Alright so recently I have decided that I want to purchase myself a rifle to fill in a bit of a gap in my firearms. I have my deer gun, .45-70 and a chipmunk destroyer .22LR. but nothing really in between I want to get into long range rifle shooting, both for target and hunting. So far the best I have come up with is the Savage 12 series rifles. Here's the problem:
I am torn between the 12 FV in .223 and the 12 LRP in .243 OR 6.5. I have never shot any of these rounds personally (yes even the .223) but from what people have told me the .223 is super fun to shoot, but its obviously not really for white tails. I am leaning toward the 12 LRP but still torn between the calibers. I would feel comfortable taking deer with both, but I am concerned that the .243 might not have quite enough reach for target or knockdown power for hunting. The concern for the 6.5 is that it might have too much kick and be $$. I want something that I can shoot for a few hours and not feel any repercussions afterward.
Thoughts on these guns or something better? Top of my budget is about $1,000
I am torn between the 12 FV in .223 and the 12 LRP in .243 OR 6.5. I have never shot any of these rounds personally (yes even the .223) but from what people have told me the .223 is super fun to shoot, but its obviously not really for white tails. I am leaning toward the 12 LRP but still torn between the calibers. I would feel comfortable taking deer with both, but I am concerned that the .243 might not have quite enough reach for target or knockdown power for hunting. The concern for the 6.5 is that it might have too much kick and be $$. I want something that I can shoot for a few hours and not feel any repercussions afterward.
Thoughts on these guns or something better? Top of my budget is about $1,000