Only 1 Hunting Rifle

When I bought my first bolt action rifle the store had the Ruger Mk 77 in two calibers on special sale; 243 Win and the 308 Win. For some reason I chose the 243 Win. It turned out to be a very accurate rifle & quite deadly on deer well with good shot placement. I don't hunt anymore but I still enjoy reloading 243 and shooting it once or twice a year on paper targets.

However several years after buying the 243 I had the unexpected opportunity to hunt in British Columbia. It was then (and only then) that I wished I had chosen the 308 instead of the 243. For that trip I had to buy another more powerful rifle and ended up getting a 7mm Rem Magnum. That rifle served me well in BC but it has been sitting in my safe ever since I returned from that trip.

I guess the moral of the story is that the 243 is a great cartridge but if all you can afford having is one rifle and you can tolerate the recoil the 308 is better.
 
gotboostvr said:
A muzzle break, suppressor, or liquid mercury weights in the stock will all help cut recoil further and might be worth considering as well.
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I had a Ruger 77 in 7 mag. I added a muzzle break and 2 mercury shock absorbers.

My son had shot everything except my 44 mag and the 7 mag. He has a Mauser 7x57, 13th BD gift.

He was 17 and unloading to get down from stand, in a freezing rain; he dropped his rifle and broke the stock in half. Next morning, he wanted to go out, I had my deer, so gave him the 7 mag. Heard a shot, around 10. 30 minutes later, he shows up in camp. He had hunted my stand and shot a doe at 350 yards. He had never shot over 200, but said he remembered I was sighted in at 350 and put the crosshairs on target. Man, that was a long ways, but now I'm mad! My rifle kicks harder than that magnum.

Yep, recoil like a .243. Really nice on a 30 - 40 round range session.
 
Sniper66 said:
I would not choose the .308 due to recoil. The .308 can be downright unpleasant.
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I feel the same about compact 308s. The pet load for my ruger gunsite scout is on the lighter side with 150 grn boolits and it feels just as stiff as a heavy 30-06 or middle of the road 300 win mag. I love that damn rifle and will shoot it till it won't shoot no mo though. Might be the perfect size for the OP. Wish they made it in 243.
 
.308 is what most people in my family use. Lots of ammo choices that you can find for a reasonable amount.

Recoil, at least for me, isn't bad. Even my 71 year old sister with back and neck issues can shoot it accurately without pain.
 
I'd pick the one I have: a Ruger MkII RSI (International), chambered in .308 and topped with a compact 1x4 powered scope (mine wears a Leupold VariXII). Great little rifle/scope combo for all things American to hunt.
 
My first deer rifle was a Savage 30-06 and it killed at both ends, but I used it to shoot several woodchucks and I put a Bishop stock on it. It was a good rifle, but I preferred a Model 700 Remington and have several, two in .270 Win,
which have killed several deer. One also shot a nice bull moose in the "North Maine Woods" at about 200 yards.

Photo: Rem 700 Stainless .270 Win. moose and deer killer at my deer stand in Vassalboro, where we've killed several nice deer.
700CDL a.jpg
 
Olympus said:
Back in the market for “the one” hunting rifle. Been using a cheap Ruger American 243 and it shot incredibly well but a young family member needed a new deer rifle and I sold it to his parents for him. Now I’m back in the market. I’ll probably buy another Ruger just for a backup, but now I’m thinking maybe I splurge and get a really nice rifle.

I’m still never going to need anything bigger than a 308 and hate recoil. I hunt Missouri hardwoods from blinds and ladder stands. Seems like all the new rifles are being chambered in PRC calibers and fast long actions. I’ve been looking at Christensen rifles, most the Ridgeline series. Hate the 24” barrel options because there just too long to use in a blind or up in a tree. And I’ll never need the added velocity. They have a 20” barrel version that might be better suited for me. But I’m still on the fence.

I’m thinking 7mm08, maybe 308, for a 20” barrel. I’m not going to see any performance difference with a 6.5CM but I’m not opposed to that caliber either.

Love to hear suggestions on rifle choices and caliber. No budget to speak of, just don’t want more recoil than a 308.
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Have you given any thought to the Mossberg Patriot line up? I have one in 270 Winchester with a walnut stock and one in 6.5 PRC with a polymer stock and they are both very accurate rifles. They are inexpensive and my experience with them has been very good.
 
I really love my CZ 527 American in 7.62x39 with 22" barrel. Medium game out to 250 yards is about max range, but the opportunities to hunt at that distance are pretty slim. It's just nice to know I can.

It's really hard to beat 308 Win though. I consider that cartridge an all around good round for many environments, ranges, and types of game.

When I look at a rifle cartridge I usually go for something that is well established as a military round. That status guaranties plenty of cheap plinking ammo for the range. The many and varied hunting loads available for 308 is no secret.

Since you load your own you can make light loads that are plenty effective depending on what you're hunting. I have a couple old friends that load 150gr bullets down to 2500 and even 2400 fps in 308 for white tail at the short to medium ranges they expect to hunt. The Speer 150gr Hot-Cor (#2023) works really well in this role.

I use the same bullet to load 7.62x39 rounds that average 2350ish fps in my 22" CZ and 2290ish in my Ruger Mini-30. That's near the edge of max pressure for 7.62x39. In 308 it's just a light load. 308 Win gives you a lot of room to load hotter or lighter as your needs dictate.

As for the rifle, there are just too many good ones to name them all. On a tight budget I'd take a hard look at the Savage 110 Apex Hunter with 20" barrel.

The first "real" centerfire rifle I ever fired was a stock mil-surp M1903 Springfield in 30-06. I was not warned nor prepared for the noise and kick. It was loud enough to wake the dead and nearly knocked me on my asterisk. I was 13. After that baptism by fire, even the hottest loads in 308 don't bother me.
 
Beck said:
I really love my CZ 527 American in 7.62x39 with 22" barrel. Medium game out to 250 yards is about max range, but the opportunities to hunt at that distance are pretty slim. It's just nice to know I can.

It's really hard to beat 308 Win though. I consider that cartridge an all around good round for many environments, ranges, and types of game.

When I look at a rifle cartridge I usually go for something that is well established as a military round. That status guaranties plenty of cheap plinking ammo for the range. The many and varied hunting loads available for 308 is no secret.
Click to expand...

It's very hard to beat the .308 for an "I-only-want-one-rifle" rifle. If you're in a location where 7.62x39 is big enough that's a good option, too, and for this reason- if it's a military round you'll probably be able to source cheap-ish ammo for a long time. With sanctions on Russia for their many acts of international aggression it's true that x39 isn't as cheap as it once was but you can still get steel or brass stuff for less than $.50/round. And 7.62 NATO is reasonable as well.
 
In forty years of hunting and becoming a "gun nut,", I started with a 30-30 and went all the way to .300 WinMag with lots of calibers in between. I never really looked for "the one deer rifle" but it eventually showed itself. The .270 Winchester is the caliber and the rifle I use chambering it is an older Browning BAR. As I get older, the BAR feels a lot heavier. I might switch rifles, but will probably continue to hunt with a .270 of some sort.
 
Picher said:
My first deer rifle was a Savage 30-06 and it killed at both ends, but I used it to shoot several woodchucks and I put a Bishop stock on it. It was a good rifle, but I preferred a Model 700 Remington and have several, two in .270 Win,
which have killed several deer. One also shot a nice bull moose in the "North Maine Woods" at about 200 yards.

Photo: Rem 700 Stainless .270 Win. moose and deer killer at my deer stand in Vassalboro, where we've killed several nice deer.
View attachment 1115259
Click to expand...
I'm a sucker for walnut stock 270 Win bolt guns! :thumbup:
 
270OKIE said:
So I hear two different things on the Bergara stuff, that they are made in Spain or Finland. And I've also heard they are a Remington 700 clone?
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They are a Spanish company that began as a barrel maker and they are a Remington 700 clone so that any aftermarket stuff for a Remington 700 can be used on the Bergara. The factory trigger that came with mine is user adjustable, but it was so fantastic, I'm not touching it...except to fire it.
 
LocoGringo said:
They are a Spanish company that began as a barrel maker and they are a Remington 700 clone so that any aftermarket stuff for a Remington 700 can be used on the Bergara. The factory trigger that came with mine is user adjustable, but it was so fantastic, I'm not touching it...except to fire it.
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Huh, interesting... funny how Llama 1911s weren't/aren't popular but the Bergara rifles are... I wonder why? We have a Llama 1911 for sale and it even has a threaded barrel and no one has even commented on it at the gun shows we go to...
 
270OKIE said:
Huh, interesting... funny how Llama 1911s weren't/aren't popular but the Bergara rifles are... I wonder why? We have a Llama 1911 for sale and it even has a threaded barrel and no one has even commented on it at the gun shows we go to...
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I don't know, but I don't think Bergara is very well known. I could be wrong about that. Here is a video I've posted on another thread of a fairly thorough and neutral comparison among several rifles:

Best Hunting Rifle Under $750: Eight guns reviewed head-to-head - YouTube

I recently purchased a Bergara Ridge with a 22" threaded barrel (I shoot suppressed) in 7mm-08 and I can't wait to break it in and see what it can do. Just yesterday I mounted a picatinny scope base to the receiver that was for a Remington 700. It fit perfectly.

I've also got 500 Hornady Interlock 139 grain bullets to load to find out what it can REALLY do. I have a boatload of .308 brass, so I'll be experimenting with forming brass from .308 to 7mm-08 soon. I doubt I'll get it ready in time for deer season this year, but it'll definitely be ready for next year.
 
Last edited:
I haven't been to a shop in a while,
but I would think with the CM craze and all the new rifles and calibers out now
that there ought to be a bunch of used
Model 7 Remingtons all over the
place for a good price.
I don't know exactly what they come
chambered in, but a fellow I hunted
a lease with had a 7 for his one and
only, and he hunted Texas and the
rocky mountain states with it.
I do know that they're short and light
 
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