If you can afford only 1 Bolt action, which caliber should it be?

Ain't no problem a man can't fix with $75 dollars and a 30-06.

Or something like that somebody said.

rc

30-06.

My late Uncle's dream 30-06 Mannlicher Schoenauer with a 4x German #4 Zeiss. Last one to go even after my F Class .308 or my Pre 64 Model 70s.

Gordon, it really doesn't get any better. That in left hand in 30-06 would be my dream rifle.

Looks like the .308's have the popularity contest.

.308 it will put down just about anything that I can think of in North America at least

You guys have mentioned the Savage Axis and the Hog Hunter (which I belive is a model 11, could be wrong). Which is the better rifle?

TooManyToys said:

.308 or 30.06

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This.
Though I personally lean towards the 30.06.

You guys have mentioned the Savage Axis and the Hog Hunter (which I belive is a model 11, could be wrong). Which is the better rifle?

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I would say neither. The Savage 110 is what you should be looking at.

The axis is a budget gun, but none that I have seen have the accuracy that I would like in going past 600 yards. The Hog Hunter just isn't all that appealing unless you are doing some close up brush hunting.

308 no question. Common, available, powerful, accurate.

All around uses? .308 or .30'06. If you seriously want to get into 1K yard target shooting, you could start in worse places than .300WSM. You will need to invest in some upgrades to get serious at 1K though. Reloading goes a long way too.

allaroundhunter said:

I would say neither. The Savage 110 is what you should be looking at.

The axis is a budget gun, but none that I have seen have the accuracy that I would like in going past 600 yards. The Hog Hunter just isn't all that appealing unless you are doing some close up brush hunting.

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The Savage 11 and the Savage 110 are essentially the same rifle. The only difference being that the 11 is a short action and the 110 is a long action. If he was getting a .308 or similar cartridge, he'd get the 11. If he was getting a 30-06 or similar cartridge, he'd get the 110. Other than that, no difference. Both are better rifles than the Axis. My vote would be a used 11/110 in whatever caliber he chooses. Can be sourced easily for $300 in good shape. Add optics as desired. If he gets serious about competition at 1000 yds, then a barrel upgrade will be in the future. If he's just messing around shooting at that distance, the factory barrel should suffice.

Skip the hog hunter though. That short barrel is no friend of distance shooting. It, like the Ruger gunsight, is a compromise for close quarters hunting and stowage. If you're going to shoot targets, get a full size rifle.

Savage 11/111 series rifles are the blind magazine versions of the 10/110 series.

.30-06

TCBPATRIOT said:

Savage 11/111 series rifles are the blind magazine versions of the 10/110 series.

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Not very sure that is correct. My Savage 110 in .30-06 came with a blind Magazine, as did my 110 in 7mm Rem Mag. I've also seen several 10s that came with blind mags. I own an 11 with blind mag as well. Not certain what the difference between 10/11 and 110/111 is, but its definitely not the magazine (or hasn't always been, maybe that changed recently).

My bad, I meant he should get a Savage 10. The Hog hunter has a shorter bbl and has those dare I say, tacky, iron sights.

No worries. They aren't even iron, BTW, the rear sight is plastic (at least if its the same sight as my 11F, which it definitely appears to be).

Going to buck the wind and go with a 7mm-08. If I was to do custom , 6.5 Grendel in a mini-Mauser or CZ mini action.

For something that will be used for hunting I prefer a 30-06.

If it is just somethign to go to the range for longer range shooting I like a 308.

If it's a combo I'd go with 30-06.

Marlin XL7 30-06.

john wall said:

Ruger Gunsite Scout, 308.

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You won't get close to one of these with $400.

You won't get close to one of these with $400.

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The one at my LGS is just south of $1k.

Nice, but too heavy for a Scout, to my mind.

Only one rifle, you got to go with the 30-06. Very versatile, readily available ammo.

cal30_sniper said:

My vote would be the .308. Go anywhere, do pretty much anything, and be able to find ammo when you get there. It'll perform a lot better at the longer ranges than that .223 will, yet its still not that expensive to reload, and milsurp ammunition will be available again when the scare is over.

I grabbed a Savage 110 in .30-06 for exactly the purpose you're talking about. I chose the '06, because I already have several hundred rounds laying around for the Garand. I've got a Savage 10 in .308 back home, but it doesn't have enough scope for long range (only a Weaver K2.5 for moderate range hunting). It still shoots sub MOA with commercial ammo though, and about 1.5MOA with the surplus 7.62 I have.

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This. Ditto.
Just purchased a Tikka Sporter LH .308 after an eight month wait. Truly a beauty though quite costly. Haven't been to the range yet, but after much consideration, that was my choice. Of course, as a LH'er there are fewer good choices but I would have purchased same even if I was right handed.
The .308 is perfect for bolt action. It's not a 'squeeze off a number of rounds' kind of cartridge but a careful, sighted, breath control kind of thing with range and power. Yet, it's readily available at relatively reasonable prices.
B

.223 or .308, depending on your personal opinions.