In the market for a nice rifle...

Hey everyone, I'm in the market for a new rifle. Now i know its like looking for one type of candy at a candy store, do i want something sweet or sour? Chocolate or fruity? You get the point.

I'm looking for something that would be great for deer hunting, taking pop shots at the over population of prairie dogs around here, and for precise shooting at the range.

I like the .223 and the .308 rounds the best. That narrow's down my choices considerably. Bolt action or auto-loading depending on the price. Any help with narrowing the decision is much appreciated. I've looked quite a bit at the Remington models. (So many to choose from)

 

I personally have a Ruger 280 for deer and LOVE it. They usually drop dead. I had a 243, which was way too fast and just went straight through the deer without doing much damage (it would run 100yards or so) So I am sure the 223 would be a little worse about that. But for prairie dogs the 223 would probably be perfect.

 

Just got a remington model 700, 30.06 w/ leupold scope. Love it! I really would like to get .223, so will be interested as to what people have!

 

That brings up another subject. Looking at getting a good scope as well. Something medium range. What kind of Leupold scope did you get?

 

Remington 700VTR, available in both 223 and 308, generally available for around $640-$680, great accurate gun.

Problem with semi-autos right now is availability, price (about double assuming roughly equal quality), and complexity. Cleaning the 700 is a snap, push a button, remove the bolt, run a couple of patches through the bore, wipe it down, and you're done before you'd even get a semi field-stripped.

Don't get me wrong, I love ARs, but if I were just getting into the rifle-shooting game right now, the 700 is the way I'd go. You could get both the 308 and the 223 for not much more than the cost of one nice AR.

 

Can't go wrong with a Leupold. VXII in 3-9 is moderately priced (relative to other high-end scopes) and an excellent piece of glass. Nikon makes some really nice scopes too, and for less $ than Leupold. Nice thing about a 223 is that the recoil is mild so you don't have to spend a grand on a scope that won't come unglued under recoil.

 

i just bought a new browning Xbolt 30.06 pritty sweet gun havnt had a chace to go hunting with it yet because i got it around christmas tho...

 

I'm also in the market for a hunting rifle, currently I narrowed my selections to these ones:

X-bolt Hunter .243
X-bolt Stainless .243
Remington BDL .243
TIKKA Sport .243

from $560 to almost $960

 

You need a nice Remington 300 short mag!

 

Now your talkin! I just got a model 700 30-06 as well. put a 3x9x40 leupold on it. I love it. I dont ever have to buy another rifle for deer huntin in my life!

In my opinion, the only guns worth lookin at are the companies that have been around forever. I dont like all the new makes. Im just old fashioned.

Look into model 700's, i-bolts smith and wesson(be careful they had some recalls. old company but new model), browning a-bolts, winchester 70's

 

I have for my hunting use (my self) a Browning BAR Mark II in .30-06 and a new one unfired Browning White Gold Medallion in .270 and the last one is a new unfired Marlin 336XLR SS 30-30... I have a lot of time to spend in the rifle range.

the .243 is for my daugther she just had enough with a modified Ruger 10/22... and she is ready to harvest some game varmint or small deer.

 

I just picked up a bushnell elite 4200 scope for my winchester m70 270 for $220 shipped off ebay and all I can say is wow. Hands down the best scope I could find for the money. I have a vxII on my 30.06 and love it but I spent quite a bit more for the vx than I did on the bushnell. Even the Bushnell elite 3200 is a pretty nice scope that can be had for around $170.

 

I found an awesome deal, because even after two days when I visited this vendor's web site the price was $150.00 above compared with I paid for it.

Leupold VX-III 3x9 50mm Silver $399.99 no tax, no shipping two days later $549.99.

The box arrived closed, not a display, this was my only fear.

Installed on my new Browning White Gold Medallion .270

 

The conventional wisdom is that the 223 is inadequate for deer, although it's a perfect prairie-dog round. The 308 is an ideal deer round, but a bit heavy for dogs.

I have taken two deer with a 223. It isn't legal to do so in some states, but is here. I handload and load it with a heavier premium bullet. The VTR has a 9" twist so will stabilize bullets up to 75 grains, possibly even heavier (I'm going to experiment with 80s in the next few months). With a good Nosler bullet and a well-placed shot, the 223 will take a deer easily. If you shoot one in the ass as it's running away from you, OTHO, you probably won't do real well, but I don't advise doing that with any caliber short of a 375H&H!

 

I have killed more deer and hogs with my (not anymore -traded for the Marlin-) Browning Composite Stalker in .270 with the B.O.S.S. than with any other gun (BAR .30-06 with BOSS) and this .270 with Remington 150gr core-lokts left those deer and hogs in the spot... no more than 140 yards shots.

 

30.06 FTW - My favorite hunting rifle is my Ruger Mark II 30.06 w/ Leupold VX II scope. Scopes are just as important as rifles!!!

I owned and shoot many calibers over the years, and 30.06 is by far my favorite.

If your going to shooting a bunch, price out ammo before selecting whatever caliber you choose. That will definately help your decision.