First off all, I'm pretty new around here so I should say 'Hi.' I've been lurking around here for a few months as I've been assessing my hunting rifle set up and thought it time to jump in.
I moved from Minnesota to New Hampshire's Great Northwoods a bit over a year ago and to say the least, this past fall's deer hunt revolutionary for me. I went from stand hunting the populous whitetails of the Midwest (with the occasional walk to stave off boredom) to still hunting and tracking over the hills and woods of the northern parts of the White Mountains. I think I learned more about deer in a month than I had in the previous 17 years - following a track for 7hrs straight does that.
I hunted with a relatively light (~7.5 lbs loaded) AR15 in 6.8spc since 2012. Tracking deer in the thickets showed me that AR's just don't carry well in one hand (can't carry under the balance point); not to mention that having a giant aluminum heat sink in your hands gets cold. As such, the search began for a lightweight bolt rifle. After handling a few different options (Savage LWH, Browning X-Bolts, Kimbers) I settled on the Kimber. Love the way they handle and (with some mixed reports) their accuracy seemed consistently good. I didn't look much at the Tikkas as I owned one before my 6.8. Really was smooth and accurate; that said, I got a bit fed up after having a series of jams while deer hunting caused by a weak magazine spring. Tikka quoted me ~$75 for a new magazine: no thank you. They also seemed rather front heavy to me. Not saying this to 'bash' Tikkas, but just to say why I'm not all that interested in them.
I found this used 84m Classic in 308 and it was just too pretty to pass up. It's an older 2003 production model with a 2 position safety.
I mounted a VX-3i 2.5-8 on it and love everything about how it handles, coming it with the Talley's at 6lbs 11oz. It shoot pretty well - This is the norm with Hornady's American Whitetail loads (both 150's and 165's):
I'm sure with some load development and better days weather wise, It'll do better.
So now for my conundrum; given the need for fresh snow to effectively track deer and the long season here, I'm concerned about destroying such a pretty rifle. Denting it isn't too much of a concern for me (I have a beautiful O/U shotgun that gets used hard yearly) but destroying the stock is. As such, I'm going back and forth with the idea of swapping out for a Kimber Hunter or possibly a used Montana.
For those of you who have hunted with blue & walnut extensively, how bad is sloppy wet snow on an oil finished rifle stock? The blueing doesn't concern me much as I'm able to come home and let things dry up after a day in the field.
I'd love to buy one of each, but that's just not an option at the present!
So here I am, caught in a cycle of deciding between keeping a beautiful wood rifle and swapping for a durable, though somewhat less beautiful rifle. Help me out!
I moved from Minnesota to New Hampshire's Great Northwoods a bit over a year ago and to say the least, this past fall's deer hunt revolutionary for me. I went from stand hunting the populous whitetails of the Midwest (with the occasional walk to stave off boredom) to still hunting and tracking over the hills and woods of the northern parts of the White Mountains. I think I learned more about deer in a month than I had in the previous 17 years - following a track for 7hrs straight does that.
I hunted with a relatively light (~7.5 lbs loaded) AR15 in 6.8spc since 2012. Tracking deer in the thickets showed me that AR's just don't carry well in one hand (can't carry under the balance point); not to mention that having a giant aluminum heat sink in your hands gets cold. As such, the search began for a lightweight bolt rifle. After handling a few different options (Savage LWH, Browning X-Bolts, Kimbers) I settled on the Kimber. Love the way they handle and (with some mixed reports) their accuracy seemed consistently good. I didn't look much at the Tikkas as I owned one before my 6.8. Really was smooth and accurate; that said, I got a bit fed up after having a series of jams while deer hunting caused by a weak magazine spring. Tikka quoted me ~$75 for a new magazine: no thank you. They also seemed rather front heavy to me. Not saying this to 'bash' Tikkas, but just to say why I'm not all that interested in them.
I found this used 84m Classic in 308 and it was just too pretty to pass up. It's an older 2003 production model with a 2 position safety.
I mounted a VX-3i 2.5-8 on it and love everything about how it handles, coming it with the Talley's at 6lbs 11oz. It shoot pretty well - This is the norm with Hornady's American Whitetail loads (both 150's and 165's):
I'm sure with some load development and better days weather wise, It'll do better.
So now for my conundrum; given the need for fresh snow to effectively track deer and the long season here, I'm concerned about destroying such a pretty rifle. Denting it isn't too much of a concern for me (I have a beautiful O/U shotgun that gets used hard yearly) but destroying the stock is. As such, I'm going back and forth with the idea of swapping out for a Kimber Hunter or possibly a used Montana.
For those of you who have hunted with blue & walnut extensively, how bad is sloppy wet snow on an oil finished rifle stock? The blueing doesn't concern me much as I'm able to come home and let things dry up after a day in the field.
I'd love to buy one of each, but that's just not an option at the present!
So here I am, caught in a cycle of deciding between keeping a beautiful wood rifle and swapping for a durable, though somewhat less beautiful rifle. Help me out!
