Advice

[hugetacticles]

I am going to be in the market for a new rifle here soon. I'm going to have to keep my setup between $1500-$1800. I'm probably not going to be shooting much past 500 yards. I currently borrow my cousins x-bolt hunter. I do like that gun a lot. It's chaimbered in 30.06 and the recoil feels minimal. My question is this, I think I can pick up the gun for somewhere around $800-$900 new. I don't want to go full custom but can I get more for my money if I try to piece something together or get something less expensive and have a smith do work on it? The sendero has also intrigued me. Though I know it's not less expensive.

Also, like everyone building their first rifle I struggle to settle on a caliber. I would be using it mostly for deer and hopefully elk one day. I would love to get one rifle and shoot it a lot instead of getting multiple calibers and having to learn multiple ballistics charts. I would possibly look at a 7mm, I just don't like recoil.

 

[MudRunner2005]

This would make a solid setup for you, and would be within your budget. If the recoil is a bit much, you can always have a gunsmith install a good muzzle brake on it to help tame it down.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/16902/Firearms/Rifles/Ruger/Ruger+Centerfire+Bolt+Action/Remington+Firearms+84552+700+AWR+Bolt+7mm+Rem+Mag+24+3+1+Synthetic+Brown+Stk+B

https://swfa.com/vortex-4-16x50-viper-hs-30mm-rifle-scope.html

https://swfa.com/egw-hd-picatinny-rail-1-piece-scope-mount-68.html

https://swfa.com/seekins-precision-scope-30mm-rings.html

 

[Hand Skills]

I think you are on track with getting one rifle and shooting a lot. I don't shoot much from a bench anymore. I find myself mainly using 'field' positions (sitting/standing) and In my opinion a rifle that fits is more important than the manufacturer or caliber.

Once you find a rifle that fits well (and it's good to have some guidance here if you can find it), I would look for a calibre you can afford to shoot. .308 and .30-06 are great in this respect. Lots of affordable ammo available.

7mm = .284 so those bullets are actually smaller than .30 cal - for a given amount of powder, and considering bullets of the same weight (say 150gr) a 7mm-08 will actually produce less recoil than a .308. Simply because

force = mass x area

A 30cal has more surface area at the base of the bullet. I'm a big .30cal fan. I think that formula works both ways, in that, all other things equal, a .30cal projectile will entrain more energy leaving the muzzle than a bullet with a smaller base.

7mm rem mag has a similar level of recoil to a 30-06. It makes a bigger bang though! 7mm rem mag ammo can be very affordable, relative to other magnums, and at 500yd it will give you more velocity, more retained energy and less wind drift.

The advantage of a 7mm mag is not only a flatter trajectory, but with appropriate (heavy, aerodynamic) bullets it will retain more energy at distance.
That being said, a 30-06 shooting a 180gr spitzer has roughly 2000fps and 1500ft/lbs at 500yds. Adequate for most North American encounters. A 7mm RM 175 gr spitzer has equivalent energy and speed at 625yd. A .308 165gr crosses that threshold just after 400yd


I really like the Tikka T3's, but their factory stocks are mediocre, and for me a bit short. I carry my rifles quite a bit in the field, so I prefer light tools. I don't mind shooting slower when practicing, and managing barrel temp, compared to a heavy bbl, which manages temps better in long strings of fire, but is tougher to carry.

 

[L.Sherm]

I see your budget and what you want to spend on a rifle which tells me you plan on spending half on optics which I think is wise.

 

[Barrelnut]

Barrel life on a 308 is like 4000. Barrel life on a 7RM is about 1200~1600. A 7RM heats a barrel very quickly.

You can shoot the 308 to your hearts content and ammo is reasonable. Plus match grade ammo is made for it. Should take a deer and elk to 500 yards.

If you are wanting to shoot a lot and practice long range. the 308 or even the 6.5 Creedmoor would be great cartridges. They have lower recoil and are inherently accurate, thanks to being short action cartridges.

The 6.5 Creed has excellent factory match ammo. It can take deer to 500 and elk to maybe 300~400 range.

 

[Hand Skills]

There is good, and ever increasing selection of factory ammo for 6.5 creed also, I think this is a good suggestion.

Also .270 win doesn't get a lot of love around here (probably due to limited bullet selection), but I think it may be the most 'holistic' choice for a 500yd deer rifle.

 

[hugetacticles]

Am I better off getting an xbolt or a savage lrh and having a smith do some work to it or should I try to piece something together? Are there things smiths can do to factory rifles that will actually make a difference or would that involve new stocks, triggers, and barrels all together?
I say 500 yards because that's about as far as I can shoot on the current property I hunt and I prefer to get as close as I can to whatever I shoot, mostly because i dont have hours and hours a week to dedicate time to practicing out to 1000 yards. That being said, I would like to get something that doesn't completely limit me should I find more time for it. I would rather get something that has the capabilities of shooting out to 8-900 yards at some point. Is a 30.06 just a bad choice for what I'm looking for? I was shooting Barnes tsx 168 grain bt's and it seemed to be shooting really well without any work and a Nikon buckmasters scope. I'm just curious if it would be more advantageous to spend less on a rifle and put a custom stock on it and have some trigger work done rather than spend the money on an xbolt. I just want the thing to be accurate.

 

[Barrelnut]

The Savage LRH is probably the most accurate rifle you have mentioned. I shoot mostly Savages, but do have 1 full custom Remington. The Savages are all very accurate.

If you want a rifle that is capable of 800-900 yards, at some point, The Savage LRH is the way to go. If you are not going to be shooting often, just mostly hunting Deer at longer ranges and maybe an elk in the future sometime. I would get the Savage LRH in 7RM.

 

[hugetacticles]

The Savage LRH is probably the most accurate rifle you have mentioned. I shoot mostly Savages, but do have 1 full custom Remington. The Savages are all very accurate.

If you want a rifle that is capable of 800-900 yards, at some point, The Savage LRH is the way to go. If you are not going to be shooting often, just mostly hunting Deer at longer ranges and maybe an elk in the future sometime. I would get the Savage LRH in 7RM.

I have never shot a 7mm, is there a lot of difference in felt recoil between that and a 30.06? Like I mentioned before my cousins xbolt is super easy to shoot and this is coming from someone who is recoil sensative.

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

I have never shot a 7mm, is there a lot of difference in felt recoil between that and a 30.06? Like I mentioned before my cousins xbolt is super easy to shoot and this is coming from someone who is recoil sensative.

My wife handles my x-bolt in 7mm mag no problem...... and my loads aren't light by any means

 

[Hand Skills]

It's a bit 'faster', but rifle weight plays a big part. A savage LRH weighs a lot more than an X-bolt. With a 30-06 x-bolt as your reference, the LRH might actually have less perceived recoil.

If you can shoot an x-bolt 30-06 comfortably and well, you are far less sensitive than some! Bullet weight makes a difference too - shooting 200gr 30-06 loads is noticeably different than shooting 150gr!

Here's a chart from chuck hawks - I am too lazy to find the link, the first column is rifle weight, column 2 is recoil energy in ft/lbs, and column 3 is recoil speed in ft/sec

 

[SCdeerhunter]

I have never shot a 7mm, is there a lot of difference in felt recoil between that and a 30.06? Like I mentioned before my cousins xbolt is super easy to shoot and this is coming from someone who is recoil sensative.

The Savage LRH has a muzzle brake so I'd say recoil shouldn't be a problem. Recoil is pretty subjective but in rifles of comparable weights I don't really notice any increased recoil between 30-06 and 7mm rem mag.

 

[Wedgy]

Go with the Savage LRH
Did you read the review on the Remington someone posted earlier in the thread ? LOL
Unfortunately it's been my Remington also, not the same company it used to be.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reviewed By: Adam T on 03/25/2017
Rating: 2 of 5 Stars!

I\'m in the process of returning this rifle to Remington for repair. It will not extract spent cases without SIGNIFICANT force applied to the bolt. I fired five rounds (3) factory loads (2) handloads with the same results. Rounds chambered and ejected without firing look like they\'ve been bounced across asphalt; the chamber is that rough. Additionally, the extractor damaged ever round chambered, whether it was fired or not. Its a shame, because the rifle has a really good feel to it, and was surprisingly accurate. Remington\'s quality control has fell out the bottom.

 

[hugetacticles]

Are the accustocks quality or something I will end up replacing at some point?