$1000 .308 or 7mm.

[browningbps]

OK here is the situation. I told the wife I wanted a rifle. So, she asked me "which one, what caliber". I told her "I dom't know which one I want but it has to be either .308 or 7mm. I May consider other calibers, as long as they have the knock down power to take down moose, elk and mule deer. I really, really, really want a stainless bull barrel". So she says "I'll give you $1000 and if you can find what you want, buy it". So here I sit with $1000 in my pocket and no clue as to what I want.:banghead: I have looked at a couple of Remington 700's in .308 and 7mm that had the mil-spec bull barrel, and they are really nice, I just am not sure what else is available or better that is within my price range. PLEASE HELP.

 

[dakotasin]

a bull barrel is really tough to hunt w/. i'd advise you re-think that plan for a hunting rifle.

for calibers, pick one and run w/ it. i'm a huge fan of the 7 rem mag, but i have killed a bit w/ the 308, as well.

 

[EvisceratorSrB]

You are one lucky man to have been given $1000 dollars...

I personally like the .308 caliber, but have little experience with both 7mm and .308. The .308 is one of the most practical rounds out there with a whole bunch of varieties of ammo to choose from. Can't go wrong there.

 

[Winzeler]

Does the $1000 have to cover the scope, bases, rings?

 

[browningbps]

The $1000 is just for the gun. I already have a Leupold VX-L scope to put on whatever I get. I think I would rather have a .308, but like I said, I am open to other suggestions.

 

[Dale Taylor]

I best buy in my area is Wetherby Vangard, moa Target with rifle, at Walmart for $400. Browning BAR goes for $900. I have havested much with 7MM Mag. [email protected]

 

[ACP]

I agree with Dale. The 7mm RM is significantly more powerful and flat shooting than the .308. The Weatherby Vanguard is an excellent rifle, and I believe it is available with a stainless barrel (check Weatherby's web site). I would also look at a Weatherby Fibermark, which is the aramid fiber/graphite stock also available with a stainless barrel. A little more stable than wood and blued steel in rain/snow/humidity changes. That Leupold VX-L is a heck of a scope and, with its new ocular shape, you will be able to take full advantage of the pwer and reach of the 7mm Remington Magnum cartridge. Just make sure you have a good recoil pad. By the way, CDNN Sports currently has some EXCELLENT deals on Weatherby's -- the boxes are seconds, the rifles are flawless. The one that might interest you is the "stainless magnum" for $699.99; injection molded, raised comb composite stock; 410 stainless button rifled Krieger Criterion lapped barrel; precision tuned factory trigger (Weathwerby triggers are GREAT right our of the box!) and a Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad.

cdnnsports.com

page 27 of the 2006-4 catalog.

 

[vmfrantz]

i shot one but do not own it. a savage 116fcss with staneless barrle. it has a detachable mag and is around 600.00. they have pics at savagearms.com i'd like to get one in 3006

 

[Drewrw]

I highly recommend the 7mm magnum. It is a very very powerful round.

 

[rbernie]

I'll play the role of contrarian and suggest the 308. Why? Because you can shoot it more (and thus practice more) before getting tired of the blast and push, and it's good enough for anything you'll need to do.

I find that I don't mind recoil per se, but that I really don't care for the FLASH!BLAMMO! hysteronics of the magnums. I won't practice nearly as much with a magnum as I would with a less demanding rifle....

 

[dakotasin]

browning- just to re-iterate, the platform is far more important than the cartridge. pick the rifle first - that's the hard part. picking a cartridge is relatively easy.

 

[Houser52]

I went through the same thing you're going through 20 years ago.

Have you considered the 7mm-08? It's a 308 necked down to use a 7mm bullet and it shoots flatter than the 308.
Compare it's ballastics to the 7mm mag. There's not a lot of difference unless you're hunting larger game than deer such as elk, big bears,etc.

If you're sensitive to recoil the 7mm-08 is better. An old gunshop owner said it best for me... he said I'll kill more deer with my 708 than a guy with a magnum 'cause I'll hit what I'm shooting at and not flinch anticipating the recoil.
I have hunted with the 7mm-08 for years and have never lost a deer I shot with it. Complete penetration with broadside shots and quartering away shots using 140 gr Sierra SPBT bullets.

 

[Bottom Gun]

My choices would be .308 and .30-06 since they are both much more versatile than the 7MM.
I would most likely choose the .30-06 because it gives me the option of shooting heavier (220 gr) bullets than the .308. If you hunt game larger than deer, you may want to use the heaviest bullet you can throw.
The .30-06 is also slightly faster than the .308.

Also, if you reload, the belted case of the 7MM Mag is more costly, will usually have a shorter working life, and in general is more costly and difficult to reload.
My .338 Win Mag belted brass has a far shorter life than my .308 or .30-06 brass. The .338 also uses approx 1.5 times the powder charge the .308 and .30-06 use.

Now having said that, if you reload, you could always consider a .338 Win Mag. You could cook up some light loads for deer while you would still have a lot of energy at the high end for your heavier elk, moose and bear loads. if I were going to have only one game rifle and could reload for it, this is the way I would go since the .338 is a better performer on the larger animals.

My first choice for a bolt action rifle would be a Sako. Sako and Tikka are the most accurate rifles I have shot.
Browning BAR would be my choice for a semi auto. Although slightly heavier than a Sako, my BAR will also shoot sub MOA.

 

[hossdaniels]

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=001B&cat_id=035&type_id=032 for a bull bbl, other sporter bbls would be kimber and sako. all around 1k.

 

[steelhead]

Elk, moose, and mule deer?

Caliber: 7MM-08
Rifle: Savage or Remington
Scope: Leupold or Zeiss (3x9)

Scrap the idea of a bull barrel. Won't be anymore accurate and you will get real tired of lugging the extra weight.

If you reload, look at the Barnes 140 grain TSX. It's design allows it to penetrate 28% further than an equivalent lead designed bullet or the same as a 180 grain lead bullet. Also, the Hornady Light Mags (139gr) have clocked out of my Savage at 3002fps.

My Remington 700 (7MM RM) is a safe queen now after having used the 7MM-08 and seen what performance I can get. I will add, however, that I don't shoot past 300 yards and most are under 200. If longer range was needed, I would step back up to the RM.

 

[rangerruck]

cz UHR, it is a 1k setup with a scope made and graded,just for your rifle, in 338 winmag, maybe a couple other cals. they are guaranteed moa out to 1000 yards!

 

[waffentomas]

Nice problem to have.

I have both a .308 (Vanguard), and 7 mag. (Savage). Since I handload, I have a lot of versatility.

No flame to Bottom Gun, but you can load up 220gr bullets with a .308, and I have done so with great success. When I hunt elk and bear in areas where I know the shot won't be much past 150-200 yards, I use a Nosler 220gr and am quite comfortable with it. Only thing is, you do have to use a powder that won't fill up the case too much or the load will compress, and the die will deform the bullet. Bottom Gun is right, though, that the 30 06 is probably a better platform for the 220s, he's also correct about case life. Plus, .308 ammo is cheaper to buy, so you can practice more with it.

I like the .308, and you really can hunt anything with it.

The 7 mag, though, does allow you more versatility with loads. My son uses the 7 mag, and he's all of 110lbs soaking wet. I down load it to .280 (7mm express) levels, and he shoots it fine. I have some long distance loads (full power) for me that shoot to the same windage point, I just have to adjust the elevation for the more powerful load. As you can see, you can do some fun stuff with the more powerful 7 mag. This is a better long range round.

If I had to choose one, I'd take the .308, but they are both great rounds. Let us know what you eventually decide.

Tom

 

[BIGJACK]

Browning A Bolt-30-06

 

[MachIVshooter]

I wouldn't recommend a heavy barrel for a big game rifle. If i had 1k to drop and already had the scope, I'd get a Remington 700XCR, a really nice sling and a good aluminum case.

Though if it were me personally, I'd go for the 700CDL, as I prefer wood and blue.

 

[Pilot]

I echo the positive thoughts on the 7MM-08.

 

[db_tanker]

Go with a CZ-550 308...then go get yourself a good Burris or Nikon scope...


D

 

[AK-74me]

I would think that you would be comparing 30.06 vs. 7mm considering you say you are going to be hunting big game with it. IMO, the 30.06 would be a better choice considering the range of bullet weights that are available. That being said I certainly think that .308 can do the job, maybe just not quite as good as 30.06

 

[ACP]

I will sheepishly admit that I have a 700 LV SF in 7mm-08. But I suggested 7mm RM for the elk, mule deer, etc. thinking he is in high country and may have many long, open shots. Then the extra power and flat trajectory are a benefit over the .308. I live in the NE so I chose 7mm-08. And I agree - ditch the bull barrel idea. Great for the bench, awful for the back and legs in the field.

 

[bearmgc]

I agree on the 7mag. It gets out there with a little more umph. If its gonna be a hunting rifle, buy a moderately price rifle that can handle the weather, not a super duper fancy one. I just spent 2 days hunting deer, one of which was pure scouting ,where the weather turned from rain to snow to sleet in the high country, 2 days of this stuff. And I persisted and got my deer yesterday afternoon. Four changes of clothes and the rifles 2 of them, got a good dousing of nasty weather. Those Savages with the accutrigger in synthetic and stainless which have been touted as very accurate sound like a good idea, or a Tikka, I love mine. Its sub MOA. Just wish I had gotten synthetic and stainless. Had to do a neck shot on the deer, because all he did was stick his head out of the the brush during a snow storm. Tikka was dead on, bang flop.

 

[browningbps]

I have pretty much narrowed it down to either a Weatherby Mark V, Remington 700, Browning A-bolt white gold medallion, or the Sako 75 deluxe in 7mm Remington Mag. And maybe the Tikka T3 Lite stainless steel. Which of these would y'all recommend? I really like the Browning, but I have never actually put my hand on one. Maybe I'll go to Cabela's tomorrow and try to look at one.