Looking for good all around hunting rifle

[Originalist]

Well like the subject says I am interested in getting into hunting, got my first sportsman package license and want to fill some of these dear tags... I am looking for some imput/suggestions on a good all around rifle I can use for almost all animals (deel, antelope, pig, etc). I am thinking .308 or similar but not 100% sure.... not looking to break the bank either. Also interested in good scope too. Thanks in advance...

Bryan

[Originalist]

pics would be great too.... TIA!

[longtooth]

In Texas, If I could only have one rifle for everything it would be the .308 you have mentioned.
It is VERY versatile. A short action rifle, Will handle everything in Texas quite handily, ammo available, brass available, 30 cal so wiiiide range of bullet weights & applications.
I prefer bolt but also come in levers & single shot break opens.

2nd choice for me would be a 30-06. Many others will turn these 2 around.

Still others will have different choices.

[mgood]

.308 is a good cartridge for just about anything from coyotes to elk.

Hard to go wrong with a Kimber.


What's your budget?

A wise man told me that it's better to put a thousand dollar scope on a hundred dollar rifle than it is to put a hundred dollar scope on a thousand dollar rifle.

I like Leupold or maybe Sightron. If your pockets are a little deeper, you might want a Swarovski.

[The Annoyed Man]

I would say .308, .30-06, or .270. My preference is the first one.

A good rule of thumb for a rifle/scope budget is to spend roughly the same amount on your scope as you did for the rifle. If you want to go cheap, look at the Stevens and the lower end of the Savage line. Higher quality can be found in the high end Savage line and the Remington 700 line. Kimbers are great, but the are really spendy, and you can probably upgrade a Remington for less.

[flintknapper]

If you expect shots will be under 300 yds...then the .308 would be an excellent choice for you.

With regards to the animals listed....I would actually opt for a 7mm-08 (.308 necked down to .284).


Whatever you end up with........ good luck, shoot straight and be careful.


Flint

[pbwalker]

It's hard to beat the .30-06 for an all around, multi-purpose rifle. I've always hunted with the .30-06 and it'll take all North American game.

That being said, this year is the first year I will be hunting a .270. After what I saw what the .30-06 did to the small deer in TX, I decided to take it down a notch.

[Abraham]

flintknapper,

Your choice of caliber is an excellent one, however I'm guessing it would be relatively difficult to find vs. .308/30.06 in small towns.

Am I right?

[puma guy]

.308 is a good cartridge for just about anything from coyotes to elk.


What's your budget?

A wise man told me that it's better to put a thousand dollar scope on a hundred dollar rifle than it is to put a hundred dollar scope on a thousand dollar rifle.

I like Leupold or maybe Sightron. If your pockets are a little deeper, you might want a Swarovski.

Can't go wrong with a .308 or 30/06.with the wide variety of bullets, weights, etc. I second the comment about the scope. Also get a quality pair of binoculars 8 or 10 by 42 minimum. Savage makes a really swell rifle also. I own and shoot Model 70's in .270 and .243, but I also have a Lever action Win 88 in .308. I have taken deer with both .270 and .308. One shot kills every time, but that's about bullet placement. Good Luck!

[flintknapper]

flintknapper,

Your choice of caliber is an excellent one, however I'm guessing it would be relatively difficult to find vs. .308/30.06 in small towns.

Am I right?

It is certainly not as common as the .308/'06...no question about that. However, it is not an uncommon cartridge either...most WalMart stores I have been in carry it (though not much selection as to manufacturer or bullet types).

So...if you are the forgetful type and just can't seem to keep up with your ammo, that could be a concern.


Flint.

[wally775]

Nothing hits the spot like a good bowl of venison chili or stew.

As to your OP I would have to come down on the side of the 30-06.

It is the best all around off the shelf cartridge.
You can buy more bullet weights for this round than any other, without reloading.
You can find a box of .30-06 in almost any mega store, mom and pop gas station
or deer camp in any state.
All major and most any hunting firearms manufacturer will offer this caliber.
This gives you a better choice in what brand of rifle without having to break the bank.
Many of the rifle combos offered this time of year are of good quality and almost all will
be offered in the .30-06.

I am not saying this is the best caliber bar none. I am simply saying
in my opinion and considerable experience this is the best choice according to
your OP.

Good luck and enjoy the outdoors.

[The Annoyed Man]

A wise man told me that it's better to put a thousand dollar scope on a hundred dollar rifle than it is to put a hundred dollar scope on a thousand dollar rifle.

That wise man was right, but the reason I said "a good rule of thumb for a rifle/scope budget is to spend roughly the same amount on your scope as you did for the rifle," is that a man who will buy a $250 rifle instead of a $1,000 rifle is not likely to be a man who will spend $1,000 to put a scope on that $250 rifle. And a $1000 scope that will give you 15 minutes of extra light to shoot by at the beginning and end of the day, won't be much help to you on a rifle that isn't accurate enough to place a shot through some trees in that low light. But a $1,000 scope mounted on a $1,000 rifle gives you lots of options.

However, not everyone either has that kind of money to put into a rifle/scope combo, and most people aren't willing to put that kind of money into it if they are buying a rifle and scope for the first time. That's not only understandable, it is commendable. Throwing money at something you don't know for sure you'll enjoy or use is not good stewardship of your resources. Cheap is OK, as long as you understand the limitations of your equipment, and hunt accordingly. And those limitations are not deal breakers. You can still hunt effectively with inexpensive equipment; it's just that, as if often the case with other things, you'll enjoy it better and possibly be more effective with better, more expensive equipment.

Also, be aware that, just like with pistols, the MSRP for a rifle or scope is often much higher than the price you'll actually pay for it. For example, my Remington 700 VSF LH (left handed) varmint rifle in .308 had an MSRP of $1,187.00, but I actually paid $831.00 for it. Similarly, the Leupold 4.5-14x50mm VX-3 scope mounted on it has an MSRP of about $890.00, but I actually paid $530.00 for it.

But whatever money you put into it, there is a short list of things in life that are as satisfying as a bolt rifle you like, with a decent scope mounted on it, and the feeling of knowing that if you can see it, you can hit it.

[mgood]

From what I've seen, .243, .270, and .30-06 along with .223 and .308 are about the most common, easy-to-find-anywhere rifle calibers.

.223 Remington is a little light, in my opinion, but plenty of deer and other game have been taken with it. Shot placement becomes extremely important to make a humane kill with a small caliber like that though.

.22-250 Remington, along the same lines, is like a .223 on steroids. Much faster and flatter shooting. Considered more of a prairie dog sort of round, but it'll kill anything a .223 will and then some. Fairly common.

.243 Winchester is an extremely popular deer rifle cartridge. Some states (not TX or NM) have a minimum of .24 caliber for deer and the .243 is the smallest common caliber that meets that requirement. It's a typical first deer rifle for a kid or a woman - anyone who doesn't want something with a lot of recoil, but there's nothing unmanly about it. Just not all that much to say for it either except that it meets the minimums. Very easy to find.

.270 Winchester, now you're getting somewhere. Very common/popular deer cartridge. Very easy to find. More umph than a .243.

In the same class as the .270, I prefer a .25-06 Remington. It's a .30-06 necked down to .25 caliber. Very fast and flat shooting. Similar energy as a .270, a little lighter, a little faster. Maybe not quite as common but certainly not uncommon. You might find ammo at Wal-Mart. If not, any gun store would have it. Awesome for coyotes. For hoggs, you may prefer the heavier .270 in that comparison.

.30-06 Springfield and .308 Winchester are almost identical, ballistically. If you have one, you don't need the other. The .308 cartridge is shorter than the .30-06, allowing it to be chambered in shorter actions. These thirty-caliber cartridges are going to hit your shoulder and your wallet a little harder than the lighter calibers mentioned. They are GREAT all-around cartridges though. It's really rare that you're going to need anything larger for North American game. (Lots of magnum calibers, 300 Winchester Magnum, 7mm Remington Magnum, et cetera, are wildly popular for deer and elk, but they seldom kill anything that you couldn't have killed just as dead with a .30-06. If I was hunting grizzly bear, I might prefer something larger, just to make sure )

Of course, there are a hundred other good choices. But .223, .243, .270, .308, and .30-06 are the most common (easy to find), IMO.

[mgood]

A wise man told me that it's better to put a thousand dollar scope on a hundred dollar rifle than it is to put a hundred dollar scope on a thousand dollar rifle.

That wise man was right, but the reason I said "a good rule of thumb for a rifle/scope budget is to spend roughly the same amount on your scope as you did for the rifle," is that a man who will buy a $250 rifle instead of a $1,000 rifle is not likely to be a man who will spend $1,000 to put a scope on that $250 rifle. And a $1000 scope that will give you 15 minutes of extra light to shoot by at the beginning and end of the day, won't be much help to you on a rifle that isn't accurate enough to place a shot through some trees in that low light. But a $1,000 scope mounted on a $1,000 rifle gives you lots of options.

Right, absolutely.
Point was just don't cheap out on the scope. At the gun store where I worked, we often had a customer who wanted to buy a $1300 rifle and then went looking at the cheapest scopes they could find. The owner of the store would tell them they had it backwards. If you have to save money somewhere, you can get a good rifle relatively inexpensively. Spend your money on good glass.

[mgood]

One other point on finding ammo,

If you're out in the sticks where the deer are, a small-town gun store will likely have as good a selection of deer cartridges as you could find in an all-day shopping trip around DFW for them. You will probably pay more for them though at the little store.