Saintserious
Member
- Joined
- May 31, 2017
- Messages
- 1
Ive been looking around at options for my first hunting rifle, and man there are a lot of choices. I don't have any hunting or rifle mentors to help me make a choice so all feedback will be very helpful.
I will be hunting the Adirondack Mountains so I'm looking for a fast handling, compact rifle, under 8lbs, 10 round magazine preferred, and stainless steel to handle long stays in the woods.
Regarding sight choice; Due to the denseness of the forest here I don't envision the chance of a shot past 200 yards, more than likely all Deer will be engaged within 100 yards. For these requirements in distance I feel a co-witnessed iron sight/red dot suits my needs best for quick target acquisition, in potentially low light, as well as quick follow up shots.
Caliber; Since this will be my first rifle I am concerned about .308 in a lightweight setup giving me a case of trigger flinch, but would like this rifle to maintain the ability to kill any possible Pig, Elk, Moose, or Bear it could encounter in the future. From my readings I've come to the 6.5, 7mm, and .270 as three calibers to possibly fill my needs. My reading has me leaning towards the 6.5, I realize it has a reach well beyond my current range needs but I like the idea of being able to slap on a scope in place of my red dot and be ready for longer distance Elk hunts.
Now that my rifle purpose has been laid out, let's talk rifle models. I have 4 or 5 ideas rattling around and they are as follows.
1. Savage Axis in 6.5 stainless.
-Pros:Cheap, Stainless
-Cons:No iron sights, would need MDT chassis upgrade to accept 10rd mags, non threaded barrel, poorly rated trigger.
2. Ruger American Predator in 6.5
-Pros: Cheap, medium weight barrel, threaded barrel
-Cons: No iron sights, not stainless, needs MDT chassis for 10rd mags
3. Ruger Gunsite Scout in 6.5
-Pros: iron sights, threaded barrel, forward scope rails, 10rd magazine
-Cons: Not stainless, double the initial cost of Axis or American
4.Tikka T3X CTR Stainless 6.5
-Pros: Stainless, 10rd mag, medium weight barrel
-Cons: no iron sights, most expensive option.
5. Buy a used rifle in .270 or 7mm that is potentially stainless, and has iron sights, that can be mounted into an MDT chassis and expanded to 10 round mags.
6. Your recommendations
I'd like to keep this rifle right around $1,000. Thanks everyone!
I will be hunting the Adirondack Mountains so I'm looking for a fast handling, compact rifle, under 8lbs, 10 round magazine preferred, and stainless steel to handle long stays in the woods.
Regarding sight choice; Due to the denseness of the forest here I don't envision the chance of a shot past 200 yards, more than likely all Deer will be engaged within 100 yards. For these requirements in distance I feel a co-witnessed iron sight/red dot suits my needs best for quick target acquisition, in potentially low light, as well as quick follow up shots.
Caliber; Since this will be my first rifle I am concerned about .308 in a lightweight setup giving me a case of trigger flinch, but would like this rifle to maintain the ability to kill any possible Pig, Elk, Moose, or Bear it could encounter in the future. From my readings I've come to the 6.5, 7mm, and .270 as three calibers to possibly fill my needs. My reading has me leaning towards the 6.5, I realize it has a reach well beyond my current range needs but I like the idea of being able to slap on a scope in place of my red dot and be ready for longer distance Elk hunts.
Now that my rifle purpose has been laid out, let's talk rifle models. I have 4 or 5 ideas rattling around and they are as follows.
1. Savage Axis in 6.5 stainless.
-Pros:Cheap, Stainless
-Cons:No iron sights, would need MDT chassis upgrade to accept 10rd mags, non threaded barrel, poorly rated trigger.
2. Ruger American Predator in 6.5
-Pros: Cheap, medium weight barrel, threaded barrel
-Cons: No iron sights, not stainless, needs MDT chassis for 10rd mags
3. Ruger Gunsite Scout in 6.5
-Pros: iron sights, threaded barrel, forward scope rails, 10rd magazine
-Cons: Not stainless, double the initial cost of Axis or American
4.Tikka T3X CTR Stainless 6.5
-Pros: Stainless, 10rd mag, medium weight barrel
-Cons: no iron sights, most expensive option.
5. Buy a used rifle in .270 or 7mm that is potentially stainless, and has iron sights, that can be mounted into an MDT chassis and expanded to 10 round mags.
6. Your recommendations
I'd like to keep this rifle right around $1,000. Thanks everyone!