Buddy wants one rifle for everything...?

[dogz]

Easy for me !
300 ultra mag, no problem with light loads and Moose would definitely not like a 230 gr . Berger .
You said you would be loading for him !!
# 2 is easy ! I smacked a milk jug at a mile ( 1760 yards ! ) with the 230 gr bergers !
Now I would jump on a Vortex pst 4 x 16 or a 6 x 24 they pop up all the time on here . Same with brass and dies ...my Wife and I have put most of the 43+ critters on the wall with the 300 Rum !
You can load 150 gr up to a 230 gr. bullet for any choice of Game intended.
Just my 2 cents !


Rum Man

I'm for thinking that #5 kind of takes the 300 Ultra Gag out of the game...

5) I'll load for him, perhaps indefinitely, but reasonably common factory ammo is a must

 

[wolffo]

300wm

 

[wkdwdg66]

IF hunting in California, that is the only bullet that is legal.

For the guys that are recommending the .308, what recipe are you using that will keep the bullet supersonic at 1,200 yards??

Does the bullet need to be supersonic at 1200 yds? Not sure that was one of the criteria. Hunting out to approximately 400 yds, check. Punching steel out to 1200, check. Skill required, check.

 

[ptsdvet]

1) All ungulates to 400 yds (deer mostly, but elk, moose, etc will almost certainly be tackled occasionally).

2) Steel and paper to 800 plus (occasionally out to 1200 just for giggles on big targets).

3) $1500 for scope and rifle.

4) Factory rifle most likely (see #3).

5) I'll load for him, perhaps indefinitely, but reasonably common factory ammo is a must.

6) He only hunts with lead free. So it needs to have a good factory option in copper (see #5). He's cool with slinging lead at paper/steel, but verboten on animals.

7) He can handle recoil, but I'd like to steer him towards "a bit more than minimum" that will get the job done, so a factory rifle with a brake is a high priority, but not a deal breaker.

So...

Rifle?

Scope?

Cartridge?

I have my own opinions, but would love to hear from the peanut gallery. Just stay in the lane. None of the above 7 points can be violated and keep him happy. He's not a high volume shooter, but I'd like to push him that direction, so keep economy in mind too.

The 30 06 is that rifle for the last 100 years, you can find ammo any were in the world, it is a better rifle than the 308 at 1000yds, Rem, Savage and Winchester all produce a gun that meets your needs for under $1000.00 and good Glass under that price too. Your first bullet weight is165 and the heavy bullet is 190 or 200, at 1000 yards the 190 grs., will fly the best, Hogdens 4350

 

[gator378]

My wife and I have been "one gun hunters" since the early '90's. If you're only killing steel and paper at extended ranges, you may be interested in something like my wife's cartridge....the .338 WM.

She's taken deer/antelope, bear, elk, and moose .....with some at just over 400 yards.

If you shop, you should be able to find a good, light to medium weight .338 WM and a scope for under $1500.00

A good selection of factory ammo available, easy to load for and a great choice for someone not "recoil timid"! Uncertain of recoil with a brake.....wife doesn't use a brake! memtb

I am a 300 Weatherby fan

 

[muddywater]

IMHO, 1200yds rules out 30-06, AI and is a stretch for several others mentioned. Plain, old 300Win mag will do all that and then some. And with some work can likely find one in the price range.

I have to agree. Shot a 4 pointer at 550yards in November with my 300.

 

[Stgraves260]

1) All ungulates to 400 yds (deer mostly, but elk, moose, etc will almost certainly be tackled occasionally).

2) Steel and paper to 800 plus (occasionally out to 1200 just for giggles on big targets).

3) $1500 for scope and rifle.

4) Factory rifle most likely (see #3).

5) I'll load for him, perhaps indefinitely, but reasonably common factory ammo is a must.

6) He only hunts with lead free. So it needs to have a good factory option in copper (see #5). He's cool with slinging lead at paper/steel, but verboten on animals.

7) He can handle recoil, but I'd like to steer him towards "a bit more than minimum" that will get the job done, so a factory rifle with a brake is a high priority, but not a deal breaker.

So...

Rifle?

Scope?

Cartridge?

I have my own opinions, but would love to hear from the peanut gallery. Just stay in the lane. None of the above 7 points can be violated and keep him happy. He's not a high volume shooter, but I'd like to push him that direction, so keep economy in mind too.

260 Rem is good out to 400 yards on Moose. It still retains 2000 lbs of kinetic energy at that distance. I use the 1500 ft-lbs of kinetic energy for moose myself ( a lot of people like the 2000 ft lbs ) and min of 1300 FPS for proper bullet expansion. I would use the recommended FPS that the manufacturer suggests. Good luck.

 

[Stgraves260]

1) All ungulates to 400 yds (deer mostly, but elk, moose, etc will almost certainly be tackled occasionally).

2) Steel and paper to 800 plus (occasionally out to 1200 just for giggles on big targets).

3) $1500 for scope and rifle.

4) Factory rifle most likely (see #3).

5) I'll load for him, perhaps indefinitely, but reasonably common factory ammo is a must.

6) He only hunts with lead free. So it needs to have a good factory option in copper (see #5). He's cool with slinging lead at paper/steel, but verboten on animals.

7) He can handle recoil, but I'd like to steer him towards "a bit more than minimum" that will get the job done, so a factory rifle with a brake is a high priority, but not a deal breaker.

So...

Rifle?

Scope?

Cartridge?

I have my own opinions, but would love to hear from the peanut gallery. Just stay in the lane. None of the above 7 points can be violated and keep him happy. He's not a high volume shooter, but I'd like to push him that direction, so keep economy in mind too.

 

[Starbuck]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

We've got time to shop, so I think I'm going to steer him towards a Savage or Tikka in 7mm Mag. I know everything is hard to find right now, but perhaps we could even score a used rifle in the $500 range, and then his budget might accommodate a new barrel with a faster twist (X-Caliber on sale can be had for <$500. Indeed, I have a couple myself).

As for a scope, I haven't looked at the $500 range for quite awhile, but I'm sure there's something that will suit his needs. I'm thinking something in the 3-12 or 4-16 range. He's a hunter first and foremost, so as long as it's durable and reasonably clear and bright, he'll be happy.

He was ecstatic when I tuned up his old Win 670 and 30 year old Burris Signature 2-8x40 with a 166 HH going 3200 fps into 1.5 MOA at 200 yds, so he shouldn't be too hard to please.

IME, you are going to be really hard pressed to find a scope worth a **** and precise enough to reliably dial out to 1200 for $500 or so other than the SWFA. I've had at least a few of the other scopes mentioned in this thread, and they are not in the same league for ruggedness and reliable dialing as the SWFA products. Some work ok for a time or a couple hundred shots, but strap them to a magnum and fire a few hundred, and a lot of scopes go wonky. Sometimes they develop wandering zero or your rig has "flyers" here and there and a lot of shooters don't even realize that their scope is actually not working as it should.

Be careful about buying a more value oriented scope based on view or "glass quality". Scopes are for getting bullets to land where they're supposed to, not glassing; yet in every scope thread out there someone has to comment about how a certain scope is better than another because of the view.

 

[Stgraves260]

Look up SWFA they make a really good scope for around $700. It's a FFP 3-15x42MM it has 40 mil of internal adjustment. I do believe they make it in MOA as well. It has around 140 MOA of internal adjustments if I remember right. I have their first gen 10x42M. It's a fixed power but I have shot it out past 1000 yards. it's hard to keep the price down under $1500 for scope and gun. The rings alone with a rail will be around $150-$200.

 

[Starbuck]

I like the 3-15. To me it's more than you need for big game, but I've come to like shooting things at the lowest possible X because too much X is a liability due to limited fov to spot hits and game reaction, and because it's so much more difficult to line up and settle in quickly on higher X's. You can reliably hit targets really far off with a 6x. I bet a lot of guys who think they "need" these high X scopes for 500 yds+ haven't tried using their scopes at 6-10x.

Higher X is ok for sitting at a bench or laying on the ground with a solid rest shooting at small targets that won't move while you're getting lined up and can't run off after the shot.

As to the rings/mounts costing another pile of cash - another positive for the Tikka: they have an integral rail, and set of very high quality Sports match rings will only run you $60 USD or so.

 

[blueprairiedog]

280 rem

 

[4thefunofit]

1) All ungulates to 400 yds (deer mostly, but elk, moose, etc will almost certainly be tackled occasionally).

2) Steel and paper to 800 plus (occasionally out to 1200 just for giggles on big targets).

3) $1500 for scope and rifle.

4) Factory rifle most likely (see #3).

5) I'll load for him, perhaps indefinitely, but reasonably common factory ammo is a must.

6) He only hunts with lead free. So it needs to have a good factory option in copper (see #5). He's cool with slinging lead at paper/steel, but verboten on animals.

7) He can handle recoil, but I'd like to steer him towards "a bit more than minimum" that will get the job done, so a factory rifle with a brake is a high priority, but not a deal breaker.

So...

Rifle?

Scope?

Cartridge?

I have my own opinions, but would love to hear from the peanut gallery. Just stay in the lane. None of the above 7 points can be violated and keep him happy. He's not a high volume shooter, but I'd like to push him that direction, so keep economy in mind too.

Does your buddy prefer a light weight rifle, or is weight not a problem?

 

[Stgraves260]

There is a theory that I use myself. It's my own. I use 1 power for every 100 yards. I turn it up sometimes, but very seldom. I have a 3-18x50 Vortex Razor on my custom 260 Rem. I've hit targets out to 2300 yards with it. I turn the power up so I can see the mirage, but when I shoot I turn it down. It's just a theory I use when people ask me what power scope they need to shoot at certain distance. I think I was on 12 power when I hit my target at 2300 yards. I never needed anything more than a max 18 power. I could probably say even 12 power would be a good max power.