Help with advice on a hunting rifle cartridge

[jvberryjr]

I am a man of limited means, so I need to be judicious when deciding to purchase a firearm. Right now my collection has a glaring hole; a high powered (read hunting) rifle. I would appreciate input on what cartidge may be the best all around for the one hunting rifle I would like to get. My criteria are:

• Ammunition must be affordable and easy to find
• Rifle chambered for the round must be affordable and easy to find
• Appropriate for 90% of the game in North America -I already have rimfire and .223, so varmints are covered
• Manageable recoil
• Accurate

Please give reasons for your recommendations. Thank you very much.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Really your criteria makes for a very short list
30-06
.308
270

I would say the 06 fits all your requirments a tad better than the other two.

 

[dakotasin]

remington 700 cdl in 308.
it fits every piece of your criteria.

scope it w/ a quality scope in the $250 - $400 price range, 1.25" leather sling, and you will never be unequipped.

 

[chevysquid]

I'd pick up a 30-06. You will be covered for deer, bear, elk, etc. Another option if you aren't going to be hunting in the wide open is a 30-30. Get a Marlin 336 or a Winchester 94. They are great for the deep woods.

 

[oneounceload]

Personally, I like the 7mm mag over the 270 and 30-06. I have found IME, that it shoots flatter at longer distances - which is helpful if you're hunting mule deer out West. I have an older 700BDL, with a 160 gr handload, I would not feel uncomfortable going after anything in NA except for the biggest of bears

 

[BMF500]

You can get a Weatherby Synthetic Vanguard in your choice of about 10 cal. equiped with a Bushell Banner 3-9x40, w/ hard case and sling for about $559. Or just the rifle for about $399. I would go with .308 for your needs. Hear is the link for the package deal. Checkem out. And I hope you enjoy what ever you decide on.

http://www.weatherby.com/product/rifles/vanguard/synthetic_package

 

[MCMXI]

I currently have "hunting" rifles in the following calibers ...

7mm-08
.308 Win
.300 WSM
.300 Win Mag

... and I'll be adding a .30-06 to that list in a couple of weeks. If I didn't have a hunting rifle suitable "for 90% of game in North America", basically the situation that you're in, then the choice would be easy. I'd order the following rifle in .30-06 ... a Savage Weather Warrior.

http://www.savagearms.com/116fcss.htm

It comes in stainless steel with the AccuTrigger, AccuStock and detachable four-round magazine. At under $600 it's hard to beat. I will say that it's not as well-finished as a Remington 700, but it has some very nice features that make it well worth the entry fee. I recently bought a Weather Warrior in 7mm-08 and I'm very impressed with it.

As krochus pointed out, it meets all of your criteria. I'm ordering one because I feel that I should have a .30-06 in my collection. I certainly don't need it given my other rifles, but I figure that the prices aren't going to go down in my lifetime so I may as well buy it now rather than put it off.

 

[Art Eatman]

Probably a good used Savage or a Mark 10 Mauser is somewhere near the best deal for the money. Unless you're figuring on serious long-range shooting at deer/antelope/elk, odds are that any mid-priced fixed 4X scope will do. I've noticed that my 3x9 is only on 9X when I'm sighting in; when I'm actually hunting it's set on 3X.

Cartridge? Odds are that a .308 will do just as good as anything else you try.

 

[AKElroy]

If you are looking for a bolt gun, +1 on the Remington combo, I would add the budget priced Savage 110 and Marlin bolt combo's as you can find them between $300-$400. +1 also on the .308; near .30-06 performance in a short action. Also readily available & enough pop for the lower 48. If you are VERY budget conscious, I picked this up yesterday for my son for $279.00 w/ the Simmons 3X9. This one is a .243, but Harrington & Richardson also chambers all of the .308 family and .30-06 family of cartriges. Very accurate, nicely made, single shot.

 

[jmr40]

Affordable will have different meanings to different people. Some rifles I like and approximate prices are:

Marlin XL7, around $320, New rifle on the market, but has had a lot of good things said about them.

Weatherby Vanguard $390, Probably the best buy in my opinion, but heavier than I like as a hunting rifle.

Tikka T-3 about $500, maybe the most accuracy for the money.

Savage/Stevens, between $320-$600 depending on the model and finish. Not a personal favorite, but they work and have a good reputation for accuracy.

Remington 700, from the mid $400's to $1,000+. Solid rifles.

Ruger Hawkeye, around $650. My personal favorite for the price. Rugged and dependable. They don't have the reputation for accuracy that some others have, but I have never shot one that would not put 3 shots into 1" at 100 yards with a load it liked.

Most of my rifles were purchased used and you can get a lot more gun for your money that way. There are 2 rifles I would specifically stay away from. The Mossberg, and the Remington 770/710 series. They sell for cheap, but you get what you pay for. For just a little bit more you can get a much better rifle.

Hard to beat 30-06, 270, or 308.

 

[MCMXI]

By the way, if you buy a Savage in .30-06 or .308, you could buy barrels in .25-06 or 7mm-08 and swap them out in no time at all. I'm not an expert on Savage rifles by any means, but from what I've read on this forum, this is easy to do with a wrench for the barrel nut and a headspace gauge. In other words, two rifles for almost the price of one. Just a thought.

 

[tactikel]

You can't go wrong with .30-06, .270, or .308. If you are recoil sensitive consider a .243 or .30-30 excepting elk and great bear they should fill your needs, and ammo is common.
The mentioned Marlin and Savage are fine rifles for the money.

 

[Uncle Mike]

One of the very best rifles manufactured today... the Savage 116/16 Weather Warrior and the Savage 114/14 Classic or American Classic.

Excellent out of the box accuracy and very affordable. The 116/16 Weather Warrior is Stainless Steel with the most excellent Accustock and the Accutrigger, the 114/14 is carbon steel, blued in either matte or polished with a walnut stock featuring a black forend tip and the Accutrigger.

The three digit designation(116 or 114) is assigned to Savages 'long' action, the two digit designation(16 or 14) is assigned to Savages 'short' action rifle.

The 30-06 is of course, the quintessential rifle round... hard hitting without being 'over' zealous, flat enough to git er' done and available everywhere.

I just took delivery of a Custom Shop Savage 116, 30-06, match chamber, 24" barrel enjoying a standard sporter taper to keep the weight to a minimum, Accustock and Trigger, it weighs 6.7 lb, naked.

Having a b*t*h of a time getting that scope bolted to it, but a man has to have something to keep him off the streets.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

With those criteria:

First Choice: .30-30 Winchester
Second Choice: .270 Winchester
Third Choice: .30-'06 Springfield
Fourth Choice: .308 Winchester
Fifth Choice: .25-'06 Remington

 

[altez]

Any of these will work
.30-06
.308
.270
.30-30 (increased distance with LeverEvolution)

 

[Maverick223]

A few questions first...What cartridges do find have a bad recoil? Where will you primarily be hunting (relative location, distances, terrain)? What is your budget? Is the weight of the rifle an important consideration?

Without knowing the above, I would say that a .30-30, .270, or a .30-06 would be best.

Right now my collection has a glaring hole

Also, wanted to add that the longer you lurk here the more holes you will come to see. Hanging out here is like taking a shark-skin suit through a field of cucaburrs.

 

[bpl]

I would agree with 30-06, .308 or .270.

 

[natman]

30-06 hands down. It will be a bit better on BIG game than 270 or 308 and just as good on deer.

 

[Dallas Jack]

When I answered that question for myself I ended up with a Weatherby Vanguard .243 for $399. Used it this season to take a nice doe.
Dallas Jack

 

[scythefwd]

Mosin Nagant. It has about the same power as a 30-06, will run you less than 200 for the rifle, and you can get softpoint ammo for it for about 20 dollars a box online.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=529434 - link to ammo.

With iron sights, you should be good out to 200y with a MN in good condition.

 

[cyclopsshooter]

Art Eatman hit the nail on the head about optics

i use 30-30 / 30-06 / 270

 

[jvberryjr]

Wow! Great advice you all. Thank you very much!!

 

[elktrout]

+1 on Krochus' reply

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Let me reiterate that .30-30 Winchester is by far the cheapest "full-powered" hunting round, when buying boxes of loaded factory ammo, which is the main criteria for the OP (cost), among those that suit the power requirement he's after. The rifles that shoot this round are also extremely economical, particularly used.

.30-06 and .270 are the "2nd tier" in low cost in factory ammo, and among those, the .270 has less recoil. But the .30-30 wins this race easily, with the criteria given - .270 being a distant 2nd place. IMO.

 

[jpwilly]

As far as I'm concerned this question was answered by post #2. There are reasons the 30-06 is considered the best all around cartridge for North America.

As for costs are concern I don't see a real practical difference between shooting 30-30 vs 30-06 or .270 etc. Used rifles can be had for $150. Ammo is only a couple bucks more per box than 30-30. There's just no practical difference that's going to hurt the wallet.