Am I over thinking my hunting rifle?

Yes, you are overthinking your hunting rifle.

Of course, that's part of the fun.

If I just wanted to kill stuff for food I would use that .308 as is and be done with it.

Beyond that, well, the sky is the limit. I personally would really like one of Weatherby's worked over MK V rifles with all the trimmings, .257 Magnum, guaranteed for half minute accuracy. It won't do me any better for my western hunting than what I've already got, but that's the sort of thing my wife would say to me.

Your 44 would be a disadvantage. The 308 cartridge would not. In 2020 a 308 is shooting the same bullets 100-200 fps FASTER than 30-06 shot those same bullets just a few years ago. With modern optics and the use of a rangefinder a flat trajectory simply isn't nearly as important as it used to be. A 308 is enough gun for anything in AZ and impacts fast enough to be lethal at ranges to at least 400 yards. Be honest about your shooting skills. If you are good enough to consistently hit game animals at 600-700 yards then you could benefit from a magnum cartridge. If you're not that good 308 is just fine. As would many other cartridges. When I came to the realization that about 300-400 yards was the limit to my skills I sold all of my magnum rifle rifles. I kept the 30-06's but haven't hunted with anything other than my 308's for years. I left the 30-06 home and carried one of the 308's to Colorado for elk.

A HS-Precision stock is HEAVY. The only stocks you're going to find that will reduce weight enough to matter are the high end stocks made by companies like Brown Precision or McMillan made from Kevlar. And unless you find a used one it's going to cost $600-$700 for the stock. For $600 you can buy a Tikka in blue, or in SS for around $750. It will most likely be more accurate than the Remington you have and depending on the scope you choose will weigh 7-7 1/2 lbs ready to hunt.

I wouldn't buy a magnum in a lightweight Tikka. A good argument can be made to stay with 308 to simplify your ammo and reloading. Which is probably what I'd do. If you just want to add another cartridge a 6.5 CM will stretch the usable range quite a bit, still be enough rifle for anything in AZ, and recoil closer to 243 than 308.

@gotboostvr I don't think that you are overthinking the hunting rifle for the state that you are living in.
When I moved from Wisconsin to Illinois I needed to switch to a slug rifle. Now in South Carolina I'm going to hunt a season to see what rifle I think will fit the areas that I hunt the best. I'm going to start with my 7mm rem mag. I will also carry a 243 & 270 a few days.
I would recommend that you hunt this season with the 308. After the season you may want to purchase the 280 or 7 mag. You may want to go with the early mentioned 257 Weatherby Mag or something else.

Good luck with your move and safe hunting!

Yep, overthinking it.

Were I in your exact position, I'd put that 700 in an original walnut stock, mount a trim 2-7X Burris of Leupold scope and go hunting. Quit worrying about the minutiae of trajectory and wind drift and get a little closer.

35W

Have several 308's here,mighty fine chambering,and would be a top pick here if limited to one rig,but am not

I'd snag something with less recoil,probably a 243 or 6mmR (have both) and then go kill some coyotes. Good luck with your project.

I kind of like your 280AI idea myself.

If I was hunting coyote to mule deer I would buy a 25-06. I always wanted an excuse to buy one.

Instead of replacing the .308 keep it and maybe go the other direction and get a .243ish type for varmints and antelope

As noted above, something like a .257 Weatherby or .25-06 would maybe span both

The .243 Win has impressed me a lot, killing deer beyond 200 yards, varmints like coyotes at long range, yet is very manageable recoil-wise. It's also quite available in factory ammo with a wide-enough range of bullet weights/types. These days, my favorite cartridges used, in order of most rounds fired are .17 HMR, .223 Rem, .243 Win, and .270. I handload for all the CF cartridges, but shoot more .17 HMR, by far. However, this is Maine and not the more open spaces out West, where long distance is more like 400 yards and beyond. You might want to wait until you get there to make any decision on a new cartridge.

It's fun daydreaming about "what-if" rifles but considering what your .308 is capable of I would stick with it after day dreaming. It will handle about anything you will run into. It's a bit of overkill for coyotes but they will never notice.

just use the .308 and figure out what you'll be doing - and if there's something less than ideal about it, bulk, weight, etc. then it would seem like a time to go shopping. you might also get great input from local shops about what is popular in the area and why after you live there and can just walk in the door.

Keep the 308 and buy a range finder- practice and hike in the thin air out west-
That 308 will do the job- but most guys from east (me included before I lived out west) have a difficult time with range in the west- the animals are bigger and the wide open space makes judging distance off the cuff difficult at first- but practice and you will get it- the range finder will make you get it faster-

Good luck- shoot straight.

I like the Vortex Ranger 1800- my brother is a big Nikon fan-
....I think the Nikon hits back with range faster-

AZ is a big state and varies a lot. I would get out there, see what the hunting options are for you and go from there. Its been a long time since I hunted there but it was a drawing and you had to put in for certain areas as I recall. Buddy who is out there now goes elk hunting when he can but pretty sure that is only every few years as it is a drawing also.

All that to say, its different out there so get settled in and then buy something is my advice. Also, you'll find things out there that you wouldn't find in the east as often as there simply is more long ranges to shoot.

Keep your 308 and use it for 2-3 hunting seasons. If it's not quite working you can modify it or get another gun in a different caliber.

I would keep the .308 for anything "deer" sized. Perhaps do some shaving in weight if you are sure you want to, but this may change the shooting charachteristics for you. I would add a dedicated varmint/light big game rifle. If you're interested in coyote pelts, one of the fast .22s such as .22-250 or one of the new ones would be a good bet. If not interested in coyote pelts, 6 creed, .243, or the good old .25-06 would be cool, and do fine service on longer shooting on some of the smaller big game.

Me, I'd keep the .308...

I was over drooling on GB an hour ago and had to close this tab before I bought it. You might be interested:

(I think the other side has 'Arizona' written all over it ...)



https://www.gunbroker.com/item/876226264

If that 308 shoots that good the way it is and you like using it as a range gun then I wouldn't change a thing. Use it to start, if you decide you don't want to carry the extra weight, pick up something else when you can. I have a couple Rem 700 mountains that are light and shoot great on a cold bore. Pretty sure I got the SS B@C 308 used on GB and added a Leupold vx-3 for less that 1k all together, got the wood 270 for less than that. I also just picked up a used Weatherby Mark V ultra-lightweight for about 800 x/no scope. Both of those are very nice to carry and you should be able to find them in a suitable cartridge.

Guess I get excited when I actually have a reason to buy a new rifle.

When I went to buy my first long range hunting rifle I had to choose between a Ruger 77 in 308 or 243. I chose the 243 & it served me extremely well. At that time I only hunted deer & other medium game. Then I had an unforseen opportunity to hunt big stuff in British Columbia & I had to get something bigger. It was then that I realized that I had made a mistake. I should have gotten that Ruger 77 in 308

There is nothing wrong with having more than one rifle but when you only have one rifle you choose the best for all around conditions. That 243 was my only long range rifle for a long time & I shot that 243 like there's no tomorrow because aside form the fact that it is a very good rifle it is the only thing I had & I shot it a lot. BUT If it had been that 308 I would have been just as good except with it I could have hunted anything in the lower 48.

I ended up buying a new Remington 700 in 7 mm Rem Mag for that hunt & I never needed to shoot that rifle ever again.

For us poor boys an all around rifle must be first on our list. .