger case of the .30-'06 is easier to vary the load for. And so on and on it goes.

I can't imagine wanting an autoloader in preference to a bolt gun, for deer hunting. Heavier, more costly, more little thingies inside to not work, not as inherently accurate.

Just my $ 0.02.

[Zundfolge]

The answer to the ".30-06 vs. .308" question is .300 Winchester Magnum.

However I doubt you'll find it in an autoloader.

[perry]

Winchester mod 70 classic sporter 30-06.Beautiful rifle and a great shooter.For a 200# mulie may I suggest a 180 gr. nosler partition federal premeium.

[cheygriz]

Zundfolge

You can find both .300 WinMag and .338 WinMag in the Browning MKll autoloaders.

I have a .338 Winmag. It's heavy, but it's as accurate as any out of the box bolt action hunting rifle I've ever owned. And it provides .338 WinMag power and performance with .308 recoil.

[redneck2]

if you wanna get real confused...

I've got a 7400 in .35 Whelen. Nearly 338WM power with very moderate recoil. The semi-auto really helps in the recoil department

Shoots 1 1/4" groups with 250 Rem Cor-Loct bullets

Still...if you're gonna get your first and "main" big game rifle, I'd go with a bolt 30-06 or 308. I'd VERY strongly suggest getting whatever you get the best deal on, and spend the remainder on a quality (Leo, B & L, Nikon, Burris, etc.) scope with Butler Creek caps.

In all honesty, as much fun as it is to debate caliber, there isn't a hoot of difference between the effectiveness of any of the "main" calibers, but there can be a ton of difference in scopes

[4v50 Gary]

Another vote for the .308. If you go Remington 700 LTR, you'll have a handy and tough carbine.

[Gewehr98]

Almost too pretty a gun to go tromping through the woods with, but it sure shoots well enough. ;)

http://mauser98.com/barbenchsmall.jpg

[Duke of Lawnchair]

Off topic:

The fellow in Gewehr98's pic is having fun with his Mini... :)

Alrighty, I apologize for stating the obvious...

[Gewehr98]

Pelting me with hot .223 brass.:fire:

[Guyon]

Well, at least he was several tables down. At a public range, I've had buttheads firing off fully auto AKs right next to me.

[Gewehr98]

He was hitting me from that bench, as I was shooting the BAR. And of course, he was letting rip a full magazine at a time, to validate the requirement for the barrel heatshield on that Mini-14.

Wish I had my VZ-52 out there that day, because it spits it's brass quite briskly to the left. :evil:

Lucky for me, he burned through his ammo supply shortly after I took the pic of my BAR, and went home.

[JamisJockey]

Well....after all this used gun shopping, I found a Savage 11FXP3 in .308, with scope (3x9x40), $349.99
Put it on layaway...it'll be all mine in a couple months