what do you look for in a rifle

[moooose102]

IMO, first, it is going to depend on the terrain you will be hunting in. if you have to carry an 8 pound gun up and down mountains all day for two weeks, you will quickly regret buying it! but if your traveling consist of a couple of hundred yard trecks to a blind, you will enjoy the reduced recoil of the heavy gun. as for specific models, i really cant help you much there. i dont get to shoot hundreds of rifles a year, so my experiences are quite limited. as for caliber, go a couple of steps heavier than what is required to kill the animal you are hunting. (just for example, if you are hunting deer in michign, a 30-30 is a good gun, and will kill on most shots you will get. in that case, i would get a 308 or 30-06. my reasoning is this. if you get a 250-300 yard shot, the 30-30 is going to be marginal at best. and the -06 will take it no problems. if you shoot a deer closer, no big deal. dead is dead. if you go crazy, say 340 weatherby mag, you are just putting other people at risk. as far as recoil goes, really, the only time recoil is going to bother you is at the range. so if that is the case, there are many things you can do to reduce it. but for me, 30-06 is a very manageable shooter as is. if you find it objectionable, screw a limbsaver to the back of that rifle and enjoy.

 

[federalfarmer]

control round feed, NOT push fed!
oh and left hand action!

 

[H&Hhunter]

Rugged and simple. (Mauser style or M-70 style trigger, simple Mauser style bolt and action)

A sear block safety (That counts out all M-700's and many other modern rifles.) Trigger block safeties are by design less safe than a sear block safety period end of story!

Controlled round feeding is not essential on non DG rifles but it will have to feed smoothly and reliably no matter the action type. And I prefer CRF rifles as a well put together CRF rifle will always feed and function more reliably and smother than a push feed.

Fit is important.

If I can't make it shoot accurately it goes away.

Trigger pull is important but most can be modified or changed if needed.

 

[federalfarmer]

CRF not important !? Have you ever been bitten by a rabbit ?! Seriously I would not build/buy anything over $1,000 with out it, you want something nice do it right.

 

[H&Hhunter]

FF.

I said not ESSENTIAL on a non DG rifle. Nowhere did I say not IMPORTANT..

I only own one bolt gun that isn't CRF.

 

[Legionnaire]

IMO, first, it is going to depend on the terrain you will be hunting in.

That, and the game. Lots of good stuff posted thus far.

I guess I'm less fastidious than most. I want a rifle that is "accurate enough" from field positions. I consider under 2 MOA sufficient for large game, as it will keep a round in the kill zone out to what I consider ethical distance on deer-sized game. Do I prefer more accuracy? Yes, but 2 MOA is sufficient if I really like the rifle for other reasons.

Weight, fit, and good trigger are my other main concerns. I mostly hunt the wooded hills of PA, so I generally prefer a quick pointing, lightweight, carbine-length rifle. My "go to" rifle is a Remington Model Seven in .308. It has a good quality (Leupold Vari-X II) 2-7X compact scope mounted, and is sufficient for almost all my big game hunting. I have heavier guns, and more accurate. But the Model Seven is the cat's meow in the field.

 

[moooose102]

FIT!
FIT!
accuracy
enough power to kill anything in north america
beautiful wood & finish
as light of weight as can be reasonably be made (i do not want a 5 pound 338 win mag!)
good sling, or at least swivel studs
variable power scope
and a good established caliber (i do not want something my kids will not be able to find shells for 30 years from now)