Budget Rifle for Western Rookie

[Matt5266]

Best budget rifle is the 243 you already have. I use a 243 and 223 and live and hunt in Alaska. So long as it meets the arbitrary legal requirements of were you are hunting, there is no sub $650 rifle I would recommend.

Well, if you can find a deal on a fast twist 243 Tikka and reload to take advantage of 108 ELD-Ms or 103 ELD-Xs, that would be it.

If you don't reload, and don't feel comfortable with a 243, the find a deal on a 6.5 creed Tikka.

This! . @Marbles nailed it. Lived and hunted in Idaho my whole life. Everything from moose to antelope including varmints. That 243 will do the job. No need for a magnum. I suggest using that cash to get very confident In your current rifle especially if your planning shots at a decent range. Let me tell you the weather/wind out west can be unpredictable and shooting 600 yards is not the same as a flat range.

If you must buy a new rifle I would spread out your caliber selection a little bit and go 6.5 Creedmoor. Cheap, can buy ammo anywhere and will easily take anything out west as well. Like others have said with the tikka rebate I'd definitely pick one of those up if the budget was $650ish.

 

[bojangles808]

6.5 creedmoor tikka with something to raise the comb, vertical grip and trigger spring. factory 147 eldms, sportmatch to84 rings and a used 3-15 swfa (5-600) would be my one gun budget choice

 

[cnelk]

I will add, whatever caliber you decide to shoot, the animal will not know the difference.

 

[flyfisher117]

Just shoot your .243 and spend the money on gas, glass, and ammo.

I still prefer my little .243 to anything. 85 gn Nosler Partitions have anchored every animal I have shot with it.

If you absolutely must buy a new rifle then save up and buy a quality one you'll be happy with.

 

[Pharmseller]

You guys are awful.

At least tell him to buy a backup .243.




P

 

[SloppyJ]

Let's add another one, how about a tikka 6.5prc? I'm assuming you're keeping the .243. If not then maybe a 6.5 creed that would lend itself to more practicing.

 

[elkliver]

30-06 , 7mm, 300 win mag, are all universal cartridges. a 243 is NOT a universal cartridge!!!! people may disagree but the Savage combos shoot very well for the price point that they are and they make a great intro firearm on a budget

 

[SwiftShot]

I’m a flatlander from East Ky that has made a couple trips out west with archery equipment the past couple years. I’ve spent the past couple years building points and plan to make it west with a rifle in the near future. Here in KY, when I rifle hunt, I have always used the ol’ trusty rem 700 243. It’s never let me down and I plan to continue to do so for my deer hunting in KY. However, I’m wanting to get a budget rifle (sub $650) that will be the most all around for all my future western endeavors (elk, mule deer, bear, antelope). I know the best approach is having more specialized weapons for each species, however, I just don’t have the budget to support that. Nor do I do it enough to warrant multiple weapons. I’m looking for recommendations on the best all-around caliber for all species and also the best budget rifle that will get the job done at a little longer distances (400-500 yards-ish). I know I still will have to invest in a very quality scope and rings and what not, so am looking to keep the rifle as budget friendly as possible. Any recommendations on caliber and budget rifles would be appreciated!

Ruger American Gen 2 in 6.5 PRC, 308, 6.5 Creedmoor, 270 win all will work.

 

[Choupique]

A blued/plastic tikka T3 can be caught on sale for about $700. They come with 1" rings that are serviceable. Get a $500 trijicon scope and that'll have you rokslide approved for $1200.

 

[BCD]

Sauer 100

 

[hunting1]

I'm in the .308 group for an all around that you can shoot a lot.

 

[hereinaz]

OP, why 300 wm? "Out West" you'll want the best ballistics possible out to 500 for wind. Consider the 7 PRC because you can get a 7 PRC that shoots better ballistic bullets than the 300 that are in the same weight class. And, recoil is typically a little less.

Get what tickles your fancy, but the vast majority of western hunters use a smaller caliber than 300 wm, and we are going to smaller and smaller calibers. After a day at the range where guys are missing the target with their 300, 270s, '06, 7 rem mag, etc, guys start looking at buying a 6.5 creed or PRC because they are smashing targets with my rifles.

But, There are guys that are sticking with a 300 mag, they are going with 300 PRC to get the better ballistic bullet for long range. In my circles, they are also the guys who like to shoot past 1200 yards for fun, and shoot a lot with it so they master the recoil out in the desert ranges we set up.

Whatever you choose, the adventure of western hunting is amazing.

 

[eric1115]

So, lots of guys giving a quick answer with little detail, and/or no real reason other than "I have one and I like it" type answers.

I'll give the "why" first, then the what" of my answer.

What does a "do it all western rifle" need to do? For my money, that rifle needs to put a 2"+ wide wound channel 18-20" into an animal. That kills any deer, pronghorn, or elk from pretty much any angle barring going straight away/super hard quartering away going through the stomach/guts first. It needs to be a rifle you can shoot a lot (we all have a budget for recoil, and a budget for ammo cost. Some are larger than others, but they exist for all of us). Your limiting factor in the mountains will be you, or maybe your bullet choice, not lack of horsepower in your chosen cartridge.

You said you want to be able to do that at 500ish yards. You can do that easily with a 6mm ARC. A 108 ELDM launched at 2600fps hits the lower end of its velocity range where it upsets at 600-700 yards (depending on elevation/temp/where exactly you draw that lower threshold velocity line) I killed a mule deer this year with a 108 ELDM that impacted at that kind of velocity, and I would have zero hesitation putting that bullet in an elk at that velocity.

You need to be able to practice with it. That means you need to be able to spot your shots and do a lot of positional shooting. As a bow guy, think in terms of what it takes to be proficient at 50 yards, and you'll have a sense of what it takes in terms of focused practice/reps to be a competent 500 yard rifle shooter in field conditions. Off the bench at the flat range is a very different thing from in the hills or mountains from an improvised position in the wind under time pressure. That practice is a lot easier to make happen with a rifle that costs $1.50 per shot vs $4 per shot.

I'm not saying that something like a 7PRC has no merit for anyone. I would say that the benefits a 7PRC brings to the table don't outweigh the disadvantages until you get way way out there. To maintain proficiency needed to be able to shoot animals at those distances, a guy needs to be shooting several thousand rounds a year *in the terrain they hunt in*, not just at a flat range. If the rifle budget is constrained as described, it's safe to assume you don't have a $5k per year ammo budget. Me neither!

If you had a $1k per year ammo budget, you will be FAR more deadly at 400-500 yards with a .223/77TMK or a 6mmARC/108ELDM and 700-1500 rounds of practice than a 7mm PRC and 250 rounds of practice per year. Even if you did triple your budget so you could shoot the magnum as much, that practice isn't nearly as productive if you're not spotting shots through the scope. Also, hit rates go down as recoil goes up, period. Anyone who tells you their precision (especially from field positions) is just as good with a heavy recoiling rifle as a light recoiling one, hasn't tracked their hit rates comparing the two.

All that said, Tikka .223 is my first recommendation (though some would feel it's at or a little past its outer limit at your 500 yard stated goal distance). Second recommendation is for me a tossup between a Howa 6mmARC and a Tikka .243win. You will get cheaper, better practice with the same ammo you hunt with if you go ARC, but you'll get a better functioning rifle with a Tikka. .243 is hard to optimize for both practice and hunting unless you are hand loading; the bullets that offer a performance advantage over 6mmARC are not readily available in cheap factory ammo, so you don't get as much of the cheap practice benefit going that route. I'd avoid the savages and Ruger American, I've owned both and prefer the Howa mini over both.

If all that is unconvincing, 6.5cm Tikka is the answer. Easy and cheap ammo availability, still on the lower end of the recoil scale in the big picture, and terminal performance to nearly double your stated goal range.

 

[Leaf Litter]

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[Pharmseller]

Can’t hunt elk in Oregon with a .223.




P

 

[CalebClick]

So, lots of guys giving a quick answer with little detail, and/or no real reason other than "I have one and I like it" type answers.

I'll give the "why" first, then the what" of my answer.

What does a "do it all western rifle" need to do? For my money, that rifle needs to put a 2"+ wide wound channel 18-20" into an animal. That kills any deer, pronghorn, or elk from pretty much any angle barring going straight away/super hard quartering away going through the stomach/guts first. It needs to be a rifle you can shoot a lot (we all have a budget for recoil, and a budget for ammo cost. Some are larger than others, but they exist for all of us). Your limiting factor in the mountains will be you, or maybe your bullet choice, not lack of horsepower in your chosen cartridge.

You said you want to be able to do that at 500ish yards. You can do that easily with a 6mm ARC. A 108 ELDM launched at 2600fps hits the lower end of its velocity range where it upsets at 600-700 yards (depending on elevation/temp/where exactly you draw that lower threshold velocity line) I killed a mule deer this year with a 108 ELDM that impacted at that kind of velocity, and I would have zero hesitation putting that bullet in an elk at that velocity.

You need to be able to practice with it. That means you need to be able to spot your shots and do a lot of positional shooting. As a bow guy, think in terms of what it takes to be proficient at 50 yards, and you'll have a sense of what it takes in terms of focused practice/reps to be a competent 500 yard rifle shooter in field conditions. Off the bench at the flat range is a very different thing from in the hills or mountains from an improvised position in the wind under time pressure. That practice is a lot easier to make happen with a rifle that costs $1.50 per shot vs $4 per shot.

I'm not saying that something like a 7PRC has no merit for anyone. I would say that the benefits a 7PRC brings to the table don't outweigh the disadvantages until you get way way out there. To maintain proficiency needed to be able to shoot animals at those distances, a guy needs to be shooting several thousand rounds a year *in the terrain they hunt in*, not just at a flat range. If the rifle budget is constrained as described, it's safe to assume you don't have a $5k per year ammo budget. Me neither!

If you had a $1k per year ammo budget, you will be FAR more deadly at 400-500 yards with a .223/77TMK or a 6mmARC/108ELDM and 700-1500 rounds of practice than a 7mm PRC and 250 rounds of practice per year. Even if you did triple your budget so you could shoot the magnum as much, that practice isn't nearly as productive if you're not spotting shots through the scope. Also, hit rates go down as recoil goes up, period. Anyone who tells you their precision (especially from field positions) is just as good with a heavy recoiling rifle as a light recoiling one, hasn't tracked their hit rates comparing the two.

All that said, Tikka .223 is my first recommendation (though some would feel it's at or a little past its outer limit at your 500 yard stated goal distance). Second recommendation is for me a tossup between a Howa 6mmARC and a Tikka .243win. You will get cheaper, better practice with the same ammo you hunt with if you go ARC, but you'll get a better functioning rifle with a Tikka. .243 is hard to optimize for both practice and hunting unless you are hand loading; the bullets that offer a performance advantage over 6mmARC are not readily available in cheap factory ammo, so you don't get as much of the cheap practice benefit going that route. I'd avoid the savages and Ruger American, I've owned both and prefer the Howa mini over both.

If all that is unconvincing, 6.5cm Tikka is the answer. Easy and cheap ammo availability, still on the lower end of the recoil scale in the big picture, and terminal performance to nearly double your stated goal range.

Thanks for the clarification of “why! Definitely helps!

 

[OneShot]

Can’t hunt elk in Oregon with a .223.




P

Or Colorado

 

[Kurts86]

I would use the .243 you have with a good expanding bullet like 90 gr eld-x, 95 grain Nosler ballistic top or 95 gr TMK and spend the money saved on a good optic like a Nightforce SHV, Maven RS 1.2, etc.

.243 is nearly perfect as a big game round save for the slower twist rates that limit heavy for caliber loading in stock ammo.

If you want to go the new rifle route I’d do an 6.5 creedmoor Tikka as a great do all option. Tikka’s recoil pretty hard in stock lite from and 6.5 creedmoor is the top end of what I would recommend. Even a 308 Tikka lite is a handful in the stock configuration and the 7mm magnum guy/300 mag variants are flat out miserable to shoot and they offer no real benefit at 99% of hunting ranges with enhanced flinch and double to cost per round to shoot.

I’d also read other threads because this thread has quite a mixed quality of responses.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Buy dionis 6.5 creed Tikka out of the classifieds.

 

[hunterjmj]

I'll go along with others and say stick with the .243. Spend money on some good glass if needed and shoot the snot out of it. I started out with a .30-30 then a .243 then an 06 then a 300wm and now I'm shooting a .223. They all killed stuff dead. None of them deader than the other. I've enjoyed the .223 the most. Easy to shoot, easy to spot shots/hits and ammo is cheap. The 223 killed this years elk just as quick as the elk I've killed with a 300wm. Whatever you choose, choot it a bunch, use a good bullet and know your limits. Good luck.