What is a good rifle for medium-large game
- Thread starter Matt King
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MCgunner
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Don't get no better nor more versatile than the good ol' .30-06 for all around anything short of maybe brown bears in Alaska. It'll do them in, too, of course, but most folks want more rifle for those things.
There are many variations on the .30-06, stuff like the .280 which makes use of the excellent BCs and SDs of the 7mm family. I own the short action version, the .308 winchester. I've wanted that little M7 for a long, long time in .308 before I finally got it. The naught six handles bigger bullets, up to 220 grains, better than the short .308, though, better all around gun.
I own a 7 mag. Like the .06, there ain't much it can't do in North America. I like 7mm bullets and I like the flat shooting big 7, but 99 percent of my rifle hunting now days is with the .308. It does everything I need a rifle for. The big 7 has become a safe queen.
Oh, if you're asking about brands, Savage if you're broke is a lot of gun for the money. Remingtons, I own two of 'em. Browning A bolt is a very nice rifle. Have a friend with one. Winchester died another death not too long ago. Not sure of M70 availability. Weatherby makes a nice rifle. I'm not much into the imports so I don't know a lot about 'em. I'm a Remington kinda guy, but my 7 is a Savage M110. It's nothing fancy, but it's a 1moa gun and gets the job done.
Don't forget the optics. I like Weaver for the price. Leupold is over-rated IMHO. The only scopes I'd not consider are anything with "Simmons" on it or any of the under a hundred dollar stuff. The only under hundred dollar scope that is servicable that I've found, solid, won't fly apart, is Bushnell, but the cheaper Bushnell's optics leave a bit to be desired.
There are many variations on the .30-06, stuff like the .280 which makes use of the excellent BCs and SDs of the 7mm family. I own the short action version, the .308 winchester. I've wanted that little M7 for a long, long time in .308 before I finally got it. The naught six handles bigger bullets, up to 220 grains, better than the short .308, though, better all around gun.
I own a 7 mag. Like the .06, there ain't much it can't do in North America. I like 7mm bullets and I like the flat shooting big 7, but 99 percent of my rifle hunting now days is with the .308. It does everything I need a rifle for. The big 7 has become a safe queen.
Oh, if you're asking about brands, Savage if you're broke is a lot of gun for the money. Remingtons, I own two of 'em. Browning A bolt is a very nice rifle. Have a friend with one. Winchester died another death not too long ago. Not sure of M70 availability. Weatherby makes a nice rifle. I'm not much into the imports so I don't know a lot about 'em. I'm a Remington kinda guy, but my 7 is a Savage M110. It's nothing fancy, but it's a 1moa gun and gets the job done.
Don't forget the optics. I like Weaver for the price. Leupold is over-rated IMHO. The only scopes I'd not consider are anything with "Simmons" on it or any of the under a hundred dollar stuff. The only under hundred dollar scope that is servicable that I've found, solid, won't fly apart, is Bushnell, but the cheaper Bushnell's optics leave a bit to be desired.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
I'm another .30-'06 afficianado, but I think there are a bunch of other cartridges that would work quite well. The '06 is just fine and dandy for anything in the Lower 48.
How much background, generally, in rifle-shooting do you have?
Art
How much background, generally, in rifle-shooting do you have?
Art
sumpnz
Member
For bolt actions, all of the major manufacturers make rifles good enough to hunt with as far as accuracy and reliability. The main manufacturers that come to mind are Winchester, Remington, CZ, Ruger, Weatherby, Savage, Tikka, Sako, and Browning. I'm sure there are others, but those are all good companies. Personally I'm partial to the CZ line as well as the Winchester Classic (and pre-64 of course).
As far as power, anything from .243 Winchester power levels on up will work for the deer and hogs. .243 might be too light for the really big hogs, though if you used toughly constucted bullets and stuck to eating size pigs you should be fine. If you want to go as big as elk, I'd say the 6.5x55mm (or .260Rem)would be the practical minimum for power. I killed a pretty large cow elk with my 6.5 Swede last Oct., so it's definatly enough power for that size animal (she ran less than 40 yards after the shot). Anything more powerful certainly would not handicap you, so long as it wasn't so powerful that you couldn't shoot it accurately enough.
As far as power, anything from .243 Winchester power levels on up will work for the deer and hogs. .243 might be too light for the really big hogs, though if you used toughly constucted bullets and stuck to eating size pigs you should be fine. If you want to go as big as elk, I'd say the 6.5x55mm (or .260Rem)would be the practical minimum for power. I killed a pretty large cow elk with my 6.5 Swede last Oct., so it's definatly enough power for that size animal (she ran less than 40 yards after the shot). Anything more powerful certainly would not handicap you, so long as it wasn't so powerful that you couldn't shoot it accurately enough.
ReadyontheRight
Member
If you want THE classic rifle...Winchester Model 70 in 30-06 made prior to 1964 when the company redesigned the rifle. Really not all that shabby after 1964 as well, and they came back with some very nice models copying the old design before the Connecticut plant closed recently.
Remington (avoid the 710, but the rest are good), Weatherby, CZ, Browning, Ruger, Tikka and many others make fine bolt rifles as well. The biggest difference will be in the inclusion of iron sights (I like iron sights - many new guns will not have them), the ease of mounting a scope and the position/action of the safety.
Many bolt rifles have a safety that will not allow you to work the bolt to empty the chamber without taking the gun off safe. I don't like that configuration, but the easy way around it is to keep the chamber empty until you are preparing to fire -- basically bypassing the safety.
Get out and handle some rifles and shoot some if you can. From your description, 30-06 is the way to go. It's hard to go wrong if you stick to metal and wood. Expect to spend an additional $200+ for a good scope.
A great option is also the M1 Garand at www.odcmp.com. With the right ammo, great for hunting...but a little heavy and not worth trying to add a scope.
A Garand can also get you into competitive highpower rifle shooting. No finer sport exists.
Remington (avoid the 710, but the rest are good), Weatherby, CZ, Browning, Ruger, Tikka and many others make fine bolt rifles as well. The biggest difference will be in the inclusion of iron sights (I like iron sights - many new guns will not have them), the ease of mounting a scope and the position/action of the safety.
Many bolt rifles have a safety that will not allow you to work the bolt to empty the chamber without taking the gun off safe. I don't like that configuration, but the easy way around it is to keep the chamber empty until you are preparing to fire -- basically bypassing the safety.
Get out and handle some rifles and shoot some if you can. From your description, 30-06 is the way to go. It's hard to go wrong if you stick to metal and wood. Expect to spend an additional $200+ for a good scope.
A great option is also the M1 Garand at www.odcmp.com. With the right ammo, great for hunting...but a little heavy and not worth trying to add a scope.
A Garand can also get you into competitive highpower rifle shooting. No finer sport exists.
ReadyontheRight
Member
Forgot to mention Savage - great bolt rifles. Especially for the $$$. Probably the best deal out there right now is the Stevens Model 200 (Savage brand w/o the "Accutrigger"). Synthetic stock and no sights, but by all accounts a very good rifle for $329 MSRP (should be much cheaper at your local store).
ReadyontheRight
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hoghunting
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Everyone has mentioned guns that will do an excellent job for you, but what about you? Can you take recoil from a 30/06? If you can't, you might check into the 7-08 or 260rem. It all depends on how experienced you are. You might also replace the recoil pad on the rifle you choose to reduce the felt recoil.
The .270 win is my favorite,but all of the rifles and calibers mentioned are good for most of us.You may want to think about one of the .300 magnums if your just looking for one all around gun.It may be more than you need for deer and antelope but it really shines on the long shots.I haven't used the WSM,but the Win mag and the Weatherby are great.I like Ruger rifles but I'm not crazy about their triggers,the ones on my rifles were just to hard for my taste.
michael_aos
Member
Another plug for 260 Remington.
Mike
Mike
30-06 lover
Member
I have not hunted big game in a while, but I used to hunt big game exclusively and all the time. With rifles, I have killed with 22LR (not big game), 6mm Rem, 25-06 Rem, 270 Win, 308 Win, 30-06 Sprg, 300 Win Mag, & 338 Win Mag. I have shot singles, pumps, semis, bolts, and levers. From that short list, I have leaned:
With all people I have hunted with, the ones that can "handle" their rifle well, constantly bring home the meat. By handle I mean handle recoil. I hunted with a guy that shot a .338 for years, took the recoil like a champ, and kills game with it every year. Could I ever do that? Hell no, I just can't take anymore than a 30-06. On the other hand, one of the best hunters I know uses a 25-06 from coyotes to elk, which mos consider extremely light for elk. Every year he gets what he hunts because when he pulls the trigger, his aim is true. Why? He can handle the recoil of a 25-06 easily, so he enjoys practice, which results in him intimately knowing his rifle and "handles" her very well so when the shot on an animal finally comes, he knows right where the bullet goes.
When killing an animal, you MUST have the right shot placement and you MUST have a big enough bullet. Many believe you need either shot placement or a big bullet. Nope, you need both. If you shoot a black bear with a 22LR, you probably, most certainly not consistently, penetrate the bear, even if you hit the kill zone. On the other hand, if you shoot a bear in the ass with a 338 Mag, you are not going to collect a bear either. Hit the animal in the Right spot with the right round, you will have great success.
Personally, I HATE long action rifles. I just cannot stand throwing the bolt a long way compared to throwing the bolt half the distance of a long action. Kind of stupid considering the first shot is the one that counts, but I just hate long action.
For me, Of the different actions available, bolt is by far the best. It is strong, quick, accurate, and easy to assemble and disassemble/clean.
As my big game caliber of choice, I love the .308 Win. I suggest the .308 for most people that ask. The .308 is just under '06 ballistics, knocks the hell out of big game, has low recoil, ammo is widely available, and it is short action. I love the 30-06 for its reputation, personal experience, versatility, and large lists of loadings, (hell look at my forum name!) but I will soon sell mine due to the fact that I HATE long action rifles. The '06 is an outstanding round, but for me, my love of short actions, the love of my lever .308, and my experience with a .308, a bolt .308 is my next rifle no question.
With all people I have hunted with, the ones that can "handle" their rifle well, constantly bring home the meat. By handle I mean handle recoil. I hunted with a guy that shot a .338 for years, took the recoil like a champ, and kills game with it every year. Could I ever do that? Hell no, I just can't take anymore than a 30-06. On the other hand, one of the best hunters I know uses a 25-06 from coyotes to elk, which mos consider extremely light for elk. Every year he gets what he hunts because when he pulls the trigger, his aim is true. Why? He can handle the recoil of a 25-06 easily, so he enjoys practice, which results in him intimately knowing his rifle and "handles" her very well so when the shot on an animal finally comes, he knows right where the bullet goes.
When killing an animal, you MUST have the right shot placement and you MUST have a big enough bullet. Many believe you need either shot placement or a big bullet. Nope, you need both. If you shoot a black bear with a 22LR, you probably, most certainly not consistently, penetrate the bear, even if you hit the kill zone. On the other hand, if you shoot a bear in the ass with a 338 Mag, you are not going to collect a bear either. Hit the animal in the Right spot with the right round, you will have great success.
Personally, I HATE long action rifles. I just cannot stand throwing the bolt a long way compared to throwing the bolt half the distance of a long action. Kind of stupid considering the first shot is the one that counts, but I just hate long action.
For me, Of the different actions available, bolt is by far the best. It is strong, quick, accurate, and easy to assemble and disassemble/clean.
As my big game caliber of choice, I love the .308 Win. I suggest the .308 for most people that ask. The .308 is just under '06 ballistics, knocks the hell out of big game, has low recoil, ammo is widely available, and it is short action.
I love the 30-06 for its reputation, personal experience, versatility, and large lists of loadings, (hell look at my forum name!) but I will soon sell mine due to the fact that I HATE long action rifles. The '06 is an outstanding round, but for me, my love of short actions, the love of my lever .308, and my experience with a .308, a bolt .308 is my next rifle no question.I am kinda of surprised not to find the 30-30, 35 Remington and 44 mag listed here. I don't know your location, but for shots that are not going to be over 100 yards, those shots that you typically find down south, any of those three would be excellent choices. The recoil isn't to stout and they can usually be found in light, handy carbines.
Another round that I am a big fan of is the .257 Roberts. In it's heavier loadings it is enough round to hunt Black Bear. You can buy a Ruger 77 chambered for that round, which gives you a very well made gun and a great round.
Any of the rounds suggested in this post should be more than adequate for your purposes.
There is one more thing to thing about. Ammo availability. Supposing that the SHTF, it would be important to have some guns that it is relatively easy to buy rounds for and for that reason the 30-06, 223 and 308 are excellent choices. I would think that the 30-30 would be close behind those.
There are many reasons to consider which round you are going to get and it isn’t just based on a SHTF scenario, but it is important to make the best and most informed choices that you can, especially when you are building your initial battery of guns. After that, feel free to get whatever.
Another round that I am a big fan of is the .257 Roberts. In it's heavier loadings it is enough round to hunt Black Bear. You can buy a Ruger 77 chambered for that round, which gives you a very well made gun and a great round.
Any of the rounds suggested in this post should be more than adequate for your purposes.
There is one more thing to thing about. Ammo availability. Supposing that the SHTF, it would be important to have some guns that it is relatively easy to buy rounds for and for that reason the 30-06, 223 and 308 are excellent choices. I would think that the 30-30 would be close behind those.
There are many reasons to consider which round you are going to get and it isn’t just based on a SHTF scenario, but it is important to make the best and most informed choices that you can, especially when you are building your initial battery of guns. After that, feel free to get whatever.
HankB
Member
Choose the appropriate ammo and place your shots carefully, and IMHO the .30/06 is a good choice for all thin-skinned, non-dangerous game worldwide, with the possible exceptions of giraffe and eland. I've used mine on numerous deer in the USA, as well as impala, kudu, zebra, leopard, warthog, wildebeest, gemsbok, and other plains game in Africa, with complete satisfaction.
Recoil isn't bad (milliions of GIs used it in WWI & WWII in rifles with steel buttplates, not rubber recoil pads), a huge assortment of ammo is widely available, and rifles are available in semi-auto, bolt action, pump action, even lever action from many manufacturers.
My own preference is for a Winchester Model 70, but good bolt actions are available from Dakota, Remington, Savage, Ruger, Browning, CZ, Weatherby . . . and on and on. I'd suggest you decide on a budget and then see which one shoulders and points most "naturally" for you.
Recoil isn't bad (milliions of GIs used it in WWI & WWII in rifles with steel buttplates, not rubber recoil pads), a huge assortment of ammo is widely available, and rifles are available in semi-auto, bolt action, pump action, even lever action from many manufacturers.
My own preference is for a Winchester Model 70, but good bolt actions are available from Dakota, Remington, Savage, Ruger, Browning, CZ, Weatherby . . . and on and on. I'd suggest you decide on a budget and then see which one shoulders and points most "naturally" for you.
belton-deer-hunter
member
you didnt give me a chance to get here.
i would go with a marlin 336 in 30-30 with a good scope and see thru rings you have fast follow up shots and can take down deer and hogs and with lighter loads light 125 grain hand loads you oculd even take smaller anmals like squirels and ground hogs
one-shot-one
Member
1 vote for:
300wsm if you want on the heavier end and .308 if the middle.
300wsm if you want on the heavier end and .308 if the middle.
~z
Member
Another vote for the 7mm-08. But could equally suggest .308 or .270. Any of the three will fill the bill for a "one gun hunter". They all fit your wish list. Do your home work to refine to your exact need, I'm just trying to help you narrow the field.
~z
~z
Recarding my expierince with rifles, i have a Marlin 30/30 lever action rifle, and i love it! however the hogs down here aare getting huge, and i want a little more force. plus I shot my friend's remington 700 30-36 bolt action and loved it. handled the recoil just fine.
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