Rifle / Scope Hunting Combo around a Grand?

[Guyon]

That's about what I get to spend for my tenth-anniversary gift. Don't even ask how much my wife gets to spend.

With that price range in mind, what would you choose? Keep in mind that this gun is mainly for whitetail deer hunting with perhaps the occasional trip out west for mule deer / elk. Currently, I hunt whitetail with a .308 when near cutovers (longer ranges) and a .30-30 when in closer quarters.

I don't have a .30-06 and have always wanted one, so I think this classic caliber is pretty much settled on. It's enough gun for a western hunt and a great caliber if you reload, which I plan to start in the near future (when I get the space).

My choice? Winchester 70 Classic Featherweight, Leupold VX-III (probably a standard 3-9x40 since that's what I'm used to hunting with), and Leupold Dual Dovetail Rings. Put on a good sling, and it ought to be a hunting rifle for just about any occasion.

I know this package is probably going to be a bit over a thousand (more like $1200), so if you want to fudge a couple of hundred dollars too with the idea that what your wife doesn't know won't hurt her, well then go ahead.

What would your picks be in terms of gun (maker, model, and caliber) and scope?

 

[Guyon]

Hmmm... a quick phone call to one source (Bass Pro) produced these prices:

$599.99 for the gun (though they have them on clearance right now for $529.99, and that's the price they usually offer during their fall sales).

$459.99 on the Leupold (and in the VX-III, it would actually be a 3.5-10x40).

Add in $24.99 for Leupold Dual Dovetail rings and $19.99 for the bases.

Doing the math (figuring in 9.25% tax for this area) results in a grand total of $1207.17. Could come in a little under this figure if I bought the gun on sale. Not too bad.

 

[dakotasin]

rem 700, 338 rum (preferred) or win mag if i must, leupold 3.5-10 or 4.5-14, talley lightweight mounts.

 

[ojibweindian]

Winchester Model 70 in .30-06 => ~ $400
Bushnell Elite 4200 => ~ $420

Leupold bases and rings => ~ $40

The rest in cartridge components to find a good load.

 

[tpdtom]

Nice choices Guyon. I LOVE the Featherweight Model 70 . That cartridge ain't bad either . I have a Leupold 3.5-10 Vari III and it's a great scope .

Actually I don't think you could go wrong with numerous cartridges . 300 WSM , a few 7MMs , .270 , .280 , 300 RUM , the new .325 W , .338 . They're all great calibers . You might have chosen the best one ! It's all good . You could have chosen a Model 700 Rem , a Ruger 77 , a Browning a-Bolt w/ a Boss . Again , maybe you don't need any help ...Tom

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I have a Leupold M8 4X fixed power on Bigfoot Wallace (my custom '03 Springfield in .35 Brown-Whelen) and never felt the need for more. Midway has that same scope for about $200, depending on finish.

The Winchester Classic Featherweight would be my choice. I already have a pre '64 in .30-06, along with a Ruger M77 (the old shotgun safety type), a couple of 03A3 Springfields, and a Garand, so I don't need any more .30-06s. But if I didn't -- that would be my choice of caliber.

 

[Lonestar.45]

I'd go for a Remington M700 Mountain Rifle. You could probably find one for $650 or so. Put the rest into a Leopold Vari-III 3x9 and a good sling, and you're ready to go. I'm just a Remington fan. I hunted with a guy for a while that had that exact setup, in 30-06, and it was sweet for it's intended purpose. A great hunting rifle. You don't want to shoot 50 rounds through it at the bench, because of the light weight, and the thin barrel. It's not a good gun for that. But, once you sight it in, it'll be dead on, and rarely will you ever need more than 1 shot in a hunting situation. I'd personally go with a .270 Win though over a 30-06 in that gun.

 

[rbernie]

Classic package

Excellent taste. Sounds like the classic all-around package, to me - I'd not change a thing.

 

[Guyon]

No problems with the Remingtons by the way. My .309 is a Rem 700 with Leupold VX-II on it. Nice hunting gun that bagged an eight point for me last year.

 

[WhiteKnight]

I could have sworn that there was a topic identical to this one a couple months ago. You may want to do a search for it.

 

[nico]

I think the setup you described sounds great. Someone else mentioned a .270 as an alternative. I like my M77 in .270, but I think for your uses a 30-06 would better fit the bill. If you're going for elk, the .270 won't have the range of the 30-06 and the heaviest bullets I've seen for it were 160 grains vs. ~220 grain bullets in the 30-06. Also, if you're hunting smaller game (ie: whitetail) there isn't a big difference between the two.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I'd not down-rate the .270 that much on elk. The rule of thumb is "nothing smaller than .30 caliber, but the 7mm Magnum is an exception."

Still, with premium bullets and high energy (or Lite Magnum) loadings, the modern .270 is a far cry from what it was in Jack O'Conner's day.

My elk rifle is Bigfoot Wallace, a custom '03 Springfield in .35 Brown-Whelen. But my backup rifle is a .30-06 with premium 180 grain loads. With a .270, I'd go with a 150-grain Nosler Partition Jacket at 2900 fps or a bit more.

 

[Farnham]

I'm no deer hunter, having spent a good part of the last ten years in Japan, Kuwait, and (ugh!) California, but since I just moved to Texas, I decided I needed a good deer rifle.

Savage 10FP, 24" barrel $529
Super Sniper 10x42 Mil-Dot $299 (swfa.com)
Leupold 2 Piece STD Bases $20
Leupold STD 30mm Rings $40

$888, all told. It's heavy, and it's all black (no pretty walnut), but it puts 5 out of 5 in 2-3 inches at 100 yds (sorry, I ain't one of them MOA shots, I like shooting from the sitting, bet it's better from a bench).

Just tryin to help out, the next rifle I get will be in .30-06 as well, but it'll have (hopefully) have been manufactured prior to '44. Good hunting!

 

[matt33]

I second the Remington Mountain Rifle sugesstion. I have the LSS version in 30/06 with a 3.5-10 50mm Weaver Grand Slam. It is perfect for Whitetail hunting- light, compact, but still packs a punch.

 

[Pat S]

If you've got your heart set on the Winchester why not go with a VX2 3X9 and knock $180 off of the VX3 price? That would put you right in the ballpark. Personally, I like Remingtons and the new CDL is a great looking gun if you like blued steel and black walnut.


Pat S.