Best rifle/caliber for entry level mule deer and elk hunter?

[Felix40]

Lots of good points here. If I were you, I would go to a local gun shop and handle a few. Just tell them the same thing you said here and that you are just browsing. Shoulder and try the triggers on whatever he gives you. Even take notes so you can remember how they felt later. Then go look at the ammo to see what caliber they have a ton of. Then go to walmart and see how the ammo selection is. In my experience I dont shoot a lot unless I can just grab a box of decent ammo while I am in town running errands. Shooting the gun is more important than anything. I bet after you do this there will be a clear winner.

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Be hard to beat a tikka superlite in 6.5 creedmoor with an swfa 3-9. Talley rail, Warne mountain tech rings.

To be fair, leave a heap of money on the table to buy good factory ammo for practice. This is where 6.5 creedmoor is leaps and bounds better then most other options. It’ll be as cheap to practice as anything else but a hell of a lot more fun then slinging 180gr bullet out of the -06.

 

[Newtosavage]

Yessir! I have been leaning toward a 30-06. When you say hunting shots do you mean standing/kneeling etc?

Keep in mind if you do choose a Tikka in '06, you will be dealing with a lot of felt recoil. Tikka's are pretty darn light, and most '06 rounds produce a lot of recoil in a sub-7 lb. rifle. I owned a Tikka T3x in '06 for a while, but with the heavier loads (180 grain bullets) the recoil was not pleasant. I backed off to a 7mm-08 and can shoot 162's all day in it, which makes me much more confident because I have a lot of shots downrange with that combo now.

Your recoil tolerance may be much higher, or lower than my own. It's something you should consider when selecting a caliber, especially in a lightweight rifle.

 

[juan trueno]

2nd the 7/08 in a 7-1/2 lb all up package.


I’d say Meopta for a scope for your intent. Either 3-9 or fixed 6.

With your budget you could buy 2 ruger Americans and 2 Meopta’s. Get that second one in 223 and shoot it all the time whenever you can.

I’m not into the “budget rifle” scene myself.

I’d look at howa, weatherby vanguard, etc tikka, used rifles Remington 700s, savage, ruger 77. Tons of good rifles out there. Just see what you like

But you really want something that isn’t work to shoot and range sessions 30/06 result in significant shooter fatigue way too quickly to be of Much value.

 

[mdp22]

My son got the hunting bug finally and bought his first rifle. My advice to him was to handle as many rifles as possible at various gun shops and stores, don't just go buy what the old man shoots. He settled on a Savage Axis II in .270 with the Accutrigger, he's just started living on his own and didn't have the cash to spend on a more finished rifle.

With the Bushnell Banner 3x9 scope it shoots 1 MOA with $14.99 130 grain Core Lokts. The budget rifles don't look the nicest but it looks like some can shoot pretty well.

I would say the same thing to you, handle as many rifles as you can. Don't go strictly off what someone else shoots or recommends. Seems you have a nice budget, I would probably focus the most money on good glass. For years I shot cheap glass and then finally bought Leupold and kicked myself for waiting so long.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Remington Model Seven SS in 7-08 or 308 with a Leupold VX3i 3.5-10x40 or 4.5-14x40 sitting in Talley lightweight rings.

 

[Downeaster]

Seems as though you may need as much trigger time and readily available factory ammo as possible. Also light(er) recoil in an accurate and manageable weight rifle. The best option by far in my mind would be .308. I wont get into my brand choices but the cartridge seems to check all the boxes.
Keep us posted on how it goes.

 

[bucksandwich]

a .270 is a good all around cartridge for a beginner. I'm a personal fan of the Remington 700's. Strong action, been around a long time. Tried and trued.

 

[dla]

Yessir! I have been leaning toward a 30-06. When you say hunting shots do you mean standing/kneeling etc?

As pointed out earlier, it depends on where you're hunting. E.g. hunting in the sage brush often requires sneaking into an elevated position or pulling off a standing shot - cause you're not going to lay on your belly and see over the sage. Hunting timber often requires mounting the rifle and firing in one smooth motion - almost like wing shooting.
Anyways, a fellow should put in the rounds. This is just my opinion, but I think a fellow should buy some 1/2" thick, 8" diameter round hanging AR500 plates. Place them at various distances - when you hit, they ring, and when you miss you get the dead silence of failure I use an app to time myself to add a little pressure.
Here is some info on using the plates you might find useful.

By the way, the 30-06 is a great cartridge. And Col Jeff Cooper's "Art of the Rifle" is a good book to read once to get important fundamentals (properly mounting the rifle). Learn to snap the bolt without dismounting the rifle. Probably my biggest peeve today is folks who can't cycle the bolt without bringing the buttstock down to their hip (I also see this with leverguns).

And above all - have fun!

 

[Sawfish]

A hunting guide friend of mine from Texas proclaims that the 25/06 is the finest deer cartridge available. Although I shoot a 30/06 because of its heavy bullet versatility for bears, I cannot disagree with his reasoning. All of my deer kills with the 25/06 have been one shot hills. Also doubles as a varmint gun. If you are the least bit recoil sensitive, the 30/06 in a light rifle wears on you after a few shots, but on the plus side, ammo is available almost anywhere in the world. A comforting thought when the airlines misplace your luggage.

 

[260madman]

I’d stay away from a 30-06 in light rifle if your not very experienced in shooting. My first rifle for hunting was a 7RM. A poor choice but I really love it. If I could do it over I’d get a 6.5/260/7-08. None of those rounds kick much and would allow a lot of practice. I have several 30-06 and they aren’t bad in recoil but they will wear on you depending on the load.

Optics, I’m a poor choice to ask. I like my tactical/LR scopes that are big and heavy but I also like my 2-7 1” tubes for my light model 7s. Overall I never feel lacking with a fixed 6x Super Chicken. I haven’t been above 6x in years except for a 500+ yards deer. My 3-9s and 2-7s usually are set to 6 when I’m in the field.

 

[Nitroexpress]

Lot's of good advice on the rifle/scope combo. You have a good budget, pick something that appeals to you in a good caliber and practice a lot. Don't skimp on the scope.
I can recommend "The Accurate rifle...and Rifleman" by Craig Boddington as a great read in addition to "Art of the Rifle".

 

[Lazzwarbird]

7 Rem with a brake is pretty tame to shoot....

 

[dreamingWest]

I'd recommend a Nightforce SHV 3-10x42. Spend the rest on a Tikka T3X, Rem 700, Or Browning X-bolt. All the calibers already mentioned are great choices. If I could only have one I'd get the 30-06. If you're really new to shooting then maybe I'd lean 7-08.

 

[howl]

308 for cheap practice ammo. Spend most of your budget on scope and mounts. The rifle is least important but a smooth feeding TIKKA will be more pleasant than some of the other waggle tailed guns you might buy . whatever strikes you fancy is apt to work fine though.

For inside 300, a VXR 2-7x Fire Dot model will be right handy. More magnification on the top end is helpful shooting into cover at distance, but stay low on the bottom for field of view and fast shooting. 2-10x is good.

 

[Thomas11]

I’m getting a 280ai. I would also really consider 6.5prc especially if it’s more for deer and occasional elk.

 

[street]

I shot my $700 .308 rifle at about 1MOA out to 800yds today. Only did a few very minor tweaks to the factory stock, and mounted the scope properly. Found good ammo for it and it was in business.

Do you have any friends that would let you shoot their guns?