Ok, I know... Yeah, yeah... Oranges and apples. It's been done. I get it. Please hear me out. Please! I'm 36 and want to hunt whitetail for the first time.
I want to hunt whitetail in southern Indiana where I live. I have a Mossberg 500. It kicks too hard with slugs for my liking, so I've talked the wife into spending $1000 for a rifle. This is an all in price. (rifle, optic/sights, ammo, mags, slings, etc) Indiana just opened up .30 cal for whitetail. This has limited me to 308 or 300 blackout for realistically finding ammo, as I don't have the capabilities of handloading, although that may be in my sights for the future.
I am looking at two entirely different rifles. They are as follows:
I have narrowed it down to a browning AB3 combo in 308 with a 3-9x40for $600. I would prefer the xbolt, but money talks... I have chosen the Browning, because it is comfortable. I handled the remington 700 and 783, Savage Axis II, TC rifles, Ruger American, mossberg patriot and 100 and howa.the Browning is the most comfortable.
The next is an Anderson combo. The one that I found is a complete lower with a complete 5.56 upper (that I can't hunt with in Indiana, but would be fun) and a 300 Blackout upper for $700. I would have to get BUIS, and save for optics, but at least I'd be set for hunting season, and fun on the cheap with 5.56. Another thing that sways me toward the anderson is the m16 BCG and that I can set it up for ambidextrious (since I am ambedxtrious, and my brother and father-in-law is lefty) and upgrade in the future.
For what ammo I can find locally, 300 blackout and 308 is running neck and neck for price. As far as preference goes, I'd prefer something like a 300 win mag for the bolt action, but can't find the ammo 'round here, and don't want to deal with the recoil until I have more experience under my belt.
What do you guys think?
I want to hunt whitetail in southern Indiana where I live. I have a Mossberg 500. It kicks too hard with slugs for my liking, so I've talked the wife into spending $1000 for a rifle. This is an all in price. (rifle, optic/sights, ammo, mags, slings, etc) Indiana just opened up .30 cal for whitetail. This has limited me to 308 or 300 blackout for realistically finding ammo, as I don't have the capabilities of handloading, although that may be in my sights for the future.
I am looking at two entirely different rifles. They are as follows:
I have narrowed it down to a browning AB3 combo in 308 with a 3-9x40for $600. I would prefer the xbolt, but money talks... I have chosen the Browning, because it is comfortable. I handled the remington 700 and 783, Savage Axis II, TC rifles, Ruger American, mossberg patriot and 100 and howa.the Browning is the most comfortable.
The next is an Anderson combo. The one that I found is a complete lower with a complete 5.56 upper (that I can't hunt with in Indiana, but would be fun) and a 300 Blackout upper for $700. I would have to get BUIS, and save for optics, but at least I'd be set for hunting season, and fun on the cheap with 5.56. Another thing that sways me toward the anderson is the m16 BCG and that I can set it up for ambidextrious (since I am ambedxtrious, and my brother and father-in-law is lefty) and upgrade in the future.
For what ammo I can find locally, 300 blackout and 308 is running neck and neck for price. As far as preference goes, I'd prefer something like a 300 win mag for the bolt action, but can't find the ammo 'round here, and don't want to deal with the recoil until I have more experience under my belt.
What do you guys think?