In search of future 300-400 yard rifle.

B

Blindstitch

New member
I know I shouldn't ask this question since I finally paid off my Browning Citori 1 month before pheasant season.

But I want a rifle to last the rest of my hunting life. Hopefully many years. I also want it to be accurate to say 1 moa for up to $1000 without scope.

I like the classic wood stalk or laminants and hate the no sole plastic stocks.
Chambered in 308 or 30-06 for mostly deer hunting but maybe some day pronghorn or elk. 3 pound trigger would be nice.

The budget Ruger Americans, Savage Axis, Mossberg Patriot look good but the stock are ugly yet weather resistant. I fondle a lot of Remington 700's (CDL/BDL) and think they might do a good job but I don't have to buy one today so what would you guys suggest.
 
For classic wood and steel with good looks at that price range I would look at the winchester model 70, the remington bdl, and the weatherby vanguard deluxe. All good looking, accurate, and durable rifles.
 
Winchester model 70 Classic Sporter.
Winchester model 70 Featherweight.
Winchester model 70 Alaskan.
Winchester model 70 pre-1964.
Winchester model 70 pre-War.
So many to choose from, but they are all Winchester model 70's.
Forget the 308. Get one in 30-'06 or 270 Winchester.
If I can only have one rifle, forsaking all others, it will be the Winchester model 70.
 
You can get a high end version of the Weatherby Vanguard, Tikka or CZ well below your ceiling. There is a certain CZ Lux model in .308 with a pure EBONY stock that is absolutely gorgeous! :eek: Too gorgeous for serious woods duty actually, but fine for hunts where you aren't navigating thorns, etc. Same problem with the beautiful Weatherby Mk Vs, but that is what the Vanguards are for. :D And by all means, do NOT limit yourself to new guns. You can get a very nice Sako used within your price range.

For a sensible, practical, affordable 400 yd deer to elk gun with minimal recoil, look no further than .270 Win.
 
Have you considered Shooting the 6.5 Creedmoor? You can get that in a Tikka, it will serve you well and shoot the lights out

My wife thinks I only have 3 guns
 
30-06 or 270 Winchester in the Model 70, Rem BDL, or any of the other rifles. 6.5 Creedmoor or 264 Win Mag or 280 Remington are all worthy calibers too. Of the two I favor the Model 70, I have an older Rem BDL that is simply a wonderful rifle, not sure about Rem quality control these days.
 
Wow there's a lot of votes for the Model 70. I haven't considered 6.5 creedmoor because i'm not really sure of it's ammo availability. I really would like another rifle where I can just pick up ammo at any store. Currently my deer rifle is a Type 38 Arisaka Sporter in 6.5 jap which I have to reload for. I did buy a second Type 38 Arisaka Carbine in 6.5 so it had a friend.

3 years ago I used an inherited 1899 Remington Lee sporter in 30-40 Krag with only Irons. Great gun and looks beautiful but brass got expensive because Remington and Winchester only batch run the ammo or brass.

The 15 or so years before that I just used a Winchester 94 in 30-30 in thick forests. All great guns but limited with some of these huge Wisconsin fields along the forests.

I'm all for buying used if I can find what I want or what wants me.
 
If it has to be walnut/blue Winchester is making the most options at a decent price point. The Ruger Hawkeye would be a close 2nd choice and a Remington 700 CDL in the running. If you can find a way to get a little more in you budget and if you can shoot a truly lightweight rifle the Kimbers are putting some nice wood on a rifle. They are well made, but lots of folks simply can't shoot a rifle that light well.

I haven't hunted with a wood stocked bolt gun since 1982 and have been using "quality" synthetics since. Too many negative issues with wood for me. I think that if you ever use a gun with a truly well made synthetic you'll change your mind. There is a huge difference between a hand laid fiberglass or Kevlar stock and one of the cheap injection molded plastic stocks on the rifles you listed earlier.

A 30-06 was my go-to rifle for 40 years, but I'd no longer suggest any long action chambering. A 308 in 2016 beats anything a 30-06 would do 25 years ago with significantly less recoil. The 30-06 can be improved upon too, but it is just more power and recoil than necessary. A 308, 7-08, or 6.5 Creedmoor will do anything you listed with power to spare.
 
I haven't considered 6.5 creedmoor because i'm not really sure of it's ammo availability.
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Hornady's off-the shelf gmx shot sub MOA out of my creedmoor build right from the very first shots--it took me a while to develop hand-loads that exceeded it. Well priced and workable brass for reloading--but it is, at this point, a caliber that favors reloaders.
 
With Hornady now offering the "American Whitetail" ammo line in 6.5 CM loaded with the 129 grain Interlock for ~$20 a box. There really is no reason for a .30-06 or .308 for deer hunting out to 300 yards.
 
With Hornady now offering the "American Whitetail" ammo line in 6.5 CM loaded with the 129 grain Interlock for ~$20 a box. There really is no reason for a .30-06 or .308 for deer hunting out to 300 yards.
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Didn't know that--I'll have to try them out: ) The AW ammo in other calibers I've tried has proven to be outstanding in accuracy at a budget price--I suspect in the Creedmoor it would be effective--depending on the game--well beyond 300 yds, though I haven't tested this out myself.
 
Well, if you want a wood/laminate stock and a 308 bolt action hunting rifle that shoots to 300-400 yards, good suggestions have already been provided.

Weatherby Vanguard Deluxe/Howa 1500 . Tikka. CZ. Winchester. Even Savage and Remington and Zastava make decent hunting rifles in that price range.

But.... Don't buy a rifle without handling it first, bringing it up to your shoulder, feeling the weight and balance, experience the cheek weld. A good hunting rifle is much harder to make than a good target rifle, and if it fits you properly it should swing onto target almost effortlessly.

For 400 yards any barrel 18" or longer will do for hunting out to 400 yards on deer or pronghorn, but a 22" barrel will be more comfortable to shoot, and give a nice velocity boost.

Good luck rifle hunting.

Jimro
 
"...1 MOA..." Isn't necessary for deer. It's also highly related to the ammo used and the shooter. Any .308 or .30-06 will do 300 to 400 with ease. So which brand of rifle doesn't matter much.
However, both of 'em drop fast past 300 with all bullet weights. Just requires knowing your rifle. Either cartridge sighted in about 4" high at 100 will be on target out to 300. Then you just need to know how much drop the particular bullet/ammo your using has between 300 and 400.
Think 165's for either too. Bit more energy out at 400 with the '06. Not by much though. Only real difference between 'em is the length of the action.
"...3 pound trigger..." Highly unlikely you'll find that in any factory rifle. Absolutely doable though. Most factory triggers in non-entry level rifles are adjustable. Mind you, 3 pounds is very light. Takes getting used to.
You can have a Mossberg Patriot with a walnut stock. The Ruger doesn't come with wood, but their Hawkeye does. Twice the money though.
The Savage Axis also comes with a wood stock. Just isn't walnut. Not much more expensive.
"...it's ammo availability..." Ok in civilization. Won't likely be found in small places.
 
Admittedly, I am primarily a paper puncher, killed a few small deer, nothing to brag about.

I really like the M70 Winchester, the Classic rifles were the ones with a claw extractor, made before FN came along. The M70 is a slick and smooth operating mechanism and has proven that it is a sound action design since the 1930’s. Now in terms of makes, I prefer the trigger mechanisms of the pre FN M70’s to the current M70 triggers. This is a PBR action, one of the last M70’s made at Hartford, company had been bought out by FN at the time. This trigger is the same trigger used by Winchester all the way back to the original pre WW2 M70’s.



This was the best over ride trigger for a hunting rifle ever made. And that includes the current crop of triggers on other rifles. The basic issue is reliability. The current enclosed trigger housings will fill up with water or mud, and if it is cold, the trigger mechanism will ice up. You can read about that in these threads, including iced up Rem 700 triggers.

http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/113448-Winchester-M70-fired-while-feeding-round

http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/99432-Ever-have-trigger-problems

The older M70 trigger lets junk fall out and is much harder to put out of order. The push feed M70’s had this trigger and they were fine rifles, but I do prefer the claw extractor.

In terms of calibers, if you were thinking deer sized and maybe a little larger, a M70 Featherweight in 6.5 X 55 Swede is an excellent combination.






I do have a PBR in 308 Win and it would make an excellent all around rifle.



But you are thinking Elk. Elk are big animals, averages are around 750 pounds, the largest are 1100 pounds. Something that big, a 30-06 firing 220 grain bullets is a better choice. A 375 H&H would be the better choice because the bullet will make a larger through hole and the blood trail would make it easier to track the thing, even if only for 100 yards. Animals that big do not "bang/flop" like deer. I have talked to Elk hunters and you have to place your shots and the animal may still be walking till it figures out it is dead. Anyway in my opinion the 30-06 is the better all around round primarily due to the heavier bullets you can fire without the recoil of something like a magnum.
 
I know 1 moa isn't necessary for deer but if I spend a good chunk of money on a rifle and scope I want it to hit the same area over and over as long as I do my part. If I have to reload for it or buy every brand of factory ammo to find out what it likes that would be fine.

As for a light or adjustable trigger if my crossbow and muzzleloader can have a 3.5lb trigger why not a rifle. Just saying I don't want to buy a new rifle and then have to install a $140 timney trigger in it.
 
Without doubt...............Pre-64 Winchester Model 70.

CIMG4046_zps99b51ef6.jpg
 
All the issues over the years with the safeties and triggers on Remington rifles makes all the more reason to go with the Winchester model 70. Even the push-feed model 70's have better triggers and safeties than Remington 700's.
Just get a Winchester 70 made before the MOA trigger changeover. I have no actual experience with the MOA triggers; I just feel that the original trigger was quite good and I have had no troubles adjusting them to suit me.
 
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