Hi all, I got invited to hunt in West Virginia, and don't have an appropriate rifle. Looking for recommendations. What I have is an AR-15, which could potentially wear a 6.5 or 6.8 upper if that's the answer. But my collection is also missing a larger caliber bolt gun, so I'm interested in that too. Opinions on .308 bolt guns that are heavier barrel for bench shooting that could also hunt fields a couple days a year? Something like a Remington Tactical? Budget issue, but I haven't defined that yet. Maybe 5-700 for the rifle? Thanks!
Deer/Target rifle?
- Thread starter gwchem
- Start date
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bigdv
Ultimate Member
Ive got a ruger gunsite scout in 308. Love the rifle. Its much more accurate then i am.
steves1911
Ultimate Member
Ruger American predator 308 or 6.5creedmoore. You can get the rifle and a nice piece of glass for under a grand.
Compromises.....and assuming you're talking deer here?
Having spent a lot of years hunting in the hills of W.Va., I can tell you that the rifle you'll want to carry PROBABLY isn't going to be heavy barrel. You won't need one either if your goal is both plenty sufficient hunting accuracy AND grouping capability off the bench in the range of say, 1 to 1.5 MOA with quality hunting ammunition that the rifle likes.
.308 Winchester is a damned fine cartridge for many reasons. Just by way of mention though, if you're used to shooting only .223 to this point, you'll find .308 recoil to be significantly heavier. Arguably getting toward the upper end of what most people can tolerate and still shoot well, for "extended" range sessions. Just another example of the old adage across the firearms spectrum that the gun you most want to carry, and the gun you most want to shoot, are typically 2 different guns.
Were I to buy one deer rifle today, to do the double duty you seem to describe? Plenty of gun for deer, and a joy to shoot off the bench? Were I pinned down to have to name one, with a lot of variables in mind not mentioned here? I'd personally look hard at 7mm-08. Good Luck!
Having spent a lot of years hunting in the hills of W.Va., I can tell you that the rifle you'll want to carry PROBABLY isn't going to be heavy barrel. You won't need one either if your goal is both plenty sufficient hunting accuracy AND grouping capability off the bench in the range of say, 1 to 1.5 MOA with quality hunting ammunition that the rifle likes.
.308 Winchester is a damned fine cartridge for many reasons. Just by way of mention though, if you're used to shooting only .223 to this point, you'll find .308 recoil to be significantly heavier. Arguably getting toward the upper end of what most people can tolerate and still shoot well, for "extended" range sessions. Just another example of the old adage across the firearms spectrum that the gun you most want to carry, and the gun you most want to shoot, are typically 2 different guns.
Were I to buy one deer rifle today, to do the double duty you seem to describe? Plenty of gun for deer, and a joy to shoot off the bench? Were I pinned down to have to name one, with a lot of variables in mind not mentioned here? I'd personally look hard at 7mm-08. Good Luck!
Dave
Ultimate Member
love my Remington 700 in 308
Squaregrouper
Kragaphile
People are raving about these things for the quality to price ratio. I'm holding out for a 6.5 Creedmoor to come back in stock. There is a $75 mail in rebate which will drop the price to $290 + whatever your FFL charges for the transfer.
https://www.sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com/products2.cfm/ID/198533
You're welcome.
https://www.sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com/products2.cfm/ID/198533
You're welcome.
- Jul 29, 2014
- 50,068
Don't overlook Savage. Affordable, Accutrigger, real good shooters. .308, 30-06, .270 Win., all good deer rounds.
DJones2987
Active Member
Loved my savage 111 7mm rem mag, only sold it because I got hard up for cash after a break up.
I hunt now with my 6.8 SPC AR.
730waters
Active Member
There are a lot of budget priced guns that would be fine for deer hunting WV and punching paper. The 6.5 Creedmor is a great round, but you can't always find ammo when you are on the road for a hunting trip in WV. The 308 is a great round and you can find ammo just about anywhere and usually at a cheaper price than the 6.5 Creedmor.
Thanks everyone, keep it coming.
I will be on a farm in WVa, so less walking the hills and more sitting, but point taken. I guess I'm looking for more of a bench rifle that I can carry three days a year.
At 6'6" and 235 pounds, I'm not worried about recoil. My idea for .308 is based on not reloading. Ammo price and availability seems best of the larger cartridges.
I will be on a farm in WVa, so less walking the hills and more sitting, but point taken. I guess I'm looking for more of a bench rifle that I can carry three days a year.
At 6'6" and 235 pounds, I'm not worried about recoil. My idea for .308 is based on not reloading. Ammo price and availability seems best of the larger cartridges.
dreadpirate
Ultimate Member
Check this 243 Win Tikka (owned by Beretta) rifle out at Grab A Gun. In the link below- there is is another Link "Grab A Quote - Get a Low Price". I got $139 off of $628 when I did that.
https://grabagun.com/tikka-t3x-lite-bolt-action-rifle-black-243win-22in-barrel-3rd.html
https://grabagun.com/tikka-t3x-lite-bolt-action-rifle-black-243win-22in-barrel-3rd.html
dreadpirate
Ultimate Member
Biggfoot44
Ultimate Member
- Aug 2, 2009
- 33,281
As mentioned, a trade off of how much weight you care to lug about .
Essentially * I think * you are looking for what used to be considered a "normal sporter" , before the lightweight revolution hit, with among other things fiberglass stocks .
Rifle alone 7.5-ish lbs , rifle, scope, mounts, sling, and ammo 8.5- 9lb -ish . For generations , this was considered normal, mainstream, all around hunting rifle ( in .30-06 , to double down on the stereotype ).
For their merits , 7-08 , .260Rem , and 6.5 Creed ate superior choices . But .308Win is rarely a bad choice , and outstanding in terms of variety of factory ammo , and available virtually anywhere ammo is sold .
Essentially * I think * you are looking for what used to be considered a "normal sporter" , before the lightweight revolution hit, with among other things fiberglass stocks .
Rifle alone 7.5-ish lbs , rifle, scope, mounts, sling, and ammo 8.5- 9lb -ish . For generations , this was considered normal, mainstream, all around hunting rifle ( in .30-06 , to double down on the stereotype ).
For their merits , 7-08 , .260Rem , and 6.5 Creed ate superior choices . But .308Win is rarely a bad choice , and outstanding in terms of variety of factory ammo , and available virtually anywhere ammo is sold .
That is a good option and with the rebate hard to pass up.
As mentioned, please take a look at Tikka, smoothest bolt out of any of my factory guns. They are shooters too, think of them as a lower end Sako.
As far as caliber, that is up to you. I don't think you can ever go wrong with a .308 (I have more than I want to admit). The 6.5CM/260 rounds are the hottest craze. For shooting paper, they do really well with the long and sleek bullets out past 1k yards and offer a less recoil pulse. Shooting in competitions where you are shooting 60-100 rounds a day, recoil matters. Sitting in a tree stand and firing once, recoil doesn't matter.
I have a Tikka in .243 that I use for hunting more than any other rifle I have. It is light weight and doesn't kick much making akward shooting positions more comfortable.
With the level of factory guns and available ammo out there, I don't think you can go wrong with anything that has been recommended above.
dreadpirate
Ultimate Member
I just got a quote from Grab A Gun on a Tikka T3x 22" barrel synthetic stock 308 for a price of $492.01. The one in the link below.
https://grabagun.com/tikka-t3x-lite-308-win-22-4-inchbarrel-3-rounds-blued.html
Did I mention Tikka guarantees 1 MOA? I have a Savage 10 in 308, it's solid, but I think Tikka's are a bit better and very cost effective.
[EDIT] Of course the Savage you are looking is a different type of rifle; so not quite an apples to apples comparison.
I saw that, and it's an option, thanks. I just worry that a 6 pound rifle wont be much fun for the reasons above. This gun will see 90% duty as a 100 yard bench gun, then be used to shoot at one or two deer each November.
- Aug 17, 2011
- 26,177
I don't know if axshon still has it, it was listed here in the classifieds for a bit, but he's got a lightly used Savage 10(?) 20" .308 he was parting ways with. I know that rifle shoots, we shot 600yd F-class and he used that rifle that day, didn't do half bad either.
OP, you've got some options given what I think you're describing. I think I'm hearing that you're primarily a shooter who's just now thinking you might also hunt deer on occasion. Just for grins, and since enabling is what we tend to do around here...
You know, you're really not too far away with your stated budget from perhaps being into 2 bolt action rifles. One would be an inexpensive yet decent sporter weight deer rifle that you don't have to fight. The other, pretty much a dedicated bench rifle. By "bench rifle", I'm not talking the dedicated Benchrest discipline as such, as that's a whole other animal. But rather, if your time is spent primarily at the range, and if the range is your primary interest? And you're maybe looking for better than average accuracy where you're spending most of your shooting time, and ideally a heavy barrel at an affordable price? You might just be in luck.
In my personal opinion, the very best value available today in an inexpensive heavy barrel rifle for range use comes surprisingly enough out of Cabelas. It's the Savage Model 12FV. Now if you look on the Savage website, you won't find that particular Model 12 listed. I'm not sure of the exact details regarding how and/or why, or for how long? But Cabelas nowadays seems to have a private arrangement with Savage, and an exclusive on that model. They sell today for $419.99. That's half or less the price of Savage's other configurations of the Model 12. But if you keep a close watch, they'll go on sale occasionally at $319.99. They just two weeks ago came off sale at that price. You'll sometimes see one on the Cabella's rifle rack, but it's usually a deal where you order one and wait for it to arrive at Cabelas. My opinion, for what it's worth, and yeah I might own more than a couple of rifles? It's the very best $319.99 you'll ever spend on a range dedicated rifle. My opinion, and for my money, it's one of the best kept firearms "secrets" available today.
The catch? At that price, of course there's a catch. There are actually several I'd suggest. One, the black polymer stock is serviceable, but just serviceable and no more. Two, the 26 inch heavy barrel makes for both heavy overall weight, and a notably muzzle heavy rifle. Three, the finish is a matte black Plain Jane. And four, pretty? No, that rifle damned sure ain't pretty.
The upsides? To me, there are three. One, the Accutrigger on that rifle is absolutely outstanding for a factory trigger, and may even be an upgraded Accutrigger on this model. Two, I personally like the oversized bolt handle a lot. And three, and for me by far most importantly, I've yet to see a Model 12 with good optics and in capable hands that won't flat out shoot. If the stock really bothers you, and it might, it's a $100 fix with Boyd's or similar. And what you now have is a decently stocked rifle (now back to $420) that's typically a flat out tack driver. As in legitimately well under MOA with loads it likes.
These rifles go only 2 places with me. One is to the range, where I park it's big ugly self on either bags or a bipod. The other is somewhere in the field where I know I won't be lugging it around. Once so parked, it's game on.
The Savage Model 12FV from Cabelas is available in .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Winchester. I think there's a fifth chambering. Might be .243 Winchester as well, but I can't recall.
Anyway, thought I'd throw this mention out there.
Edit: The 5th chambering is not .243. The other offering is .204 Ruger.
You know, you're really not too far away with your stated budget from perhaps being into 2 bolt action rifles. One would be an inexpensive yet decent sporter weight deer rifle that you don't have to fight. The other, pretty much a dedicated bench rifle. By "bench rifle", I'm not talking the dedicated Benchrest discipline as such, as that's a whole other animal. But rather, if your time is spent primarily at the range, and if the range is your primary interest? And you're maybe looking for better than average accuracy where you're spending most of your shooting time, and ideally a heavy barrel at an affordable price? You might just be in luck.
In my personal opinion, the very best value available today in an inexpensive heavy barrel rifle for range use comes surprisingly enough out of Cabelas. It's the Savage Model 12FV. Now if you look on the Savage website, you won't find that particular Model 12 listed. I'm not sure of the exact details regarding how and/or why, or for how long? But Cabelas nowadays seems to have a private arrangement with Savage, and an exclusive on that model. They sell today for $419.99. That's half or less the price of Savage's other configurations of the Model 12. But if you keep a close watch, they'll go on sale occasionally at $319.99. They just two weeks ago came off sale at that price. You'll sometimes see one on the Cabella's rifle rack, but it's usually a deal where you order one and wait for it to arrive at Cabelas. My opinion, for what it's worth, and yeah I might own more than a couple of rifles? It's the very best $319.99 you'll ever spend on a range dedicated rifle. My opinion, and for my money, it's one of the best kept firearms "secrets" available today.
The catch? At that price, of course there's a catch. There are actually several I'd suggest. One, the black polymer stock is serviceable, but just serviceable and no more. Two, the 26 inch heavy barrel makes for both heavy overall weight, and a notably muzzle heavy rifle. Three, the finish is a matte black Plain Jane. And four, pretty? No, that rifle damned sure ain't pretty.
The upsides? To me, there are three. One, the Accutrigger on that rifle is absolutely outstanding for a factory trigger, and may even be an upgraded Accutrigger on this model. Two, I personally like the oversized bolt handle a lot. And three, and for me by far most importantly, I've yet to see a Model 12 with good optics and in capable hands that won't flat out shoot. If the stock really bothers you, and it might, it's a $100 fix with Boyd's or similar. And what you now have is a decently stocked rifle (now back to $420) that's typically a flat out tack driver. As in legitimately well under MOA with loads it likes.
These rifles go only 2 places with me. One is to the range, where I park it's big ugly self on either bags or a bipod. The other is somewhere in the field where I know I won't be lugging it around. Once so parked, it's game on.
The Savage Model 12FV from Cabelas is available in .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Winchester. I think there's a fifth chambering. Might be .243 Winchester as well, but I can't recall.
Anyway, thought I'd throw this mention out there.
Edit: The 5th chambering is not .243. The other offering is .204 Ruger.
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