Question about hunting rifles.....

Just looked at a few Browning Abolts and Weatherbys online. They are both now in the running as well. I really like the Coopers but they are so pretty I don't know if I could bring myself to use it. Then again, a very good friend told me that scratches and dings on pretty guns just means you love them.

Garth
 
Sako and TikKa are basically the same and pretty good quality (Tikka light hunter looks good for elk etc). I like the 700 action as well very much a proven design. I have been really impressed with a savage bolt action SS varminteer in 308. It was just over .125 out of the box and has the accutrigger which can be set down to 1.5lbs. Its a heavy beast though accurate but not much fun if your covering lots of ground. If I were in the market again I would look hard at the Tikka T3 light SS in 308.
 
Of course everyone is going to recommend their personal favorite, so I'll chime in. Danger of developing a detached retina, according to my opthamologist, has resulted in me retiring my beloved Model 70 .30-06 and buying a Merkel KR1 in 6.5x55 several years ago. The light-recoiling round, the fantastic sectional density of a 140 gr. 6.5 mm bullet, the lighter weight of the KR1, and the single set trigger option makes for a very accurate rifle with power aplenty for any deer that ever walked. I expect never to have to buy another deer rifle for myself.

When it comes time to buy my grandson his first deer rifle, it will be in 6.5x55 or in .260 Remington, and he will be set for life if he so chooses.
 
Sako.... and don't ever look back ... ;)

That said, the Howa rifles are great value and my ealy 80s Weatherby Vanguard (made by Howa) in .300Win has been my companion for more hunting trips than any other. My rebuilt AII Sako (.308) is catching the Weatherby FAST though. I have not been impressed by the newer offerings from Remington. Tikka would be my pick after a Sako.
 
MikeH said:
Of course everyone is going to recommend their personal favorite, so I'll chime in. Danger of developing a detached retina, according to my opthamologist, has resulted in me retiring my beloved Model 70 .30-06 and buying a Merkel KR1 in 6.5x55 several years ago. The light-recoiling round, the fantastic sectional density of a 140 gr. 6.5 mm bullet, the lighter weight of the KR1, and the single set trigger option makes for a very accurate rifle with power aplenty for any deer that ever walked. I expect never to have to buy another deer rifle for myself.

When it comes time to buy my grandson his first deer rifle, it will be in 6.5x55 or in .260 Remington, and he will be set for life if he so chooses.
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Ah yes...the venerable 6.5 Swede...my dad's favorite round. I have a Winchester Model 70 featherweight as well as a few customs in that caliber. The 1 in 8 twist eats up 160gr Noslers all day long. .315 groups all day long...
 
PatrickKnight said:
Those Kimbers are 100 percent custom quality in a production cost. They will easily out shoot your Remingtons unless you have them very heavily modified. There balance is amazing to the point where you forget you are even carrying it. I would highly suggest you give one a try.


I owned the 84M Classic in 7MM-08 and it was hands down the best rifle I have ever owned. Right out of the box it was 1/2 MOA accurate, it was amazing to look at, and a complete joy to shoot. I can not recommend this rifle enough. I hate that I was forced to sell it but it was either sell that or the custom Ruger M77 MK2 my father and I built together, it was an easy choice but I do miss that Kimber a great deal.
http://www.kimberamerica.com/rifles/model-84m
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This +1. My 84M Montana in 7mm-08 is my favorite light rifle. I pack it far more than my magnums (unless I'm in grizz country). Weighing in at 6 1/4 lbs with sling, scope, and 5 rounds of ammo, with an excellent balance that a lot of lightweight rifles lack. Also very accurate for a skinny barreled hunting rifle. I get 1" groups with factory Federal TSX ammo (haven't had time to work up any hand loads for it), which is more than good enough for me. I can't recommend it enough. I did glass bed it, though it comes pillar bedded from Kimber. The trigger came breaking crisp at 3 lbs. If it's on your list, look hard at one.
 
You didn't list a bad one in the bunch... Cooper would get my vote based on the beauty of the stock. All of them will shoot beyond acceptable accuracy.

For the money, I would recommend you get exactly what you want by getting a custom gun built. There are several different actions built now that are based on the 700 (Stiller, Surgeon, GAP etc..). I'd give them all a look and go with the one that makes you smile the most. Any of them will shoot. If it was my build, and I had the cash, I'd go with a Surgeon. Beautiful actions, great machining and tolerances that just plain work.

My favorite smith: http://www.gaprecision.net/

Come to the SHOT show in January and you can check all of them out so that you can make the best choice for you. Let me know if you're going. We'll link up and I'll walk you around, it's easy to get lost there!
 
Ok back from my Merkel search. What a beautiful rifle.

This is difficult for me cause I have been into tactical, heavy barreled stuff for so long that these light weight hunters just look foriegn to me.

Garth
 
I am sure the other rifles are great but reloads in my Rem. 22-250 can group 5 shots inside your thumbnail at 100 yds. Trying something new is great but there is something to be said for staying with what works.

My Rem. .308 groups at .75 with Black Hills moly.

It's is not meant as a slight to these other rifles just a statement of the effectiveness of Rem.
 
winmagfrog said:
You didn't list a bad one in the bunch... Cooper would get my vote based on the beauty of the stock. All of them will shoot beyond acceptable accuracy.

For the money, I would recommend you get exactly what you want by getting a custom gun built. There are several different actions built now that are based on the 700 (Stiller, Surgeon, GAP etc..). I'd give them all a look and go with the one that makes you smile the most. Any of them will shoot. If it was my build, and I had the cash, I'd go with a Surgeon. Beautiful actions, great machining and tolerances that just plain work.

My favorite smith: http://www.gaprecision.net/

Come to the SHOT show in January and you can check all of them out so that you can make the best choice for you. Let me know if you're going. We'll link up and I'll walk you around, it's easy to get lost there!
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If I can make it to SHOT I will let you know for sure.

The Surgeons look sweet. I really like the Scalpel. May just have to make a point to get in touch with them.

Garth
 
I saw a HS Precision that broke down and fit into a small backpack. That was sweet. If you didn't need to have the gun ready to go while walking that would be a great setup for sure.

Garth
 
As others have stated...weight is key. Even an 06 @ 6 lbs will beat you up...conversely...a hunting rifle @ 8 or 9 pounds will feel like 60 at the end of a long day/hike. Weather is also a factor worthy of consideration. This is where synthetic vs. wood plays an important role. Stainless vs. a Robar coating (any coating really) vs. blued is also worthy of thought. I always recommend looking at your budget and choosing the best rifle in your caliber of choice. More often than not...custom is usually the way to go.
 
Great thread. Accuracy has improved almost as fast as fit, finish and aesthetics has disappeared in rifles.

High polished bluing and beautiful Monte-carlo stocks of figured wood are becoming a relic of the past. On the other hand, computerized machining has improved tolerances and made today's rifles very accurate.

Personally, my favorite rifles happen to be the pre-garcia Sako's. Deluxe model in particular. Sub-MOA clovers all day wrapped in a package so pretty that it can only be described as art. I've never seen a Pre-garcia Sako that wasn't lights out accurate.

Other than that, I've never seen a Rem 700 that didn't shoot well. I'm sure there are some out there... but I've never seen them. M67 was right that every maker will turn out a turd every so often... Remington's are consistently very good, though.

As far as newly manufactured guns go, I'm not sure there has been any great technological leaps in hunting style rifles for many years. Most of it comes down to personal preference. Like Andy the Aussie, I have a Weatherby Vanguard (howa) in 270 that shoots 1/2 moa. A newer version in 300 WSM wouldn't shoot under 2MOA. Trash in my book. The Browning models have impressed me. My daughter shoots a stainless synthetic 308 with the BOSS system... very accurate and the stainless seems to foul less than carbon bbls. Easy to clean.

Lots of great choices out there...


.
 
Garth Reckner said:
I have owned lots of rifles but I must admit that I have always been a Remington 700 guy. Have recently been looking at some other things online and was just curious if any of you guys could offer any feedback.

I have been checking out Sako, Tikka, Kimber, and Cooper but I really have no point of reference other than pics. If anyone owns any of these and could share your thoughts on them I would really appreciate it. Or if you have any other rifles that you think I should consider let me know.

Thanks guys,
Garth
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My pops and brother both have Tika rifles. Great guns (Pops has one in .338 win mag, .223, and 22-250 and from my experience, they are every bit as nice as his model 700's and his Weatherby's too. They make a good rifle. If I remember correctly, they are the less expensive line of Sako, which are in turn very nice guns.


As others have said, Howa makes a great gun too. Though, I have only shot their heavy barrel models.
 
1SHOT1KILL said:
Not for nothing...what your friends were doing had no bearing on the problem...Do you know why bullets keyhole? It's because they are unstable...its a bullet length vs. twist issue. Weatherby issues...don't get me started on freebore...once everyone understands why bullets do what they do and what works on what rifles the easier accuracy becomes.
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Key holing is also caused by the lands and grooves not being cut perfectly. Which was the case in the Kimber 17 Mach 2, Kimber even admitted the barrel was f'd and replaced it for free.

And trust me, I know how bullets act. Same with the people I work with. Twist rate, bullet weight, forawrd velocity, rotational velocity, harmonics, etc. Sometimes rifles just won't shoot. I have to convince people of this every day.


As for deer. If you're looking for a kill at 300 yards or less, you don't need a big caliber (living in Indiana teaches you this since hunting with high powered rifles is illegal). Get a Savage action, then get a gunsmith to make a .357 Max barrel for it, experiment with handloads, done. It's one hell of a round. If you really want a rifle chamber, a .308 or .243 is just fine.
 
Every rifle (as does every knife) has benefits and downsides. I have owned a number of different brands and models and each had something that attracted me to it and something that I ended up despising (which usually did not become evident until after using it). For example the triggers on the Sakos have an inherent unsafe flaw in them whereby if you drop the bolt on half cock they fire but they are a beautiful rifle and the stocks fit me perfectly. I currently have a Weatherby MkV Accumark and love it but it is heavy for lugging up and down hills all day (especially when I may only fire one shot) and the trigger is unable to be modified too much because it is part of the cocking mechanism but I can pretty much shoot anything I can see. Rugers are excellent value for money and have good weight/balance for carrying all day but they are based on a Mauser action which is a little big and clunky for my liking (but is very attractive to others as a mate of mine has nothing but Rugers). The list goes on and on so here is my suggestion. Make a list of all the things you like in a hunting rifle and all the things you will not have on a hunting rifle and then semi-customise one. There's heaps of aftermarket stocks, barrels, mounts, coatings, safety's, triggers etc so play around with a few different combinations. I have been playing around with a Remington 700 in 375 Rem Ultra Mag, with a Boyds Sako inspired stock and a few other mods. I think it's nearly what I want...maybe just a few more changes.
 
Cooper are usually going to have the best fit, finish and be the most accurate out of the rifle you listed. Our local gun shop keeps 10 or so of them on hand and you rarely see one that has a test group over 3/8" @ 100 yards. You will have to pay for it though, they aren't cheap. Out of your list, the Tikka is the best value in my opinion. Accurate, quality rifle at a fraction of the others price.
 
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