Good all around Colorado hunting rifle (for new hunter)

[daveit]

I'm trying to figure out the best rifle to buy for hunting in Colorado...elk/deer (and deer in PA)

I've never been hunting for big game...just birds so I'm not real knowledgeable


I'm thinking:
Marlin 336 .30-30
Browning BLR .308 or .30-06
(I love lever--my Marlin 39A is awesome and I love the look of them)

Browning BAR .30-06


Pros/cons?
What caliber should I choose?

 

[jpwilly]

How about a Marlin in the new 308 or 338 Marlin Express cal?

 

[elktrout]

daveit,
I used to live in PA and shot a lot of deer there through the years with a good old 30-06, which would serve you equally well here. It is still very popular in Colorado. If you are only going to come out here once or maybe a few times, strongly consider the 30-06. It still gets the job done within reasonable range.

 

[hadmanysons]

I'd say just about any quality 30-06. About 165 or 180gr is about all you'd need for Colorado/Southern Wyoming hunting.

 

[jmr40]

The 30-30 will work, but you will wish you had something capable of longer range work sooner or later. Probably a lot sooner. If you are wanting a levergun the BLR is probably the best option. The BAR's are quality guns but are expensive and weigha ton. Just personal preference, but if going BLR I would get the 308. The long action BLR's just do lot look or balance right to me.

If you are not 100% sold on a lever action you can get a lot more gun for the money by going with a bolt action in any of about a dozen calibers. 30-06 is about as good as it gets. A bolt gun generally will be more accurate as well as lighter and less expensive.

 

[woof]

Remember you can't hunt deer in PA with a semi auto. There are some great deals out there on Remington 760s in .30-06, and they are very accurate. Or if you want a new one, the 7600 in 7mm-08 maybe?

 

[hlq]

For CO (and probably PA also) hunting the 30 06 would make a fine hunting rifle. It is a very common caliber in this part of the country. Most of the folks that I hunt with use Ruger, Remington or Winchester bolt actions fitted with a 3x9 scope, again this is CO and WY hunting.

 

[pmeisel]

Had a BLR 243 and loved it. But 30-06 would be better where you are going.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

Remington 700 .308, easy on the shoulder, one of the strongest actions out there, and it will do 99% of what a 30-06 will do. Its plenty for deer/elk.

 

[Pilot]

I'm a also a Colorado transplant from PA and hunted Whitetail for years with my trusty Marlin 336 in .30-30. Since I moved, the 336 has sat in the gun safe. In PA, most shots are in heavily wooded area and uner 100 yards. Not so in CO. There are larger game like Elk and you are more likely to get longer shots in the open. I chose 7MM-08 because I reload and the 7MM offers the flexibility I like. A .30-06, .308, .270, 7x57, 6.5 Swedish Mauser, Remington .260 are also good choices. The European calibers I listed are great, but more so if you reload as ammo choices aren't as good as the American calibers.

 

[Water-Man]

Since you like levers, the .308 Marlin Express would be a great choice for the game mentioned.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Since you like levers, the .308 Marlin Express would be a great choice for the game mentioned.

until a year from now when all ammo production ceases because something like 6 people actually bought a MRX

Seriously if you like the marlin 39a you will DESPISE the BLR, a rifle that has the smooth lines handling characteristics of a garden tiller. About the only thing a BLR has in common with a Marlin is the lever. Comparing the two is like saying a Porsche Boxter and a 2.5 ton GMC dump truck are the same because they both have a clutch petal.

My advice to the beginner is to skip the fancy stuff and buy one of today's EXCELLENT entry level bolt actions (stevens200, Marlin xl7 ect) with a quality optic in a mainstream cartridge. Such as 7/mm08, 308,30-06 or 270

Then get out and practice practice practice

 

[Jerry D]

I'm going to stir the pot a bit - when I was "less educated" on caliber selection I went along with what was "popular or common." I had been hunting for a few years already starting at the age of 13 or 14 and when I turned 18 I was out to get my own rifle. All the guys I hunted with had .270's and .30-06's and sure enough because of the history of the .30-06 I got one as well - Well not to be honest, it was a mistake for the hunting I currently do.

These .30 cals recoil to much for me, especially because I like a lighter gun. Recoil is the killer along with a heavy factory trigger - with those 2 factors a good shooter can become a bad shooter unless you got some will power not to flinch

The 7mm08 has ~90% power and ~40% less recoil compared to say like a .30-06/.270 Whats not to like about it? So.. that being said I'm moving away from the .30 calibers as newer and imo "better" rounds have come about that are more efficient which I like as I reload and I can shoot more before my shoulder gets sore.

I like a caliber that gets as much speed for the least powder burned. Because if that I stay away from the long magnums, really heavy bullets, and move into the short .308 bolt face of actions.

A 140 grain 7mm bullet has the same SD as a 165 grain .30 bullet however the 7mm 140 grain has a higher BC. I love the 7mm08 as it rivals .308/.30-06 performance with a bullet 25 grains less. I'm looking at standard hunting bullets out to 300 yards max.

 

[Random Discharge]

Stir the pot?

Not at all. +1 on Jerry D's post. If I did not already have a short action 308 bolt gun, I'd have a 7-08 today. Of the two, I think the 7-08 in a bolt action will meet your needs best due to the slightly longer point blank range and lower recoil. Moving up to a 30-06 or 270 will meet your needs too, but you'll pay for it with more recoil and possibly poorer shot placement as a result.

 

[daveit]

Wow, some great info in this post. I'll take a look at offerings in some of these calibers. Does the 7-08 have good ammo availability? I haven't really heard of it before. Less recoil sounds nice to me!

 

[jmr40]

Comparing the 7-08 to the 308 I would have to admit that at least on paper the 7-08 is a slightly better round. I agree that 99% of the animals hit with one will be just as dead as if hit with a 308, 30-06 or 270. I am not buying 40% less recoil however.

As good as the round is I personally prefer the 308 simply because ammo is much easier to find and it is much cheaper to shoot. When you get into the better hunting rounds the prices are the same, but no one loads cheap plinking ammo for the 7-08. I just picked up a couple of boxes of 308, 150 grain FMJ ammo for $15 each. Before the panic buying started I could get factory reloads from www.georgia-arms.com pretty cheap. If you handload it is probably a wash pricewise.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I shot some of my handloads today, .308, printed a 2" group at 200 yards. According to my lee shooter program, these generate about 13 ft lbs of recoil, they are 150 grain Core-Lokts, 44 grains of H-4895, Remington case and primer. My rifle is a Remington 700 SPS Tactical, 8.5 lbs with the scope. These rounds are really nice to shoot, mild recoil. Best of all, they cost me $7/20.


Here's a pic of my 200 yard group, with my handloads.

 

[Big Daddy Grim]

.308 or 30-06 both are good all around hunters.

 

[bushmasterar15]

.308 win is what I would choose lots of ammo choices and data for handloads.

 

[woof]

Picking up on Jerry D's 7mm-08 post - the vast majority of whitetails are shot at less than 100 yds. Certainly in much of PA that will be the case. At that range I think .30-06 and .308 suffer from over-penetration. There is an excellent managed recoil load for the 7mm-08 with a 140 gr bullet. It has better ballistics than a .30-30 with less recoil. And, in my personal experience, it is more effective than full power 7-08 loads on whitetails at around 100 yds. This makes the 7mm-08 even more flexible. A great low recoil load perfect for most whitetail ranges, and full power loads for more range and/or larger game. Anytime someone mentions a rifle for a new or young shooter with recoil concerns, but also flexibility for anything down the road I say the 7-08 does it best.

 

[TexasEd]

Go to a gun store get you hands on a bolt action and see what fits. If this is your only rifle for PA & Col. a 30-06 would work great. Plenty of ammo of all shapes and sizes. Also you can find it anywhere. The bolt gun will not let you down and is pretty much bomb proof. You can pick up a nice use rifle for around 400+/- and put either a 2x7 or a 3x9 and your all set. Good Luck.

 

[elktrout]

Daveit,
The posts here are all good info for you. You won't go wrong for deer if choose to follow any of the advice given by those that responded to your OP. Remember, though, that if you come west for big game, you have two factors to consider (one already mentioned in an earlier reply):
1. Longer ranges
2. Wind

A good deer load in PA will likely not be stout enough for elk. Make sure that whatever chambering you choose, you can load or obtain heavy-for-caliber bullets (preferably premium bullets) for elk.

Good luck.

 

[GJgo]

3. Elevation. Walking around all day with a heavy, bulky rifle isn't much fun up here.

I recommend +1 on the bolt gun idea. I'd also recommend any of the calibers from 270 on up, choosing one with an energy level as appropriate based on how far you think you'd ever take a shot, then add 100 yds or so for Bull fever.

 

[targshooter]

PA and Colorado

The .30-06 is a great cartridge with moderate recoil; the cartridge offering ballistic advantages with 180 grain and heavier bullets over the .308. I like the 220 grain bullet in thick brush where its sectional density helps the bullet get through the brush. There is another option in the lower power scale, the .260 Remington or the 6.5x55 Swede. These cartridges have mild recoil and offer some great brush penetration with their high sectional density 160 grain bullet. For open range shots the 06 is excellent with a 180 grain bullet and the 6.5/.260 with the 140 grain bullet, both usable for elk in the open. I use both cartridges (06 and .260 Rem), and can state they are very effective on deer size game. I hunted in PA for several years in the mid 1960s through the mid 1970s. They did not allow semi-autos for big game. Their black powder rifles also had to be flintlock. Wonder if the rules are still so?

 

[robsc]

.308Winchester up to 250gr bullet.

.30`06Springfield up to 250gr bullet.

.270Winchester short magnum up to 180gr bullet.

.270Weatherby magnum up to 180gr bullet.