Rifle advice

[Arik]

Aside from agreeing on the 1". Do you reload? If not stay away from calibers like 7x57 or 6.5x55. Or any other none common round. Some of your accuracy expectations will come from the ammo and some ammo isn't that popular so there are less options available to you at a higher price. I'd stick with 3006 or 308......if I don't reload.

I've heard great things about CZ, Blazer and Styer.

My only none military surplus bolt action rifle is a Ruger M77 3006 with a old Redfield scope. I don't use it much so it suits my needs

 

[Chukar60]

I do reload and that was the reason I had the 7x57 on the list of cartridges. At this point I am leaning toward the 7mm-08.

 

[fat tom]

As RobertJ stated above,I HIGHLY recommend the Remington Model Seven (wood stocked please). I personally use this model chambered in .260 Rem,but the 7mm-08 is also an excellent round. It's a carbine-length bbl,light and maneuverable. Recoil is similar to your 25-06,but gives you a little more "punch",with a lot less weight. I'll guarantee you that you will like it!
f.t.

 

[Bill Bates]

I have three friends with Kimbers: one has a Mountain Ascent rifle in .308, one has a would stocked 84 in .270 WSM and one with three Montanas. All of the rifles are tack drivers.

A Kimber rifle is my short list but Kimber doesn't build the rifle I want. Okay Kimber if you're reading. This is my dream rifle. You have the parts you just need to put them together.

I want a Mountain Ascent rifle chambered in 7mm-08 but swap out the fluted and skeletonized bolt the Montana bolt. I'll be happy with the extra weight. I hate the bolt on the Ascent. It feels horrible in your hand and I worry the flutes are just a place to introduce dirt into the action.

I could do an Adirondack but I hate giving up 4 inches of barrel length.

Maybe I'll just keep my eye out for an older Montana in 7mm-08 and add a brake.

 

[BearBio]

Wife has a 7x57 Mountain Rifle (Remington made them for a while). Only head of game she has taken was a running sow at 265 yards with one shot (Nosler partitions and 235 pounds). I carried it on an unsuccessful javelina hunt. Thought about "stealing" it since she doesn't hunt any more.

 

[mauser9]

Another vote for the Remington Model 7. Like the idea of that 20 inch tube.

 

[Skeet 028]

Had a CZ 527 in 204(HB). An accurate rifle. Detach mag made it ugly...even with pretty wood. Had 2 Kimbers in 260. IMO the caliber sucks Also had a Custom shop Rem M-7 7-08 with Mannlicher in SS on wood. Pretty little rifle but..in a short bbl like that you just give up wayyy too much velocity. I also had a Ruger 77 in 7x57...2 in fact. Great caliber if you can get it to shoot. They chamber them for the 7mm 175 gr bullet and makes for a big jump for lighter bullets. I even turned one ito an Ackley Improved. Shot a bit better...but. For a person who reloads one caliber does stand out to me anyway. The 250 Savage. reloader can get an honest 3000 fps out of a 100 gr bullet which is great for 90% of all the hunting you'll ever do. Old school? yep but if you want more velocity AI the darn thing and get 257 R ballistics. I did that to a Ruger 77 250. But then...I am an experimenter of sorts..

 

[ostlund]

I'm a Win Mod 70 and Rem 700 fan. Recently I wanted to purchase a rifle which i could run a bunch of 6.5 bullets which I came into. I settled on Hornady's Creedmoor. Looing for the platform was limited and ended up with the Savage Light Hunter. Wow, am more pleased than I thought I would be. Nice wood and worked up an accurate load with which I was amazed (still a little) to get 2,700 fps with the 20" barrel and 140 gr bullet. Easy under 2" groups. 1-1.5 groups consistently, more than enough for in the field. The bolt isn't as smooth as the others but may work out in time. Certainly not a deal breaker for me. I've not weighed it but Savage advertises 5.5 lbs. I've added a 4x Leupold with the same light weight mounts Kimber uses. My wife and son really like it too, much easier to pack. It is a "poor man's" mountain rifle.

 

[JJEH]

A Bergara in .308 would be nice too. Or a Cooper for a bit more...

 

[alfajim]

Had a CZ 527 in 204(HB). An accurate rifle. Detach mag made it ugly...even with pretty wood. Had 2 Kimbers in 260. IMO the caliber sucks Also had a Custom shop Rem M-7 7-08 with Mannlicher in SS on wood. Pretty little rifle but..in a short bbl like that you just give up wayyy too much velocity. I also had a Ruger 77 in 7x57...2 in fact. Great caliber if you can get it to shoot. They chamber them for the 7mm 175 gr bullet and makes for a big jump for lighter bullets. I even turned one ito an Ackley Improved. Shot a bit better...but. For a person who reloads one caliber does stand out to me anyway. The 250 Savage. reloader can get an honest 3000 fps out of a 100 gr bullet which is great for 90% of all the hunting you'll ever do. Old school? yep but if you want more velocity AI the darn thing and get 257 R ballistics. I did that to a Ruger 77 250. But then...I am an experimenter of sorts..

Hi skeet 028, your shooter sounds a lot like the one my brother built quite a while back took a 6.5 x 55 Swedish Mauser re barreled with a Browning barrel in 6.5 x 257 Roberts improved, Parker-Ackley. With 41gr of 4895 and a 100 gr speer pt. gets 3000+ about 400 yrds out they turn red. I know as I was nite shooting Jack rabbits in Utah with it. Does a real nasty job with a rabbit. Only need one with a mule deer also
His father in law and he built it when when he was associated with Ackleys in the 50's. Great gun, have to remake 06 brass to get the shoulder.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I'm a big fan of a light rifle in 7 x 57. Mine is a pre '76 Ruger No. 1 (most people prefer a repeater). The round is kind of anemic in US factory loads, but good hand loads or The Norma 154 grain semi spitzer load , which replicates the 275 Rigby loading have done very well for me. The Federal premium line of ammo has a good loading but at just better than normal velocity, The Norma load is about 300 fps faster and about 4" flatter shooting at a hundred yards.

I believe this would be (and is) the best all round game cartridge (with the exception of dealing with large carnivores), and won't destroy your shoulder when shot in a 6 pound rifle.

Ivan

 

[arjay]

Had a ruger ultra light years ago with a Burris mini 6 scope.It didn't group that well with factory ammo,but reloading for 1 moa was pretty easy.I wish I had kept that one.

 

[fkienast]

I'd be looking for a Winchester Model 70 controlled feed action on .308, with synthetic stock. Maybe purchase and install a high quality broach cut rifle barrel if I was going to go with 7-08.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Several years ago the NRA wrote up a series of tests to determine which production rifle was consistently the most accurate, out of the box and unmodified. Winner was the Howa 1500 (also marketed as the Weatherby Vanguard series for quite a few years). With accuracy as the priority the Howa might be worth looking into.

Aesthetically, my eyes have been drawn to the CZ rifles for several years. Very appealing styles.

 

[M29since14]

Weatherby's Vanguards do have a good reputation for accuracy and would be an economical choice if you can find one that weighs close to what you like. The ones I have seen are not lightweight. I do like the look and feel of their new synthetic stocks.

If I wanted a lighter rifle and didn't want to spend Kimber-money, I would take a look at Browning's X-Bolt. I have been shooting one in .223 and really like it. They surely have a model in one of the calibers you mention that would weigh in the 6-7 pound range, maybe a bit less. I like the trigger on my rifle and it has been accurate without any fiddling around or tuning. I like the detachable magazine and tang-mounted safety too. Mine is a standard model with wood stock and matte-finish metal. Nice little rifle.

 

[Bill Bates]

Well Kimber must be listening. They now thread the barrel of the Montana for a brake or suppressor. A Kimber 84M Montana in 7mm-08 with a muzzle brake will get added to my safe in the near future.

I plan mounting a Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10X 40mm CDS scope with a Windplex reticle.

The whole package should weigh in at about 6 1/2 pounds or just a bit less.

If you are looking for a super light rifle Kimber Montana is a lot of rifle at their price point.

 

[Skeet 028]

I also like Kimbers. Have few of them. I am still wanting a 250 AI for some reason. Except for initial cost and then rechambering that would be a great rifle. I had a couple in 260 but just no love for the caliber. The weight of the Montana would be good....but I still like pretty wood and the Kimbers are usually lighter than other rifles anyway. I just bought a couple guns the other day(03 Springfield sporterized and a Remington Repeating shotgun) and was considering making the 03 into something else. But the action is so darned heavy nothing you do would get the weight down. Only paid 300 for the pair but it will cost about that much to rebarrel the ol gal. Maybe I'll buy a Rem 7 and change it out. Be less weight I'll bet

 

[Voyager28]

Ruger GSR would serve your needs perfectly. .308, light weight, short and easy handling. Also, very accurate.

Bob

 

[shottist]

Steyr Scout

Do it right. A Steyr Scout is very hard to beat.