need general purpose 30-06

[stiab]

I saw a beautifil used .30-06 Sako stainless with laminated stock at Greentops yesterday for $1300, mint condition. I already have a few .30-06's, but was tempted. I like the Ruger 77, have two of those, you can find them used for a reasonable price. The last Ruger I bought was a Hawkeye all weather and have not shot it yet, but am impressed handling it. Lots of good options out there, especially in the used market.

 

[Reloadron]

I would be looking at the older Remington 700, Winchester 70 or any of the Savage made guns and would include Ruger in the field. Bang for the buck the Savage guns are hard to beat.

Ron

 

[yzguy87]

Ruger Hawkeye African. I think it's a classic looking rifle. But that's my .02!

 

[BSA1]

The .308 can do everything the 06 does and ammo and reloading components are available and affordable.

Back in January I took a hard look at the Savage Hog Hunter in .308. It has iron sights which is great for hogs and close ranges and you still go with a scope if you eyes need it.

I have since chose to do my own AR build in .300 Blackout but that is for another thread.

 

[Garrobo]

I have a

Remington 700 BDL in 30-06 which I bought in 1971 which has probably 1000 or more rounds through it which has never failed me and is very accurate. Remington recently replaced the trigger (bad design they said) for nothing and paid UPS both ways. Couldn't ask for much more than that.

 

[MistWolf]

Not trying to be a wise guy, but if you're looking for an '06 that's fun to shoot all day long, get a Garand. Being on the heavy side and self loading, recoil is going to be less as well as softer than a sporter weight bolt action. Plus, you can user it in the John C. Garand shoots without having to do anything fancy to it to be competitive.

I know it's not a bolt action and price of admission will be greater, but it will be fun, especially when you hear that PING when the clip ejects. As an added bonus, you can smugly say "Hand me another clip , will ya?"

 

[Bexar]

Not trying to be a wise guy, but if you're looking for an '06 that's fun to shoot all day long, get a Garand. Being on the heavy side and self loading, recoil is going to be less as well as softer than a sporter weight bolt action. Plus, you can user it in the John C. Garand shoots without having to do anything fancy to it to be competitive.

I know it's not a bolt action and price of admission will be greater, but it will be fun, especially when you hear that PING when the clip ejects. As an added bonus, you can smugly say "Hand me another clip , will ya?"

Love that PING! Reload!!!

 

[Sheepdog1968]

I think you have some great options and a great caliber. Only thing I can think of would be to check out some nice used rifles such as the type at Cabela's gun room to see if something speaks to you. You could go cheaper but i personally wouldn't. Might as well get just one nice multipurpose rifle.

 

[CB900F]

Afrederick;

Browning doesn't actually make anything they sell. I do believe the X-bolts are produced by Miroku in Japan. You could e-mail FN-Winchester and ask them whether or not the Winchester branded model 70's are made in the USA, or Portugal. If it's Portugal, that leaves you with Ruger, Kimber, the Montana Rifle Company (MRC) in Kalispell Montana or the Weatherby mark V's, the Vanguards are Japanese Howa's. Or, Savage. Myself, having owned one, I'll pass on Savage and no regrets doing so.

My personal choice lately has been Tikka, but they are made in Finland by Sako, and owned by Beretta. Lousy customer service, due to Beretta, but good guns. However, due to Beretta's customer service, I'm much more interested in CZ these days.

If you don't mind a used gun, get a USRAC Classic Winchester in .30-06 (excellent caliber by the way) and be assured it was made in Connecticut, without paying the pre-64 price.

900F

 

[afrederick]

Thank you for all of the advice!! The knowledge here is truly unmatched!

To MistWolf and the others advocating the M1, don't worry. I already drove to Anniston, AL and picked one out to shoot and shoot and hopefully pass down to a son one day.

Also, I am totally impressed with rifles like the axis and american that shoot under MOA for less than $400. That's amazing. That said, I'm willing to pay a couple extra bucks for some refinement.

Looks like the Kimber is a little too light for an all-around gun that I might want to shoot all afternoon.

I'm leaning toward the Winchester M70 lightweight I think.

The caliber though! JMR: I lurk around THR a bit and I respect your opinions but I dont understand how a .308 could do what a 30-06 does with less recoil.. As far as Newton is concerned, there's no free lunch, right? A .30 cal bullet at x feet per second will deliver the same thump to my shoulder whether it comes out of a 30-06 case or a .308 case, right? Or is there something else going on here?

I know the .308 can do almost everything that the 30-06 can but if I'm going to shell out the bucks for a good all-around rifle (and the glass to go with it), I like the idea of being able to load heavier bullets and more powder if I ever got the chance to go after some big game. Tell me if I'm off base though.

 

[rswartsell]

IMHO the only place that .30-.06 separates from .308 is with the heavy end of bullets available and a touch of energy at long distance (past 400 yds.). Because the 180-200 gr. (or beyond) bullets are rarely used and practical distance for the vast majority ends at 400 yds. or before, there is a pragmatic school of thought that draws no real difference.

When the heavy bullets and longer ranges come into play the parent cartridge has yet to be truly replaced.

 

[Cee Zee]

My 30.06 is a Savage 110. I can't find a fault with it. The stock was warped when I bought it although the gun dealer had it straight just long enough to sell it. Most likely he steamed it a while. No matter. I bought a nice synthetic stock that works just fine. It's lighter and it deals with recoil better than the original walnut stock did.

That's not to say Savage is the be all and end all of rifles. They aren't chopped liver either. They're cheap to own and they work. It doesn't matter if you beat one up because you can buy another one cheap. To me that's what a GP rifle is about - something you don't have to worry about no matter what you're using it for and something that will do what you want it to do reasonably well.

 

[Bexar]

I've seen guys spend big money on a rifle and then put junk glass on it.

Glass is probably as important as rifle model.

But...that's my opinion and I've got one of those too.

 

[Wolfgang james]

Most new guns are more accurate then the shooter, i would be more concerned with the optics

 

[afrederick]

I understand that you can get a very accurate rifle for just a couple hundred bucks. But I have handled some cheaper savages, rugers, etc. and while I have no doubt that they will shoot, I'm just looking for a little more refinement (smoother bolt, better trigger, more attractive finish and stock, etc.)

For the glass, feel free to make suggestions. I was thinking about a Leupold. Maybe a VX-2 3-9x40?

Edit: Now that I look, Leupold also has a VX-3 2.5-8x36 and a VX-3 3.5-10x40 that look pretty sweet. Are those worth the extra money over the VX-2?

 

[Cee Zee]

I'm just looking for a little more refinement (smoother bolt, better trigger, more attractive finish and stock, etc.)

Don't count too much on the name of the rifle making it smooth or more attractive. I have a CZ that had a bolt that stuck so bad when I first got it that I could barely get it to cycle. It would either get hung up going in or coming out. It took a good 3 months before I finally got it to work smoothly. The stock was beautiful too but the wood is way softer than it should be. Wood is not something that always comes out perfect. I'm not saying something like a Savage would be better. My 30.06 Savage 110 had the stock warp on me. It was a nice looking rifle before that even though a lot of people don't like the hump where the barrel nut attaches to the action. Yes I bought it cheap. There's nothing wrong with cheap as long as it looks good and works well.

That's not to say I wouldn't buy a Sako if I had the money to spend for an expensive gun. My thing about a "general purpose" rifle is that it should be available for all duties and that includes riding in the back of my SUV when I want to go the farm to shoot. Yes I have a gun case or 3 but sometimes I want to take several guns with me for whatever reason. I don't want to worry about beating up a $3000 rifle that I'm going to take out to the farm for plinking. It's just me but I prefer something cheaper so I don't have to worry so much. I do have some nice looking, smooth functioning rifles too. One of them is a Savage also. It's not always easy to gauge what's what just by the brand name.

 

[d2wing]

Most rifles are good shooters but quality has been spotty for most big name low price bands in recent years. If you want a really accurate, smooth action quality rifle you should seriously look at a Tikka T3 in 30-06. Put a Leupold VX3 scope on it and you are good for life
For anything that moves in North America and in a pinch anywhere else. And the lifetime of all you descendants as well. 30-06 is the top rated non-magnum for grizzlies by the Alaska DNR and rated higher than several magnums. The .308 is a great cartridge but it is being oversold by some. The .308 has less power and velocity especially in the serious heavy bullets. In American for a really nice gun, Browning is good, I like the accuracy and good looks of a Remington BDL.

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

That Leupold VX-3 3.5-10X 40mm should be excellent glass for the .30-06 purpose. Can't argue with it at all. The Tikka is a good gun, I have one in .30-06, but it wears a Leupold 3-9X tactical with the mil-dot reticle. The sole problem with the glass is that the vertical adjustments are 1/2" at 100 yards, not 1/4". Leupold's goofy that way. And they won't put a mil-dot reticle in a non-tactical scope.

900F

 

[afrederick]

I just looked up the Tikka. I'm really digging the looks of the T3 Hunter 30-06 in walnut and blue.

I guess I need to go see if the LGS has one I can look at in person.

 

[jrdolall]

Savage, Ruger American in the $400 range. Step up to the CZ or any of several others that may look and feel a little better in that $600-$800 range. For shooting deer at normal ranges then the $400 guns will work just as well as the $800 guns. I shoot a Savage in 30-06 with an older Leupold 3-9x50 and couldn't ask for a better shooting gun. $350 or so for the gun and $199 for the scope and many a deer has been DRT over the past 10 years or so.
Nothing against the other guns. I have a CZ and a BAR and an A-Bolt and a couple of other rifles in 30-06 and all better looking than the Savage.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Mine is a Ruger All Weather Hawkeye wearing a Zeiss Conquest 3x9x42.

Sadly, I don't think either is made any longer---excellent combo though.

 

[Cee Zee]

Just for the record a rifle doesn't absolutely need a scope. My 30.06 doesn't have one. I have many scopes I could put on it but I have it set up more for bear defense than anything else and it's hard to get a charging bear lined up in your scope.

 

[Ash]

I agree with Cee Zee - though my 30-06 bolt gun has a scope. However, the 30-06 is a more versatile rifle than a 308, not matter how you look at it. A bunch more? No, but more it is.

In any case, were it identical to the 308, the answer as to why a 30-06 is simply why not? There is virtually nothing in North America you cannot hunt with a 30-06. It is utterly versatile. Sure, there are other great cartridges, but the OP wants a 30-06. There are millions of rifle owners who made the same choice.

As to the rifle, I agree that glass is more important. For a classic sporter, accuracy will be there with the rifle. I have older Mossberg-made Western Field hunting rifles. For about $300, you get walnut stock, hinged floorplate, iron sights, and good bluing. Another $200-$300 and you have a superb scope. My 30-06 is a very nice Pedersen Custom 3500 and it cannot be equaled in quality at the price you get them for. Yeah, they are used and older and sometimes not easy to find, but when you luck upon one, you have a real gem for not a bunch of money. The scope mount is a Redfield, the rings are Burris, and the scope is a Nikon Monarch. It is a magnificent combination.

In any case, an older Remington, Winchester, or Savage will fit the bill (though the older Savage rifles will not be as pretty). Get a decent used rifle and spend the extra money on a great scope and rings.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

Sako 85 Grizzly or Black bear
Tikka Battue

 

[sage5907]

That Leupold VX-3 3.5-10X40 is definitely worth the extra money. The extra power works great for shooting targets at long range. I hunt with one set on 6 power and then adjust the power up if the animal is standing at 250 yards or further.