hunting rifle

Bernoulli said:
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.
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Geez is there really much difference in weight ?
I use to collect original pre-64's and never thought of them being heavy, even my 375 wasn't that bad...

BTW, the BLR is a perrty sweet lever action. The first time I saw the inards, I instantly developed a liking for them.
 
DWK2 said:
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.
DancesWithKnives
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You can't hit (especially accurately) what you can not properly see.

DWK makes an excellent point about optics.

Paying more for these first off is a smart idea as they then can be transferred as you move from one gun to another gun as your experience and knowledge of what rifle calibre and make appeal to you.

I doubt you only have one knife for a given task or duty. More likely one from one maker, then another from a different manufacturer the even if they are designed to do the same task, so it becomes the same with firearms. ;)
 
338375 said:
Geez is there really much difference in weight ?
I use to collect original pre-64's and never thought of them being heavy, even my 375 wasn't that bad...

BTW, the BLR is a perrty sweet lever action. The first time I saw the inards, I instantly developed a liking for them.
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A couple of things happen as you age. Things get heavier and you don't see as well. At first I carried the M70 for everything, then just for elk and the BLR with a peep sight for deer, then put the scope on the BLR and sold the M70. It's not as great a weight saving with the scope, but I hunt in rough country (Eastern Oregon) and every ounce counts. I think most aficionados are aware that the BLR is a rotating bolt and is not comparable to the standard lever action. By design, it is inherently more accurate.
 
I know what you mean about the weight. When I still rifle hunted, we use to Elk hunt in N.E Oregon is a certain wilderness area. It wasn't an issue when we used the horses, but on foot ya start to really notice it after 4 or 5 days of hard hunting.
Now we hunt closer to home. We have a honey spot about an hour from my house . Lots of deer and elk :D

The BLR is one of the few rifles I haven't owned and would still like to have someday
 
A friend of mine has an older .308 BLR with the all-steel receiver. Very nice rifle.

DancesWithKnives
 
Ruger 77 is winner.
And, as was said earlier; Savage is about tops for out of the box accuracy.
Go with a caliber you can shoot and not flinch as you anticipate recoil..... shot placement is the name of the game.
Good luck........... :thumbup:
 
Now that's some excellent "kill two birds with one stone" type thinking!;)

Keep the bosses happy and you'll eventually advance far enough to afford many more rifles.

DancesWithKnives
 
Moff8 said:
Ask your boss and boss's boss for their opinions - then go with those :)
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well, my boss has a couple sakos and kimbers all with swarovski glass. those may be out of my price range:grumpy: and his boss has some sort of ruger 7mag. I know it has a synthetic stock and I would much prefer wood for hunting.

a kimber 8400 in 30.06 would be so so nice though! maybe one day
 
Tikka used to be a good moderately priced version of the Sako style rifle. Reports on them were very positive. Your Sako-owning boss might view it as a sound compromise between good taste and good financial judgment.

A Ruger 7mm ought to be available with a wood stock and shouldn't be far out of your price range, if at all.

Office politics aside, I'd probably still put the '06 caliber near the front of the pack.

DancesWithKnives
 
+1 on the 30-.06
+1 on the Tikka

But also, if you get a chance, check out a CZ. I like my pre-64 Model 70, but the CZ 30-.06 I looked at was one of the best shouldering and pointing rifles I've ever handled (the CZ .22 I own is one of the others). Much nicer wood than the Tikka I looked at, too.
 
Yes, the CZs I've seen have been nice rifles. If I were looking for a dangerous game rifle, I'd consider their safari grade rifle in 458 Lott. When I was in the Czech Republic, I was the only one of our group that wanted to visit Brno.:D

DancesWithKnives
 
I would take a VariX III All day long vs. a conquest. too each his own I guess.. Leupies have a lifetime no questions asked warranty.. I doubt Conquests will even be built in 10 yrs.. I have 80+ nights in the mountains of Alaska, chasing sheep, goats, moose, brown bears.. no issues with the little golden ring..Not flys on the 30.06 but you might want to look at the 35 Whelen. I have hunted Whitetails to Brown bear with this caliber. That big 225 gr or 250 really packs a wallop. Out to 300 yds, it is a backbone hold.
 
The 06 is plenty of gun for elk---yes smaller calibers have been used successfully for many years including the 30-30 but I would not recommend it for the average hunter-elk are large animals that deserve a round that is large enough for a humane kill.Big game animals have been put down with varmint calibers down to a 22 LR but it is not advisable or legal to use one for big game. I hunted for many years with a 270 and harvested many elk but the knock down power was not there with good shot placement and the animals in my estimation deserve better -I reserve its use for deer and smaller big game animals. Yes my name sake is overkill and I will not tell you that you need to go big magnum--it just happens to be my midlife crisis baby. Many animals have been maimed due to this extreme were the hunter was afraid of the recoil and had developed a big flinch..............Steve
 
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