First and Last Rifle - New Hunter

[S-3 ranch]

I got three rules of thumb I try to stick to
1. as close to 3000 fps as possible
2. 130gr + bullet
3. easy to get ammunition

so a 6.5 prc , 264wm , 270 , 280 , 30-06 and a bunch more in between
with 270 , 30-06 meeting 2 of 3

30-06 is about minimum on a 1 gun plains game Africa safari & North America deer - bear

 

[TaperPin]

New to hunting as well as Rokslide and hoping you guys can help me. I am a new hunter but have a good bit of experience skeet/trap shooting as well as competitive .22 shooting. I'm just getting into hunting and would like to make one rifle/scope purchase that will last a good 20+ years as I grow into the sport and different game.

Right now I'm looking at either a Tikka T3x Lite or Weatherby Vanguard in .270, .308, 6.5 CR, or .30-06. I'll primarily be hunting northeast whitetail on my friends farm but hope to get out west for elk down the road. My concern - I am 5' 11'' 150 lbs. I don't consider myself recoil sensitive (100+ 12GA shells are no problem) but would like to be as accurate as possible and maybe do some bench shooting with the gun as well. Would the T3x Lite in .30-06 be too much? .308? Any thoughts on the Vanguard synthetic stock with the rubberized material - will it break down over time?

I know 6.5 CR is controversial. Is it enough for elk?

Any rifle help would be appreciated along with scope recs! Thank you.

The universal western rifle, including elk, has traditionally started with the 270 as a minimum and goes up to the 300 mag. Today the 6.5 prc is well on its way to replace the 270 - very similar performance down range, and good selection of reloading components and loaded ammo. The prc is also blessed with chamber dimensions that make it more accurate on average.

There‘s nothing wrong with the 6.5 creedmoor, but it’s a little step down in performance from the 270 or 6.5 prc.

A step up from the 6.5 prc is either the 7 Rem mag or 7 prc. The prc has the accuracy advantage, but 7 Rem mag is probably more popular for now, but that might very well change in the coming years.

With the other options, 308 and 30-06 aren’t the most flat shooting, and much of the hunting out west is big open country.

Most western rifles have a scope close to a 3x9. Many guys use a rangefinder and dial up elevation for long ranges requiring a scope with easily accessible adjustments, but just as many don’t and choose a more compact scope.

There is no perfect rifle, or cartridge, or scope. You‘re preferences will change the more you do it - what you think is ideal now, won’t be 10 years from now, so don’t stress yourself out thinking this is like picking a wife.

The Tikka is a very nice design and while I’ve never owned one, it would be hard to beat for the price. It’s popularity all over the west says a lot. The Howa is a well machined action that has a long reputation as reliable and accurate.

My first big game rifle 45 years ago was a Remington 700 in 270 - that will probably be the rifle I’ll choose when my grandson is old enough to start hunting.

 

[AkMtnRunner]

Buy the Tikka creedmoor and don't overthink it.

If in a few years you want to take a different rifle elk hunting, so be it.

This. I like larger calibers as much as anyone else, but it sounds like a smallish caliber would be ideal until you do eventually get out west. The 6.5 creed or maybe better still, the 6 creed. A sweet shooter and always ideal for your local hunting.

But if you insist on one rifle, I suggest something between 6.5 PRC and a 30 mag. 280 AI would be my pick.

 

[Highvoltage1]

Whitetail caliber for recoil sensitive would be a 25/06 or 243 in my opinion. Neither is on your list but both hammer the white tails. The 25/06 with a 110gr accubond is good elk medicine too. Best wishes.

 

[Dennis]

I think the 30-06 / 308 is all a guy needs for North America.

 

[98TJ10]

Thank you guys for all of the insight. Sounding like a Tikka in 6.5CM or .308 is the way to go. Would .308 in a t3x lite be manageable? Thoughts on the wood stocked or ultra light T3X's? Any scopes I should be looking at under $500 other than SWFA? I appreciate it!

 

[Novashooter]

Thank you guys for all of the insight. Sounding like a Tikka in 6.5CM or .308 is the way to go. Would .308 in a t3x lite be manageable? Thoughts on the wood stocked or ultra light T3X's? Any scopes I should be looking at under $500 other than SWFA? I appreciate it!

308 isn't that bad for recoil.

Also check out a Leupold VX3.

 

[ElPollo]

Thank you guys for all of the insight. Sounding like a Tikka in 6.5CM or .308 is the way to go. Would .308 in a t3x lite be manageable? Thoughts on the wood stocked or ultra light T3X's? Any scopes I should be looking at under $500 other than SWFA? I appreciate it!

Recoil on the 308 is a step up from 6.5. It’s manageable but it definitely affects shootability and your ablility to spot impacts, make quick follow-up shots, and keep eyes on the animal. The best thing you can do to improve shootability of either is to consider buying a suppressor at some point and cut your barrel back to 16-18” to make the package a bit more manageable. My suppressor is the best gun money I’ve ever spent and I wish I’d bought one 20 years ago. Or at least my left ear says that… loudly.

On the scopes, there isn’t much in that price range that will reliably hold zero except the SWFAs. And I don’t just mean if you drop it or fall down with the gun. I mean they will lose zero just from riding in your truck on bumpy roads. It’s pathetic and sad, but that’s the world we currently live in for rifle scopes. Check out the scope testing section at the top of the long range hunting forum if you want to read more on that.

 

[ElPollo]

One more thing on the SWFA scopes. They have the best hunting reticle available. It’s easily visible in low light and brush, not too busy looking, and it gives you the ability to hold for wind or elevation. That last thing may or may not be important in where you hunt now, but it definitely is in the west. And that fixed 6x is hard to beat at under $300. I used one for all my hunting last year.

 

[Johnny Tyndall]

If you're shooting factory, don't forget ammo cost and availability. I bought 6.5 CM for less than a buck a round in a local store and they had probably 15 loads. Very little 7mm-08 and 6.5 PRC on the shelf and it started at $45 a box. If you plan to shoot a lot it makes a difference.

 

[MAP1]

I like a little more horsepower than the minimum. I would go .270 and it’s mild recoil and long range if needed with the 30-06 second. Tikka is a great option. Weatherby Vanguards are nice buy the cheapest model that comes with cerakote then upgrade the stock to Bell and Carlson.

 

[98TJ10]

would the fixed 6x be limiting in any way for northeast deer?

 

[rkcdvm]

Good thing about the 30’s is you have a lot of bullet selection even with factory ammo. Keep in mind that when ammo gets limited , the first things to go are wildcats.
When the Covid ammo shortage happened there were two rounds that i found regularly: 300 win mag and 300 wsm.
I don’t know much about the newer tikka’s but I have one of the old 2006 T3’s and it’s a solid rifle . With all of that said, I have been shooting the 7’s for the last several years and absolutely love it . I mostly hunt with a 7-08 or a 28 nosler ( I love this gun but ammo is way too expensive .)

 

[ElPollo]

would the fixed 6x be limiting in any way for northeast deer?

That depends on your hunting strategies, but I have not found it limiting in the timber. I shot three deer with one in the Missouri Ozarks last year and have used the same scope for open country mule deer hunting in New Mexico. I recently switched to the 3-9 but still tend to use the middle magnification for most shots outside range work.

 

[ElPollo]

would the fixed 6x be limiting in any way for northeast deer?

Would it be optimal? Probably not. I have a buddy in the Adirondacks that still uses an iron sighted 30-30 every year as his go to whitetail gun. But that’s not your western gun or your clear cut or open field gun either. If you want one gun, I’d take the 6x over irons only any day. Would the 3-9 be better for close shots? Probably.

 

[NDM91920]

30.06 wont be too much but I would look into 7mm Rem Mag. Its comparable to a 30.06 but has better down range accuracy and more power. Lighter loads work great for whitetail and you can get heavier loads that are great for elk put to 400 yards. I believe the Vanguard is offered in it.

 

[Jon_G]

We truly are blessed to have rokslide. The amount of knowledge that you gain from so many people has helped me a bunch. With that said, everyone here has given you some great information.

I bought a rifle that I knew has very good reviews as far as how accurate and well made it is made. I ended up with the Bergara B-14 in .308. I believe I bought the cheapest version of it because I knew I would throw everything away and just keep the barrel of course. Buying a more expensive version this rifle wouldn't have given me a better quality barrel. It would only have given me a better stock and it would come with a scope. Out of the box this thing shot better than I thought it would. I am guilty of being skeptic of reviews no matter how good until I try things myself.

I bought the folding HNT26 chassis from MDT. You can get this chassis for a Tikka as well if you have made your mind about a Tikka. I have never owned one but with everything you read about them I don't doubt that they are excellent. I then bought the best scope I could afford, and one that I more than likely will never be able to need a more expensive version of. So I went with the Leupold VX-5HD. That thing is incredibly amazing. I have only shot it at 300 yards so far but in reality I don't think I would shoot an animal at over 400 yards if that.

Next up was the trigger. I went with a trigger tech Remington 700 diamond. Super premium feel which you could expect to be as crisp and smooth for the price you pay, which is definitely expensive.

Which brings me to my next point. I really, really like how the Bergara is a remington 700 clone. In case you don't know what that is, it just means that all of the holes for a scope and trigger and everything are an exact match of a remington 700. Meaning that you will be able to find tons of different parts for it since the R700 is one of the most popular rifles in the world.

Last but most importantly, is how ridiculously light this rifle is. Definitely built for a hunter! I was truly shocked at the amount of recoil you get too. It feels like the most gentle shove lol. You really could shoot this thing for hours and never feel like you've had enough as far as recoil goes. On top of that, one never stops to think about how cold a rifle is in the winter because it's normal for things to be cold. With the HNT26, the rifle is never cold. Which my hands are thankful for .

Sorry for the long post

 

[VinoVino]

Thank you guys for all of the insight. Sounding like a Tikka in 6.5CM or .308 is the way to go. Would .308 in a t3x lite be manageable? Thoughts on the wood stocked or ultra light T3X's? Any scopes I should be looking at under $500 other than SWFA? I appreciate it!

Seconding what others have said, .308 will definitely be manageable in a Tikka. My first rifle was a T3 Superlite. I added a Limbsaver after my first range outing and it worked well. I re-barreled that and it’s now a .260 Rem with an 18” barrel and bought a T3x Lite Veil in .270. Neither of my rifles are painful to shoot through a box of ammo at the range (but I rarely shoot more than 6 shots per rifle at the range).

 

[Desk Jockey]

Welcome.

my $0.02 would be a 308 stainless tikka as well For a 20-year gun. Depending on how much magnification you like, a 4-14xish variable scope with some illumination for when your eyes get old. treat yourself to a stock upgrade if you like at some point but keep it light for when your knees and back are old.

I have and like a 6.5 creed but I am not sure it gains a lot for most shooters. It has softer recoil for sure, but a 308 is pretty tolerable. The ballistic advantages are reduced inside of he range I would take a shot on a critter (less than 400 yds). While i feel fairly confident the 6.5 creed ammo will still be around in 20 years, I couldn’t tell you if it will or won’t be as popular as it is now. On the other hand, I expect the 308 will be as available as any popular hunting caliber by that time.

 

[Colby]

Tikka 6.5 cm, swfa 6x or 3-9, UM or sportsmatch rings, factory hornady eldx or eldm ammo.
You can spend more money or buy different calibers but this will easily do anything you would ever want to do with the least amount of brain damage.
6.5 cm is plenty for elk, I’ve killed quite a few with it and been with others for quite a few more with it, it’s just fine.
Just my opinion, take it for what’s it’s worth but this is the least pain in the ass way to go about it.