.280 AI vs 28 Nosler for All Around?

[Q_Sertorius]

I'm listening to other people because they are a lot more knowledgeable than me, just like I'm listening to you. That's why I'm here.

No ego. I have a friend with a 6.5 Creedmoor (and the .300 attached) I can have. He won them and doesn't rifle hunt or shoot..I don't take hand outs but I simply don't need to buy certain guns. I also have a .243 and a 30-06 that I might shoot if needed (heirlooms otherwise). But I'm not here to tell my life story of gun access. I'm here to learn and I've learned so much off this thread.

I think the recoil turns me off of the 7mm PRC. Seems like a 6.5 PRC is a good middle ground. Rounds are about $0.35 than 6.5 CM which isn't any concern to me. And there are endless other guns that would work just fine but I'm trying to keep it to what's mostly been suggested to simplify things. I just need something to kill a bear for now.

I strongly urge you to use the “heirlooms.” They will almost certainly do just fine and you will add your own experiences to them. Only add something else to the arsenal after you use them a fair bit and decide you need something else.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[Gooden123]

I strongly urge you to use the “heirlooms.” They will almost certainly do just fine and you will add your own experiences to them. Only add something else to the arsenal after you use them a fair bit and decide you need something else.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

Yeah I hear you but there are other things to consider. They're part of a bigger Browning Anniversary edition. Probably worth money. And wood stocks. Old scopes.

I also feel like buying a gun. Two actually. Going to get a 10 mm I'll probably never use. Either a Sig or Kimber Camp Guard.

ETA: I want to buy a gun that I'm willing to hunt with at this time. I don't have a ton of time to shoot multiple weapons. I'll get proficient with one. For now...

 

[Gooden123]

Also since we're talking about this, the only reason I'm buying a 10 mm even though it's so far off my list...when applying for a firearm card in NJ, you might as well apply for the handgun permit simultaneously. And you have 90 days to use it.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Yeah I hear you but there are other things to consider. They're part of a bigger Browning Anniversary edition. Probably worth money. And wood stocks. Old scopes.

I also feel like buying a gun. Two actually. Going to get a 10 mm I'll probably never use. Either a Sig or Kimber Camp Guard.

ETA: I want to buy a gun that I'm willing to hunt with at this time. I don't have a ton of time to shoot multiple weapons. I'll get proficient with one. For now...

Buy whatever you want, but you have the tools to do everything you need right now. I only hunt with wooden stocks. If the rifle is too valuable to use for hunting, then it’s an investment, not a tool. And since you probably won’t sell heirlooms, a dent or scratch doesn’t matter. Rifles like that are not really appreciating in value right now. I’ve been buying beautiful old rifles for the same price I would have paid 30 years ago.

Almost all of my hunting rifles are “heirloom-quality.” Part of the pleasure I take in the hunting experience is carrying a piece of beautiful workmanship. It makes the act of going out to kill an animal feel more special.

My first deer rifle was a near mint pre-64 Winchester Model 94 .30-30. Killed my first deer with it when I was 12. When I was 13, I leaned it up against a tree to take a piss and it fell over and got a scratch on the barrel. Probably took it down a lot on value and I was sick about it for years. But I gave it to my nephew to be his first deer rifle (and told him not to lean it up against a tree, both for safety and to lower the risk of more scratches).

Old scopes - so long as the glass is still clear - are often quite good. I killed most of the deer I’ve killed with a Bausch & Lomb Balvar 8 from the late 1960s or a Redfield 3-9x40 from the early 1980s. Although I finally upgraded them this past year, I had no real justification for it. I just wanted more modern optics.

Anyway, have fun choosing your Tikka and customizing it to your wants. A Tikka in .243, 6.5 CM, 6.5 PRC, .270 Winchester, 7mm08, or .308 will do what you want. Add in an SWFA 6x scope and some good mounts and you are looking at about $1000 for the package. Then you can think about upgrading it with an aftermarket stock.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[Gooden123]

Buy whatever you want, but you have the tools to do everything you need right now. I only hunt with wooden stocks. If the rifle is too valuable to use for hunting, then it’s an investment, not a tool. And since you probably won’t sell heirlooms, a dent or scratch doesn’t matter. Rifles like that are not really appreciating in value right now. I’ve been buying beautiful old rifles for the same price I would have paid 30 years ago.

Almost all of my hunting rifles are “heirloom-quality.” Part of the pleasure I take in the hunting experience is carrying a piece of beautiful workmanship. It makes the act of going out to kill an animal feel more special.

My first deer rifle was a near mint pre-64 Winchester Model 94 .30-30. Killed my first deer with it when I was 12. When I was 13, I leaned it up against a tree to take a piss and it fell over and got a scratch on the barrel. Probably took it down a lot on value and I was sick about it for years. But I gave it to my nephew to be his first deer rifle (and told him not to lean it up against a tree, both for safety and to lower the risk of more scratches).

Old scopes - so long as the glass is still clear - are often quite good. I killed most of the deer I’ve killed with a Bausch & Lomb Balvar 8 from the late 1960s or a Redfield 3-9x40 from the early 1980s. Although I finally upgraded them this past year, I had no real justification for it. I just wanted more modern optics.

Anyway, have fun choosing your Tikka and customizing it to your wants. A Tikka in .243, 6.5 CM, 6.5 PRC, .270 Winchester, 7mm08, or .308 will do what you want. Add in an SWFA 6x scope and some good mounts and you are looking at about $1000 for the package. Then you can think about upgrading it with an aftermarket stock.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

Thanks again for all your help. I definitely would like to deer hunt with the .243 for the reasons you mentioned. And theres not a chance I'd sell them. I just wouldn't think about upgrading the scopes and lugging them around a mountain and in a packraft when a dedicated rifle that means nothing can be had for less than my Mathews Lift X 33. Probably less than half honestly. And bows come and go, guns are something to hang onto regardless of value.

Also, I'm not new to shooting firearms persay. I shoot a 20 ga Savage and H&R 20. And a 12 ga 870 slug gun that I shoot no more than I have to. Killed plenty of bears and deer with all 3. So I have a foundation especially on hard kicking guns, but guns just haven't been my thing mostly because our archery season is September thru March. 7 days/week excluding only Christmas. No need for a gun around home. But now I'm focused on the west while I'm still in good shape to do so.

Appreciate all the help!