Laminate/stainless

[conhntr]

Im looking for a new hunting rifle. Already have a 22hornet, 223, 243, 30-06, 308, 303, 30-30, 45-70, about a dozen 22lr/wmrs and a couple i dont remember

i see two mager "holes" in my lineup. Something in the 264/7mm/300 magnum class for long range which i dont shoot at big game over 300 yards so the 308/30-06 can handle that

i do primarily whitetail hunting but have an "adventure" hunt savings account and have a maine (moose) and colorado (whatever i can find near my brothers new house) in the near future. Hopefully alaska at somepoint but africa aint hapPening

anyway i think the other hole in my lineup is a 338winchester. Ive always wanted one, its big enough for anything im going to do, but small enough to practice economically and get field experience on whittails here before i go on these big$ hunts

so what i want is 24" stainless 338 in a laminate stock at around 8lbs plus scope

my go-to savage doesnt seem to have one in their lineup Anymore but i guess i could get the plastic and swap out an aftermakret laminate


This wont be a target gun but i want THREE shot cold clean barrel groups within 1" of poa. I dont care how it will shoot 5shots fouled and warm just care about the first couple close to poa

 

[hardluk1]

You could take a good look at Howa rifles. No laminate but SS and you can get a 338 or 375 an have a box stock afordable rifle that can out shoot most.

 

[375shooter]

There is the Ruger Sporter - .338 WM Stainless Laminated - 8.25lbs.

 

[conhntr]

But i dont think the ruger can meet my accuracey requirements

 

[CraigC]

Don't dismiss Africa if it's something you really want. You can do a hell of a lot of hunting on the dark continent for what it costs for many domestic hunts for a single trophy. $5000 will get you the hunt of a lifetime and four or five trophies.

 

[longdayjake]

But i dont think the ruger can meet my accuracey requirements

How much are you looking to spend? The ruger can pretty much match anything in and a little over its price range. Sure every now and then someone gets a lemon but my bet is this is true with every manufacturer. If you want bench rest accuracy from your hunting gun my guess is you are going to need to put an aftermarket barrel on it no matter which platform you use.

The ruger can pretty much match a similar model 700 in the accuracy department. Some folks think they can't shoot well, but I own two and have shot two others that are all extremely accurate. I wouldn't have bought more than one if they were all crap. I have worked on the triggers though as they definately needed a little help but there is nothing wrong with their barrels.

 

[conhntr]

Like i said 3 cold cleanbore shots within 1" of poa. Ive had one ruger 77 in 308 and it would not shoot to poa for me. It grouped abou 1" but would be on a different place on the paper whenever i took it out. I think its the bedding system they use

i already Have a vx3 3.5-10x40 for the gun. Im planning on making it my go to gun so im willing to spend a bit on it. I was considering selling a few and putting together about 1000 and look at a sako or tikka

 

[Maverick223]

I am a little confused, you say that you don't hunt big game at long range, but you mention several long range magnums and a possible very large game hunt in the future. Would this rifle be for such a hunt or for long range target use. If it is the former a .338-06A-Square, .338WM, .35Whelen (or Brown-Whelen), 9.3x64Brenneke, or .375H&H would be a good choice (FWIW I prefer the last three for the big stuff). OTOH, if you are looking for a target rifle you may want to look at something that will be a little easier on the barrel, and your shoulder. The .260Rem. is a great choice, but a .280Rem. or .300WM wouldn't be too shabby either.

 

[Abel]

Like i said 3 cold cleanbore shots within 1" of poa.

That's not hard for a Ruger. You will be the bigger limiting factor, not the gun.

 

[longdayjake]

That's not hard for a Ruger. You will be the bigger limiting factor, not the gun.

He mentioned that his m77 can shoot 1" groups but the groups move every time he takes it out. Though this sounds more like a scope issue to me, there is a slight chance that his gun magically points in different directions based on how humid it is outside.

Hint: If your zero is changing then it is most likely your scope.

My guess is that he is just looking for something other than a ruger. If it were me and I wasn't looking for a laminate stock I would just buy a new winchester model 70. They are just so pretty.

 

[conhntr]

It yad a vari-x ii 3-9 leupokd that has been on a few others since never had an issue with the scope. Ive given ruger a chance bought 5 of then and have never been 100%happy with any