Help me pick a hunting rifle!

[sprokker]

I'm looking for a good bolt action rifle to hunt deer and elk with in the Rockies. Sling & scope are required. Backup iron sights would be a big plus. I prefer detachable box magazines over all other types I've encountered. I'm surprised how rare hunting rifles with detachable magazines are - most have blind box magazines with hinged floor plates.

I am somewhat recoil sensitive - my shoulder says "stop" after about 40 or 50 rounds of .30-'06 from my friend's Winchester 70.

I'm thinking .308 for the good ballistics, good availability & cheap surplus practice ammo, but I may be better off with a .243 or similar for the lighter recoil. .243 would probably be fine for deer but marginal for elk.

The closest thing I've seen yet is the Savage "Scout" 10FCM (.308). It's quite short & light (40" OAL, 6.25 lbs) - I think that will be nice when walking but not so nice when practicing. The 11FC (in .308 and .243, and others) is marginally longer & heavier. The CZ 550 FS also looks interesting.

First of all, does all this sound reasonable for a combined deer/elk rifle?

And if so, can anyone recommend a rifle matching those specs?


Thanks,
--Sprokker

 

[BusMaster007]

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=002B&cat_id=031&type_id=002

Browning BAR Lightweight.

Leupold makes a good QD base/ring set.
Pick a caliber and scope suitable for your needs, and have FUN.

Oh, yeah! Welcome to the Forum!

 

[goon]

Forty or fifty rounds out of a 30'06 sporter is enough for most, especially if you are shooting from the bench.
I would stick with something in the 270, 30'06 or .3o8 persuasion for the animals you are hunting.
I have never used a .243, but I think it would be a little light for an elk.
If you go with the CZ, you might consider the 6.5x55 Swede. It is known to be quite capable and still pretty easy on the shoulder. Accurate too...
The Savage guns are pretty good. I have an 11FCM .308 that has done quite well for the last 4 years. It ain't too hard on the shoulder if you are shooting offhand. From the bench, proper form is essential. But it would be anyway...
I have shot Portugese surplus through mine with no problems. The stuff shoots about as well as regular factory loads and only a little behind my handloads. It is only 147gr, so the recoil is light.
You will most likely want to use a heavier bullet on elk, probably 180gr. They will kick harder, but you can still practice with the lighter stuff. All you would have to do is rezero your gun. You will already have the proper technique and form from the extensive practice with surplus ammo (Port was $139 for 1k last I saw it), so the difference in recoil would be negligible.
I don't know if you have ever hunted before, but I can tell you that when you take a shot at an animal, you don't really feel the recoil anyhow.
Good luck.

 

[clint1911a1]

If it's a bolt action you want, I would without a doubt go with the Winchester Model 70. A featherweight if your looking for something lightweight but you sacrifice two inches of barrel length decreasing your velocity. The Model 70 is a very rugged rifle and has been absolutely proven many times over. I like the rugged Mauser style action. As far as the caliber, .308 is the only way to go. You'll have a very wide range of bullet types and weights with the .308 and it's got enough 'umph to take care of your Elk hunting needs.

 

[sprokker]

The BAR is a nice looking gun no doubt, but I'm mostly interested in bolt actions right now. The BAR web pages say something that confused me: "The Magazine is a detachable box magazine with a unique hinged floorplate." I thought hinged floor plates were an alternative to detachable box magazines. What's up with that?

 

[rugerfreak]

Tikka T3------you pick the caliber----VERY lightweight

 

[dakotasin]

rem model 7 in 308, 300 shamu, 7-08.
rem 700 bdl in 308 or one of the 7 mags.
win 70 featherlight in 308, 300 whizzum, or 7 rem mag.

50 rounds of 30-06 and you are recoil sensitive? nah, you aren't recoil sensitive - that is the point where you have pounded your shoulder into a pulp and your body says 'stop'.

308 will have slightly less recoil than 30-06. 7-08 will be slightly less than the 308 (bullet weight). the 7 rem mag is about the same as the 30-06. the 300 wsm/rsaum will be slightly more (and they aren't bad, either).

since elk is in the picture, i'd not go anything smaller than 7mm, fwiw.

 

[labgrade]

Hate to throw some cold water on what you want, but the mentioning of "surplus" & box mags kinda turns me off regards an elk hunter.

Mind you, I've zero problem with either, but in a hunting context, they never come into play - EXCEPT for the practice applications to get better one-shot shots. Thass all about that.

Decent shot placements, with a suitable caliber/bullet/reasonable range will do any elk - covers quite a bit of caliber-stuff.

I hunt with a fairly "single shot pistol caliber" & have taken 3 of 3 elk w/'em, but have limited my shots to braodsides & range. It's a .30 cal Barnes X - 2400 fps at <100 yds so far. Betcha too The Wife's7mm 140 Barnes'll do 'em, 2X past that as would my own - we've yet to see- & depending on placement.

Wouldn't bet so much on the .243 - although a neck shot should drop anything short of a filibuster.

There [I[is[/I] as minimal power factor to reliably drop game & one should use it as a guide to cleanly, & be fair to the game afoot, to harvest your quary. You do owe it to 'em.

 

[redneck2]

FWIW...

detachable mags are OK for a battle rifle. Lots of ammo reloaded quick. Dunno how much they're really needed on a hunting rifle. If you haven't got 'em with the first 3 or 4 shots, a few more prolly aren't gonna do much.

Guys get all stoked up about calibers. I suspect there's little difference to an elk if the bullet came from a .308 or 30-06. More important to me that the bullet will hold up. Something like a Trophy Bonded or Fail-Safe rather than something lighter that blows apart.

If you're going to hunt flatter lands (i.e. New Mexico) where the shots may be longer you might consider a 7 Mag. IIRC, the elk that held the world record for many years was shot with a .30-30. If recoil is an issue, look at a Kick-Eze or Decelerator recoil pad. I put one on my 45-70. Turned it from a tiger to a pussy-cat.

Scope...highest quality you can afford. Make sure to get Butler Creek flip caps for both ends. I'd get quick detack mounts rather than see-thru's. See thru mounts are pretty much worthless. Make the line of sight too high for decent shooting and too small a hole to actually see through in poor light. I have some Leupold QD's that allow scope removal without tools in seconds but hold the zero within an inch when the scope is re-attached.

FWIW...If I were going elk hunting today, I'd take my Ruger M77 stainless .300 WM with a Burris or Leo 3x9. Light, accurate enough, and has the controlled feed if that's important to you. It isn't a fun gun to shoot a lot, but then, you'll probably only get a shot or two anyway. If I had a 30-06 I'd take it just as quick.

 

[BusMaster007]

sprokker:

I'm looking for a good bolt action rifle to hunt deer and elk with in the Rockies. Sling & scope are required. Backup iron sights would be a big plus. I prefer detachable box magazines over all other types I've encountered. I'm surprised how rare hunting rifles with detachable magazines are - most have blind box magazines with hinged floor plates.

I am somewhat recoil sensitive - my shoulder says "stop" after about 40 or 50 rounds of .30-'06 from my friend's Winchester 70.

You mentioned elk, which made me think of using something bigger than a .30-06. There are a couple of caliber choices in BAR that will have a bit more power/energy ratings and shoot a bit farther/flatter for the longer ranges you may encounter.

The reason I mentioned the BAR is that it is a gas-operated autoloader that will lessen the felt recoil somewhat.
This would allow you to pick the .300 Win.Mag. and not suffer quite as much at the shoulder.

The lightweight has open sights.

The 'detachable' mag with floorplate is unique to the Browning brand.
The box comes off of the floorplate. You can still load through the port when the floorplate/box are up, or, you can lower the floorplate and re-load the box, OR, you can switch out the box; your choice.

Based on your requirements as stated, I recommended the BAR.
I've got the Safari MkII in 7mm Rem.Mag. and love it.
REAL nice rifles.
Good Luck.

edited to add: I'd pick the .300 Win.Mag. and put a 6X scope on it for the ultimate in 'no fuss' operation.

 

[goon]

Detachable mags are good for when your hands are freezing and you need to unload the gun. All the ammo comes out in one block, with the exception of the round in the chamber.
You don't really need one in a hunting rifle, but since sprokker is the one spending the money, let the man get what he wants.
I know from experience that you will never be satisfied if you don't get what you want.
Been there, done that...

 

[sprokker]

Thanks for all the great feedback folks! The Tikka looks pretty sweet!

The surplus ammo is strictly for practice, as I said in my original post. Obviously for hunting I'd use hunting ammo with a proper controlled-expansion bullet.

My preference for detachable magazines is not because I want quick reloads - if that's what I wanted I'd be looking for a FAL or something, with a stack of 20-round mags. I like detachable magazines because I'm a safety-freak & a neat-freak, and I like how quick and easy it lets me empty a gun and make it safe. (Like Goon just said.)

But thanks for your concern...

 

[Robertesq1]

The BAR may not be for you but it was for me. Lightweight stalker synthetic with Leopold VariXIII with Lit Reticle..... A honey of a big game rifle and accurate beyond expectation.

 

[BusMaster007]

Man, I gotta quit posting early or late in the day...BOLT-ACTION, repeat, BOLT-ACTION.

I got so wound up on the 'sore shoulder' part, I totally spaced out on that.
Sorry...

I'll still recommend the BAR, though!