What should I get for a new hunting rifle?

[Captcurt]

So many guns and so little time.

One thing to consider is weight. I really like the Weatherby Vanguard and Howa, but both are on the heavy side as is the Winchester and CZ 550. The older that I get the lighter my rifles get. One that really impressed me was the Ruger 77 Compact in 260 Rem. The older Model 7 Rem is nice too, but Remington has lost a lot of their luster since they sold. A Tikka T-3 or a Browning A-bolt might work well also if you are looking for a lighter gun.

 

[Clint M]

Don't shoot them in the meat! I've taken seven deer in the past five seasons with my .300WM and haven't lost any meat. A 180 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip through vitals and you've got a dead deer with no meat loss.

Problem is unless shot thru ribs making a lung shot any bullet with shoulder or back bone contact at close range will cause the bullet to turn to shrapnel. I shot a deer with it facing just slightly away ~70 yards a easy broadside shot, the bullet entered in behind front shoulder upper part of rub cage the bullet come apart the base of bullet found under hide at the back ham (never penetrated) the rest of the jacket/lead was scattered. I ended up throwing the meat out as bits of the bullet found to often while eating...I killed this deer (younger good eating size) just for eating purpose. I had several others that I had to throw away portions that were uneatable due to bullet separating, shock or bone fragments.

Used a 300 win mag 180gr bullets federal or winchester for 9 years or so around 3 deer a year average. I like the 300 win mag in my opinion the best belted mag even, but anything under 100 yards without a premium bullet could cause a lot of meat damage. Just something to think about when purchasing a new hunting rifle.