General Purpose rifle

[C-grunt]

I'm thinking for my next rifle I want a general purpose bolt gun. By general purpose I'm talking something that can take big game (deer and elk size), accurate enough to stay on a silhouette out to 600 yards and easy to carry. Basically I want a hunting rifle that is also a "scout rifle".

I want a capable round that very easily found at any gun store. Therefor my thought is 308, 30-06 or 270. 308 is my favorite and I already load for it however the recent ammo crisis has made the 30-06 and 270 look very enticing.

I want a controlled round feed bolt and am mainly looking at the Model 70 with Ruger rifles being an option.

Optics is where I'm really kind of struggling deciding what I want. 1-4, 3-9 and 2.5-10 all have their appeal. I am pretty sure it will be a Vortex Viper though except if I go 3-9 then there are a few Leupolds I like. Though I also think a fixed 4 power would work as well.

What do you guys think? Anything to add or replace that might be a good option?

 

[Jackal]

My go to big rifle has always been a Ruger M77 30-06 with a 2-5x Pentax. Not fancy, but it always works. Its dropped a few elk without a hiccup and a few coyotes too. Its that rifle you reach for when you NEED an animal dispatched and you know its going to hit where you point it, seemingly regardless of how many times you have dropped it in the mud, on rocks, off fallen/downed trees (they make good bridges over or through 6ft tall salal), etc.

 

[BCRider]

Well, .308 and .30-06 both share the same size bullet so if supplies are tough then it'll be the same for either one.

On the other hand .308 is likely the most produced bullet in America. So you may not be able to score your preferred weight or style but you SHOULD be able to find something to stuff into the mouths of your cases. At worst you'll need to sight in some variations.

 

[joed]

I like the idea of the .270 the best. Of all my rifles the only one that I never had a problem finding components for is the .25-06 Rem. My other rifles are popular cartridges and components were scarce.

 

[sappyg]

General purpose rifle could mean a lot of of things to a lot of people and places.
Just recently hunted a ranch in West Texas and used the rifles available on the ranch. I had a choice of 20 rifles. They were all 270 Winchester Remington ADL Walmart specials with Leupold rifleman 3x9 scopes. Mine was #12 and The closest store with ammo was 2 hours away at best. They had plenty of ammo if needed.
I want that rifle.

 

[peacemaker45]

My choice is a Tikka T3 Hunter in .30-06, with a Leupold FX-II 4x33 scope and Ching sling.

I originally went with a Remington 700, but the list of things that needed doing to make it usable was so long that it was cheaper to buy the Tikka than to pay the piper on the Remington.

One thing that I've almost never seen mentioned about the Tikka action is that it doesn't really fit the traditional dichotomy of Mauser style controlled feed vs Remington style push feed. It's something of a hybrid. In terms of ejector and extractor it looks like a push feed, but the difference lies in its single column magazine. Unlike the traditional double column double feed design, it uses a single column detachable box. In this way, the round is controlled not by the extractor, but by the feed lips, not popping free until the round is well Ito the chamber. It never flops around loose like the usual push feed, and isn't susceptible to being tossed out the side if the bolt is worked while swinging the rifle. Or just because the rifle was feeling ornery, like my 700, which often threw live rounds on the ground, for no good reason. Good for seeing if you're flinching, bad for shooting things.

On the whole, it makes an excellent package. Light, accurate, reliable, good ergos.

I've read quite a lot of Colonel Cooper, and would like to try his scout rifle idea sometime. The Ruger Scout, however, left me unimpressed. Cooper always sang the Scout's praises as being the epitome of friendliness and shootability. The Ruger seemed clunky, heavy, and awkward. It's main attractions are that it mounts useful iron sights and it's short. The Tikka, though trim and svelte, is a full sized rifle.

The only improvements that I can foresee making to mine are adding a better recoil pad, (I did mention that it's light and a .30-06, right?) and switching to flush mount sling swivels.

Anyway, to get back to things you actually asked about, the M70 is very well thought of, but they're hard to find in a left handed version, so I didn't give them the consideration that a person with a properly functioning right hand might.

I don't like variable scopes, and especially big variables on a general purpose rifle. To me, they have their place, but that place is on specialty rigs, like varmint guns, precision guns, and target guns. For a general purpose gun, a fixed 4x is smaller, lighter, simpler, tougher, and gives you better glass for the buck, and yet it gives you all the view of the target you should need, out to any distance that it's a good idea to shoot from. After all, an elk at 400 yards, seen through a 4x, looks a lot like an elk at 100 yards without a scope.

 

[goon]

When I worked at the gun store, 30'06 was by far the most common and most stocked caliber of rifle ammunition. There were maybe three shelves combined of everything else and almost three shelves for just 30'06 ammunition alone. I am familiar with the .308 and it's a great round, but if you really needed to be able to count on finding a box of ammo just about anywhere, I'd have to give the edge to 30'06... especially when you consider that it seems less vulnerable to the stockpiling by black rifle owners than .308/7.62 Nato is. It's also entirely capable of taking any big game in the lower 48.

For a scope, I like traditionally mounted scopes that can get down to 2.5X or 3X for closer shots but that can still magnify a little and reach further if need be. I also like iron sights in case the scope fails. It's not much trouble to carry an allen wrench attached to your gear or sling somehow to pull rings off if the scope fails, or to just use a leatherman to take off Weaver style rings and give access to your iron sights. They're not as good as a scope, but I'd rather be able to shoot that way if need be. I'm constantly irritated that it's so hard to find a production rifle with iron sights anymore...

As for the Ruger Scout, I also was not so impressed. Sure, it worked. It was adequate. I liked the sights but didn't like the detachable magazines and it was too heavy for what it was. I'm also firmly convinced that the LER scope is not for me. For a Scout style rifle, if I ever go that route again, it'll have to be a custom job. But I suspect that something off the rack in .30'06 could be fitted out to suit my needs without too much hassle.

 

[NWCP]

The venerable .308 would get my vote. It's readily available, has a good variety of commercial loads and will take down game animals in the lower 48. I would try to keep my shots to 300 yards or so, but that's just me. For big boned, or dangerous game I prefer my .338 WinMag. It will reliably reach out and kill something at pretty good distances. You can also get lighter loads for it when taking medium thin skinned critters. Overall though the .308 is a good go to round. Mine happens to be a CZ 550FS wearing a Leupold 3-9 variable. I have two other rifles in .308, but they're semi autos and not set up for hunting.

 

[BSA1]

I suggest you do some more research into the concept of what a Scout Rifle" is if that is what you are looking for.

 

[DIXIEDOG]

Sounds like a Ruger Frontier in .308 would fit the bill for you....they've been discontinued but there are still some new ones available. You can mount your scope conventional or in the scout configuration....given the 3X9 scope choice it doesn't sound like you necessarily want a true scout set up...that's a lot of magnification to be that far down the barrel. $.02

 

[jehu]

Deer is one thing but Elk out to 600yrds? I would get a Sako Grey Wolf in 7mm mag or 300win mag.

 

[Smith357]

Since you already load for .308 a .308 is a good choice, second would be the .30-06 because you already have .30 caliber bullets. The .270 06 and .308 have a lot of overlap, you might want to consider something like a .243, giving you something with a flatter trajectory for varmints up to deer sized game.

I would add iron sights, I had a Leupold fail once. Their stellar customer service and warranty took care of the broken scope issue very fast and I am by no means complaining about their product, but I feel you should be able to remove a broken scope and continue your hunt with open sights.

My go-to GP rifle is an Win M70 .30-06, load everything from heavy game loads to cast boolit cat sneeze loads for small game. It's topped with a Vari-X II 3x9 sighted in for 200 yards on a Tip-Off mount for quick access to the iron sights regulated at 100 yards.

 

[LebbenB]

I'd also consider the Steyr Scout. It's kinda pricey, but it's well made and (IMO) comes closer to what the late Colonel had in mind for a scout rifle.

 

[C-grunt]

Just to clarify a few things.

1. I'm not wanting a by the book scout rifle.

2. I want a rifle that's accurate enough to hit a man sized target at 600 yards, I'm not hunting elk at 600 yards.

3. I've had a Tikka before. Great rifle but I just didn't like it.

 

[FSJeeper]

I am working with a Ruger Gunsite Scout rifle as my all around rifle.

I did not buy it to use in the Scout format. I bought it because it is short and handy, has controlled round feed, bought in left hand, iron peep sights, and in .308.

Have an XS rail on it and a Swavorski 1.5 x 6 scope conventionally mounted on it now with quick release rings.

Perfect scope but I think it is too large and heavy for the rifle and messes with the handling. Needs to be lower. Currently looking for a smaller 1 x 4.

For me it is a very good option for the all around general purpose rifle.

 

[Art Eatman]

One MOA is fairly easy, these days. Any rifle giving one MOA will be capable of hitting a man-sized target at 600 yards: Depending on the shooter's skill.

My opinion is that "general purpose" likely includes "light and handy". To me, that would easily include a relatively light-weight bolt-action in .308 with an 18" or at most a 20" barrel.

Scope? 2x7 or 3x9. Nikon, Leupold, something like that--but not necessarily the top of the line.

As example, I have an old Sako Forester carbine. 19" barrel, .243. Leupold Vari-X II 2x7. I've killed a couple of dozen bucks with it. Several coyotes. A fair number of prairie dogs to 300 yards. It weighs seven pounds, loaded. 3/4 MOA, always.

I've never bothered with distances over 300 yards, but I figure the rifle could handle 600 if I could.

 

[TexAg]

My GP rifle is a Remington 700 ADL .30-06 with irons. I put a Leupold 2.5-8 on Talley quick release rings and bases, so I can access the traditionally mounted irons if needed. I like the 2.5-8 a lot; it's lighter than a 3-9 in most cases and puts the lower end of the magnification at a more useable setting for me than 3x.
Since you want CRF, I'd look for a new Ruger or Win and add irons, QR rings and call it done. Or look for an older gun with irons already on (or at least drilled and tapped; they used to take irons off all the time when they scoped a gun).
I'd also probably opt for '06 again. There has been '06 on my Wal-mart shelves all throughout the ammo shortages, not .308.

 

[Geno]

My two bolt-actions that would fit here include my Ruger Gunsite Scout .308 Win, and my M70 Ultimate Shadow .308 Win.

On the RGS, I use the peep sights only. I have thought of purchasing a 1 MOA red dot for the forward mounted rail. But, the last time we had it in the field, it was grouping in the range of 2.75" with peer-sights, at 100 yards. That was when it still had the defective stock, which could effect accuracy. I haven't tested it since Ruger replaced the stock (free of charge). I am hesitant to put any other form of optic on that rifle, because it balances flawlessly in the hand. But, shots to 600ish yards?! Not for me. Longest shot I ever took on a deer was with my Weatherby Mark V in .257 Wea Mag, at 525 yards.

On the M70, I use either my Trjicon Accu-point 1-4, or my Trijicon Accu-point 2.5-10. I don't have any doubt that the M70 is capable of defensive shots at 600ish yards, with an optic, but it's nothing that I've anticipated. In fact, I purchased both rifles for the hard-hitting .308 Win, the rifles' shortness, lightness, and the reliability of controlled-round feed. My plans for both rifles is to hunt wild boar, and deer at ranges of 300ish yards and less, but more typically around 100 yards.

As Art stated, most rifles today are 1 MOA-capable, and as such, most would fulfill an emergency need to defend one's self at extended ranges. In truth, for me, if a bad-guy is at 600 yards and attacking me, I'm looking for a rock to crawl under, or an escape route.

Geno

 

[murf]

get the model 70 control round feed. make sure it has iron sights. get a good leupold ao scope (vxIII 4.5X14AO) and sight in both the scope and the iron sights. use a quick release mounting system for the scope. use the irons as a scout rifle, the scope for the long stuff.

spend as much, or more, on the scope as you do the rifle.

murf

 

[dprice3844444]

svagage makes a scout rifle also

 

[murf]

just looked at my model 70. forget the quick release system. the scope bases get in the way of the iron sights. still think you should have the iron sights on the gun for short range work. imo

murf

 

[BCRider]

Just a thought but a low mounted rear peep might be an option to work with a stock or aftermarket front bead for backup. Done well something like a Skinner could nestle down under the scope so removing the scope and mounts leave the shooter with a nice peep/ghost setup "just in case". Or possibly a low profile picatinny mounted rear peep/ghost ring that works with a suitably extended front sight?

The option of swapping out the scope for plain irons or peep sights for a proper working rifle seems like a nice way to go. I guess it's simply a matter of finding options that work well together.

For myself I know I do far better even in dim light with a rear mounted aperture style sight that sits back about 1 to 2 inches from my eye. But obviously this varies from person to person. In my case I've got "old guy eye'tis" and need all the help I can build in.....

 

[Kachok]

I own a Winchester 70 308 and I highly recommend it, not quite as accurate as my Tikka but more accurate then 99% of shooters out there. I get just below 1" with factory Core Lokts and 1/2" with my handloads. The Tikka will hold one hole accuracy with handloads and consistent .75" with cheap Prvi and Winchester factory ammo.

 

[fragout]

Just my opinion, but here it goes.................

I would stick with 308 Win in your case, as you reload for it already. If the ammo panic/scare had you worried, then would also suggest that your not stocked deep enough.
You would be one step ahead with a 308 chambered rifle, as your already set up to find the load that a new rifle would shoot the best with.

My GP rifle (GPR) is chambered in 308, and also what I have used to hunt with. (varmints, coyote, feral dogs, hog , deer, bear, elk)........ but it is not a bolt action, so I don't think it would be something your interested in.

I like a lot of the features that the Ruger Gunsight rifle sports. ( Iron sights, detatchable magazines, threaded muzzle, multiple ways to mount optics & especially while utilizing the XS rail, left hand bolt option, stainless steel option, and an option of an 18in bbl.)

Iron sights are a must for me when it comes to a GPR, but a lot of folks stick with optics only nowadays. I prefer both.

Speaking of optics....... I wouldn't look to utilize large, heavy, and cumbersome optics for a GPR. A few folks here are reciting that their rifles shoot sub MOA, ( 3/4 to 1/8 in some cases)..... but I think that if they are being honest, they are doing this off a solid shooting bench, and using optics that sport fine shooting reticles, which is not a good choice for a rifle destined to be in the field, and used for off hand shooting at critters, too include men in all conceivable distances, environmental conditions, etc...etc..
Fine target reticles work well for paper killing, and shooting in controlled environments, but they are less useful when attempting to use them at close range, moving targets, low light conditions, when terrain being walked over varies, inclement weather conditions, etc...etc.... Ie....... a rifle with general utility in mind.

I am liking optics in the 1x4 class for a GPR personally, and have been using a Leupold VX1 1-4x20mm on mine for awhile now. Dead hogs out to 600yards + with this scope so far, but more important, the scope works well at close range with both eyes open, and the same for moving targets, and/or multiple targets.
Eye relief is plenty, it's light in weight, fairly compact, versatile for a GPR, and easy on the wallet.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Manny]

Sounds like Ruger's new guide gun M77 ought to be on your list to consider. One in .30-06 with the optic of your choice sounds like it'd be just what you're looking for.