Good all around caliber?

[kifeter]

Hey guys,

I wanted to ask you guys what you consider to be a good all around caliber? I did not realize how many different calibers there were until joining this forum. Wow...

This is going to be my first rifle so I'm not really sure what to go with? Would you guys suggest starting out with an inexpensive rifle at first and then upgrade or just skip the upgrade and get a good rifle to start out with?

Are there any good factory rifles worth looking at or is custom built the way to go? I plan on doing range shooting as well as getting into hunting.

I have a question on stocks as well; can you use tactical stocks for hunting or are they inconvenient?

I know this may not have enough detail, but I would still greatly appreciate your input.

Thanks

 

[Trickymissfit]

really one needs to know what your needs are. If you are looking at deer and smaller game at ranges under 400 yards, then a .308 will work well. Even a .260 Remington or a .243 Winchester. But if your thinking 600 yards then the game changes. A 6mm Remington would be my minimum caliber, and something like a 6.5 bore would be better. But for an all around hunting rifle that could be used on everything from elk down to the neighbors dog you would be hard pressed to beat the .270WSM or a .280 Remington. Even a good quality 30-06 is hard to beat when the chips are down.
gary

 

[matt_3479]

We sort of need to know more. What kind of hunting do you plan on getting into. Big game, small game, medium sized game. Do you plan or only have shot opportunities out too say 400 yards and closer or could a possible 500+ shot occur.

How far do you want to target shoot. What's your budget?


If everything will be kept within 400 yards then the standard 270 win or 30-06 is a hard caliber to beat. If you looking for more power then even the 270. WSM is great!! Now if you looking at small game then something like a 223. Win or 243. Win would work. If it's strictly big game hunting then I'd suggest minimum of a 270. Win and look towards at 300. Win mag or WSM. If your looking for extended range hunting then a 7mm rem mag or WSM is minimum and preferably a 300. Win mag or ultra mag or even stepping up to the big 338. Preferably

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Caliber or cartridge? Like the other guys said need to know a purpose. You can get an over the counter rifle good to 600-800 yards for most big game. If all your hunting is inside 600 yards and most inside 400 yards then an over the counter rifle can work great and like the others said many will do the job. I have Tikka T'3 lights in 300 wsm, 300 win mag, 338 winchester and 338 SIN. All of them are accurate to 800 yards and can be loaded to kill about anything inside of 600 yards. I have never seen a Tikka that didn't shoot well and they are $500-$600 and weigh 6 3/8 pounds. That is hard to beat. If I had to pick one factory rifle to hunt everything in north america with it would be a tikka t3 in 338 Winchester. Recoil is minimal without a brake and wallop on game is maximal.

 

[HARPERC]

The worst rifle I ever owned was my first one. It really makes it hard to learn if you aren't getting the appropriate feedback from your targets. Lot's of discussion about what's best, but the better it shoots, the more fun you'll have, the longer you stay with it. Same with scopes.
Like every on else has said more details would be helpful, but this is your first rifle, and you're new to hunting. A good .308 is hard to beat in the beginning. Ammunition is available over the counter in variety, quality, and quantity at comparably good prices. Shoot the barrel out of one of these and you'll have a good idea of what you want to do by then.
Have fun!

 

[noneck180]

7mm Rem mag

 

[Edd]

I think one of these in a 270 would be a good first rifle.

Model 70 Extreme Weather SS, Ultimate wet weather Bolt Action Deer Elk Big Game Rifle hunting whitetail mule -- Winchester Repeating Arms -- Product Model

 

[6.5shaggy]

Ever body is right about cartridge selction, more info please.
My suggestion is there are plenty of good factory guns out there, but stay away from the "ECONOMY" rifles (i.e. savage edge or rem 710 or 770). Get a mid priced gun from a line with aftermarket support (rem 700, win 70, sav 10/110, sako/tikka, howa) in a cartridge that is applicable to your use, put THE BEST GLASS YOU CAN AFFORD on it, wear it out, then rebuild it with the custom touches you have learned YOU need, not the new coolest stuff on the internet.gun)

 

[RT2506]

Get a Savage rifle (not the Edge) with the Accutrigger. As has been said more information on what you intend to hunt etc. is needed to pick the caliber. With the Savage action you can later re-barrel with what ever make, length, size and caliber barrel you want easy. Savage rifles are one if not the most accurate out of the box rifles going and the Accutrigger is pretty good. I also agree with getting the best scope you can afford.

 

[Trickymissfit]

7mm Rem mag

at 500 yards the difference between a 154 grain bullet in the 7mm mag and a 30-06 shooting 165 or 180 grain bullets is just about 100 ft. lb. of energy, but when you factor in the much more robust bullet construction of the 30 caliber bullet, the 30 caliber is a clear winner here. But the .338-06 shooting Speer or Hornaday 225 grain bullets is almost 250 ft. lb. ahead of the 7mm mag. And this round is plenty good enough for elk and most anything else but big bears
gary

 

[Bobcape]

If you're just starting out you don't want to start bad habits. I would recommend a Savage Accu-Trigger in .243 Win. Plenty accurate and fine for deer sized game. It should take quite a while to wear the barrel out. You will learn a lot with it. Light recoil, low priced ammo and accurate.

Bob

 

[FAL Shot]

If you are new to long range shooting, you will need lots of practice, and will burn through lots of ammo. .308 Winchester is the best cartridge if you do not handload, as quality surplus ammo is available for practice and a source of economical brass. The .308 bullet family is very extensive as well.

A CZ 550 (Mauser 98 action) .308 Varmint with HS-Precision stock and 26" heavy barrel is available for around $1000. Every new CZ rifle comes with a factory test target, and every new CZ rifle I ever bought shot as well or better at 100 yards as the factory test target at 50 meters.....provided you feed it quality handloads or premium factory loads and do your part correctly.

No need to steer clear of certain CZ models, as they do not do the cheap crap rifles nor do they gold plate a standard model and jack up the price to ridiculous levels. Just buy the right one for the job at hand and you will be happy. CZ builds bearings, gears, gearboxes and does a lot of special contract work for the automotive and aircraft industries....not to mention government agency munitions where they got their start. There is less hype in these other markets than in the consumer firearms market, and you must please real experts to make sales, not redneck bubbas eating pizza and drinking beer while watching "Bone Collector" videos. so if CZ can succeed there, then they are probably more than qualified to stand their ground in the consumer firearms market.