Help Choosing a Rifle

[cofen380]

The stereotypical do everything elk/deer rifle out west is the 7 mag. There are probably more of those used during elk season than any other caliber. 300 win is probably the second most popular elk rifle. For lighter recoil the 270 is the diet version of the 7 mag. The 6.5 is the diet version of the 270. The 308 isn’t seen all that much, but if you are a scope dialer there’s no reason it can’t work.

You can have a spacer and new recoil pad added to any of the Kevlar or fiberglass stocks and once it’s refinished you’d never know it wasn’t built that way. There are also extra thick recoil pads and or spacers that will give you any length of pull, but it usually looks awkward.

Yeah I really don't have much experience with dialing, so I may need to consider something with a little more punch. What about buying a chassis and building the rifle from there?

 

[cofen380]

its 2 screws to swap a barreled action from a stock to a chassis, or between stocks. All you need is an inch-lb torque wrench.

Easy enough. Now that I'm thinking through it I may be considering that more heavily if I can stay within budget.

 

[cofen380]

Sauer 100 can be found for $600 and is a dang nice rifle for the $. Only reason I don't own one is the LOP is too long for me. 14.5 inches.

Also the reason I don't own any long action BLRs. If you want to be different, buy a 7mag BLR and send it to Neal Jones to work the trigger. 14.25 in lop. Swap to limbsaver pad will put you at 14.4 inches.
Nothing brings smiles like a good lever gun.

Hard to beat that price. Dang a 7mm lever gun, that would make a statement

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Yeah I really don't have much experience with dialing, so I may need to consider something with a little more punch. What about buying a chassis and building the rifle from there?

the right place to start is with the action. Everything else is just dressing.

Ice/snow comparison between rifles

I have been asked by multiple people to do an ice and snow reliability eval between rifles/actions/triggers. Tthis is not a “test”, it is just a view at what generally happens. Doing a legitimate test requires more rifles and consistent conditions than I have. So… The rifles: 1). Tikka T3...

rokslide.com

check out these threads before you commit to a chambering:

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

.223 for bear, deer, elk and moose.

DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ 176 PAGES? HERE'S THE CHEAT SHEET. “Bullets matter more than headstamps.” “Spent primers offer the supreme tutorial”. I’ve read it here and elsewhere online. It got my attention. I started digging and asking questions and listened. The 77gr TMK delivered by a .223...

rokslide.com

6mm /.243 hunting success on Big Game

With the success of .223 and 6.5 threads on big game, thought I’d throw this one into the mix. Show and detail your results harvesting big game (deer, bear, elk, moose, African game) using 6mm/.243 cartridges. Please detail bullet, MV, impact velocity, and whether hand load or factory ammo.

rokslide.com

6mm/6.5

I didn't want to derail another thread. So I started this one. Who has shot/witnessed a big game animal past 500 yards with a 6mm or 6.5? Many members here love to tell you their opinion about it, but I am figuring out that damn few have done it. So if you have, please tell me the chambering...

rokslide.com

And check these out before you commit to a scope:

Rifle Scope Field Evaluations

rokslide.com

Here's the cheat code on dialing and mils:

How to use a mil/mil scope-reticle, turrets and proper usage

I have gotten a bunch of requests to write up a "how to" for using mil reticle scoots. In this case the SWFA Milquad reticle. It is the 6x42mm SS with MQ reticle in the pictures, however the process and use is the same as long as you have a scope who's reticle matches the turret adjustments-...

rokslide.com

 

[KenLee]

Hard to beat that price. Dang a 7mm lever gun, that would make a statement

I have a 300wsm lever because I wanted the shorter LOP a short action BLR has.
Most folks expect a 30-30 when they see a lever gun. Eyes get wide when I tell the caliber.

 

[cofen380]

Sauer 100 can be found for $600 and is a dang nice rifle for the $. Only reason I don't own one is the LOP is too long for me. 14.5 inches.

Also the reason I don't own any long action BLRs. If you want to be different, buy a 7mag BLR and send it to Neal Jones to work the trigger. 14.25 in lop. Swap to limbsaver pad will put you at 14.4 inches.
Nothing brings smiles like a good lever gun.

Also where have you found them for $600? I'm having trouble finding any 100's under $900

 

[cofen380]

I have a 300wsm lever because I wanted the shorter LOP a short action BLR has.
Most folks expect a 30-30 when they see a lever gun. Eyes get wide when I tell the caliber.

I can imagine

 

[KenLee]

Also where have you found them for $600? I'm having trouble finding any 100's under $900

Gunbroker.com
Use the advanced search feature and use 600 as max price. They'll show up

 

[DangerRanger]

This is what I built for primarily nc whitetail hunting but with a trip out west to elevation every year


My shots here depend on my hunt location, some will be 10-20 yards. Some 50-200 some 10-300. This 16” keeps a 130tmk over 1800 past 500 yards at sea level.

It’s just a tikka 6.5 chopped to 16” in a manners

If I was saving money and didn’t want to use a can I’d just buy a tikka lite stainless and if you want your 6’5 so your lop could handle tossing a krg adjustable buttplate on the end. I’m 6’2 with an extra 2” of wingspan, so possibly close to you and I have no issues with factory tikka lop.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

^^^
That's the ticket right there.

 

[cofen380]

Gunbroker.com
Use the advanced search feature and use 600 as max price. They'll show up

Dang how are they so much cheaper there?

 

[cofen380]

This is what I built for primarily nc whitetail hunting but with a trip out west to elevation every year
View attachment 591550

My shots here depend on my hunt location, some will be 10-20 yards. Some 50-200 some 10-300. This 16” keeps a 130tmk over 1800 past 500 yards at sea level.

It’s just a tikka 6.5 chopped to 16” in a manners

If I was saving money and didn’t want to use a can I’d just buy a tikka lite stainless and if you want your 6’5 so your lop could handle tossing a krg adjustable buttplate on the end. I’m 6’2 with an extra 2” of wingspan, so possibly close to you and I have no issues with factory tikka lop.

That's really encouraging to hear, thanks for the insight. Sweet looking setup for sure.

 

[KenLee]

Dang how are they so much cheaper there?

Huge volume sellers get good deals and churn em

 

[N2TRKYS]

Remington M700 in your choice of cartridge.

 

[cofen380]

Huge volume sellers get good deals and churn em

Love it

 

[ReddingArcher]

I don't think you'd have a problem with a Tikka. I'm almost 6'6" with a 31" draw length and my Tikka's fit me just fine.

 

[fwafwow]

Also try gun.deals - it’s like ammoseek.com but for a broader range of products

 

[TaperPin]

Yeah I really don't have much experience with dialing, so I may need to consider something with a little more punch. What about buying a chassis and building the rifle from there?

Since you’re not looking for super light weight there‘s not anything wrong with a chassis, other than it blows your budget, but it probably is easy to get your length of pull. A really soft recoil pad is a good thing with any of the 7 mag on up calibers - many chassis seem to simply leave the ar-style butts up to the shooter. Of course for the cost of the chassis you could also get a custom stock with your length of pull.

The good news is your wish list requirements leave it open to most any caliber from 270 on up, and a huge number of bolt actions, both new and used, so it’s hard to go wrong. The perfect western rifle isn’t something you can research and come up with the perfect rifle. It’s more like dating - a little experience moves the ideal solution quite a bit.

I started with the Jack O Connor favorite .270 for deer/antelope and .338 for elk just as Elmer Keith suggested, and was perfectly happy. . . until going antelope hunting a few years with guy and his 7 mag loaded with 140g boat tails. Without dialing, a 7 mag sighted dead on at 250 or 300 yards makes 400 to 450 yard shots on the smallish antelope with minimal hold over. The difference in hitability between the 270 and 7 mag is noticeable.

Then we prepared for elk hunting and my friend switched to 160gr partitions. Elk are much thicker top to bottom, so that same 300 yard zero with that partition allowed quite similar holds to his antelope load - way way out there. My clunky .338 win dropped so much that when we took turns firing at rocks 400-500 yards out I often misjudged hold over and shot under or over, while that 7 mag did nothing but kick up rock dust. That’s why the 7 mag is hard to beat.

A few years later the .270 and 338 were replaced with a pair of Remington 700 7 mag rifles and there were never any regrets.

 

[LightFoot]

+1 for Savage 110 Storm for the adjustability.

They are consistent shooters, too.


>>>——JAKE——>