First and Last Rifle - New Hunter

[98TJ10]

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.

 

[EastHumboldt]

I weigh 200 lbs with biggish arms and shoulders. I’ve shot 30-06 for 30 years. I have a T3x in 30-06 and the recoil is tolerable but significant. I shoot better when shooting the same gun in 7mm-08 or .243 cuz I anticipate recoil with the bigger guns. The 7-08 has the reputation of bucking cross wind better than the other two listed and the 6.5 cm even more so. Love my 7mm-08 so far.

There’s a bunch of threads on here about 6.5 cm and even .223 for big game. .223 is not legal for big game in my state and possibly other states. I certainly recommend the T3 and Tikka in general.

 

[WPFY543]

Can't go wrong with a Tikka - shoot it just like you buy it and it will be a great gun for a lifetime. There is also tons of aftermarket support so you can put all the custom goodies on it and it will still shoot just as good but scratch the popular itch to "build a rifle". I like old Weatherbys, but the Tikka is the better quality gun today at the price point you are considering.

You are asking a lot for a rifle - smallish critters, real big critters, bench shooting etc. Just realize that will have compromises. My first rifle was a blued and walnut stock 30-06 and it kills deer and elk within normal ranges very well. Plenty of factory ammo to adjust the bullet to the target species. Recoil likely won't be an issue, though recoil from a 30 cal rifle is different from a 12ga.
If you hadn't said elk, I would say 6.5CM fits you nicely. There is a reason it is so popular - you can shoot steel at 1k comfortably and hunt deer with the same setup. Most anyone can shoot a 6.5CM well and comfortably. Can you shoot an elk with a 6.5? Sure, but consider how much money you will spend getting from the east coast to where elk live and decide if it makes sense to use a marginal caliber, wound a critter, and drive all the way home wondering what happened. Traveling to hunt is expensive and the terminal weapon is no place to skimp.

My recommendation - buy a tikka 6.5CM, shoot the heck out of it and enjoy the ammo availability, relative cost, and inherent accuracy. Buy better glass than you think you need (doesn't need to be alpha but it will probably cost more than the rifle) and buy a meat and potatoes Ruger American in 7MM Rem Mag or 30-06 when the elk hunt comes around (or another Tikka if you are like the rest of us). I intended to get to one rifle to rule them all, but I have realized that requires lots of time in load development and rezeroing. Now I run a 6.5CM and a 300PRC and I've got all my bases covered.

 

[TAArrowood]

Lots of great advice has been offer up here.. If I were in your shoes (and know what I know now), I 'd buy a TIKKA T3X Ember or Veil and put as good a scope on it as my budget would allow.. I always figure on spending 80% to 120% of the cost of the rifle on glass.. Inferior glass will affect you're results as much as an inferior rifle.. I opt for all stainless, on any rifle I planned to hunt out west with (for a lot of reasons).. As far as caliber, if I had to pick one (based upon my experience with at least 40-50 calibers) I probably opt for the 6.5 PRC for what you've described now.. If after using it for a while, I thought I needed more, I'd upgrade it to a mag caliber with a barrel, mag and bolt stop swap (and possible upgrade the stock)... Good luck with your choices, but you'll probably find that no one caliber is best for every situation and will want more calibers to fit the need better.. Personally if I could only have a single rifle it would be a T3X Ember or Veil in 300wm and call it a day... Way overkill for what you've described, but will cover all the bases for hunting and the bench with a lot of practice and patience.. Don't underestimate the capabilities of some of the old rounds either. The 270win, 30/06, 308, 7mm08, etc are still great rounds and worth considering, especially from an ammo availability standpoint.. Good luck and all the best...

 

[ResearchinStuff]

t3x lite stainless, 6.5 creed, with a swfa scope is your and and done, anything, any state in the US solution. recoil is very tolerable, factory ammo typically has excellent accuracy.

6.5 kill thread:

6.5 Creedmoor/260 for Deer, Elk, and whatever else.....

Seeing that the 223 thread is such a success, I thought maybe I would start one for the Creedmoor/260. Seems like people are asking a lot about using them and various bullets, especially for elk. I've used mine for the last few years almost exclusively. I have some pics of bullet damage, albeit...

rokslide.com

 

[KenLee]

7mm-08 in whatever rifle you prefer. I'm personally not a Tikka fan.

 

[idahodave]

Anyone that says a 6.5 Creedmoor isn't enough for elk likely hasn't killed many elk and likely hasn't hunted elk with a 6.5 Creedmoor. It's not "marginal" and it's effective range on elk is WELL beyond what most guys have any business shooting. Bullet placement trumps all and a 6.5 increases the likelihood of good placement all things considered.

I don't currently own a 6.5 Creedmoor or a Tikka...but a Tikka Superlight chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor with factory 143 ELD-X rounds is the most simple, direct path to success for what you describe that I know of. Top it with a 3-9 SWFA SS and chase anything (short of Brown Bears) that walks in North America.

I've talked several people I know into that exact set-up, and everyone of them is immensely happy (and successful) with that choice.

Dave

 

[VinoVino]

Some good advice above. You don’t need .30-06 to take elk. .308, 7mm-08, 6.5CM (and .243) will do the job. Obviously the .308 carries more energy out to 300 yards. Between Tikka and Weatherby, go shoulder each and see which one feels better. I have 2 Tikkas, but have always liked Weatherby.

 

[ElPollo]

All this discussion of marginal verses effective cartridges is sorta misplaced. It’s really more about the bullet than the cartridge. The type of bullet has more to do with the wound channel created than the caliber. If you use a tougher bullet to get more penetration, you are going to get less wound channel diameter. In general, you have to look pretty hard for a hunting or match bullet that doesn’t have adequate penetration for deer and elk, but I t is pretty easy to select a bullet that will make a pretty small wound channel and kill poorly.

Bullets also matter because availability varies between calibers. Of the three bullet diameters you mention the 270 probably has the fewest bullet options available and it’s pretty limited by the rate of twist. There just aren’t a lot of heavy for caliber, high ballistic coefficient bullets available for it. BC only becomes important when your range is long or wind is high.

While it sounds counterintuitive, speed also matters more than the cartridge. That doesn’t mean you need a super magnum. It means you need to know the minimum speed for upset with the bullet you choose and make sure your impact velocities stay above that. If your bullet needs 2200 fps to perform on an animal, that results in a range limit for the shots you can take before the bullet stops performing.

And while you may not consider yourself recoil sensitive, everyone ultimately is. Recoil reduces accuracy, follow-up shot times, and your ability to spot your own impacts in the scope and follow game after the shot. Of the options you mention, the 6.5 cm will have the least recoil. The 6 cm and 243 will have even less recoil. With the right bullets, these rounds will also meet your needs up to elk.

Finally, as others have mentioned, there are legal requirements that vary between states. Look at the regs in any of the states that you’d like to hunt in to see what caliber size is legal for big game in that state. In some states it can vary by species.

So, considering all that, get the best rifle you can buy in the smallest caliber that will meet your needs. A 6.5 cm will do just fine as long as you stay away from bonded and controlled expansion bullets.

Good luck.

 

[AntelopeEater]

I have a Tikka T3x Lite in .243 and I love it. No need for a muzzle brake, can watch the shots hit the target thru the scope.

Also very lightweight rifle to carry over my shoulder when hiking miles.

I live in Nevada, where it would be legal to hunt any big game with any .22+center fire and while I am no elk expert, my understanding is that with decent shot placement the ,243 is absolutely fine.

I also warn you that shooting target loads from a 12 gauge is very different recoil wise than shooting a rifle, the way you hold the rifle is different, and the recoil impulse is not the same.

I have a 30-06 Remington with a muzzle-brake, and while it doesn’t hit the shoulder hard from recoil due to the muzzle brake, the concussive shock wave from the muzzle brake incites a flinch response, makes it impossible to watch the bullet hit the target thru the scope, and elicited a lot of complaints from other shooters at the rifle range since it turns the recoil energy into a sonic boom.

 

[ElPollo]

I have a Tikka T3x Lite in .243 and I love it. No need for a muzzle brake, can watch the shots hit the target thru the scope.

Also very lightweight rifle to carry over my shoulder when hiking miles.

I live in Nevada, where it would be legal to hunt any big game with any .22+center fire and while I am no elk expert, my understanding is that with decent shot placement the ,243 is absolutely fine.

I also warn you that shooting target loads from a 12 gauge is very different recoil wise than shooting a rifle, the way you hold the rifle is different, and the recoil impulse is not the same.

I have a 30-06 Remington with a muzzle-brake, and while it doesn’t hit the shoulder hard from recoil due to the muzzle brake, the concussive shock wave from the muzzle brake incites a flinch response, makes it impossible to watch the bullet hit the target thru the scope, and elicited a lot of complaints from other shooters at the rifle range since it turns the recoil energy into a sonic boom.

Breaks are great for reducing recoil, but the muzzle blast from them often swamps the decibel reduction capabilities of your ear protection, resulting in permanent hearing damage and flinching. I don’t use them.

 

[WPFY543]

I've killed multiple elk with a 6.5CM and will likely do it again at some point. As stated above, shot placement is critical. Most of the guys comfortable killing elk with a 6.5CM shoot significantly more than the average guy and their accuracy and ability to replicate a controlled shot under hunting conditions is impressive. If that describes the OP, a 6.5 could be the right caliber for his first elk hunt.

 

[kkp005]

Tikka in a 308…
Easy to find ammo…and can kill anything in North America

 

[Mountainrancher]

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[ElPollo]

Other reliable options for scopes include the 3-9x and 6x fixed from SWFA, and anything from Trijicon.

 

[Steve from GA]

I have a great semi-custom Tikka 30-06, but I opted to switch to 6.5 PRC recently and I have really been enjoying the reduced recoil. I’ll know soon enough if it’s effective on elk, but it’s a round worth considering. .270 and .308 are also great cartridges that have stacked a ton of animals. Tried and true.

 

[greenomics]

I have a 30-06 in Tikka T3x stocked in a McMillan with decelerator pad. Recoil is no issue. I also have a 7mm-08 in a wood stocked 70 Featherweight. I'm happy with both.

6.5 creed ammo seems easier to find these days than 7mm-08.

 

[LongWayAround]

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.

I'm 200lb and have three elk tags left this year. I'll be taking my 6.5, for whatever that's worth.

 

[Novashooter]

There's no way you are going to own only a single rifle for 20 years if you like shooting, so I wouldn't get too concerned about that. One thing people often find is that rifles that are super light or feel great in a store, they are nice to carry, but they are also not very fun to shoot. Not just because of the extra recoil, but also they are less forgiving in shooting form, and more sensitive to things overall. I'm sure you don't want to be lugging around a 14 pound target rifle, but I really do think you shouldn't get too wrapped up in the ultralight craze. A rifle with scope and loaded that is 8 1/2 pounds is not that much of a burden. If you ever do find that it is lacking, then buy an ultralight. I would urge you to buy a standard weight rifle to start with.

I'm not a bolt action fan at all, so I'm not the best one to ask about specific rifles. Caliber is not really important for the most part. 6.5 creedmoor is not controversial for elk for anyone that has hunted elk. It's a fine choice. When it comes to 308 or 30-06, a 30-06 can offer a little more velocity with the same bullet, but it isn't enough to really matter in the real world. If you reload, you can load 30-06 to 308 levels, and that's actually how 30-06 used to be. Instead I would worry more about the specific rifle, both cartridges are fine, common, and likely to be around for a long, long time. A 308 can be had in a shorter rifle, usually called a short action. Personally I don't think it's a huge deal.

I wouldn't discount other action types. Bolt actions are fine, and the are the most common to make very accurate. Depending on how much you are willing to spend, there can be lots of great options out there. Long range hunting is a specific sport with specialized equipment, that's where bolt actions dominate. For most normal hunting which takes place inside 300 yards, ultimate accuracy isn't that important. The decision is totally up to you. A Ruger SFAR is plenty accurate, and I'd rather have that than any bolt action rifle. A Henry single shot in 308 is one of my favorite rifles, I've taken it all over. Not everyone likes single shots, but there are really accurate lever actions. It's hard to hate a Ruger #1 though. The classic Savage 99 is fantastic, but there's nothing wrong with the Browning BLR or the Henry long ranger.

 

[D_Dubya]

A Tikka in .308 will do everything you want, and has tremendous ammo an availability. Of course, in a couple years you’ll want one in a .223, and maybe a 6.5 and a .300 too…