Looking for advice on a lifelong rifle purchase

[Hawkeyeguy]

Greetings my most knowledgeable compadres..

I'm new to rifles. I've bird hunted my whole life, and am pretty handy with a sidearm, but the one thing I've never done much of in my life is rifle shooting. No one in my family ever hunted for four-legged game.

Now, I'm not coming in to these forums completely blind. I've done my fair share of research, and dare say I know a thing or two now enough to understand advice. However, I'm stuck in a rut as far as choosing a rifle goes.

Here's what I'm looking for in so many words:

First and foremost I need a hunting rifle. One that is reliable from the start, but that can evolve as my skill (and wallet) grows. I want to be able to take down pretty much any game from deer, goat, boar, elk, small bears, etc.. and I want to one day be good enough to take shots 500+yds confidently.

The other side of this is that I want to get into precision target shooting. For long range hunting practice, but also because I'm the kind of person who needs to constantly be pushing boundaries, and shooting at typical hunting distances will become boring after some time. Especially with a great rifle.

Taking these things into consideration, I'm pretty steadfast on the .300 winmag as of now, having read that it offers a lot of room for variability, but I'm open to similar cartridges, and I'm planning on investing in reloading equipment as soon as I have my rifle where I want it to be. I've read on tons of rifles, but I haven't been able to find the one that jumps out at me more than the others. Please help!!

Here's my basic criteria..
-Light enough to carry on mountain hunts.
-Heavy enough that the recoil isn't absurd.
-Accurate enough right out of the box for decent range results.
-Customizeable.
-Below $1500 (2000 if it's worth it)

 

[WildRose]

Welcome. I spent my life bird hunting and guiding primarily for bird huts so I know where you are coming from.

Honestly I'd say you actually need two rifles, one to hunt with and one to do a whole lot of practicing with.

The 300wm is the SUV of rifle calibers and can easily be loaded heavy or light enough for anything from coyotes to Elk an Moose.

To become proficient to 500yds is going to take a lot of practice. Sure, you can dial your dope and have your drop at 500yds but that won't give you the skill to put it on target after reading the wind, taking the other environmental conditions into consideration, punching it all into your ballistic app and getting the dope.

If you bought a .260rem or 6.5Creedmore to practice with (great hunting calibers too) it would give you a rifle that is ballistically very close to the 300wm and has negligible recoil.

Personally I prefer the Model 70 action but without question the 700 Remington is the most easily up-gradable/customizable action around with the most aftermarket support.

If you're going to shoot enough to reach your proficiency goal you're probably going to have to start reloading as well because other than tactical calibers factory ammo adds up pretty quick especially quality ammo.

 

[MudRunner2005]

With your price range in mind, this would be a great setup for you...

And they have REALLY dropped the prices on these in the last month or so... I have 2 of the 5R rifles, one in .308 Win and one just like this one in .300 WinMag.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog...olt+Action+Centerfire/REM+700+5-R+300WM+26+SS

For a scope: SWFA SS 3-15x42 Tactical Rifle Scope | SWFA

Rings: Seekins Precision Scope 30mm Rings | SWFA

Base: EGW HD Picatinny Rail 1 Piece Scope Mount | SWFA

This would make a great and versatile hunting and target setup for you.

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

Cartridge either 7mm or 300 win mag for starters, you can buy them both in rifles from $300 to $5000 and everywhere inbetween.... Take a look at the really el cheappo deluxe rifles, at least that way you won't have much in it if you don't like it, most of them shoot well enough to handle big game to 500 with no problem.T/C's new Compass looks like a good place to stop..

 

[FEENIX]

Greetings my most knowledgeable compadres..

I'm new to rifles. I've bird hunted my whole life, and am pretty handy with a sidearm, but the one thing I've never done much of in my life is rifle shooting. No one in my family ever hunted for four-legged game.

Now, I'm not coming in to these forums completely blind. I've done my fair share of research, and dare say I know a thing or two now enough to understand advice. However, I'm stuck in a rut as far as choosing a rifle goes.

Here's what I'm looking for in so many words:

First and foremost I need a hunting rifle. One that is reliable from the start, but that can evolve as my skill (and wallet) grows. I want to be able to take down pretty much any game from deer, goat, boar, elk, small bears, etc.. and I want to one day be good enough to take shots 500+yds confidently.

The other side of this is that I want to get into precision target shooting. For long range hunting practice, but also because I'm the kind of person who needs to constantly be pushing boundaries, and shooting at typical hunting distances will become boring after some time. Especially with a great rifle.

Taking these things into consideration, I'm pretty steadfast on the .300 winmag as of now, having read that it offers a lot of room for variability, but I'm open to similar cartridges, and I'm planning on investing in reloading equipment as soon as I have my rifle where I want it to be. I've read on tons of rifles, but I haven't been able to find the one that jumps out at me more than the others. Please help!!

Here's my basic criteria..
-Light enough to carry on mountain hunts.
-Heavy enough that the recoil isn't absurd.
-Accurate enough right out of the box for decent range results.
-Customizeable.
-Below $1500 (2000 if it's worth it)

Excellent choice on the .300 WM; it's "my" go to chambering for antelope to elk size game up to 1K yards. Load it with Berger 215/230 and you're golden.

As far as your 1st two criteria, I'm probably the wrong person for that because I carry a 14 pound rifle on my mountain hunts.

Check out the Savage 110 FCP HS precision LE series; Savage rifles are up there when it comes to out of the box accuracy.

Here's a poll from LRH members >>> http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f22/right-out-box-76570/

Customizeable - Savage rifles are very DIY friendly.

As you can see, you'll get an overwhelming recommendations.

Good luck on your quest for a new rifle and welcome to LRH and enjoy.

 

[Don A Parsons]

I'm back tracking from Magnums to standard old school calibers in my last stages of game harvest and iron silhouette shoots.

I never mention too folks on what to buy as its not part of the deal.

One could look at weight of rifle too recoil.
What ones intended main use it will be for.
Area where your from and the critters too harvest.
Where do you see this rifle fitting in 2 or 7 years down the road.

And will the caliber and rifle brand you choose spark your interests every time you use it.

These are qualities in search for my needs, and many awesome folks on this forum have their picks too.

A happy medium of recoil and getting the job done is where I plan the most, next is the critters yet too harvest "if it works out that way".

Just sharing ideas for one too consider along the way.
Nothing wrong with taking some time too read threads here and External Ballistics Web pages,,, "take some of it with a grain of salt as it really boils down too our needs".

PS: some folks mention we need canons to knock down critters, this is a yes and no as today's rifles breath new life with new bullets available on the market today.

Don

 

[TXshooter]

If I had one caliber to choose it would be the 300 win mag. I'm a fan of Remington 700. You cannot go wrong with 300 win mag even recoil is managed very well with a muzzle brake. All other calibers are fun and do good in a lot of situations. But a 300 win mag can be counted on for everything and it is easy to find a wide range of ammo.

 

[Hawkeyeguy]

First off, thanks for all your quick replies! This site rocks.

I wish I had the luxury of buying two rifles! My budget is "high" because I want a rifle that is outstanding and virtually the only hunting rifle I will need. Getting two would take away from both.

Mudrunner, that's a great suggestion. Especially in the scope! I haven't gotten there yet, but from what I do know that seems like just what I need. Admittedly, I am definitely leaning towards R700's, and the 5R has called out to me strongly. Right now it's kinda between the 5R, or a Sendero FS ii. Any input into why you say the 5R over Sendero? I was also thinking about, with either rifle, getting the barrel trimmed down and to maybe 24" or 22", with threads for a muzzle break. Make it more hunting tactical. I'm aware of the velocity loss, but thanks to their high rate of spin it'd still hold enough momentum to kill, say, an elk, at a distance most would say is stupid to attempt anyways. Am I correct in that?

Also, Feenix thanks for the savage suggestion. I haven't looked into them enough. I'll be sure to look into that specific model.

Remember all, my budget is 1500-2000 for just the rifle, so any custom options information would be incredibly valuable to me. Any action works, but I feel pulled to R700.

All input is welcome! Thanks so much again ya'll.

 

[jrock]

As someone who likes to push ones self as well, I agree that the expectations of 1 rifle may change as time progresses. You could go with a semi custom, something similar to what Red Hawk Rifles provides. I'd be leaning toward that vs off the shelf but I don't have any experience buying an high priced off the shelf gun. Just custom or semi customs and low end off the shelf.

BTW, since you are a bird hunter recoil probably isn't much of a concern but shooting a magnum for an afternoon sure does change the color of my shoulder

 

[Hawkeyeguy]

Oh yeah, and I live in Colorado. In the mountains outside of Boulder. If that helps with any semi/custom suggestions. Local is always better. Or if anyone on here is local to me and could show me the area's resources that'd be even greater!

 

[dmj]

I'm a 300 wm nut. So I won't even suggest a caliber. You've already considered a muzzle break and I personally think this is a must on a mag. rifle. They sure do make it more enjoyable to shoot. Don't forget to figure into your budget a trigger, whether you purchase a new one (jewel or other) or have the factory installed one worked on. And I'm not saying all factory trigger need worked on. But a good trigger is (in my opinion) a must for accurate shooting. Good luck, be safe and have fun.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Mudrunner, that's a great suggestion. Especially in the scope! I haven't gotten there yet, but from what I do know that seems like just what I need. Admittedly, I am definitely leaning towards R700's, and the 5R has called out to me strongly. Right now it's kinda between the 5R, or a Sendero FS ii. Any input into why you say the 5R over Sendero? I was also thinking about, with either rifle, getting the barrel trimmed down and to maybe 24" or 22", with threads for a muzzle break. Make it more hunting tactical. I'm aware of the velocity loss, but thanks to their high rate of spin it'd still hold enough momentum to kill, say, an elk, at a distance most would say is stupid to attempt anyways. Am I correct in that?

Remember all, my budget is 1500-2000 for just the rifle, so any custom options information would be incredibly valuable to me. Any action works, but I feel pulled to R700.

I have a lot of Senderos, and they are awesome rifles, but I also have two 5R rifles. The 5R rifles advantage is that the rifling design doesn't create pinch-point on the bullet as it's traveling down the bore. The 5R's tend to be slightly faster than standard rifling, and the design of the rifling seems to help deter copper buildup and is VERY easy to clean. You can run a brush and wet patch down both a standard rifled barrel and a 5R rifled barrel and you can feel the difference in how smoothly they pass down the 5R barrel.

The Sendero and 5R rifles from Remington both have the SAME HS Precision stocks (just different color) and the only difference is the Sendero has a fluted 6-groove rifled barrel, and the 5R is not fluted, and has 5R rifling.

I would keep the barrel at 26", and just have it threaded and re-crowned at that length, then add your muzzle brake. Just my opinion.

The setup I listed falls just under $2,000 for the whole package, not just the gun.

 

[catamountsierra]

A few years back I was in a similar situation. I did end up going the two rifle route though. For my main, do-all, big game rifle, I picked up a Remington 700 ADL stainless in 7mm-08. Not a flashy gun, but I would trust it with a good bullet out to 500 yards because I can shoot it till the cows come home and really get familiar with it. I dropped it into an HS Precision stock, installed a Timney trigger, and am currently using a Vortex 4-16x44 HS-T. It shoots about minute of angle with handloaded 140gr Accubonds, and I am hoping to work up a load using the new 162 gr ELD-X and see how it shoots. The second rifle I got for practice and for predator hunting. It is a Savage 11 in 223 Remington, dropped into a Hogue full bedding block stock and with a Timney installed on it too. It easily outshoots the Remington as I consistently get 3/4 MOA regardless of ammunition, though about 1/2MOA with handloaded 68gr match bullets. Since I pieced things together and bought parts from Midway when they were on sale, I think I have just over 2 grand into the pair of them, including scopes. I am looking to do more work on the Remington, particularly blue printing the action and installing a new barrel and Wyatts mag box to load the heavier bullets out longer. Anyway, that was my solution at the time. Once I get the money, I am hoping to get a good 7mm mag, most likely the 7RM (though the 7LRM or the 7mm-300Win look real good too) to try to reach out farther. Anyway, that was the route I went.

 

[Hawkeyeguy]

Jrock-Red hawk was a great tip. Nicely priced offerings.

Dmj-thanks for pointing out the trigger importance. I was slightly under rating that mod. But you're definitely right. Tis a big deal.

Mudrunner your advice has been invaluable. I was already very interested in 5R and I think I'll make that an official endorsement.

Now, taking from catamount's .02.. would it be possible and smarter to shop around and build a better rifle for the money, than to just buy a factory model of the 5R. I mean, winter is coming very quickly up here, so I've got time to shop before I get to training in the spring. It is a semi daunting task considering I know very little about the workings of rifle. Seems simple enough though, and all the more reason to learn, piece by piece.

From reviews I've read, I'm under the impression that an action is an action. They can be fine tuned as can most parts but they come out of factory generally homogenous. However, you never know what sort of barrel you will get from a factory gun. Therfore, if I build a gun up, would it be smart to invest in a barrel constructed by a gun wizard?