Help me decide

[30-06 lover]

I am going to buy a rifle and I just can't pick the rifle or caliber I want!!! Please help!

Deer and CA black bears are my usually prey, but occasionally I go after cow elk in CO. I used to have a 300 WIN MAG, but I traded it because it was WAY too much recoil for me. A 30-06 I can handle so long as I have a Limbsaver installed, but that is my MAX and I am looking for something a bit less. I am leaning toward a 308, but shots sometimes go out to 300 yards on all game mentions (150 yards are the norm though) and I am afraid it will be too weak. Basically I am looking for a caliber that will cleanly take Bear, Elk and Deer out to 300 yards cleanly with mild recoil. Suggestions???

Now for rifles. I want a Bolt action with synthetic stock and blued metal preferably matte. I like my guns to be very simple and easy to disassemble and clean. I used to have a rem 700 and that was a very simple and I am thinking of getting a SPS 700, but I am not sure what other options I have. The only rifle I know I don't want is a Savage. Suggestions???


Thank you all in advance!!!
-Mike

 

[Smokey Joe]

Deer, bear, and Elk rifle

with not too much recoil. Hmmm.....

You probably can't do better than a Rem 700 in .30-'06. You could buy the down-loaded, or reduced recoil ammo, for most uses, and the up-loaded ammo for when you are planning to bust an elk at 300yds, or a bear.

If you handload yourself, the problem is even simpler.

As to .308, it was designed to duplicate '06 performance in a shorter cartridge, which it by and large, does. So the recoil you'll get from a .308 would be virtually the same.

In any caliber, an autoloader, or a heavier gun, would sop up some of the recoil.

Ammo for the '06 is available everywhere, as are components for handloading. Another reason for buying an '06 is, this year is the centennial of the cartridge. It has been around for a century, and still outsells all other center-fire cartridges. That should tell you something about its general usefulness.

You want to spend enough on the 'scope to have one that matches the quality of the rifle--don't chintz on the 'scope!

Then, the other thing, as always, is to PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, with the rifle, so's when the Great Grandfather Elk materializes 300yds away, you can actually hit him in the boiler room.

 

[Ol` Joe]

When you throw in elk at 300 yd you toss out the smaller/lighter rounds, you need something similar to the `06 or larger.
I` look at the heavier rifles out there. The weight of the rifle will make a difference in felt recoil but the trade off is portability. A 9 lb Remington Sendero wil kick less then a 7 lb A-Bolt with the same ammo. There are some cartridges out now called "managed recoil" http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/centerfire/managed-recoil.asp
These would be good choices for practice or deer hunting to keep you from building a flinch. They are designed for kids and smaller statured hunters and use bullets built for deer sized game at moderate range. The premium bullets, Barnes X, Failsafe, ect will also work on game when useing the next smaller weight bullet then called for with std cup and core bullets. (say use a 165 gr X bullet in place of a 180 gr Cor Loc in your 300WM or `06) The lighter bullets will reduce recoil some from what you will set with the larger one, but still offer the needed penitration to do the job. All of these are available in `06 and your 300 WM.
The last cure is a muzzel brake. I personally don`t care for them. They tend to irratate the guys on the bench to your left and right when practicing and are not good for the shooters ears at any time. If you can and will wear plugs when hunting and at the range they are a option that work. I have shot 416 Taylor with a brake that didn`t seem to recoil any more then my 30-06 200 Sauer with heavy bullets. The rifle weighted like 10 lbs empty and also had a good recoil pad which added the brakes job.

Good shooting..........

 

[sd]

see Guns and Ammo mag, august issue, p42, advertisement for a new round, .338 Federal, a non-magnum .338 , claims 7mm Rem Mag energy and .30-06 recoil, --- also read some very interesting articles and few months back on .30-06 rounds that produced less recoil but maintained similar ballistic performance, sorry can't remember details.