A few questions about rifles

[Settostun]

Ok, I'm in the market to buy a new hunting rifle in the next few months that I would like to use for deer and wild hogs in east Texas (Dense undergrowth) and I have a few questions.

1.) I've heard quite a few good things about Savage firearms. Is there a discernible difference between a savage that's 100 cheaper than a remington of the same caliber? (As far as reliability, quality, etc)

2.) What's a good all around caliber for the type of hunting I previously described? I've heard that 7mm is gaining popularity but I've also heard that it can damage meat pretty badly.

3.) Is it worth to go with a mag? (Considering the wild hogs)

 

[BlackSky]

30-06 in a Browning BAR. 150 grain for Whitetail, 180 for Mule Deer, 200 for pigs.

 

[surjimmy]

If you hit any game in the shoulder with just about any caliber, your going to cause meat loss. If you put your round behind the shoulder and hit the heart and lungs, you should be just fine. How far do you think your longest shot will be? If it's for dense brush and not over 150 yards (Max) I would go with a Marlin Guide gun in a 45/70.

 

[courtgreene]

my savage was more than 100 dollars cheaper than my remington and it is also a better rifle (I sighted them both in today, so I can attest that my statement is still apt). Personally, I think a .308 or .30-06 is fine for most hunting, I prefer .308 and you may not. Mags aren't needed for your stated purposes.

 

[Settostun]

Probably not over 150 in my current hunting location though I'd like the option for the possibility later on. And yall have to understand I'm very inexperienced. I'm only 22 and me and my dad haven't had much time in the past to hunt, but I'm really wanting to get into it. And on some things I have no idea what you're referring to. Like grains. I am lost when it comes to picking that out. Like in a 308 what would be the ideal grain for whitetail and the ideal grain for hogs?

 

[H&Hhunter]

Here's my $.02 on the subject. Get a .308 or a .30-06 or if it floats your boat a 7MM. But don't go switching bullet weights for different game. Sight your rifle in with one weight and one type of bullet and go kill stuff.

In the .308 I'd go with either a 165 gr or a 180 gr bullet. IN the .30-06 I'd go with a 180 gr bullet and in the 7MM use a 160 gr bullet.

That way you only need to sight in once your hold will be identical no matter what you are hunting. To many variable make for misses K.I.S.S (keep it simple stupid) has always worked for me.

If you are going to use factory ammo I'd look no further than the Remington Corelokt for all three choices.

 

[avs11054]

Probably not over 150 in my current hunting location though I'd like the option for the possibility later on. And yall have to understand I'm very inexperienced. I'm only 22 and me and my dad haven't had much time in the past to hunt, but I'm really wanting to get into it. And on some things I have no idea what you're referring to. Like grains. I am lost when it comes to picking that out. Like in a 308 what would be the ideal grain for whitetail and the ideal grain for hogs?

"grains" is how bullet weight is measured. The bigger then grain, the heavier the bullet. As far as what grain you should use, I'm not too knowledgeable on that. But I do believe the most common .308 size bullet is 150 grains. Although I'm sure you could go bigger or smaller too

 

[H&Hhunter]

settostun,

Grains are a unit of weight measurement. There are 438 grains to an ounce. We use Grains to measure bullet weight. When someone tells you that they are shooting 180 gr bullets that is the weight of the actual projectile, the bullet, not the weight of the whole cartridge.

The bullet weight will be on the box of ammunition that you purchase usually on the ends of the box.

 

[bison]

I agree totally with H&Hhunter - get a good all-around gun (I'd go with a 30-06) and then just pick one round that works for everything and stick with it. The difference in zero at 100 yards between one round and another can be an inch or more, double that (or even more) at 200 yards. It's not worth re-zeroing your gun when you change what kind of critter you're hunting for if you're just starting out. Later on you'll have a whole safe full of different guns for all sorts of applications!

I'd suggest you look at the Tikka T-3. It's not a pretty gun but is inexpensive, can take a beating, and my 270 Win is a real tack driver. Get that in 30-06 with cheap Core-lokt ammo in 165 or 180 grains and you'll be able to drop any of the critters you mention. Most rifles will out-shoot their owner, so don't over-think the accuracy issue. The real difference between a $1000 gun and a $300 gun is look and feel rather than accuracy or reliability.

Magnums will just beat up your shoulder and make you flinch when you shoot, destroying your aim. Stick with the basics at first.

 

[Grumulkin]

Ok, I'm in the market to buy a new hunting rifle in the next few months that I would like to use for deer and wild hogs in east Texas (Dense undergrowth) and I have a few questions.

1.) I've heard quite a few good things about Savage firearms. Is there a discernible difference between a savage that's 100 cheaper than a remington of the same caliber? (As far as reliability, quality, etc)

2.) What's a good all around caliber for the type of hunting I previously described? I've heard that 7mm is gaining popularity but I've also heard that it can damage meat pretty badly.

3.) Is it worth to go with a mag? (Considering the wild hogs)

1. I've also heard quite a few good things about Savage and if I were in the market for an economy bolt gun in a standard chambering, I would buy a Savage over a Remington but those with personal experience with Savage rifles could best advise you on this.

2. The key to damaging or not damaging meat is the bullet and the placement thereof. The particular cartridge shooting the bullet is the least important part of the equation. For less meat damage, go with a heavier and/or tougher bullet and take neck shots.

3. What is a "mag?" My 458 Lott shoots a cartridge longer than a 458 Win. Mag. and has a belt but it's not called a magnum. The 300 RUM has no belt but is called a magnum. The 224 Weatherby Magnum has a belt and yet in regards to power and recoil is extremely similar to the 22-250 and 220 Swift neither of which are called magnums.

When efficiency, power, cost of reloading components, etc. are considered, I consider the 7mm Remington Magnum to be the king of the 7mm Magnums. I don't think recoil is any worse than a 30/06 and the range is better. If you select the right bullet (say Barnes or one of the 160 or so grain offerings from Hornady) you'll have a long range accurate hammer that will get the job done without excessive meat damage. Of course, as others have said, a 308 or 30/06 would also be quite good for what you want to do.

 

[interlock]

good advice

Here's my $.02 on the subject. Get a .308 or a .30-06 or if it floats your boat a 7MM. But don't go switching bullet weights for different game. Sight your rifle in with one weight and one type of bullet and go kill stuff.

In the .308 I'd go with either a 165 gr or a 180 gr bullet. IN the .30-06 I'd go with a 180 gr bullet and in the 7MM use a 160 gr bullet.

That way you only need to sight in once your hold will be identical no matter what you are hunting. To many variable make for misses K.I.S.S (keep it simple stupid) has always worked for me.

If you are going to use factory ammo I'd look no further than the Remington Corelokt for all three choices.

this is good advice. i will often advise a .308 win with 150 or 165gr bullets. use standard softpoints and just one bullet wieght that will kill everything.

interlock

 

[Hangingrock]

The Savage series bolt action rifles are extremely cost effective designs. For a long-long-long time Savage dwelled in the house of the least aesthetically pleasing. Functionality was never a problem. Thru a marketing strategy of advocating the positive, accuracy being a primary attribute and refinement of manufacturing processes they’ve steadily achieved their good reputation & regained market share.

As for caliber the conventional wisdom has been the tipping point in favor of the 30-06 over the 308Win as been 180gr and heavier bullets velocities.

I have no experience what so ever with the 7mm-Mag.

 

[sansone]

savage is a fine rifle. so is remington. what's in your wallet?.. if you have sons or a wife that shoots, whatch out for mule-kick recoil if you want them to shoot with you

 

[jnoonan22]

For further clarification of bullet weight, previous posts mentioned to pick a bullet weight and stick with it. For instance, .30-06 has common weights of 150, 168, and 180. These would all provide plenty of killing power for most north american game. Just so you know, when you sight-in (zero) your scope using one weight, if you switch weights (say from 150 to 180) your sighting will be off. It may only be off slightly or it could be significant. That's why prior posts say to pick a weight and stick with it. Good luck.

 

[waffentomas]

Agree with HH and others.

.308 is a perfect caliber for your needs. I have a cheap Weatherby Vanguard that I load up 180gr bullets for mule deer, black tails, elk and deer, smacked a few coyotes with it too. I don't like changing bullet weights. You waste time, and money re-zeroing. It can be kind of fun to mess around with different weights and bullet designs, but nothing beats pulling a rifle out of the case, and not wondering if you have the right load for the game you are chasing.

My son, who is 21, uses a Savage 7mm mag and it is an excellent rifle. It's not quite as accurate as the Weatherby, but I watched him shoot a 4 shot group of 1.65 inches at 200 yards before we went out this year, so it's more than accurate enough for hunting. I load up 160gr bullets for his rifle. It's really the perfect bullet weight for that caliber...it can lay out anything in the lower 48 with ease.

.30-06 or .270 are also perfectly good for you.

Good luck. Good hunting. Enjoy your time with "pop".

 

[kludge]

7mm-08, .30-06, .270, .308 would all work nicely... but I'm going to go against the grain...

In dense brush, what is your realistic typical shot range? 75 yards? Would 150 yards be a long shot?

I would be tempted by a lever action in .35 Remington. With the 200gr FTX it's a solid 200 yard gun, maybe 250, without all the blast and recoil. Also the 200gr Round Nose Hornady Interlocks and Remington Core-Lokt are proven deer getters.

Or if I might need a good solid 250-300 yard shot at times, and drop those hogs like the "hammer of Thor" (I always wanted to say that in a thread ) why not a Browning BLR or a 22" bolt gun in .358 Winchester with spire points bullets? (225gr SGK, 200gr Interlock SP). The .358 Win would probably be a reloading proposition to get the most from your rifle.

 

[Liberty1776]

Here's my $.02 on the subject. Get a .308 or a .30-06 or if it floats your boat a 7MM. But don't go switching bullet weights for different game. Sight your rifle in with one weight and one type of bullet and go kill stuff.

In the .308 I'd go with either a 165 gr or a 180 gr bullet. IN the .30-06 I'd go with a 180 gr bullet and in the 7MM use a 160 gr bullet.

That way you only need to sight in once your hold will be identical no matter what you are hunting. To many variable make for misses K.I.S.S (keep it simple stupid) has always worked for me.

If you are going to use factory ammo I'd look no further than the Remington Corelokt for all three choices.

Wow - I've been hunting 40 years and you nailed it dead right on... (I was just thinking this weekend too, about how the first time I went hunting I used Corelokts, and this year ? - yep, still usin' em...