General Purpose Rifle Choices

^ except for the Sako and Browning come in over the OPs budget and the Tikka leaves him no room in the wallet for optics.

you do realize that Vanguards are guaranteed to be sub MOA right? what makes a Tikka or Sako(both rebranded Berettas anyway) more necessary for use as a range/hunting gun?
 
Winchester '94 Timber Carbine chambered for the .444 Marlin, good for anything from squirrels to elephants depending on how you load it...'nuff said.

Will knock tin cans off a fence post at 250 yards with peep sights when I do my part.
 
You might consider the concept of the "scout rifle" mentioned most especially. Ruger makes one. Savage does in their 10 FCM is it? Browning's takedown lever has a scout scope mount and 5-round removable mags up to .308 (I'd love one, and then get it Magnaported). Steyr's I think was the one Cooper recommended/designed. There's the CoPilot custom lever for the bush. Remington's 7600P could be forward scope mounted, same for their 7615P -- these are short-barreled police pump-action rifles (the latter uses AR-15 mags).

Need a semi? Springfield's SOCOM II (is it?) maybe...
 
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I'm a huge believer in the "every day rifle". Meaning its with me every day and fired nearly every day. I dug around for quite a while trying to find what would fit the bill for pretty much the same requirements you have and came up with 2 choices. One was the tikka stainless/synthetic in .223 due to its exceptional bolt feel and accuracy at its price point and the cheapness/availability of the ammom and if the SHTF, everybody and their uncle will be using an AR platform which means .223 ammo EVERYWHERE(I think). That with a 1-4, fixed 4, or 2-7 scope would be great.
The other option was the cz 527 carbine in either .223 or 7.62x39. The rifle is short, light, fairly accurate, and just handles nicely, even if the bolt feel is rather rough. Its just so easy for it to live behind the seat of my truck in a leather scabard and be deployed quickly to vaporize an armadillo or what have you. I went with the cz due to its compactness and my personal affection for the x39 cartrige. I believe those 2 rifles and calibers would do very nicely in your sittuation.
 
you will get a hundred different responses, but IMO the AR platform is the best one to go with as a general purpose rifle. Simply because you can choose any caliber you want, add any accessories, and most calibers are readily available esp if you go with 5.56/.223/7.62 .
 
I've thought about this for some time as part of my "thinning the herd". Its unfortunate that neither the 6.8 nor the 6.5 Grendal really took off after what looked like a promising start.

An Ar 15 with 5.56 and 6.8 uppers could probably handle 90% of my uses. Along with a good .22 and maybe a used 30-06, all of my uses for a rifle would be covered.

But I don't reload, have no intention of starting and can't base my main rife on a cartridge of such limited distribution (I do know Wolf makes 6.5).
 
The version of the "General purpose/all around practical rifle" that meets my needs.

I wanted to build an all around practical rifle for the nature of the things that I do. Living in the rural Rocky Mountain west, I have high deserts, thick northside timber and lots of rolling foothills, as well as very steep alpine terrain.

Given that I have hunted this country for 30+ years, (as well as recreate in it year round) I pretty well knew what I wanted when it came time to put together a "General purpose/all around practical rifle".

My all around practical rifle is a Tikka T3 Lite stainless in .308. I chopped the barrel to an even 20"s. It wears a 2.5-10x24 NightForce (NPR2), in a set of Talley lightweight rings.

Initially it wore a 4.5x14 Leupold, but I snagged it for another Tikka (custom 6mm rem).

I have a practical 2 point VTAC sling on it, same as my work rifle and personal ARs.

I have some 1/2 sized IPSC steel plates from MGM and have run my 20" Tikka out to 600. It is very easy to get first round hits at 600 with a good rest.

I have numerous Tikkas and have run a T3 308 Varmint for a number of years, so investing $$ in mags that I could use in multiple rifles made perfect sense.

Overall, it has proven to be an outstanding practical rifle.

Some pics:

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PracticalTikka003.jpg
 
These pics show it wearing a 4.5-14 Leupold, prior to being swapped out for the compact NightForce 2.5-10.

308 Tikkas have proven to be super accurate with my loads and very easy to shoot well. The detachable 5 round single stack mags have proven to be good quality and very reliable.

LostRiverRangeOct08027-1.jpg


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With its fatter .308 brother:

Tikka308s001.jpg



This last december I killed my elk with the little compact rifle. A single well placed round and the hunt was over.

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From Coyotes and Jackrabbits to Elk, this little rifle has proven to be a performer. Due to its light weight it is a joy to carry.

I have a number of other rifles that seem to get less and less field time since this little practical package was built.
 
Hopefully this example from someone who has some field time will help you make a choice on what will meet YOUR needs.

Often on the net there seem to be a lot of suggestions from folks who never or rarely ever actually go afield. Years spent in the field will help shape your opinion on what you really need and don't need and you eventually will have no doubt. :)

Safe shooting.
 
The AR with multiple uppers is a fine idea and you can add uppers later.

By my feeling is that you would have a more versatile (GP) round if you had a 30 cal as you're already thinking. Supressive fire aside, what wont the 30 cals do here in the States? 308, 30/30, 30/06...take your pick, they will all work so its preference in the 30 cal range. Vicious on paper, no Deer or Elk is safe, and could be used in a defensive role easily with realistic planning around it's limitations. IMO, 30 cals are as GP as it gets.

I keep ending up back at the 243.
Click to expand...

This is interesting because the 243 has been an itch of mine for years now too. I had occasion to load for and shoot a friends wifes 243. I can't remember if it was a #1 or a #3, but it left a lasting impression on me. It was so easy to shoot well! It grouped good and seemingly never missed with it. Just a superb setup. It's the only 243 I've ever shot so I dunno if it was the round or the rifle that was so good. :D The ARs should have been 243s for the Military!
 
A lot of good choices for a "GP" rifle that have been pointed out throughout this thread.
My choices for a GP rifle would be one of my Colt AR15,Rem 700 bdl Rem 6mm.or maybe Rem 700 vssf 22-250?..Now for medium to large game my GP rifle is Rem 700 bdl 7mm rem mag or down in the brush I like to pack a DPMS LR308 AP4 carbine.

It all really depends on the general purpose to which the rifle will generally be used for?? varmint control,small game,medium to large game?
 
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