Choosing my First Hunting Rifle

[sodaksooner]

Seekins PH2....Not going to find a better semi-custom rifle for less than $2k IMO. Already threaded and Cerakoated for that price. Not going to comment on caliber much as I don't really like the 6.5 cm, but like the rifle so much I almost bought one used a few weeks ago in that caliber (for $1500..with rings) just to have the gun. Really don't need another bolt gun right now. Mine is a 300wm so a bit longer than the creed but for the money you can't go wrong and the customer service is out of this world.

 

[Colby]

Highly suggest reading through the threads brontosaurus linked.
Tikka t3x stainless either 223 or 6.5cm
Add the vertical grip and order some spare magazines
Swfa 6x or 3x9
Sportsmatch or UM rings
Spend the rest of the budget on ammo
Use the search function and find the equipment vs practice thread and browse through that and then shoot the drill laid out there.

 

[t_carlson]

Have I been steered in the wrong direction with 6.5 CM? Since I am a relatively inexperienced shooter, only shooting my dad's .22 rifle a couple times before at a 30yd indoor range, I was told that 6.5 CM would be a great starter caliber with limited recoil but still packs enough punch to take down deer and elk.

No, not steered wrong. But, for shots under 400 yards, there is really no advantage to a 6.5 CM aside from a slight recoil reduction.

You're more likley to walk into a store in Montana and find a better selection of .270 ammo, though. In the past, that was not really a criteria I gave much thought to, but recent shortages have proven otherwise.

Neither choice is "wrong" though.

 

[Nockdown]

If I was choosing a first rifle for a do all caliber it would be a 7 mag. I like tikka but browning long range or seekins has a 1:8 twist so you could shoot the heavier bullets also.
Yeah the creedmoor works but it will always be known as the man bun, white claw, soy latte caliber.


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[Leverwalker]

I'm not as experienced as knowledgeable as you guys, so can't opine one way or the other (and certainly with only a 45-70 and .338 WM, what I shoot is not everyone's cup of tea, I know). But just wondering why the '06 isn't brought up as much for the classic all-arounder for big game? I know I had some difficulty over the past year or so getting brass for my son's '06, and have had one or two friends say they fear it might be becoming a dying round. Is that the consensus? If not, why not more love as a "generalist" hunting firearm?

 

[Seeknelk]

What length is the threaded barrel on the veil? You may end up wanting it shorter with a suppressor so that threading cost is tossed out the window.
Putting a can on a 22-24 inch barrel gets a lot longer than I like or is needed for 400 yards and in. So the plain Tikka stainless lets you chop it anywhere you want(16-18 inch is common)to get threaded. Getting mine done at 16.5 right now and my 22 Creedmoor at 18.
But yes, Tikka or Sako s20 are solid, weather resistant as it gets and slick as greased lighting.
Also, the factory trigger is wonderful.

 

[Formidilosus]

But just wondering why the '06 isn't brought up as much for the classic all-arounder for big game? I know I had some difficulty over the past year or so getting brass for my son's '06, and have had one or two friends say they fear it might be becoming a dying round. Is that the consensus? If not, why not more love as a "generalist" hunting firearm?

Because it doesn’t do anything functionally different than nearly any other cartridge- while recoiling more, being more expensive, burning more powder, being less shootable, and generally having more wind drift and lower hit rates than smaller cartridges.
The “flexibility” commonly stated of using heavy bullets for elk/moose/etc, and a different lighter bullet for deer/antelope/etc. is silly- use one bullet for an everything.

There are not vast differences in wounding (tissue damage) between any of the common shoulder fired cartridges. The joke of thinking that .084” difference in bullet diameter from a .224 to a .308, is going to make some massive difference in killing is as absolutely silly as the .084” difference suggests. There are large differences in bullet construction that do show noticeable differences in all calibers from .224 on up.

I have shot a lot of 30-06 (almost 10k rounds a year for a couple of years alone), and a massive quantity of 308win. I have an affinity for both. However, as I’ve said before- what people had in their minds that the 308/30-06 was; is actually what the 6.5 CM is.


Taken all into account: the 6.5 CM burns less powder, recoils significantly less, is less expensive, almost always more accurate, has world class factory ammo available everywhere, is more shootable, has less wind drift, and has a higher hit rate at all ranges than the 30-06. Given equal projectiles both are nearly indistinguishable from each other in tissue and killing.

 

[TaperPin]

do not want to have to worry about rusting or pitting or damage to the rifle itself. This has pushed me to look toward Cerakoted rifles.

A 6.5 is an ideal first western rifle - it is a modern take on what 270 shooters have known for 90 years - any of the rifles mentioned will work fine.

My personal choice is the 7 mag, but I‘d say a 6.5 is better to start with and only upgrade if you aren’t recoil shy and want to shoot a heavier bullet.

It’s a misnomer that a weather resistant rifle won’t rust. Unless ceracote is put over stainless, the most important parts - trigger, inside of bolt, inside of barrel - have to be cleaned and oiled regularly since they don’t get coated. Cerakote is a sprayed finish and it‘s good at protecting what gets covered.

For 200 years western hunters have had blued rifles that survive rain, sleet and snow and still look good. After a wet hunt just take it out of the stock, clean and lightly oil and a quick trip to the range to check zero and you’re back in business.

Having said that I’m a big fan of stainless backcountry guns.

 

[Vern400]

A couple of thoughts.
1 it doesn't matter what the outside of your barrel looks like. Scratched, rust spots, OD green spray, whatever. The bore is what matters. Go stainless. And maintain it.

2. 6.5 creedmoor and upward is probably where you need to be. 7 mm 08, 308, 270, 30-06, 300 PRC, it's just a matter of what your shoulder can take. But if you EVER flinch from recoil you'll botch the shot. And if you're sore you won't practice which leads us to point 3

3. $1,000 rifle will do anything you listed.
$500~1000 optics likewise.
$1000 in ammunition is just a start. You need to shoot right handed, you need to shoot left-handed, standing, kneeling, propped on a tree, leaned on a fence post at all ranges. In the rain. In the cold. In the wind. In the nasty.
That, sir, is the important part.

 

[sbaker0029]

My picks would be the tikka wildland veil or the xbolt ovix speed instead of the pro.
The xbolt pro doesn't really net you much over the speed for the money.

I have both and the more I shoot the tikkas the more I like them over the xbolt. Both are great guns and don't think you would go wrong with either.
With that said I'd go with the tikka veil. Yeah it cost more but you get good value on the things that are upgraded from the factory. Plus it's cooler looking than a plain Jane stainless, which is what really matters haha.

For caliber definitely go 6.5 creedmoor, pick out a few bullets/rounds from the 6.5 thread and see which one your gun likes. Then buy an entire case of that ammo and go shoot.

Here's the setup I'd spend my money on and wish that someone would have guided me to something like this years ago.

Tikka veil wildland in 6.5cm
UM rings and level
Nightforce shv 3-10x42
Extra mag or two
400-500rds of ammo

Can't remember how the saying goes but something like "beware the man with one gun, he knows how to use it"

 

[ThaSauced]

What length is the threaded barrel on the veil? You may end up wanting it shorter with a suppressor so that threading cost is tossed out the window.
Putting a can on a 22-24 inch barrel gets a lot longer than I like or is needed for 400 yards and in. So the plain Tikka stainless lets you chop it anywhere you want(16-18 inch is common)to get threaded. Getting mine done at 16.5 right now and my 22 Creedmoor at 18.
But yes, Tikka or Sako s20 are solid, weather resistant as it gets and slick as greased lighting.
Also, the factory trigger is wonderful.

The veil says it’s a 24.3in barrel. I hadn’t thought about having to chop the barrel because with the suppressor adding 6” or whatever it’ll be super long for timber pounding.

 

[sbaker0029]

The veil says it’s a 24.3in barrel. I hadn’t thought about having to chop the barrel because with the suppressor adding 6” or whatever it’ll be super long for timber pounding.

If you won't be getting a suppressor until later on down the road, barrel length would be one of the last things I'd use as a deciding factor.

 

[Marshfly]

Threading should cost $100. Have the stainless barrel chopped to 20” at the same time.

I live in Montana. 6.5CM has way, way more ammo availability and variety on the store shelves than ANY other caliber at every single store in my town.

Tikka stainless 6.5CM. Trijicon Credo 2.5-15. UM rings. Easy button and everything you could ever want in a western rifle for $1800 total.


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[hunterjmj]

Another idea is to just buy a rifle and shoot it for a year or so while you learn and figure out exactly what you want. What you think you might want now could be different in 2 years.
I bought a Browning A-bolt 30-06 in the early 90's and shot deer, elk , sheep, caribou with it my whole life. It's just a wood stock and blued metal. Still looks and shoots great to this day. I guess what I'm saying is don't overthink it. I shoot several other rifles too but started with a basic rifle and now I have several for different rifles for varying applications.
Good luck on your search.

 

[ThaSauced]

I guess what I'm saying is don't overthink it.

That’s literally my biggest issue lol. I have such analysis paralysis.

 

[xsn10s]

That’s literally my biggest issue lol. I have such analysis paralysis.

That's a common problem. I think if deer are what you are going to be hunting primarily a 6.5 CM would be fine. My go to hunting rifle was a 30-06 for decades but really after using my 260 AI for the last couple of years a 6.5 CM would be fine. Get a Tikka or whatever mid range rifle and spend the money on good glass and binos. I have SWFA 10X and 6X and I enjoy them for their toughness. But the glass quality isn't all that great, it's useable but it leaves me wanting better glass. Make it easy for yourself. Get a Tikka stainless and Nightforce. If you want to get a SWFA go right ahead. It's useable and if you upgrade latter on you can stick it on another rifle. After that spend the money on ammo and start shooting. If you can afford some good training then by all means do so. Go have fun!

 

[TaperPin]

That’s literally my biggest issue lol. I have such analysis paralysis.

It’s like finding a wife - don’t expect your first western rifle to be the forever gun - date whatever looks good now, but we all know the list of must haves for your ideal gun will change.

There is a way to shoot a rifle for free for a couple of years then upgrade to something else - yes, free. Be on the lookout for a good deal on a used rifle. Shoot the snot out of it for a few years, then since it was a good deal you’ll be able to sell it for what you have in it.

 

[rootacres]

Tikka T3X or Bergara, pick your flavor. Not saying the others are bad, I just have experience with these and the Browning. These have shot very well for me. Pick up a rifle and maybe splurge a little on a NightForce SHV or something similar. It's a pretty bomb proof setup.

Then. . . Shoot the daylights out of it. Learn as much as you can, gain as much confidence as you can and work on technique. Confidence through reps and perfecting your DOPE is far more valuable for you going into the backcountry then having the next best fancy rifle/scope/gadget etc.

 

[mjlimey]

For under 1000 - remington 700 in .308, quality glass and practice practice practice ...

 

[Turkeytider]

If you`re hoping for any side by side comparisons of different rifles in different brands, you won`t get much of that, if any. That would require ownership/ use of multiple brands of rifles in the same caliber. You`ll just for the most part get proponents of a given brand. Almost invariably the majority will be Tikka, but that doesn`t mean that there aren`t others that would meet your needs just as well or better. Unfortunately, the only way to know that for sure is to handle/shoot multiple brands and models. That`s often impractical for a lot of folks.