Hunting rifle and good shooter

[The Deer Hunter]

Hey, hows it going all?

Ok, I have a couple questions....Its almost Christmas time (ugh...) and I was thinking about getting a good, all around hunting rifle but at the same time I'm looking for a long range gun. When I say long range, I don't mean 800 yards, I'm talking about 3-400 yards max. I don't see me doing a lot of shooting at 500 yards, most of it will probably be at 100. My local range only has a 100 yard range but I'm really looking into some kind of distance shooting.

Now my choices are handicapped since I am going to be using this rifle for hunting also. I live in new england and do most of my hunting in New Hampshire so the farthest shots are going to be 150 yard in the specific area I hunt in. This draws me to the conclusion: I want a gun that isn't going to pester me in the woods but can still shoot reasonably at 3-400 yards.

I am looking for a more traditional look, so wood stocks (not laminate) and blued steel is what I'm after. I don't like the look of plastic anyways.

In simple form, I'm looking for a wood stocked gun, thats not to combersum to carry in the woods and will shoot relatively accurate at 3-400 yards.

Btw, I'm looking for a .308 too....

 

[dakotasin]

don't overlook the 7-08 while you're at it.

what's your recoil tolerance? makes a ton of difference on rifle reccomendation. also, what's your hunting style - stand, drive, spot-n-stalk, etc...

what's your budget?
want a scope?

 

[surjimmy]

I like the Browning A-Bolt in a 7 mag or 300 winn mag. I shot 2 doe's with my 300 150 grain this yr at a little over 100 yards, and NO it did'nt tear up the meat. Just droped them in their tracks.

 

[oklahoma caveman]

iv got a rem700 bdl in 7mm-08 an itl do what your asking, with little recoil, handles great, and will kill any deer you can find

 

[Dan360]

I think what you'd want is a standard sporter. Something with a 24 inch barrel to milk any velocity you can get out of a standard cartridge. If you went 308, you might get away with a 22 inch barrel. I'm a big fan of The Kimber 84M Classic. Fit and finish is excellent, the wood is even better. The last one I had was an 84M Classic in 308. It shot 1 inch groups at 100, but was very picky with ammo, only shooting the premium lines within an inch.

Another good-looking rifle is the Remington M700 CDL. Very classic look at a more affordable price than the Kimber. I don't believe the CDL is offered in 308, but it is offered in 7mm-08 and many other calibers.

 

[Shawnee]

Something like the Ruger RSI or Remington Model 7 would be worth considering. If you're not locked into the .308 I would agree with Dakotasin that a 7mm/08 would be nicer. Even a lowly .243 would actually serve you well.

 

[K3]

Don't forget the .270.

130 grain softpoints running at a MV of 3000 fps can handle any deer, and the trajectory is good oout to 400. Sight in 2" high at 100 , and you can just centerpunch a deer out to 300 and not worry about bullet drop. Of course, that applies to .30-06, .308, etc.

I guess I just really like the .270.

 

[TehK1w1]

Rifles
-Savage 110 series-cheap gun, shoots great, can be found with wood or laminate furnature
-Remington 700-the 870 of the bolt-action world
-Ruger 77 -all-around great gun
-CZ 550-As accurate as a Savage but nicer(and a little more expensive)(And the best factory triggers of any rifle under a thousand bucks)
-Browning A-Bolt -Higher-end rifle, a good gun

There are a lot of other great rifles for your purpose, but those are a few good basic bolt-actions to look at.

Pumps and levers are great guns, but since your are talking over 250 yards they would not be ideal for your purpose, not (generally) being as accurate.
Autoloaders/Semiautos are nice guns, but more complicated and generally both higher-maintinence and more expensive.

I'm not gonna go into caliber, other than to say anything 243 or larger should do what you are after if you do your part.

 

[The Deer Hunter]

don't overlook the 7-08 while you're at it.

what's your recoil tolerance? makes a ton of difference on rifle reccomendation. also, what's your hunting style - stand, drive, spot-n-stalk, etc...

what's your budget?
want a scope?

Those are good questions....

Caliber is debatable, as long as its around .308 or .30-06. I know they are different action lengths, but about that power range. I'm really not that bad for recoil...I'm a pretty big guy, about 6'-1" and 200lbs so recoil among the 308 and .30-06 family is manageable.

I plan on mostly stand hunting. Although I don't want to limit myself to that. I'm pretty sure I won't be doing spot and stalk, though, because the longest shots are 75 yards in the woods and 150-200 yards in the open.

My budget is probably about $800 or so, but will always pay less for a good gun(wouldn't we all?) so that definitely leaves the Kimber out of the question.

I do plan on getting scope for it. I've made my mind up and decided I'm not going to buy cheap scopes. I'll get myself something like a Leupold that will last a long time and will hold zero. I'm thinking magnification would be around the 3-9 or so. The 3-9x40 seem too be good, all around scopes. Although, I wouldn't mind a fixed power scope but those are hard to find these days...

I like the Browning A-Bolt in a 7 mag or 300 winn mag. I shot 2 doe's with my 300 150 grain this yr at a little over 100 yards, and NO it did'nt tear up the meat. Just droped them in their tracks.

I don't really like the A-bolts...Nothing personal, just I don't like the hex receiver (or whatever geometrical shape it is...) Also, since I know a .308 can kill out to 1200 meters or so, I really need the magnum cartridges. Also there is a big price difference with .308 and .300WSM.

v got a rem700 bdl in 7mm-08 an itl do what your asking, with little recoil, handles great, and will kill any deer you can find

I do like both the Remington 600 and the 7mm-08, but I again, I am trying not to let ammo restrict me as far as they are in the .308 or .30-06 families.

I think what you'd want is a standard sporter. Something with a 24 inch barrel to milk any velocity you can get out of a standard cartridge. If you went 308, you might get away with a 22 inch barrel. I'm a big fan of The Kimber 84M Classic. Fit and finish is excellent, the wood is even better. The last one I had was an 84M Classic in 308. It shot 1 inch groups at 100, but was very picky with ammo, only shooting the premium lines within an inch.

Another good-looking rifle is the Remington M700 CDL. Very classic look at a more affordable price than the Kimber. I don't believe the CDL is offered in 308, but it is offered in 7mm-08 and many other calibers.

I like the Kimber guns, but they are out of my price range(by a lot...). So far I do like the Remington 700 CDL and have so for quite a while.

Something like the Ruger RSI or Remington Model 7 would be worth considering. If you're not locked into the .308 I would agree with Dakotasin that a 7mm/08 would be nicer. Even a lowly .243 would actually serve you well.

I don't like the look of the full length stocks...Dunno, just weird to me. Will the pencil thin barrel on the model seven stay cool enough to shoot 20+ rounds within an hour? Looks like there would be a lot of barrel whip too.

I am definately looking for something a little more power than .243. I don't know much about it but it seems like its used a lot down in Texas where the deer are smaller than up here in New England. I may be wrong, though.

Don't forget the .270.
130 grain softpoints running at a MV of 3000 fps can handle any deer, and the trajectory is good out to 400. Sight in 2" high at 100 , and you can just centerpunch a deer out to 300 and not worry about bullet drop. Of course, that applies to .30-06, .308, etc.
I guess I just really like the .270.

I will definitely keep that in mind. I know its a necked down .30-06...So it might just work out fine.

Rifles
-Savage 110 series-cheap gun, shoots great, can be found with wood or laminate furnature
-Remington 700-the 870 of the bolt-action world
-Ruger 77 -all-around great gun
-CZ 550-As accurate as a Savage but nicer(and a little more expensive)(And the best factory triggers of any rifle under a thousand bucks)
-Browning A-Bolt -Higher-end rifle, a good gun

There are a lot of other great rifles for your purpose, but those are a few good basic bolt-actions to look at.

Pumps and levers are great guns, but since your are talking over 250 yards they would not be ideal for your purpose, not (generally) being as accurate.
Autoloaders/Semiautos are nice guns, but more complicated and generally both higher-maintinence and more expensive.

I'm not gonna go into caliber, other than to say anything 243 or larger should do what you are after if you do your part.

The savage is alright...I like the 14 American classic. Nice looking rifle and it has the accutrigger.

I like the 700...

The Ruger 77 in .30-06 is actually a nice looking gun. And its a good price, too. I have never heard much(good or bad) about this gun.

I actually also really like the CZ 550 American in .308. Thats a nice MSRP too. If the wood on the guns are all somewhat like that, I might be sold on that alone. It comes withs scope rings too

I don't really like the A-bolts.

Sorry for such a long, drawn out post...But I think that everyone that has responded have all had a decent amount of information and I beleive that I should adress everyone here.

So far I kind of like the CZ 550 American in .308, the Ruger 77 in .30-06 and the Remington 700 in 7mm-08. But are you guys sure that the sporter weight barrel will shoot at distance with relative accuracy? For the chosen caliber, I would probably start reloading to get the best accuracy.

Thanks, guys.

 

[The Deer Hunter]

From the CZ site (about the 550 American):

CZ 550 embodies aesthetic elegance and ergonomic design. On closer inspection the heart of the machine shows its time honored features.

* Mauser style claw extractor
* Square bridge receiver
* Hammer forged barrel
* Single set trigger

The CZ 550 has a positive 2-position safety. All CZ 550’s feature a classic square bridge receiver with a 19mm dovetail milled right into the receiver for the mounting of optics. For accuracy and long life these rifles are fitted with hammer forged barrels.

Does a single set trigger mean there is no adjustment besides working with the sear and stuff?

I know it comes with scope mounts but does the 19mm dovetail hold the scope on good? I have a Marlin 782 in .22WMR that slides the scope mount back while I shoot it(darn thing...) I'm sure some locktight would fix it but If it slides would drilling and tapping for a more traditional scope mount work out better?

 

[ducktail]

My 2 cents (as I am an accountant), I bought one of those all weather Rugers when they came out in 308 AND 300. ( I don't know why). I did get a real good flinch started on the 300 and it is now gone. For a while there I shot rather poorly. Lately I have given that 308 a real good cleaning and I am now really surprised with my own shooting abilities. Of course, so is everyone else.

All that said, if I were looking for a new gun as you are, and I always am, I would look at the Ruger Hawkeyes and see what they have in 308. I would also may wait for the Winchester they are about to start producing in Columbia SC.

 

[Wolfgang2000]

Get you a BLR in 308. It's will do anything you ask of it.

 

[ugaarguy]

.308 is a great choice because you'll have a wide variety of factory loaded ammo ranging from inexpensive softpoints to match grade spitzers, all from several manufacturers. Savage makes a great rifle, but the aesthetics - barrel nut, wood isn't as nice - aren't up to snuff with Remington, CZ, and Ruger, and you said you want traditional & nice looking. Outside of those the Weatherby Vanguard (a Howa 1500 with nice wood & polished bluing) remains a good buy at under $500.