Looking for a 30 06

[mrbladedude]

I'm going to be buying a 30 06 rifle this summer to be used for hunting deer and elk in Oregon. I'm overwhelmed by the options available. Some say Remington 700, others Winchester model 70, and then there's everything in between.
My budget is $1000 for the rifle and then about another $700 for the scope. So $1700 total package out the door.

Any suggestions as to why one rifle is better than the other?

 

[eastbank]

i,m a remington and leupold man, but i don,t think you can go wrong with any named brand rifle and the 3006 will handle any animal here, it may be a little light for big bears but has been used in emergencies and worked. as for scope(get good mounts), you will have many to choose from and any of the top named brands will be ok. but please don,t put a 50.00 saddle on a 500.00 horse. eastbank.

 

[Grumulkin]

I'm going to be buying a 30 06 rifle this summer to be used for hunting deer and elk in Oregon. I'm overwhelmed by the options available. Some say Remington 700, others Winchester model 70, and then there's everything in between. My budget is $1000 for the rifle and then about another $700 for the scope. So $1700 total package out the door.

Any suggestions as to why one rifle is better than the other?

I presume you are wanting a comparison between the two brands you mentioned. I don't think one is better than the other. I've shot a Remington 700 and liked it so that's probably what I would choose of the two; I've never shot a Winchester model 70.

If you want other suggestions, consider Tikka and Savage. Due to the excellent warrenty on Leupold scopes which is good even if you didn't buy the scope new, I buy used and occasionally new Leupold scopes. I could easily put together a very nice and serviceable rifle for quite a bit less than your $1,700; in fact, for probably less than $1,000.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

take a look at the Remington and Winchesters you like the looks of and can afford. Any of them are good guns.

 

[jmr40]

You can get all the scope you need for a LOT less than $700. I've owned them all and mostly use Winchesters now. I've got others that get played with at the range, but when things get serious I always reach for one of the model 70's. If working with a smaller budget there may be other guns I'd recommend, but with a $1700 budget I'd advise a Winchester Extreme Weather as the best option for an all purpose rifle. Street price will be a little over $1000, but you can get all the scope you need for $350-$500 coming in well under your $1700 budget.

For my money a Leupold VX-2 priced at $300-$350 is as much scope as anyone needs. You can pay more for bigger glass, and fancy features, but most of that is wasted money. A basic duplex reticle is about $300 but it is worth the extra $50 for the long range reticle on the VX-2. A VX-3 will run you about $500 if you just want to spend money. They are a better scope and if priced $50 more I'd pay it. They are not $200 better.

My trio of go-to rifles. The one on the left and in the middle are Winchester 70 SS Classics made in the 1990's in 300 WSM and 30-06. The 308 on the right is a 2008 made Extreme Weather. All are in McMillan Edge stocks and weigh almost exactly 7.5 lbs as shown. With the factory stock on the EW you can still keep weight to a manageable 8 lbs ready to hunt. The Edge stock takes off about 1/2 lb. All 3 will keep 3 shots under 1", usually closer to 1/2" consistently.

 

[Ks5shooter]

T/C Venture weathershield 30/06,Leupold VX-R 3-9 firedot 4 reticle and you are set for around 1k. Best bolt gun for the money IMHO,I own three.

Weather Shield


Fifty-times more corrosion-resistant than traditional stainless steel, the innovative Weather Shield coating protects your bolt-action rifle from the elements in any climate.

Adjustable Trigger
An accurate shot starts with a crisp trigger. The trigger on the T/C Venture can be adjusted from 3.5-5 lbs of trigger pull, depending on shooter preference.

Hogue® Traction Panels
Stay in control of your shot with Hogue Overmolded® traction panels, designed to give shooters a secure grip in any condition.

T/C’s 5R Rifling delivers superior accuracy by causing less bullet deformation, giving greater bullet stability over multiple shots.

With an MOA accuracy guarantee for all 16 available calibers, your T/C Venture Weather Shield will be protected and accurate in any condition.

 

[salt&battery]

i,m a remington and leupold man, but i don,t think you can go wrong with any named brand rifle and the 3006 will handle any animal here, it may be a little light for big bears but has been used in emergencies and worked. as for scope(get good mounts), you will have many to choose from and any of the top named brands will be ok. but please don,t put a 50.00 saddle on a 500.00 horse. eastbank.

a 220 grain bullet fired out of an 06 has been shown to out penetrate every rifle round except the 375 H&H and only by a tiny margin by Finn Aagard and phil shoemaker. it would penetrate a big bear from stem to stern. if that aint enough get a grenade launcher

 

[Dog Soldier]

There are some used quality rifles out there as well. Some times a bargain Sako or a Pre-64 Mdl 70 can be had.

 

[salt&battery]

T/C Venture weathershield 30/06,Leupold VX-R 3-9 firedot 4 reticle and you are set for around 1k. Best bolt gun for the money IMHO,I own three.

Weather Shield


Fifty-times more corrosion-resistant than traditional stainless steel, the innovative Weather Shield coating protects your bolt-action rifle from the elements in any climate.

Adjustable Trigger
An accurate shot starts with a crisp trigger. The trigger on the T/C Venture can be adjusted from 3.5-5 lbs of trigger pull, depending on shooter preference.

Hogue® Traction Panels
Stay in control of your shot with Hogue Overmolded® traction panels, designed to give shooters a secure grip in any condition.

T/C’s 5R Rifling delivers superior accuracy by causing less bullet deformation, giving greater bullet stability over multiple shots.

With an MOA accuracy guarantee for all 16 available calibers, your T/C Venture Weather Shield will be protected and accurate in any condition.

what is weather shield? I know that cerakote is almost indestructable

 

[sage5907]

I also believe that a Winchester Model 70 is about as good as you're going to find. I wouldn't buy a rifle that didn't have the Winchester type 3 position safety because having one is priceless. jmr40 has good taste in rifles but not everyone needs a stainless rifle with a composite stock. I have both wood and composite and frankly if you take care of your equipment and don't use it much is snow and rain a wood stock and blue steel action works just as well. I prefer wood and blue steel. A featherweight rifle with a 22 inch barrel is easier to carry but a 24 inch barrel is easier to use because that extra 4 ounces on the end of the barrel really makes a steadier rifle. I notice a big difference for long range shooting. Also, like jmr40 says a Leupold VX 2 is a really good buy and I would recommend a 3 to 9 variable with mat finish, 40 mm objective and a duplex reticle. Although that long range duplex has dots for 300 and 400 yards if your shots are 300 yards or less i would buy a standard duplex. I'm glad you're buying a 30-06 because although I own several calibers when I go big game hunting I always carry a 30-06. If you reload try 57 grains of Reloader 17 with a 150 grain Sierra gameking bullet. It doesn't get much better.

 

[mrbladedude]

Thanks for all the replies. How do the Savage and Tikka rilfes compare to the Remington and Winchester?

 

[eastbank]

i,m not a savage man, but i have looked at the tikka,s and if a left hand 260 or 6.5x55 tikka in a syn stock came my way i think i would snatch it up. eastbank.

 

[Bart B.]

5R Rifling delivers superior accuracy by causing less bullet deformation, giving greater bullet stability over multiple shots.

I've had 30 caliber 5R rifled barrels as well as conventional 4 and 6 grooved ones. They all shot the same accuracy level across 30 shots or more.

5R rifling was first used in American made match rifle barrels by Boots Obermeyer back in the 1970's. He did that because of the 7mm Rem Mags used in long range matches then were sometimes spinning Sierra's 168-gr. HPMK bullet too fast for its jacket to hold together. Some lots of Sierra's bullets had thinner jackets and with deep rifling grooves in them, they would weaken too much and the high centrifugal force those bullets had that would tear jackets apart at the land's groove lines.

The bullet tester at Sierra who owned the 7 Rem Mag rifle the guy used in 1970 to set the new 1000 yard record at the Nationals were both good friends of mine. They kept me updated through the 1980's when Sierra was able to get better jacket material that conventionally rifled barrels didn't weaken them.

All bullets are deformed as they go into the rifling. Even the very best match bullets used in barrels whose groove diameter is near .002" smaller than bullet diameter. Typical groove diameter for 30 caliber match barrels is .3075" and match bullets .3082" to .3085" diameter. As long as bullet are deformed uniformly all the way around, they are not unbalanced in any way; just different shaped dimensionally.

 

[LoonWulf]

So far all the rifles mentioned are excellent options, at the end of the day the suite of features and looks are probably what will sell you on a rifle.

Let me toss out a few more.

For push feeds, im really like the Bergara b-14s, Browning A-bolts. Howas are also good solid guns, but they are heavy. The browning, and Howas have a three position saftey, the Bergrara has a remington style 2 postion.

Ruger also builds a good gun in the price range your looking at, i really liked the most recent Hawkeye i had, and if it wasnt a 300win i would have probably kept it.

 

[MJD]

Any of the name brands will do. I applaud the choice of '06. One of many, many good choices out there and it won't serve you poorly.

If you're new to hunting...no matter what part of Oregon you're hunting, you're probably going to have to cover a bit of ground. Keep rifle/scope below 9 lbs, and get a GOOD sling. A decent pair of lightweight binos are equally as important. I say 9 lbs....lighter is better, but once you get below ~8lbs, you can spend a lot of money chasing ounces.

Wood or synthetic....personal preference. Hold a bunch of either stock material and see what speaks to you. Laminate is a decent compromise.

 

[Bart B.]

If reliability, ease of operation, field maintenance and overall ruggedness, nothing equals the track record of Winchester 70 controlled round feed ones. That's why they were the favorite in high power rifle matches using bolt guns to shoot rapid fire matches before tube guns took over. To say nothing about them being near 3 times stiffer than Remington 7XX ones.

 

[.308 Norma]

If reliability, ease of operation, field maintenance and overall ruggedness, nothing equals the track record of Winchester 70 controlled round feed ones. That's why they were the favorite in high power rifle matches using bolt guns to shoot rapid fire matches before tube guns took over. To say nothing about them being near 3 times stiffer than Remington 7XX ones.

I agree with Bart B.. And with a budget of $1700 "out the door," a Model 70 Winchester with a good scope is going to give you money left over.

One thing Bart didn't mention, the Model 70 Winchesters have their famous 3-position safeties too. A lot of hunters, including myself, prefer 3-position safeties. Although, there's a lot to be said for the tang safeties like the one on my old Ruger 77, 30-06. Tang safeties are handy and easy to manipulate with the rifle shouldered, they're quiet, and in my experience, they're not as likely to get snagged on brush or clothing.

As far as scopes go - I've always liked Leopolds. That said, I put a Weaver on my own favorite big game rifle (my .308 Norma of course) because I compared it side by side with a Leopold, and to me, the Weaver appeared more clear. But that's my eyes. Besides that, I've had Lasik Surgery since then. So if I compared a Leopold to a Weaver now, I might have an entirely different view (pun intended).

However, I don't like Burris scopes. But that also is just my opinion. I know a lot of people who swear by them, but I had a bad experience with a Burris scope. And I tend to carry grudges.

 

[salt&battery]

aren't the ruger 77's close to the Winchester and I think do not have a slot in the locking lug for the ejector?

 

[Captcurt]

Let me toss out a few more.

For push feeds, im really like the Bergara b-14s. Bergrara has a remington style 2 postion safety.

I second the Bergara. They have a really nice, adjustable trigger, pillar bedded stock, smooth action and an excellent barrel that is free floated. They are a lot of gun for the money. Come in synthetic stock or 2 styles of walnut. My only gripe is that they are heavy.

 

[GAF]

I`ll ad another choice, A CZ 550 Full Stock.

 

[BrocLuno]

Tikka's are excellent rifles. Most are MOA out of the box. They have stock options. I have too many rifles to justify buying another (plus I'm working on an AR project). My wife would be rightly pee'od. We have other needs for the discretionary funds...

But, if a Tikka T3 came along and say a neighbor needed some cash, it would walk home with me that night

Oh, and I always wanted a tang safety Ruger 77 too ...

And then, just to drool over: http://www.verney-carron.com/pdf/brochures-2009-US-Impact-Plus.pdf The French make some beautiful rifles. The action is intriguing, but way out of the budget here ...

But, the bottom line is that since the 06 was the standard hunting cartridge for many folks after WW-II, there are literally a zillion 06 rifles out there. Many on the used rifle rack at the LGS, or Cabela's or wherever ...

Before you drop $1,700 into a new rifle project, please go look at what's around the shops near you... You may find a beautiful 06 that someone wanted to get rid of because they wanted to move up to XX Magnum, or 338 Lapua, or for whatever reason - something "more modern". I see great used rifles almost every time I go into a gun store.

If you don't find one, then by all means go to the local dealer and get something new. But take a look first ...

 

[Decoy80]

If I could only own one 30 caliber rifle it would be an 06. For the budjet you have there are so many options available its unreal in todays market. As long as your optics equal the ability of the rifle you will be fine. Enjoy the selection and espically enjoy the shooting ,the fun part.

 

[Wreck-n-Crew]

Two triggers I am familiar with that are great triggers would be the Win model 70 and the Savage models with the accu-trigger. Right now I don't know what's going on with Remington and though they are known for their model 700 being a great rifle I'm not enthused by what I have seen or heard lately. Maybe nothing too it but for me at least I'm a little weary. If it were me id go with what I know or am familiar with and that would be the model 70 and the Savage. Still have a lot of people with more experience out there regarding the 700 (current runs) that can clear that up. to be honest I hope what I've experienced is not relative and they are still on par. The more good rifles out there the happier I am.

As far as glass there are a few out there that are top shelf yet I cant say enough about what Vortex has done to make affordable and quality fit in the same sentence as well as they do. If someone's looking to save a little money they can get them there without a big sacrifice in overall performance.

 

[stringnut]

Have not tried one of the new Winchestersite, but, seem to have a good reputation. Here is the list of what family and friends have had good luck with in the last few years. Ruger, Remington, Savage, Tikka. All functioned well and shot 1.25 MOA with most loads. This is for 5 shot groups not 3 shot bragging groups. My ER Shaw MK VII shot a 50 round group ,over several days, that measured 1.25 inch. Never cleaned , some slow fire, and some with the barrel hot. Based on a Savage action. IMHO your chance of getting a turkey with any of the major companies is pretty low. Find what you like and start shooting.
As far as scopes go for best reliability Leupold and better Nikons have been outstanding.

 

[cdb1]

I would shoulder several different makes of rifles and see which felt the most comfortable. I would also stay away from getting too light of a rifle as that will increase recoil. Almost all rifles today are more than accurate enough for hunting so it boils down to what a person likes.

As an example I can't stand a small ejection port so that rules out the RAR, Axis, 783 and Tikka(excluding the T3x). I don't care for DBM's so that excludes a number of rifles for me. I prefer wood but will take a rifle with a good synthetic stock. I prefer CRF and own a couple but also own push feed rifles. These are the kind of things you might want to look at.

I also believe in buying the best glass I can afford. For me that means scopes in the $400.00 to $600.00 range. Can't go wrong with Leupold, I own several. I also own Meopta, Zeiss, Bushnell Burris and Clearidge. I don't own Nikon, Vortex and Swarovski for the simple reason I don't see as well out of them as I do other brands. The thing is everyone's eyes are different so NO one can tell you which scope brand is best for you. Your eyes will tell you. If I were to buy a scope tomorrow it would be a Tract Toric but I would in no way tell you to buy one. I also judge a scope by how good it is in low light since I strictly hunt and seem to have most shot opportunities late and early.

I'll second the suggestion to buy good rings and bases. Here again some people will insist that one brand is the only way to go. Hogwash. Warne, DNZ, Leupold, Talley, Burris, Weaver and some I've probably forgotten will serve you well. Rings and bases are of particular interest to me because I mounted 10-15 scopes a week at work for two years and I also have an optics mounting business. My experience has been cheap rings and bases are usually the first point of failure, not the scope or the rifle, one caveat being the scope isn't of the bubble pack variety.

One last thing. Even though I buy the nicest scopes I can, a VX-2 3-9x40 would have sufficed for about 95% of all the shots I've taken, and I do have one.