New .308 bolt gun - Options?

M

mossyoakglock

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I am looking at getting a new bolt gun for hunting and range use and I've decided on a .308. I'm also going with the .308 so my sister and girlfriend can shoot it when they hunting with us. I have a few that I've picked out and on paper, they are all very close. I still haven't gone to physically see them but plan to in the next week. Most all of these rifles have adjustable factory triggers, free-floated barrels and some are button rifled and others hammer forged.

Ruger America - Adjustable trigger, free floated barrel, hammer forged barrel
Savage 11/111 Trophy Hunter XP - adjustable trigger, free-floated barrel, button rifled barrel
Savage 11/111 FCNS - Same as Hunter XP but also has accustock
Winchester XPR - non-adjustable trigger, free-floated and button rifled barrel
Weatherby Vanguard Series 2

I currently have a Remington 700 that I've had for about 17 years. I thought I heard that the newer Remingtons are not the same quality as years ago.

Based on the specs and what I've read about their accuracy, I'm leaning towards the Savage rifles. All are around the $700 mark locally with some coming as a rifle/scope combo.

Of these listed, which would be your choice?

**Edit - In my other research I found some posts about the 6.5 CM. It said that it has less recoil and might be a better round than the .308. Better long range accuracy and less bullet drop. Should I consider that round too?
 
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In this instance, I am a Weatherby fan.

I have a couple of them in other calibers and they shoot great with handloads. Ain't shot or bought any store bought ammo in many years.

Back in 1971 I bought a brand new in the box Rem 700BDL in 30-06. It was a store closing sale. Hardest hittin' scatter gun I ever had. No one could shoot more than 5 shots out of it and prolly 8 different people tried.

I called it a scatter gun because of how it shot compared to my other four 30-06s. It would hold a 1 1/2" 6 shot group. The others would do 3/4" or less.

I sold it maybe 15 years ago. I can't say about your Rem 700 because there are many years between them. Evidently it works for you and that is good.

**Edit - In my other research I found some posts about the 6.5 CM. It said that it has less recoil and might be a better round than the .308. Better long range accuracy and less bullet drop. Should I consider that round too?
Click to expand...

The 6.5 CM is a fine cartridge as is the 6.5 Swede. If ammo is available in your area, I would say go for it.
 
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Ruger American for about $400, preferably the Predator version. With optics mine weighs a pound less than the Vanguard without optics and does this at 200 yards. Mine is 308. My brother has the 6.5 Creedmoor. Accuracy is about the same, but the 6.5 comes with a longer 22" barrel. I'll eventually pick up a Creedmoor and it might just become my go-to rifle.



 
If it were me making the buy, I'd go with a .308 with 20 inch barrel. A short carbine is a joy to hunt with in rough country.

Jack
 
I'm a one rifle guy, benchrest shooter only. My rifle is a Rem 700 308 cal trued, match barrel, Jewell trigger. Love the 308, when this barrel is shot out, I may rebarrel in 6.5 Creedmoor. Both are accurate, the CM I feel has the edge. Less recoil, long range accuracy with more punch. Its going to be a hard choice when I have to choose. Can't go wrong with either one.
 
Howa makes the Vanguard for Weatherby, so it should also be on your list. Look at their catalog and you will find many, many options in 308 from heavy barrel varmint rigs to lightweight "Alpine" versions.

They are also chambering 6.5 Creedmoor now and I can vouch for it as a nice low recoil cartridge. To my way of thinking it is a modernized version of the 257 Roberts, only way more versatile. Ammo is avaible and choices are increasing every day as its popularity swells. It will, however, IMHO be long time before it overtakes the 308, if it ever does. Advantage 308 when it comes to availability and price.
 
One more thing... the 308 compared to 6.5 CM has a larger bore and a case with a usable capacity about the same. That gives it a faster expansion ratio so it should have a bit of an edge over the Creedmoor if a short barrel is preferred.
 
Free-floated barrels guarantees nothing. Not all rifles like it.
"...haven't gone to physically see them..." Isn't about you. If this rifle is for your sister and your girlfriend, you'd best take them with you. It has to fit them, not you. And, more importantly, they have to like it, not you. They have to like the chambering too. One of 'em might not be bothered by the .308's felt recoil while the other one hates it. Plus they may need a different LOP, etc, etc.
Isn't a good idea to share a rifle with two people either. Especially a scoped rifle. It can be sighted in for only one person at a time.
 
Check out bud's, I think they have a couple of Remington .308's on special, with both shorter and longer barrels. If you shoot your current Remington rifle well, I'd strongly consider getting a deal on a new one from bud's.
 
Any will serve your purpose.
What kind of hunting, range use, and in what proportion ?

A long varmint or bull contour is preferred for longer range target but maybe not so much to tote over your shoulder all day. I would agree a shorter 20" barrel in a varmint contour is a good compromise.
 
The Weatherby Vanguard Series 2 is a good rifle and would work well in .308. It also works well in 25-06. I have one of each. The 260 Remington is one heck of an accurate round with no recoil and extremely flat shooting. So many toys and so little time.
 
Of the ones on your list, I would pick the Ruger American. I have shot a bunch of them and I have a Predator in .243Win. Great accuracy, fairly lightweight, and a bargain.

Sure there are other calibers besides .308. If you plan on hunting anything larger than a deer, the .308 might be a better choice, but otherwise, there are a lot of really good calibers suited for deer sized game. .243Win, .260Rem, 6.5CM, 7mm-08 are all decent that fit in the short actions.
 
Best bang for the buck (pun) is the Cabells only Savage models.

If you want shorter and handier, then the Model 10T is the ticket. I think $525 regular price, Cabellas pouts them on sale and or Savage has rebates and you can knock that down 100 to 150. Ok plastic stock.

It has a Varmint Barrel which is heavy barrel, acu trigger which adjust down to 1.5 lbs, more a tactical combo that would be good hunting as well as target work (and 5R rifling) . A bit heavy maybe but if you are not lugging all over mountains I don't see that as a downside. I hauled a Ruger M77 all over the terrain back in the day and we thought nothing of it.

Heft also means not punishing to bench shoot.

The other is the 12V, longer barrel and more a Varmint bench rest type.
 
I have several good to excellent .308 rifles so if I were looking for another , it would have to be attractive and handle nice. That narrows the choices down to Rem 700 or HOWA-nothing else has the lines or feel IMHO.
 
sister and girlfriend?

Of your choices, another vote for the the Ruger American, and I'd say the Predator model as did Jmr and others. While not a real fan of any of the price point poly rifles, the Ruger Americans have gained the reputation of being real shooters.

Noting against anybody's women, but buy yourself the .308 and get the girls their own rifle(s) or rifle to share. Before I get flamed by all our female shooters, I know some gals who shoot .308 (or anything else for that matter) very well, but my guarded opinion is that the ladies will enjoy shooting something a bit milder than a .308 poly stocked carbine.

If you just HAVE to share one rifle across three shooters, and the gals are not deep into shooting, than another caliber like the 6.5 CM might be the corect route after all.
 
One of my favorite rifles is a Ruger M77 Mark II International Model (with the full length "Mannlicher" stock), chambered in .308. Great handling little rifle and plenty accurate to boot.
 
i bought one of the first 7mm-08 sps syn stocked left hand rifles to come into my area. i have done nothing to it other than putting a good leupold scope on it, that rifle will shoot two shots under a dime at 200 yards from a cold barrel off of a rest. the load is a healthy dose of varget and the 120gr nosler BT bullet and 3000 fps,its flat shooting, low recoil and kills deer size animals very dead. i shot two prong horns in wyoming two weeks ago,one at 310 yrds and one at 280yrds. double lung with complete pass thru,s with 1-1/2-2 inch exit holes. eastbank.
 
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