What rifle and scope would you pick for all your Medium to Big Game hunting, in the lower 48 states?

huntersdog said:
What rifle and scope would you pick for all your Medium to Big Game hunting, in the lower 48 states?
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In 60+ years of successful medium and big game hunting in the lower 48, I've mostly used .30 caliber rifles and variable power scopes. Although, I did use a .270 Winchester with a variable power scope for a few years, and I still have a .338 Winchester Mag with a variable power scope that I used for a couple more years. And I used both a .30-30 Win and a .308 Winchester with open sights for a few years. I also used a 300 Win Mag with a straight 6 power scope for a year or two.
Every big game rifle and scope (or no scope) I've ever used for medium to big game hunting worked swell - when I did my part. And "my part" included determining which cartridge and scope (or no scope) would be best for the type of terrain I was going to be hunting in. Which BTW, I haven't always done - I once tried using that 300 Win Mag with its straight 6 power scope for mule deer hunting in country where the trees and brush were so thick, I couldn't see more than 35 or 40 yards. That didn't even work well, much less "swell." :oops:
At any rate, my favorite big game rifle nowadays is my custom built .308 Norma Mag with its 3-9 Weaver. But that's mostly because I have a lot of sentimental value for the great .308 Norma Mag and variable power Weaver scopes. :)
 
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A Ruger Hawkeye in .280 rem. (the best of the 06 necked cartridges IMO) w/Leupold 3 x 9, walnut stock and leather sling. Dead on accurate at 200It's what I got, it’s have to do.
IMG-0590.jpg
 
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I haven't used one rifle for all of my hunting, since I bought my second rifle. I don't even use one rifle on our place, I might not even use the same rifle for day/night hunting.
 
Why do so many people get scope spec designation wrong? Its not 2x8, or 3x9, or 3x9x40, etc. If a scope has variable magnification power, then it’s expressed as “lowest power - highest power x objective lens diameter (mm)”. For example, a variable power scope with 3 magnification power on the low end and 9 power on the high end, with a 40mm objective, is expressed as “3-9x40.” It’s not a “3x9” or “3x9x40” or anything else.

For a fixed power scope it’s simply expressed as “fixed magnification power x objective lens diameter (mm)”. The correct expression for a fixed 4 power scope with a 25mm objective would be “4x25.”

Why is this so hard? It makes it difficult sometimes to understand what people are really referring to when they don't express the specifics correctly.
 
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1nighttrain said:
My 30-06 with a 2.5 x 8 has served me well for the last 30 plus years.
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Not a thing wrong with that set up! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Out of all of the cartridge/scope combinations I've used in the past 60+ years of big game hunting in the "lower 48," the one I've used the most is my 30-06 and its 2.5 - 8 Leopold. Like I said before, I use my beloved .308 Norma Mag with its 3 - 9 Weaver nowadays. But the truth is, in the 14 years I've had my .308 Norma Mag, I've never taken a head of big game that was so far away that I couldn't have just as easily taken it with my old Ruger 77 30-06 and its 2.5 - 8 Leopold. :thumbup:
 
CraigC said:
Anything in the .308 class of cartridges from the 6.5 and up. For optics, a 1.5-5x up to a 2-7x. IMHO, most people over-scope their hunting rifles and the ubiquitous 3-9x is overpowered for most hunting in the eastern woodlands.
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For sure. I believe it was Wayne Van Zwoll who referred to over scoping as "Attaching a rifle to a scope."

35W
 
huntersdog said:
What rifle and scope would you pick for all your Medium to Big Game hunting, in the lower 48 states?

Ruger Hawken in 30-06 and a Redfield 3-9x40 scope should cover me. Shots from 75 to 400 yards, pending on animal.
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I have an old Ruger 77 Flat Bolt in 280 Remington that has a 2-7X Burris Fullfield on it. That and a 160 gr. Nosler Partition @ around 2850 fps would be my choice. From reading some of the posts here, I realize that it's not as powerful as some of the new 6.5's that run lighter bullets at lower velocities, but still, I think it'd work. 😏

35W
 
I enjoy reading this thread, here in Spain depend of modality many people prefer the 300wm for shoot at 200 yd for his energy ( in “monteria”) other 30-06 I’d say is the most common… other magnum lovers prefer 7mmRM and small part 338wm.

If the modality is other (“ aguardo”) I’d say 308 is the king.

And finally for “rececho” , I’m not sure but you can see depending of animals 243w,270w,7mm,308 and last years 6.5 creed.

And I really enjoy this thread because I learn about you about magnification scopes! Here, if you go hunting (rececho) and don’t have one similar to 2.5-15x50 or even 3-24x50 seems like You aren’t the best…
For this I like this thread, because I can read about is posible shoot animals with 3-9 or 2-10 …at 300/400 yd

This morning listening a big game podcast about scopes It said about the soldiers used many years 10x Like max magnification with great results.

If I need to choose one gun and scope , for medium game and distances from 100 to 300 yd ( no more because I never practiced so far), It’d be Sako 85 maybe 270,270wsm or 30-06. And scope… maybe meopta r2 2-12x50 or similar, I have one bushnell 4.5-30x50 and it weighs more than a marriage.
 
Nature Boy said:
Is that a future build or one you have? If the latter, post a pic of that bad boy!
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Kind of a dream rifle. I build too many match rifles for my hunting fantasies to materialize. But if Seekins doesn't get my Havak lined out when it comes back from the mothership, it'll get a big headstart on becoming a reality - Glen will trade me a new rifle against mine, and I need another short action like a hole in the head now, so it'll get sold towards the AnTi. I am REALLY tempted to use a Seekins Element long action and bottom metal, however, since they do have the longest magazine footprint of any LA DBM on the market. But the AnTi's are a lot smoother.
 
The same as it has been for me for 10 years...
Stainless, CRF, 3 position safety, 280ai, 1:8 twist 22-24” Proof CF barrel, carbon hunter stock, Leupold VX6HD 3-18x44
140gr lasers to 175 ABLR or Partitions depending on game.


However, wouldn't mind getting a fill in for some large/dangerous game, which could work to replace the above rifle but I don't think is as versatile...
Blued Ruger Hawkeye African in 375 Ruger; it'll be in my gun safe sometime in the future, don't know when but someday.
 
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I’ve used a Savage 110 in 30-06 and a Burris Fulfield II 3x9x40 for over 24 years and have taken deer and elk with it time and time again. The two loads I’ve used is Sierra Gameking 165grain BTSP and 180 grain Nosler Partitions, both over IMR 4350.

The only reason I’ve purchased other hunting rifles is as a back up to, or to meet straight walled requirements for Ohio regulations.
 
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