looking for first high power rifle

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avtx

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first let me say that i am a new here and this seems to be a great form.
like the title says i am looking to buy my first high powered rifle soon and i am not sure what to get. i want a bolt action, that will be big enough to hunt deer and possible elk. also it needs to be a round that is easy to reload. i am looking to spend around $500. i have been looking at the rem 700. in the 7mm. i found one for 450 w/ no scope and it has a little rust on it( not much). he said he has only shot the gun 12 times in about 10 years. would that gun be a good deal or should i keep looking?
thanks any info wound be appreciated
 
what is your centerfire rifle background?

i'm a big fan of the 7 rem mag, and ranks as one of my favorite couple of chamberings out there, but it isn't necessarily a 'beginners' chambering.

i would encourage you to have a serious look at the 7-08 and 308.

also, remington is running a rebate right now. you get $40 back on a new sps. the gun you found, $450 for a used, light rust 700 is a deal i would pass on, especially w/ the rebates from remington available. You should be able to find good condition 700's for about $400, and light rust 700's in the $350 range.
 
Keep looking.

Any gun with rust on it isn't worth the overall risk. The owner obviously didn't maintain it.

If you're in the .260-.308 caliber I'd recommend either a .270 or a .30-06. Both are extremely versatile.

Don't go cheap either. You don't have to spend a thousand, but don't get a fixer upper.
 
There are lots of good new guns in deer/elk calibers in that price range. Stevens Model 200 in 30-06 or 7mm; done, with money left over for glass. And there are lots more rifles that price range. No need to buy a rusty used gun.
 
Good advice so far: the Savage or Marlin offerings would best fit the bill.
However, for only a few bones more, you could buy some really nice offerings. I really enjoy the CZ rifles. The 550 with the detachable magazine will accept the 10 rounders also.

I have been very pleased with mine. I have yet to have any copper fouling in that hammer forged barrel. The fit of the wood to the metal pieces in the CZ is spectacular. IMO, it is probably the highest quality rifle I have ever owned.

One thing I will say, a buddy of mine had a 40x from Remington that wouldn't shoot with the KMart Savage of another friend of mine, using out of the box ammo. Savage made a believer out of me. -- Only problem with the Savage that I saw was that it copper fouled really quickly, and while not unique to Savage, I do not know why they use that mongo receiver for such diminutive rounds as the 223. :confused:
 
Problem with subscribing to a thread like this one is that I know danged well I'm going to buying myself another rifle, whether I need it or not. :D
 
Keep it simple.

For a first gun I would have to say Savage, Stevens or Marlin in that order. They can be had for less than $400 and all are very capable of out shooting some of your more expensive rifles. My only concern is the extractors on the Marlins. I've seen too many cases of broken extractors.:fire: I like the CZs but have yet to own one that didn't have feeding problems, and I've owned 3.


As for caliber, pick one that is very common (read cheaper ammo) such as 243, 270, 308, or 30-06. Put a good piece of glass on your new toy and go play.:D
 
I was recently looking at Wal-Mart rifles and I saw a Remington 700-7mm with composite stock and scope for a little under $400. I really didn't check it out throughly, so my info may be wrong but I thought it looked like a lot of rifle for a reasonable price, especially with a scope.
JT
 
thanks guys, my centerfire back ground is pretty much none.
seems like the more i look the more the more complicated it gets! i want them all!! how do you make up your mind? :banghead:
 
My sugestion would be to keep your eyes open, sometimes you can even catch a Weatherby for under 400 bucks. I would stay clear of the 7mm for a first, and stay with a more redily available and less expensive chambering. As for the reloading aspect, 308 or 30-06 will be more versitle, being in Indiana, our centerfire rifles tend to pull varmint duty more than deer and elk. 110-220+gr bullets available in .308 I dont think you can get that in any other caliber. the '06 will be better if you want to load heavier than 180 gr, but either one is well suited to hunting almost anything you will find on this contenent.
 
I make up my mind by reading as much as possible. I've got a short list of rifles that I like and some aren't made today. I look at the used racks weekly and new stuff pops up regularly. The last rifle that I almost bought was a Winchester pre-1964 Model 94 chambered in 32 Winchester Special. I also look for Remington 760 pumps, any Marlin 336, Ruger M77 MKII, Remington Model Seven, Savage Model 99, Browning A-Bolt, Browning BAR, Browning BLR, & a couple of others.
 
I second the Marlin XL7 in 30-06 or 270. I might get some flack here but I have both and the Marlin out shoots the 700. Plus he will have plenty of money left over for a nice scope...Russ
 
Why not get a 260 or 308? much less recoil than the others that have been mentioned... with the exception of the 7mm-08 (great cartridge too BTW!!!!) Any of the above cartridges will get you what you want... "deer and possibly elk."

I suggest a lower recoil rifle as jumping straight to a shoulder beater is not going to help you a bit... 260, 7-08, and 308 will be more than adequate and if you eventually decide you want to extend your hunting range a bit, step up to something harder hitting like the 30-06, 7m mag, or 300win mag.
 
As a beginner I would avoid the otherwise great ballistics of the 7mm mag. It is a belted magnum, meaning there is a small belt around the bottom of the case. I have heard belted magnums can be a chore to reload for because of the potential for bulging just above the belt that can be difficult to straighten out without extra tools/dies.

I would find a way to go and fire at least one of these calibers you're considering, then you'll have a recoil refernce point. Some people are recoil sensitive and have no idea what to expect being a beginner. Being sensitive simply means you may slightly flinch or have some small reaction to the recoil that will cause your accuracy to suffer. It doesn't matter how big or tough you are, and it doesn't make you a girl if you flinch at some point.

I like to think everyone will flinch at some point, the question is where is their recoil tolerance?

Here's a very good table that gives comparible numbers for recoil for your consideration:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

My personal opinion says you should definetly pass on the rusty 700. My personal opinion also says 270 is my favorite for general purpose deer.
 
a good .308 is what people told me, so i got a howa m1500, and i have two boxes of 150 gr federal ammo, that was 13.00 a box, and some hornady a-max match that is ballistic tip 168 gr ammo, and it was 32.00 for 20
 
well.... i have been looking for a couple of days now and i found a 308 Marlin MX . i just got home with it and i haven't shot it yet, but i will first thing in the morning.
i did not know this was a new bullet till i got home and found out it did not shoot 308 win but i have found a good supply on ammo for it . i looked in my reloading book and no listing of it. does hornaday have a good supply of reloading bullets for it?
 
it will use a .308 bullet.

i'm not familiar w/ your rifle, but assuming it is a tube-fed lever gun, you will want to look at hornady's 160 flex tip bullets.

i think it would be a wise decision on your part to pick up a couple hundred cases for this chambering and squirrel 'em away.
 
i bought the honaday lever evolution ammo, i am looking for dies to reload, i have a lee press and can not find a lee dies for it others have in but not lees.
so if i can find a die i should just be able to buy .308 flex tip from hornady (which will be the same bullet as the .308 win)right?
 
so if i can find a die i should just be able to buy .308 flex tip from hornady (which will be the same bullet as the .308 win)right?
Click to expand...

That's correct. Also, most all dies will fit your Lee press, so no need to worry if you have to buy Hornady or some other brand of dies.

You can also buy new, empty brass for that cartridge from Hornady.
 
Bit of an odd selection in caliber.. not a thing wrong with it just a bit different than the "feel" i thought you were hinting at... Anyhow, congrats on the purchase.. let us know how she shoots.
 
I too recommend the 30-06 it is a round that most stores always have it is easy to reload and very inexpensive. The 7mm is an excellent caliber but bullets costs more to buy. I would consider the 7mm-08 which is a neck down from a 308 cal with a 7mm bullet. It has a very straight trajectory compared to the 308 and 30-06. The 30-06 is still tops because you can shoot a variety of bullet weights from 110 grain bullets to 220 grain. I use my 30-06 for coyote with the 110 grain and 125 grain to elk using a 165 grain bullet. Just a great round to get started with. Consider a savage rifle, good rifles out of the box.
 
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