Best hunting rifle?

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As for the caliber...have you ever watched weaponology on the military channel and seen those man cannons that hurl a quarter pound projectile just under light speed..... you don't need anything like that!
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+1...go with something that will hurl a larger shell, at sub-nuclear velocities...like a six-pounder. :D
 
I think the .450 bushy is a bit light for dangerous african monsters...but that brings up a good point...if you define large game as big-boy dangerous African monsters, then a .458Lott is the only way to go.
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Hah! :D

Most 'deer rifle' calibres are suitable for African plains game, but if he buys a semi-auto he'll have problems taking it there. Perhaps he has no current ambitions to visit Africa, but one never knows ... it isn't all that expensive.

This consideration should not be a 'deal breaker', but all other things being equal it is something to keep in mind.
 
Sorry missed the post where you stated the info about what you need...taking that into account I recant the choice of using a 6lb gun with grape...and think you might do better with a Winchester Model 70 or Browning A-bolt/X-Bolt chambered in .270, .308, .30-06, or the like. I would avoid all the new-fangled WSM rounds, had one, and liked it, but so did the guy I bought ammo from. Not cheap and not worth it IMHO, personally I would lean towards the Win. M70 in .30-06.
 
It's a shame your doesn't understand that only one rifle just wouldn't be enough. :eek:

Synthetic stocks are typically more accurate than wood- unless laminated and bedded.

Light barrels move more than heavy, heavy barrels weigh more than light.

I'd go with a medium heavy barrel, laminated stock.

For the first rifle...

You'll have to convince the wife for the 2nd, 3rd, etc. :D
 
I'll say "what Reid73 said".

The turnbolt action forms the basis of a "general purpose" rifle, for most people, for very very good reason.

You just need to decide caliber, stock type, stock material, barrel profile, barrel length, steel type/finish, bedding type, safety type, recoil pad, trigger type, brand, overall weight. Then decide optics type (probably a scope), ring & base type, and sling.

I might suggest .270 winchester or .280 rem as the best all-around caliber for most people, barrel length of 22", stock type of walnut or fiberglass, bbl contour of light, finish of blued, and one of these brands, roughly in order of preference.

Sako
Steyr
Weatherby Mark V
T/C Icon
Browning A-bolt
CZ (Ceska Zbryovska)
Remington
Tikka
Winchester
Weatherby Vanguard
Savage
Howa
T/C Venture
Stevens
Marlin

But if levergun, pump, or semi-auto grab ya, they can be good all-purpose rifles too.

Do some reading on Colonel Jeff Cooper's "Scout Rifle" concept and look at the Savage 10 FCM Scout rifle and Steyr Scout. This is the rifle type that the late learned Colonel and many others consider to be the perfect all-purpose rifle.

Caliber choice can be a very personal thing for some; for others it's not. Optics are a whole nuther can of worms, and generally speaking you should spend at least as much on the optics as you do on the rifle, and I'd say no less than 1/2 the rifle's cost on a good optic.

PM me if you want to know why I and many love turnbolts the most, and why 2/3rds of my rifles are turnbolts.

-Budget - Open to what is reasonable based on what I find, I don't want the most expensive golf clubs, but don't want the cheapest either. Get what you pay for
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Sorry, but there are many many choices/combinations of scope & rifle in each of several budget ranges. You really have to narrow it down by telling us:

1. Willing to by USED on rifle only, scope only, both, or neither?

2. What's the total budget for rifle, scope, & rings? $300-$400, $400-$500, $500-$600, $600-$700, $700-$800, $800-$900, $900-$1,000, $1,000-$1,250, $1,250-$1,500, $1,500-$2,000, or more than $2,000. Pick one (or at least narrow it down to 2 or 3 price ranges). You can get a darn good Savage/Elite 4200 package for example, that will shoot every bit as good as a Sako/Swarovski package, but without looking as good while doing it.

Good glass can be very expensive, so it's an integral part of the scope/rifle combo choice, and total budget for the package. Some people will go with Savage or Howa to free up more $$ for a Zeiss or Swarovski. Some will go for a Sako or Weatherby, but put a $200 scope on it. It's a matter of personal preference, but we HAVE to know the total budget (approx.) to narrow down to any sort of good reasonable recommendation.
 
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depends on money but for me its the Weatherby Accu-Mark's, i own 7 of them and they are by far the best rifles i have ever owned, but at $1,800 a piece they are a little pricy. but they do shoot and the 30-378wby is the best 30 cal i ever owned.
 
My favorite & "luckiest" rifle is my Tikka T3 lite hunter in 270 Win. It is topped with an older Swarovski AH 3x9x36 This thing is a "death ray" & an animal magnet. Case in point; last hunting season I drew a Idaho Cow elk & Doe mule deer tags in the same unit. I normally bag my doe on the first or second day of the season and maybe every three years I bag a cow elk if I drew. I decided to hunt the first week with my new 300WSM in Remington Model 7. I didn't see diddly squat. On the eighth day I decided to take the Tikka to see if my luck would change. Walking in to the area I spotted 2 large does right at daybreak. I popped one through the rib cage at about 130yds (steep downhill shot) she took a 130 grain Speer Grand Slam and dropped within 30 yds. I have killed more animals with this gun than all my others combined. If the S... ever hits the fan and I am limited to taking only one bolt action hunting rifle this would be my game getting gun.
 
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Said in my best british accent.... hear hear for the 6 pounder with grape! :what:

Savage 116 or 114 30-06-
Tikka T-3 Hunter or Stainless/Syn. 30-06-
Weatherby Sub MOA Vanguard, ditto on caliber-

Those Sub MOA Vanguards are pretty good and the price is nice.
Can't beat the Savage... accuracy and price. Same for the T-3.
 
This is a good discussion ...

In "hunting" rifles I have .308 Win, .300WSM, .300 Win Mag, .45-70 and .45 Colt. I have a bunch of .223s as well but if I were starting over knowing what I know now, my first rifle would be a .30-06 in stainless with a detachable box magazine and synthetic stock. I'd get something like a Savage Weather Warrior with the new AccuStock. Next, add a good quality 6x or variable 3-9x scope with a Boone and Crockett or RZ-600 reticle or any other reticle with windage/elevation holdover stadia. Once you buy the bases, rings, sling and gun case you'll be up around $1300. That's not a top-of-the-line hunting rig by any stretch but it'll last you many, many years and you may never feel the need to "upgrade".

Oh yeah, H2O MAN, that bear is INCREDIBLE!! It really puts us diminutive humans into perspective. :eek:

:)
 
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There's one rifle that fits the "general purpose" description asked for, the Marlin 30-30. I have taken down everything from a hen house raiding raccoon to eight point buck with mine. I never could get a moose tag when I lived in Vermont, yet if I had the 30-30 would have been the chosen tool. This summer the family and I are moving to Washington state, and I would even give that bear a go with my rifle and I will certainly put forth the effort to try when we get there. Lever action is very reliable and the 30-30 round delivers plenty of punch when place with skill. Speaking of placement forget the scope, if your eye sights good a set of iron sights is all that's needed.
 
ive got two 06s(one thmpson center and one 03A3) one win m94 30-30 one win m94 32 spc. win m94 44mag and now a thompson contender in 7-30 waters. all of them are shooters my 06s both of them ive shot sub moa at 100 yds my winchesters are 3/4 to 2in at 100 yards (depending on the day) with my hand loads. the 7-30 sub moa at 100. so depending on what i want to shoot that day is what i recomend. personaly i would stick with something that you could walk into any store and buy ammo for it. (when you can find it now LOL) walmart or any mom or pop shop..
 
.270 Win

I suggest my personal favorite, the .270 Win. For a bolt action, Rem. model 700 and for semi-auto Rem model 7400. The .270 is an all around great caliber, my favorite deer rifle. As far as ammo goes I like Federal Vital Shok 150gr Nosler Partitions, a little pricey but well worth the money.
 
probably the best thing i could reccomend to you is a good bolt action rifle chambered in 30-06. it has the absolout largest range of ammunition made for various types of game on the planet. you can shoot anything from prarie dogs to alaska brown bear with it. it may be a bit light for africa (or a 30 foot away charging bear), but it will kill anything except for the big nasty african dangerous five. and it will kill them as well, but they might kill you before they die. there are a ton of good bolt action rifles out there. you will have to do your homework (and gun shop tryouts) on that. make sure it has an adjustable trigger, weights as much as you feel you can carry all day, and FITS YOU WELL! most standard open sights are not all that good, so if you plan to use open sights, plan on updating them. if not, buy a decent scope, and have it mounted and bore sighted before you bring the gun home. then buy 500 rounds of ammo, and go have FUN!
 
Well with all the info given I'll settle for a rifle that is a 30-06. I guess that narrows down the field a bit. Absolutely right about the suggestions that I need to go to the local shop and try it on. You all have given some great suggestions and recommendations. Spoke to a guy at work that has a Browning 30-06 and he loves it.
 
Hard to go wrong with a Browning A-bolt. But I might also suggest looking at the T/C Icon "Classic" which comes in long-action calibers such as .30-'06. Beautifully finished rifle; superbly accurate by most accounts. A little pricey, but still a good value it seems to me, and not much more than an A-bolt or X-bolt.

http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/icon.php

These have a 1 MOA accuracy guarantee, great trigger, jeweled bolt, 60 degree bolt throw, nice heavy bolt, 5R rifling, and a nice fit & finish as mentioned.

Or for that matter, the economy version of the Icon, the "Venture".

Another excellent choice in my book is the CZ 550 - almost equal quality to the Icon, for quite a bit less $$. I have 1 of these and would like a few more.


.30-06 is of course an excellent caliber choice, as would be .270 win, .280 rem, .308 win, .260 rem, 7mm-08 rem, and a few others; maybe even .243 win.
 
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personally I would lean towards the Win. M70 in .30-06.
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I agree completely. They're not called the "Rifleman's Rifle" for nothing. I've got 3, .243, .30-06, and 7mm Magnum. The .30-06 will easily dispatch anything in N. America without being overkill on the deer.
 
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