Need some hunting rifle advice

[boykinlp]

My neighbor wants to buy his 20 something year old son a hunting rifle and has asked my advice. He has some strange criteria. He doesn't want anything used, budget around $1000, and his son wants a gun with a camo synthetic stock. He will use it in SC, where most shots will be under 150 yards, to hunt whitetail and the occasional hog or coyote.

Unfortunately, little of my knowledge comes into play, since my hunting rifles are all wood/blue to include Remington Model 700 w/ Bushnell scope in 30-06, Browning BAR w/ Leupold scope in .270, Marlin 336C in .30-30, and Winchester Model 94 in .32 Special. They were all bought before the synthetic stock became the rage. To me, a used Marlin or Winchester lever rifle in .30-30 would be perfect, but .........see above. Seems like most of the new guns are made lighter and cheaper using plastic where it used to not be and matte finished barrels.

After doing some quick research I looked at Weatherby Vanguard Series 2 (kinda pricey), Tikka T3 (plastic parts and small magazine 3+1), S&W I-bolt (bad reviews), and Remington Model 700 (recently had a large recall).

Please give me some advice on both bolt action and semi-auto with and without scopes. Thanks in advance.

 

[Voyager28]

Ruger, Gunsight Scout Rifle in .308.

Bob

 

[federali]

Eastern Hunter

I too hunt in the east. I'm not up on all the latest gun models but I have a Rem Mod 7 in 7mm-08 with synthetic stock which I believe is also available in camo.

The Model 7 and others like it have the woods handiness of a lever action but can easily reach out several hundred yards as needed.

Scopes: For the east, I'm a big fan of the 1-4X or 1.5-5X variable. You don't need more than that. Field of view is important in finding a quick-moving whitetail through intervening brush.

Cal: Everybody has a favorite cartridge and according to them, only their cartridge can kill a deer. Pick a short action rifle. Whether you use a 7mm-08, .308, .358 Win, 6.5 Swede, 6mm Rem., 260 Rem etc, really doesn't matter. The deer won't know the difference.

 

[ColbyBruce]

I own a Remington 700 Mountain rifle in 7mm/08 with a 2x-7x compact Leupold scope. It is a joy to carry, shoots MOA with handloads, and is my daughters favorite rifle. 7mm/08 has a wide variety of ammo choices to suit various hunting requirements. Not sure about the camo stock thing, though such stocks were available at one time.

Howa also builds a decent rifle for a bit less money which would allow more to be spent on a scope.

 

[BearBio]

"I own a Remington 700 Mountain rifle in 7mm/08 with a 2x-7x compact Leupold scope. It is a joy to carry, shoots MOA with handloads, and is my daughters favorite rifle. 7mm/08 has a wide variety of ammo choices to suit various hunting requirements. Not sure about the camo stock thing, though such stocks were available at one time.

Howa also builds a decent rifle for a bit less money which would allow more to be spent on a scope. "


I'm partial to Howa (aka Weatherby Vanguard). Both of mine carry 3x9 Leupolds. One is synthetic and one wood.

My brother swears by Savage. Remington and Winchester quality has gone downhill and it's hit or miss now days. Don't know about Rugers==they were hit or miss. Had 2 good ones (243 and 25-06) and one that couldn't hit a barn if you were inside it (30-06). IF you want to consider hog and deer, go 30-06 (I just don't like 308-no reason==I just don't), 7mm-08 (and 7x57) are both good at those ranges. Also look at 257 Roberts, if hogs aren't in the formula. Wife has a 7x57 mountain rifle that is a dream. She took a 265lb hog at 250 yards with one shot.

Personally, I'd push him towards a pre-64 Winnie, an older Mauser action or older Remington 700. May be used but would be a better gun.

 

[rwsmith]

Buyer's guide

Go to the bookstore and get a magazine 'buyer's guide. I had one for years in my 'reading room' but of course it's not there now. Anyway, you should have plenty of choices because features you are looking for are made by just about everybody now. I suppose he will be hunting deer, unless he's a bear type guy, as the biggest thing we have here in SC. 7mm is very popular around here if you've got long shots. I have a 30-06 but I'd consider a .308 nowadays. The only real advantage of an auto to me is a quick follow up shot just in case the 'one bullet, one kill' thing goes awry. With a bolt, fast shots can be made if the motion of the hand from the trigger to the bolt and back again can be made 'automatic' w/o moving anything else. In other words, for quick follow up shots the bolt needs practice.

 

[klausinak]

camo synthetic stock.

The Tikka's are very good, & very accurate. Think of them as a an inexpensive Sako. Stocks are a bit cheesy & I've only ever seen black; you don't want to lose the magazine as they are very spendy. The included rings will work, but I would replace with a set of Talley's. Also in anything bigger than a 7mm-08, you'll probably want to swap out the recoil pad to a LimbSaver, they don't weigh very much.

I'm not a fan of Savage, (the barrel nut just looks WRONG to me), but I know a lot of people that swear by them.

 

[gregintenn]

It's been a while, but my grandfather and great uncle used to deer hunt in South Carolina, and they used shotguns and dogs.

I would recommend a model 70 Winchester. Why one would prefer stainless and plastic over fine blueing and walnut is beyond me, however. As for a scope, it's sure difficult to beat a Leupold. Caliber; 308 is as good as any, so is 243, 260, 30-06, 270, 280, 7mm-08, 6.5x55, 257 Roberts, 7x57, etc.

 

[Fishinfool]

My personal preferences lean to blued steel and pretty walnut. That said, Savage has come on strong in the recent past as being accurate and reliable, for not a ton of money. I would look at a Savage sporter weight bolt action in .308, stainless steel, with a fiberglass stock.

A good Leupold 2x7 VX 1 or 2 scope, and a couple cans of flat green and flat brown rust oleum spray paint should serve his needs well.

Me?, I'll just stick to my Mausers, pre-64 model 70's, and Kimbers.....

Larry

 

[zzzippper]

I would recommend a model 70 Winchester. Why one would prefer stainless and plastic over fine blueing and walnut is beyond me, however.

Here are the thoughts many people have about composite stocks vs. wood. Plastic is supposed to hold it's accuracy better because there is no wood to warp or swell in rain and high humidity. Also, why beat a beautiful Weatherby stock up in the woods and climbing fences and trees? And what 20 year old isn't going to go for the uber-cool camo stock over fine grained wood?

 

[Rustyt1953]

Take a look a Savage' s web site. They are really on the comeback trail!

 

[JJEH]

Please give me some advice on both bolt action and semi-auto with and without scopes. Thanks in advance.

Remington 700
Remington 770
T/C Venture Predator
Savage Model 10 Predator
Mossberg MMR Hunter
S&W M&P15
Remington R-25 (above $1k)

He can look 'em up and decide what he likes. They are all good brands that offer a great warranty in case something happens.

Regarding a scope I'd look into Leupold or something like that. They have affordable stuff, like the Rifleman 3-9x40 for $274.99 MSRP.

 

[BobC357]

I want accuracy, dependability and reliability over looks and the cool factor.

I shoot a Remington 700 BDL with wood stock (you could paint it camo I suppose) in 270 Win. I hand load my hunting rounds for the game I'm after. That 270 has taken deer, elk, antelope, coyotes, varmits, bear, sheep, and goats... It's taken down game from 20 feet to 300 yards. No problem. Scope is a Redfield 5-Star 4X. It's been in snow, rain, dust, and dirt. Still shoots like new and is easy to maintain.

That's just my preference. There are LOTS of good hunting rifles out there and the Rem 700 has a good long history as a hunting rifle. As gregintenn said, there are a lot of good calibers out there too.

 

[sigp220.45]

I believe I would get a $400 Ruger American .30/06 or .270 and put the best $600 scope on it I could find.

I have a RAR Compact .223 and it is an accurate and reliable rifle. I think it looks pretty good too, for a synthetic stocked gun. They come in camo now, too.

 

[wbraswell]

Savage, but that's just me.

 

[DR505]

I concur on Savage...best rifle for the money. I don't care WHAT the barrel nut looks like.

 

[Rule3]

In case no one mentioned:

SAVAGE in 240 or 270. Accu Trigger Synthetic stock great bolt action.

Put a nice scope on it and you will still have money left for AMMO.

 

[rwsmith]

Composite is a very...

Composite is a very good material if you are in the weather. Nothing hurts it, and it's rugged. I have a composite stock Savage. They ain't much on looks, but you can't argue with its shooting ability. And in the woods hunting is one place that I would like a camo job instead of trying to look 'tactical'.

BTW Minimum bore in SC is 6mm.

 

[rburg]

I believe I would get a $400 Ruger American .30/06 or .270 and put the best $600 scope on it I could find.

Finally... someone suggested spending more on the glass than on the gun. But then what do I know. Its just nice to have a scope that you have confidence in. You can pay less, but then you get less.

The youth, in this case, has some pretty limiting ideas. As much as gun buying advice, he needs some talking to by an experienced hunter who knows whereof he speaks. And yes, we all have our favorites. I'd ignore all of them and only listen to me...

I've never had a .308, and don't want one. But I've got a pile of .30-06s and I've owned others. I don't see any advantage to limiting oneself to a short cartridge. Its not like the "better" ones are a problem being a few silly millimeters longer.

The kid needs to attend a gunshow and view and handle a whole bunch of different guns. And to show my open mind, I even own a plastic stocked rifle. But its black, no camo, and it roars (.30-378). But he doesn't it to harm Bambi in SC. So I'd suggest he do a survey before buying. Head out to every walmart around, and the local gun stores. Just take note of what calibers they have in stock. Then limit the caliber choices to things available.

 

[boykinlp]

I'm partial to Howa (aka Weatherby Vanguard). Both of mine carry 3x9 Leupolds. One is synthetic and one wood.

Personally, I'd push him towards a pre-64 Winnie, an older Mauser action or older Remington 700. May be used but would be a better gun.

The Weatherby Vanguards seem nice and I know Leupold is top notch. I remember the Mark Vs from years ago.

The Tikka's are very good, & very accurate. Think of them as a an inexpensive Sako. Stocks are a bit cheesy & I've only ever seen black; you don't want to lose the magazine as they are very spendy. The included rings will work, but I would replace with a set of Talley's.

I had never heard of them before reasearching today. They appear to have a good rep and they do now make them in camo. I see what you mean about the mags. How can plastic be so $$?

My personal preferences lean to blued steel and pretty walnut.

A good Leupold 2x7 VX 1 or 2 scope, and a couple cans of flat green and flat brown rust oleum spray paint should serve his needs well. Larry

I agree about blued steel and pretty walnut! I think the spray paint, while effective, would not be popular with the young fellow. I remember in my younger days doing 2 different things to camo a stock. I used camo tape once and bought a camo thingie that slipped over the walnut stock another time. Both could easily be reversed.

Here are the thoughts many people have about composite stocks vs. wood. Plastic is supposed to hold it's accuracy better because there is no wood to warp or swell in rain and high humidity. Also, why beat a beautiful Weatherby stock up in the woods and climbing fences and trees? And what 20 year old isn't going to go for the uber-cool camo stock over fine grained wood?

I think you hit the nail on the head.

I want accuracy, dependability and reliability over looks and the cool factor.

I shoot a Remington 700 BDL with wood stock (you could paint it camo I suppose) in 270 Win. I hand load my hunting rounds for the game I'm after. That 270 has taken deer, elk, antelope, coyotes, varmits, bear, sheep, and goats... It's taken down game from 20 feet to 300 yards. No problem. Scope is a Redfield 5-Star 4X. It's been in snow, rain, dust, and dirt. Still shoots like new and is easy to maintain.

I love my Model 700 BDL! I think I may be leaning towards the .270 too. Flat shooting, enough ooomph for SC game, recoil not too bad, generally easy to find, and not too expensive.

I would be willing to bet it will only be shot with factory ammo. No hand loading...........yet.

Of course, as we all know, the internet can be frustrating when doing this kind of research. Every rifle seems to have its detractors. We all know that more people will relate a bad experience than a good one. Also, when you look at some write-ups on guns, you wonder how many of the good ones are people who get paid or other perks to says only good things about a gun. That is why I like hearing you folks' real world experience and opinions. Keep them coming!