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New Rifle - need your opinions
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11-21-2010, 08:10 PM
I'm looking at buying a new hunting rifle...I'd like to be able to ethically take multiple species...mostly whitetail, mulies, and elk. Right now I've been looking at the 30-06, 7mm Mag, and 300 Win Mag. Thoughts?
Also is there any place near Boise that will let me try guns before I buy? Thanks for the help. [signature]
11-21-2010, 08:25 PM
If it were me I would go with the plain Jane 30-06. You can find hot rod mag loads for it that would be right in there with most 300 mag loads. You can get all kinds of "cheep" loads about anywhere. And if you look you can get a smoking good deal on a used rifle. I like winchester but my Remington 700 is a great shooting rifle. So is my Savage 110's. I have never liked the "Mag" rifles but I do own some. My 7 mm mag is a great shooting gun. There are a lot of choices but the good old 30-06 is hard to beat. Ron
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11-21-2010, 11:21 PM
I am kind of partial to the magnums, but in order do best answer your question I'd like to know more about your shooting ability/experience. Magnums are not for everyone and are not necessary at the ranges that most people are capable of shooting accurately.
If you want to try out a magnum, I'd be happy to get with you and let you try mine. It is a 300 win mag. You won't find much difference between the 7mm rem mag and a 300 win mag. I personally am not a big fan of the famed '06, but I cannot find any serious flaw in it either. It would be an excellent choice. Waiting to here more................. [signature]
11-22-2010, 12:33 AM
Thanks for the replies and offer. I don't have a lot of shooting experience especially lately (I've been in Germany the past 3 years). I'm pretty small if that matters, about 5.9 and 170. And I have no experience shooting animals outside of 100 yards. I'm from the east coast and spent the majority of my time bow hunting.
How much more expensive is shooting a 300 winmag versus the 06? [signature]
11-22-2010, 01:02 AM
not to be rude or ignorant but im afraid i have to disagree about the 7mm being in the same class as a 300 win mag... i would suggest looking up some ballistics before saying they are comperable...i have owned both calibers (and not cheap manufacturers) and say the 300 win is a far superior round. and its more diverse as far as the loads you can put through them... and for the question asked i agree. if you want a great all around hi powered rifle the 30-06 is an incredibly flexible round and will do anything you want it too( i have the old model 700 too). my second suggestion would be a .270 you can do about anything you want with that round too. the important thing to remember is never sacrifice accuracy for power. i see that all too often. big man needs a big gun syndrome..... buy something that feels good to you. again i mean no offence to iwantabuggy but i have done some extremely extensive research and im just sharing my results....
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11-22-2010, 01:13 AM
ty thanks for your post. I had a 30-06 when I hunted on the east coast and loved it. Always felt confident before pulling the trigger and I've never missed a deer.
Honestly my biggest concern is spotting a giant bull elk at 400 yards and not having enough gun...I just want to be sure the gun I'm toting can reach that far out. Obviously with my current experience I shouldn't be taking that far of a shot anyways...but hopefully with enough range time I'll get to that point...and when I do I don't want to be searching for a new gun. [signature]
11-22-2010, 01:35 AM
I will add a little more. I own two 270 winchesters, a 270 weatherby, a 264 win mag, a 7mm mag, two 30-06's. I have owned a 338 win mag. The 338 win mag was not a fun gun to shoot. Nothing about that gun was "fun".
The 7 mag is a fun gun because it will shoot 2" or less groups at 300 yards. I have not killed anything with it yet besides coyotes. It is my coyote rifle. The 270 winchesters are the guns I have killed all of my elk with. My daughter used a savage 110 with 130 gr Hornady loaded at 2800 fps to kill a 330 class bull when she was 13 with one shot. I have always used the 140 gr Hornday for my personal winchester 270. I have killed a 320 bull and a running total of over 20 elk it has worked very well. The 264 is a new gun to me and My son used it on a deer. The 30-06's are great shooting guns but I just never have enough time for everything. Why post all this? The 270 for me is a very shootable rifle. Recoil is not that bad, and the bullets that are out now will cover any type of hunting. The 7 mag load I use is 139 gr coyote load. It smokes coyotes! But it does kick more than the 270. When I am telling a new hunter my recommendation I have to think about recoil. If a new hunter does not like the kick they won't like the gun. Much like my 338. While I love the 270 win, I might give the nod to the 30-06 because the bullet selection. My daughter out shot a lot of guys at the range with "her" 270. They would set out clay birds and would miss them. She would shoot the birds then shoot the pieces that were left. The fact is no offense to anyone, but if a person develops a flinch from a rifle then the gun is not worth anything to that shooter. Ron [signature]
11-22-2010, 01:41 AM
the 30-06 has plenty of power at that range... i dropped a cow elk dead in her tracks at 627yds with my 06. she piled up immediately! i handload my own hunting ammunition. i used a 168 grain nosler combined technology bullet 55.5 grains of H4350 powder with a standard remington case and a cci large rifle primer. handloading is not as expensive as people might think it is and it works wonders for your game on the range and in the field. you can taylor your rounds to meet your needs. i still shoot factory ammo too, but when i want to get serious i shoot my own loads.... i watched my grandfather shoot a deer with a sprg mod 1903 30-06 and drop a deer dead at 800 yds. so i will never sell that round short... honestly if i had to sell the rest of my rifles and own one for the rest of my life the 30-06 would be the one for sure. if i can help out anymore feel free to hit me up
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11-22-2010, 02:22 AM
sounds like yoy need to stick with something on the 30-06 level. an 30-06 is perfect for elk and deer but if i were you i would keep my options open though dont forget to look at other cartridges .270, or .280 both are flat shooting rounds. i own a winchester model 70 .280 featherweight (I love this gun) and i have killed four elk and 3 deer with it. all of them folded in their tracks with one shot with the exception of one of the elk she made it 40 yards before taking the dirt nap. lately i have been intrested in not so common guns ive been looking at some 7mm-08's (sweet round.) and a 300 wsm.
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11-22-2010, 02:34 AM
Chris,
Now that you've said more, I'd say my choice for you in caliber would be either a 7mm-08, a 270, or a 280. All excellent choices. Pick a rifle with a known reputation for accuracy (pretty much any of the top names) and then learn to use it to the best of your ability. TYP45, I'm not offended, although I obviously disagree. And I'll leave it at that. Any further bantering on the subject would just take away from the purpose of this thread which is to help Chris decided which rifle is best for him. You might also notice that I have the 300 and not a 7mm. [signature] 
11-22-2010, 02:35 AM
I would have to say the 30-06. It has been around forever, does the job quite well, and is probably the cheapest to shoot with the best choice of rounds.
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11-22-2010, 02:39 AM
[quote typeterson45] again i mean no offence to iwantabuggy but i have done some extremely extensive research and im just sharing my results....[/quote]
No, you are not sharing your results, you are sharing your opinion. You've shown nothing in the form of proof to back up your opinion. Nor did I to support mine. I'd be pleased to debate it in another thread or through PM's should you be interested. You might also note that even though I think pretty highly of the 7 mag, that I own a 300 so our opinions (and results) are probably not all that different. [signature]
11-22-2010, 02:40 AM
All calibers mentioned above are an exellent choice. Just remember shot placement is # 1. It dose not matter if your shooting a cannon or a 22. I have shot 243-338 and with the right bullet and shot placement all will do. Good luck on your new gun. Let us know what you decide on?
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11-22-2010, 05:36 PM
my two cents............ if you are or will be a reloder i would recomend any of the 7mm 0r .300 long or short magnums. they are very useful. your loads can adapt for any situation. myself i have reloaded ammo since i was 12. i have never killed an animal with a factory cartridge. on my last hunt i hunted with a friends friend who had a .300 ultra mag. he said it was a must for north idaho whitetail even though he haden't shot one. he had 180 grn. barnes x load. he shot a small doe and it ran off. it had to be finished later that afternoon with a .243. the shot was a bit back but still clipped the lungs. the bullet didn't open at all. i write this beacause you have to use loads for each species of game. this load would work well for elk but not so well on a 75 lb. doe. reloading gives you this flexibility. if you are just using factory ammo, using one of the magnums will cost you big $$$. and practicing when starting out with a magnum is a must.everyone has different recoil tolerances. i have a friend that shoots a .338 ultra mag without a brake and makes no noise about it. he weighs around 150 lbs. another friend weighs around 300 and he uses a 6mm for deer and a .270 for elk. a 30-06 is a great cartridge albiet boring. my uncle gets his elk with his every year one shot with a max load of rl-19 and a 180 grain ballisic tip. as for rifles i would get a rifle you can afford and put at least a decent scope on it ! i can't believe the guys i hunt with they will buy a 900 $ rifle and cant afford anything but a 60 $ scope. i would budget 60 % for the rifle and 40 % for the optics. hope you have fun with what ever you chose !
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