New One Gun hunting solution advice needed.

[hrnhntr]

So i am looking for info on nice light rifles in the $1000-$2000 range. Let me specify some things. First I am looking at either 7mm, 300WM, or 300WSM for caliber. I'm not looking for opinions here as everyone has their own opinion. I am looking for people who have light rifles in this price range. I am looking really hard at the Christensen Ridgeline. It is a fairly light rifle, but with a barrel that should be able to shoot a group without waiting excessive time between shots like with a Kimber Mountain Ascent. I will be putting a Nightforce NXS 5.5-22 so I am looking to save some weight on the gun. Anyone have a Ridgeline or something in a similar weight/price that they might suggest. I am going to be selling my other three hunting rifles to buy this rifle. Then hunt everything with the same rifle.

I currently have a Remington XCRII in 300RUM with Bell and Carlson Medalist stock, Timney trigger, and vias muzzle break. I had a Huskemaw Blue Diamond 5-20X50 I am going to be selling as well. Then for a lighter rifle I have a Remington Mountain Rifle in 270 with Timney trigger. It has a Leupold 4.5-14X40 CDS. And as somewhat of a back up I have a Remington XCRII in 280 with Bell and Carlson Medalist stock and Timney trigger. This also has a Leupold 4.5-14X40 CDS.

All the rifles shoot good, but I want one rifle going forward so I am extremely familiar and proficient with it. The old saying beware of the one rifle man or however it goes.

Thanks in advance for any feedback or advice.

 

[hrnhntr]

I should probably also mention that I hike a lot in very rough country the majority of the time. I also am not going to be shooting animals at extreme distance. I shot my mt. goat last year at 467 and that was a pretty long shot. I think 5-600 will be my max distance. I am an archery hunter also and part of the fun for me is getting as close as I can.

 

[WildRose]

The 300 Rum is awfully expensive to shoot and the recoil is less than pleasant unless you are shooting suppressed or braked so before buying one I always encourage people to see if they can shoot one belonging to a friend or "range gun" at a local range.

The 300wm however is a great choice for anything in North America as is the 7mm RM. The latter will be more than adequate with the exception of big bears where heavier projectiles and deeper penetration comes into play.

There are lots of options out there for "mountain rifles" which is probably what you are looking for.

Christiansen Arms makes a great looking product but they are so light they'll pound on you pretty hard in the magnum calibers and to be honest I see so many of them for sale "like new" or "barely used" or "under a hundred rounds down the tube" I've been shyed off of them.

Montana Rifle Company and Kimber make some nice mountain rifles and if you came across an older model Remington Mountain Rifle you might find yourself a nice bargain, and not find yourself so deeply in financially that if you needed to rebarrel it wouldn't push you past your limit.

Hope that helps.

 

[hrnhntr]

Thanks for the info. I've shot 300RUM for over 10 years. Since I don't shoot at animals over 500 I just don't think the extra cost of ammo/reloading is worth it. That is why I'm looking to step down to 300WM or 7mm.

As for the guns the Kimber mountain ascent is actually much lighter than the christensen, but it has a one or two contour barrel and just won't shoot a group without excessive amounts of time between shots. I'm really looking to see if anyone on here has experience with the Christensen, or something in a similar weight/price range.

And I already have a Remington Mountain rifle I am going to sell. They aren't chambered in magnums.

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

Don't know about which rifle but the cartridge would be the .300 win mag without question. You can't beat good ole' .30 cal holes when hunting, penetration, bone smashing bullets, wide variety of everything and most importantly availability of brass...at least so far...I get nervous when I read stories on here of shooters having trouble finding casings for this time tested ole' warhorse. When we can't find stuff for it reloading as we know it will be coming to an end. Also I'd get a stainless action/barrel and good jewel hunting trigger with some type of synthetic stock...should be all you'd ever need for your entire life of shooting/hunting if you only could have one !

 

[MudRunner2005]

One gun? What is this concept of only having 1 gun? I am not able to comprehend this statement...

 

[snox801]

One gun? What is this concept of only having 1 gun? I am not able to comprehend this statement...

That's exactly what I was thinking. I just kept shaking my head. But every time I build a new gun it is gonna be my go to one for everything gu. Then I decided to change it up.

 

[TCFELK2]

7mm wsm...cant say enough...woodleigh 175 gr. out to 1000 yds...no problem with the heavier bullet busting the wind...as we all know really 1 bullet for 1 shot game animals are a little different than punching holes in paper at 1000 yds. speed vs. knockdown power...what actually puts the animal down

 

[hrnhntr]

Hahaha...I guess everyone missed the part about not being interested in personal preferences on the caliber. I am most likely going with the 300 WM as I've always been a 30 cal guy and have had most of them.

As for the one gun concept, I've been down this road before but never had that perfect all around North American rifle. I am going to give it a whirl and be beyond familiar with this one rifle, and hopefully more proficient.

 

[BEEMAN]

Not sure how light you want it. I built a 300 WM on a Borden Timberline action, #3 BRUX, Jewel, Hinged floor plate, Holland brake, Mcmillan Game scout with a NF SHV 5-20x56. Came in at 10lbs 2 0z. Shoots like a dream with 215's and would be the one I'd choose if I only could take one.

 

[hrnhntr]

Yeah I'm trying to stay at 8.5 lbs total. Sounds like a nice gun though!

 

[TCFELK2]

Your right...it's what your comfortable with...makes no difference whether its at 1000 yards or at 100 yards, be comfortable with all that comprises the shot...can't handle the 375 h&h anymore so i dropped down to the 7mm wsw at all ranges and for a kicker it's a 300 weatherby...pick your favorite by your standards and go for it...your the one pulling the trigger...no one else...enjoy the ride

 

[WildRose]

Yeah I'm trying to stay at 8.5 lbs total. Sounds like a nice gun though!

You can go up to about a #3.5 magnum or bull magnum contour barrel in 24" or less then as long as you go with the right action and stock and still stay in that range.

If you look at various barrel maker's size charts they will give you very close approximate weights for each contour/length contour they manufacture.

One thing you want to avoid is going too light on the barrel because when you do whip and flip will be the result.

This becomes of course less of an issue at flip wise in the smaller cased non magnum cartridges but you still have problems with the barrel getting very whippy and not grouping well as a result. Generally with the light barrels you're only going to get a maximum of two quick shots with any accuracy and then they start walking on you pretty fast.

 

[pburton]

Based on your criteria, you are going to have a difficult time finding a factory rifle that will meet all of your needs/wants. The Sako Finnlite in 300wm is a good shooting light rifle. But has a light contour barrel that will heat up pretty fast. And the recoil is pretty heavy. Probably weighs 6.5lbs without scope. With the scope that you want it would probably put it right around 8.5lbs.