Got rifle - What now?

You will be very hard pressed to beat the Savage at its usual selling price points.

Ammo, targets, and a time/place to shoot are all you need now. Try your rifle first with a few different brands of less expensive ammo...You don't need the $25/20 match grade ammo starting out.

A good idea would make or borrow some sand bags to use for rests when you go sight in the gun.

You did not say whether or not you got a scope. Did the Savage come with one? If not, you'll need a scope mount, rings and a SCOPE. How about a sling and sling swivels? A carrying case. Bore snake and or .30 caliber brushes, Scope lens covers- oh and don't forget the camo Savage gimme cap! To steal a phrase from the shotgun forum: BA/UU/R!

The old Ought-six is hard to beat...

Me'n'my trifocals, I'm a scope user. And, a scope lets a fella hunt earlier in the morning and later in the evening than just the iron sights.

I tend to be a Leupold fan. I've mostly used 3x9x40 on my '06s. For hunting use, the high-quality internal adjustments aren't all that important. You just sight in and then forget the adjustments unless things drift off a wee tad for the point of impact. Long-range target shooters have different needs...

Sight in for two inches high at 100 and you're dead on at 200; about six inches low at 300. If you can fairly easily count Bambi's points without binoculars, just point it and pull.

Have fun!

Art

The 06 is the backbone of many a hunter's collection. Shoot a ton, learn to reload, refine your rounds, go collect some back straps for your family!

Plan to move to something better (if warranted) in a couple years.

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You will find many rifles that cost more, but not many that are much better.

With a good '06, there's not much else you need, unless you want to hunt dangerous game in Africa, or varmits domestically.

You can hunt varmits with an '06, but its overkill.

I think you've made a great choice in both gun and caliber. As for cleaning kits, I have an Otis multi-caliber kit. It has cables instead of rods which I find very handy because the whole kit rolls into a little pack that's a little bigger than a small walkie talkie. The rigid rods that Dewey makes are a complete joy to use because of their dual bearings and wide range of lengths, I think if you have somewhere to keep one thats long enough for your gun, they are superior to most of the others. There's a neat gadget that I've seen made by Butler Creek that clamps on to the end of your barrel that creates a "chamber" to catch the spatter from a wet patch coming out of the muzzle. It makes cleaning a lot cleaner process (my wife hates the smell of Hoppes No 9... I don't understand why either!).

I've always used a .22 stainless steel rod with a 2"x2" GI patch. Teflon-coated is probably better, but I'm careful about not hickeying the muzzle; I use a little brass cone to center the rod.

A "Midway's Shooter's Vise" is a handy gadget. It sits happily on the dining table while I clean a rifle, or mount a scope or whatever...

Art

Get yourself a boresnake. When your at the range, shoot 10 rounds and then run the snake thru it to clean the bore. Helps with break in. Also, do a search on 30-06 between here, hunting and reloading and you will get all the info you need.

Get a good .22 bolt action with a scope. Get several cartons of WalMart special .22 ammo, and go to the range. Shoot from the shoulder -- the standing, unsupported position. That will teach you to shoot a rifle.

Too many people buy a rifle, take it to the range, and shoot it off sandbags exclusively and assume that in the woods they'll be able to use it effectively.

I like your choice of the rifle. Accutrigger, I suppose? Those are sweet. The main difference between a $250 Savage and a $1200 Sako in my opinion is the better stock and the excessive pride that will make one's chest puff up, not the game you will hang with either one. I have been eyeing a laminate-stocked Savage for a while now, but I need a bigger safe (and wallet) first, my wife tells me.
I would take this baby to the range and zero it at a 100 yards; then, finish that box of ammo at a 100 to get used to it. If you get annoyed by the noise (can get loud after 20 rounds), go home and come back later to try 200, 300 yards (if you will hunt in the open country). The longer distance will put your scope to a test. I personally don't belong to the croud that frowns unless you have a Zeiss on your rifle. Simmons and Bushnell are just as well suited for hunting, just make sure your particular one works for your distances.
When I get a new (to me) rifle, I can't resist shooting 40-60 rounds through it the first day. Sometimes I get punished. I had a blue shoulder after 40 rounds through a Mosin 38, which puts out a 3 foot muzzle flash. My 14-yr old son gave up after 4 shots, said, he'd rather watch what I can hit A cheap Pachmayr slip-on recoil pad from Walmart took care of that issue right away.

he main difference between a $250 Savage and a $1200 Sako in my opinion is the better stock and the excessive pride that will make one's chest puff up, not the game you will hang with either one

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Lets not get carried away OK

WilddontkidyourselfAlaska

Lets not get carried away OK

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No need to get defensive, it was not an invitation to a fight at all. I said "it is my opinion", which eliminates the assumption that I am pushing it onto anyone else.
Whatever anybody uses, is their own business or preference, and nothing will stop people from speaking one way or another either here or by the campfire in the woods.

Cheers,
P.

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The main difference between a $250 Savage and a $1200 Sako in my opinion is the better stock and the excessive pride that will make one's chest puff up, not the game you will hang with either one.
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I can't disagree with that. I like Randall knives, but I would have to say that a $350 Randall isn't 10 times better than a $35 sporting goods trade knife.

Some of the best hunters in the world are native subsistance hunters, who often use guns the rest of us wouldn't take if you gave them to us.