hunting rifle

bradpierson26

bradpierson26

Joined
Aug 7, 2008
Messages
803
i need a good hunting rifle, for elk.
my boss invited me to go hunting with him and HIS boss this fall
my friend says 30 06. he also says buy quality the first time and be proud of it the rest of my life, i agree.
i DEFINITELY want a wood stock. nothing overly fancy but i want to be proud of it.
less that $600 for the rifle only plz.
i am leaning towards a leupold vx1 3-9x40mm for glass and a simple leather sling.
thanks.
 
bradpierson26 said:
i need a good hunting rifle, for elk.
my boss invited me to go hunting with him and HIS boss this fall
my friend says 30 06. he also says buy quality the first time and be proud of it the rest of my life, i agree.
i DEFINITELY want a wood stock. nothing overly fancy but i want to be proud of it.
less that $600 for the rifle only plz.
i am leaning towards a leupold vx1 3-9x40mm for glass and a simple leather sling.
thanks.
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See if you can find one of the Winchester Model 70 Classic Sporters or Featherweights used. It may be difficult. Otherwise, you probably can't go wrong with the Savage 110. As for glass, if you can afford it, look at the Zeiss Conquest 3x9x40. it is madein the US,soit is a LOT cheaper than the German and Austrian made scopes and you get around 95% of the performance. I am not a huge Leupold fan as far as their lower priced stuff goes. their uber-expensive tactical stuff may be great, but to me, their regular scopes were like looking through a slightly yellowed, smoke stained window compared to the Zeiss. I would also look the the Pentax and Nikon scopes before i looked at Leupolds if the Zeiss is to rich for you. With that said, look at the budget Burris scopes AFTER Leupold. lol
 
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You can get lots of good rifles for $600. However for that price your looking more at a solid utility gun. I would go with a Tikka T3. They are good shooters and not to heavy. Caliber for elk, 30-06 is fine, 7mm rem mag would also be a good choice. I would not do leupold for the scope. Meopta or a Zeiss conquest would be a much better. You should spend as much on the scope as the gun. Get Talley bases and rings for the scope, you will not be sorry. Hope this helps
 
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Sleeper7 said:
You can get lots of good rifles for $600. However for that price your looking more at a solid utility gun. I would go with a Tikka T3. They are good shooters and not to heavy. Caliber for elk, 30-06 is fine, 7mm rem mag would also be a good choice. I would not do leupold for the scope. Meopta or a Zeiss conquest would be a much better. You should spend as much on the scope as the gun. Get Tally bases and mounts for the scope, you will not be sorry. Hope this helps
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If you are going to go magnum, then don't mess around. Go with a .30 caliber. With that said, the "Light magnum" and High Energy" 30-06 rounds with 180gr bullets give you .300 H&H factory ammo performance (2880 fps) without the cost or recoil. Good call on the Tally mounts if'n you can afford them, but I will say that Leupold does make decent mounts and rings.
 
As mentioned, the Winchester featherweight is a great looking rifle. I've owned a few of them. The new Savage classic is a great looking rifle, and most Savages are shooters out of the box, plus they now have the Accu-Trigger, easily adjustable as is the Tikka....
Remington 700's are another good choice.

I don't know what kind of hunting you will be doing, but if you hunt hard and do a lot of hiking, weight is something to consider too..

As far as scope mounts, Talley was already mentioned, Warnes are good too, and I have used a lot of the Leupold dual dovetail mounts. I absolutely hate mounts that have windage adjustment screws on the rear mounts (Redfield style).

As far as scopes, I know others have stated they don't like Leupolds. I have used many of them. Mostly Varix3's and the old standard fixed 4 power.
The clarity might not be as good as some (they are still very clear although I have had a couple that had a funny tint to them), but they are durable. And if you have a problem, the usual warranty turn around time is a week...
That can be very important if your scope craps out right before hunting season...
Some of the earlier Bausch & Lomb scopes are great too.
You don't have to spend 600 dollars to get a good, durable, clear scope...

Burris and Pentax (Pentax are assembled by Burris) have the absolute WORST customer service on the face of the planet. I have owned a few Burris products and the optics are great, but I will never buy another one...
Hell, they even managed to lose one of my 6 power signature series scopes I sent in because it broke.
Be realistic with yourself about the distance you will be shooting at and you will probably find that a fixed 4 power or even a 1.5x6 power scope (which is a great way to go if your hunting in timber) will do everything you need it to..

Most importantly, irregardless of the setup you buy, spend a lot of time shooting it, and shoot various brands of ammo to find out what ammo your rifle likes best, because every rifle is different.
Premium ammo is not cheap, but for hunting Elk, premium ammo is a wise investment
 
jdm61 said:
If you are going to go magnum, then don't mess around. Go with a .30 caliber. With that said, the "Light magnum" and High Energy" 30-06 rounds with 180gr bullets give you .300 H&H factory ammo performance (2880 fps) without the cost or recoil. Good call on the Tally mounts if'n you can afford them, but I will say that Leupold does make decent mounts and rings.
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My theory is if I'm going to pack around 26 inches of barrel and burn a lot of powder, I want a big bullet comin out the end. Personally I don't see much benefit in going to a magnum unless its a 338 or 375... I guess you know how I came up with my user name :D
As you mentioned, the higher energy 30-06's give great 30 cal. performance in a rifle thats still very shootable for most people

A 30-06 with a premium bullet will tip over any Elk on the planet as long as the shooter does his part
 
i would find a used remington 700 in .30-'06, .25-'06 or .280 or .270, any of the 4 will work fine on anything in the lower 48.
 
Spend the extra money on a new Winchester 70 in 30-06.
You'll never need another rifle, and you can find that ammo just about anywhere. Your grandchildren will be happier.
 
Depending on how much/far you are going to be hicking/packing in will IMHO dictate gun choice;)! I can guarntee that a well placed shot:thumbup: from a 270 (Ruger M77 Mark II Great gun w/Nikon glass) will be all the gun/shell:D needed. I have hunted Colorado and Montana and packed/covered a fare piece of geography and been above 10,000 ft more times than can be counted. I also have a 7mm Mag Winchester model 70 w/Boss and Nikon glass fairley heavy but the Boss reduces recoil therfore making it easier for "critical bullet placement" key to a productive hunt. A mature Bull Elk can and often do approach 1000# down range energy and muzzel velocity are IMHO over rated BUT shot placement CAN not be emphasized too much injured elk can and do travel "FAR"! Now all that being said if what ever you choose ain't easy/ comfortable to shoot bad things can and will happen:D!

And remember this "LOTS" of elk have been killed by the venerable old 30-30!!!;)


PS: with todays "Premium" bullet technology caliber is less critical than what your gun likes to EAT and what the Pattern results are!!!


PSS: Now go join RMEF= Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation ( if you haven't) and enjoy!!!

PSSS: Getting out in Elk country is to me as much or more fullfilling than the "KILL"!;)
Shawn
 
Remington 700 can be found for less than $600, but try to spend a little more on a scope than a vx-1. You'll be glad you did, especially in low light situations
 
so i seem to have it right with 30 06...
mybe not with a leupold. So zeiss conquest 3-9?
maybe a used rem 700 or new winchester?
thanks guys
 
Sleeper7 said:
You can get lots of good rifles for $600. However for that price your looking more at a solid utility gun. I would go with a Tikka T3. They are good shooters and not to heavy. Caliber for elk, 30-06 is fine, 7mm rem mag would also be a good choice. I would not do leupold for the scope. Meopta or a Zeiss conquest would be a much better. You should spend as much on the scope as the gun. Get Tally bases and mounts for the scope, you will not be sorry. Hope this helps
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+1 on the Tikka. They're essentially a Beretta If you can handle the recoil (go practice, and test fire) a 7mag or 300win mag class would be better than the '06. Although as Sleeper said '06 will work.

The rest of what sleeper said is good too. Get as good as a scope as you can.
 
I spent more on my scope than my rifle. Much of the best hunting occurs near dawn or dusk, in low light conditions. Especially as you get older, it will be very important to have good optics. Having an extremely accurate rifle is great but if you can't get it on target during the first or last 20 min. of legal shooting light, its hunting value will be limited.

I use a 338 Win Mag for elk but 300 Win Mag and 30-06 are also good. 30-06 ammo is more reasonable (and you can occasionally find some milsurp for plinking).

DancesWithKnives
 
imho it takes a lot more practice (and money for ammo) to become proficient with a 7 mag vs a '06, it just has a lot more recoil and blast, probably better for long range though, and its even more dramatic w/a 300 mag 'cuz it has a lot more recoil/blast than the '06, if you get to where ya can shoot an '06 well and put the bullet where ya want it to go every time it will work just fine on anything in the lower 48 and on most things except bear in alaska.
 
I don't notice the extra recoil/blast of the magnums when making standing shots on game with the extra padding of winter hunting clothing. When I shoot something I'm usually so excited and focused, I can't even recall any feeling of recoil. However, the extra pain on the benchrest is very apparent. I much prefer benchrest shooting with my 30-06s and .308s. So, on balance, I would agree with SIFU1A that it is likely to be faster and cheaper to become proficient with a 30-06 than a hard-recoiling magnum.

Before magnums became so common, many brown bear were taken in AK with the 30-06. I think it actually still holds the most kills in what records exist. That said, I'd again agree with SIFU1A that it wouldn't be my first choice. In fact, even my 338 Win Mag wouldn't be my first choice. First choice would fall to a double rifle in my safe chambered in 470 Nitro Express. Two quickly available 500 grain bullets at 24-2500 fps would be a confidence booster.;)

DancesWithKnives
 
I carried a pre 64 Winchester 30-06 for years equipped with a Leupold VariX II 2X7 with a Lee dot. I used a leather sling. I changed the sling to a Butler Creek that has a bit of stretch to it - much more comfortable. The weight finally got to me and I changed to a BLR in 7mm-08 with the same scope and sling.

I carry the rifle differently than most - with the barrel down. If I fall, the muzzle is generally not pointed in a dangerous direction. I can "quick draw" my rifle to a sling supported standing position perfect for shooting. If hunting in snow, I put scotch tape on the muzzle. I always carry a length of 550 with lead wire in one end and a bit of flannel tied to the other so I can quickly "clean" the barrel.
 
I handled a Mossberg 100ATR in 30 06 tonight at Dick's sporting goods. i wasnt thrilled but i liked the laminated stock. it had some BS scope sitting on top of it which obviously would be replaced.
I dont think the ATR will be my first choice
 
Bernoulli said:
I carry the rifle differently than most - with the barrel down. If I fall, the muzzle is generally not pointed in a dangerous direction. I can "quick draw" my rifle to a sling supported standing position perfect for shooting. If hunting in snow, I put scotch tape on the muzzle. I always carry a length of 550 with lead wire in one end and a bit of flannel tied to the other so I can quickly "clean" the barrel.
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African carry is good, you just have to be aware of the muzzle and not stick it in the ground.
 
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