Hunting rifle help

.50 BMG.

 

All right, you have a max range of 500. Not a long distance by shooting standards. Personally I dont like to shoot past that, for the simple reason of its not sporting. I'm a stalker so the closer I can get the better. Plus, your shots are surer. (Except for hogs....fuck them...another story) So your from BC, which means Elk, Deer, the occasional Moose, Bear, etc. So you want a bigger caliber for them. Personally the 7mm is the best all around for them. You can adjust your grain bullet for the prey.

Obviously you want a smaller grain for the smaller prey. My .270 I shoot a 130 grain Hornady SST Interlok for everything. If I were to go for a moose I would readjust my optic for a 165 grain.

We could go into the ballistics but that another thread. So are optics, sighting, etc.

The main thing is, a .308 is a whopper, you are limiting yourself, plus its a bitch of a gun, they hurt after the first 5 shots. I dont care who you are. My .270 I dont want to shoot more than 7 shots out of. Get a gun you can hunt numerous prey with.

I hunt more prey with my 5.56 than anything else, except my.22. The point is you want to be comfy with the weapon. Yeah, its bad ass to have a thumper, everyone wants that, but it should be your toy not your go to.

 

Thx pchop, great advice.
I am trying to research as much as I can. I am not going to own ten rifles. So one rifle has to be able to cover it all.
Right now the Tikka T3 is what I keep googling

 

Here is what mine is. I spent a boat load on it but I can hunt anything in N America with it. Total of roughly $6k between optics and gun, but I will give it to my nephews one day. Not a weapon I will ever sell.
http://www.sako.fi/sako85.php

I am a bit of a gun snob, but they are my deal. More than my truck. The way I look at them, I buy for life so its worth it to ME.

Ask yourself the right questions is all.

Good luck.

 

lol Sako!!

Was just having a conversation with a guy tonight about them. Super nice rifles for sure. I am just too new to justify that type of money right off the bat. Total respect to those that know their stuff. The woman that owns the kennel I work at swears by them.

 

Get the best and work into it. Just treat them right and you will never go wrong.

I might give up my LMT AR for my Sako, tough call.

And my LMT is my baby....just sayin.

 

OP, I started to respond much earlier and figured the thread would have enough opinions.
Pchop imo has you headed in the right direction.
Owning many calibers and very familiar with loads, reloading and rifles, I too love the .308 for personal shooting reasons.
Yep, a 150 grain round with good placement is a contender of one of the best deer rifles in the biz. I have read many articles on the .308 vs. everything and still think you can find a caliber better to suit your needs as an all around gun for any animal you decide to take down.
But, personally I think you will find it to be a bit of overkill(no pun) for your hunting needs at this time.
One other thing to consider would be to find a caliber that you can go shoot 20 rounds, have fun and still be able to put your truck into drive with your shooting arm .
Many get heated over this debate on reloading/hunting forums and the choice is ultimately yours but, personally I would look at 270 as it is a nice flat shooting round with distance and ammo is relatively easy to locate....even in Canada .
Much luck.

 

This ^^^^^. I have hunted exclusively with .270. I have shot just about everything else, but .270 I have found is a great all around caliber. It's great for deer, bigger game, varmints, etc. Also make sure you get a good scope, I'm partial to Leupold.

 

I recently picked up a Ruger American Predator in 308. My other deer gun is a Marlin 336 chambered in 35rem which I cannot find anywhere. I made the decision that for my new rifle, I'm going to go with a round that you can find anywhere and there will be lots of it.

What drew me to the Predator specifically is the length--38" overall. Where I hunt here in PA it is dense woods. I don't want to be walking around with a longass barrel that'll get caught on everything. The Marlin 336s are often called the ideal PA woods gun due to its overall size...well my new rifle is the same length as the 336 just in a more common caliber.

I've yet to sight it in but I've pretty much only read good things about Ruger Americans so I'm not too worried about it.

FWIW, the other rifle I was contemplating was a Savage 11. It would have been ~$75 cheaper, but it also had the longer length that I didn't really want, and if I had a gunsmith shorten the barrel it would have been pretty close to a wash between the two. Bonus is my barrel is threaded for a can whenever I get around to doing the paperwork for it.

 

I hunt moose and caribou. Originally bought a Ruger Model 77 in .338 cal, but I backed off from it for the reasons Pchop mentions; too heavy and hurt to shoot it more than one magazine full. Went to a 30-06 Browning Bolt Action Gold Medallion; I've been very happy with it. Friend has a 7mm, and for a wider range of game, I think it's a great choice. But I'm an absolute novice compared to Pchop, Idaholandho, and a lot of the folks here.

Good luck and happy hunting, both for the right rifle and after.

 

You really need to borrow or shoot a bunch of different calibers and do ALOT of research for yourself before you decide on what you would like. As you can see a lot of people like a lot of different calibers, and im not saying they are good or bad they all work. here are a couple of websites to get you started on your research, www.snipershide.com , www.longrangehunting.com . Like I said go shoot a bunch of different calibers if you can, that will tell you what you want most of all. I personally shoot a 30-06 which is the big brother to the 308. absolutely love the round but I like the .260 as well and have no problems shooting an elk with it.

I would also recommend getting a .22 and learn to shot the fundamentals with that.

Now to throw you a curve ball. If you really want to learn to hunt, get a bow and shoot a lot. For the last ten years I only hunt big game with a bow A lot more challenging and rewarding but takes practice. even my crossbow feels like cheating now.

Good luck and have fun.!

 

Love my Sako TRG's. I don't use them for hunting though but they do some good work at competitive precision shooting.

 

My preference is the '06. As someone else mentioned, the .308 is nearly the same. Reloading makes it a versatile choice. I can shoot 125 gr reloads all day with little discomfort. I think you would find the .308 satisfactory.

 

A friend of mine just suggested 270 to me. I am unfamiliar with it. I own and shoot an old .22 Which is fun.
My buddy did stress that a short light gun would be best for what I am planning. I tend to agree

 

As stated prior. Go try out several calibers. That is your best bet for finding what is right for you.

 

How do you try out calibers? Rent rifles?

I think a 270, 30-06 and 308 kick very similar. None of them are that bad. Besides. Rifle weight and stock fit play a huge part. You'd have to try all the same make and model. I think.

 

I am casting another vote for the Tikka based on all the good reports I have heard on it from various gun/hunting sites.

And the .308 is a great choice, an almost universally popular big game hunting round. Now, is it ideal or even appropriately sized for small game, squirrels or ground hogs where you may fire a couple dozen rounds or more during a hunt, of course not.

But most deer or bigger game is one or two shot at maximum for a safe and ethical hunter.

 

I've got the Remington 700 in 270 and love it. It's the ADL package and is all black. Great gun IMO. I know some people like them for their aftermarket modifications. Kinda like the Remington 870 shotgun.

 

There are alot of gun ranges that have rifles to try out. Not sure if there are any in the OP's area, but I would start there.

Ask friends who have them, etc. I just grew up around guns and had the opportunity to shoot all types and over the years have whittled down to what I feel are appropriate weapons for a particular job you are looking for them to do.

OP you may need to take a trip into Washington if that is feasible for you. Since I am not familiar with Canadian gun laws I dont know what restrictions ranges have there. There are several gun ranges just over the border though.