Narrowed down new mountain rifle

[jbwright]

This thread 'bout to take a turn.....IMHO let's not hijack the man's thread on his Mountain Rifle build

 

[MoeFaux]

And if it doesn't do #1 ???

Again, many, many thousands of us have used these scopes without this being a problem. If there's a rare lemon in the bunch that becomes problematic, then the company takes care of it for free. I would worry about this with an $80 Tasco but have never thought twice about trusting a VX-3.

 

[KenLee]

Again, many, many thousands of us have used these scopes without this being a problem. If there's a rare lemon in the bunch that becomes problematic, then the company takes care of it for free. I would worry about this with an $80 Tasco but have never thought twice about trusting a VX-3.

In the past, I used them also...quite a few of them. Don't think I'd claim to have trusted them under hard use, and don't believe the lemons are rare, but if you are happy with your equipment my opinion doesn't matter.

 

[Mojave]

I have been a whitetail hunter for 40 years. Have used mainly my Browning BLR in .308. Now that I live in Colorado, I am changing ALL of my equipment to lighter and longer shooting gear. It's crazy what a different kind of hunting gear is needed.

So....I have my mountain rifles narrowed down to the following in either .300wm or 7PRC

Browning X-Bolt 2 Speed
Bergara Wilderness Sierra
CVA Cascade LRH
Tikka T3X Lite (.300wm only option)

Thoughts?

Tikka is coming out in 7mm PRC in 2025.

 

[OV11]

Tikka

 

[Leaf Litter]

My vote goes to X-bolt 2 in 6.8 Western, 280AI, 7RM, 270 Win, 7mm-08, 30-06, or 300 WM.

I chose 6.8 Western for my X-bolt in 2021 and have never regretted it.

 

[RWT]

Following
I decided to try a few models to get to my desired weight for a new rig. Current set up is 9.5 lbs. I would like to be below 8lbs. Preferably 7.75 lbs All in WITH suppressor.
I’ve already figure the chambering in a 6.5CM as it will maintain velocity for as far as I should be shooting proficiently.
Going to test/compare a Tikka tx3 lite compact and an older Howa alpine mountain version.
First objective is to make weight. Then which one shoots the best in factory stock.
If I could get a weight on a Seekins PH3 element I would add that to the mix.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Stick with a 7mm or .308 caliber, 280 Remington or 30-06 is my choice
Shot a 300wm for 30 years and then ruptured a disk in my neck
The move to a non magnum didn’t effect my hunting ability
I don’t do break or cans as I don’t need them

 

[MoeFaux]

Stick with a 7mm or .308 caliber, 280 Remington or 30-06 is my choice
Shot a 300wm for 30 years and then ruptured a disk in my neck
The move to a non magnum didn’t effect my hunting ability
I don’t do break or cans as I don’t need them

While everyone has their own opinion on this, I agree with the above. With the small caveat that I'll allow a step down in bore to a .277.

For me, the ideal range is 6.5 PRC as the bare minimum of available energy (even though I'd prefer a little more frontal area than that .243 provides) and 7 RM as the max acceptable recoil. That sweet spot allows for a great selection of calibers. If you need to stick with ammo at your LGS, you've got 270 Win, 308, 30-06, and 7mm RM. (You could even cheat 7mm-08 in there by accepting a tiny tick down from the 6.5 PRC.) If you're willing to reload or just buy online, you've got 6.5 PRC, 7 SAUM, 280 AI (my personal favorite of the bunch), 270 WSM, 280 Rem . . . and even more if you're willing to delve deeper into the obscure, defunct, and esoteric.

 

[S-3 ranch]

While everyone has their own opinion on this, I agree with the above. With the small caveat that I'll allow a step down in bore to a .277.

For me, the ideal range is 6.5 PRC as the bare minimum of available energy (even though I'd prefer a little more frontal area than that .243 provides) and 7 RM as the max acceptable recoil. That sweet spot allows for a great selection of calibers. If you need to stick with ammo at your LGS, you've got 270 Win, 308, 30-06, and 7mm RM. (You could even cheat 7mm-08 in there by accepting a tiny tick down from the 6.5 PRC.) If you're willing to reload or just buy online, you've got 6.5 PRC, 7 SAUM, 280 AI (my personal favorite of the bunch), 270 WSM, 280 Rem . . . and even more if you're willing to delve deeper into the obscure, defunct, and esoteric.

Also a 7prc has very little ammunition available in high B.C and imo doesn’t offer much over a .280AI or 7RM plus A 270, 308, 7-08 30-06 ( 6.5CM ) have an almost infinite amount of selection and availability.
My two favorites are my new Model 70 pre 64 featherweight & Remington 788 308 win
Both are very nice to carry on the mountain weight wise
And shoot 1moa with just about anything off the shelf

My next rifle will be either a tikka , sako or savage in a common sense caliber

 

[David Walter]

I doubt there’s anything you’re gonna kill with a seven PRC that you couldn’t just have easily killed with a seven mag Tikka off the shelf with 180 grain Hornady ELDMs.

Or a 6.5 creedmoor shooting 146 ELDMs.

 

[Grassymike]

Tikka. Stick with .308 or get a 7mm-08.

 

[juju]

You're going to find that almost everything you do with the new stick, you could have done with what you already have. The problem is we have much more time to daydream about hunting and what fantastic item we can buy than we do in the field. New rifles and cartridges are mostly about separating hunters from cash, not making you significantly more successful in the field. Don't fall for the hype.

Spend your money on hunting opportunities, not guns.

 

[grappling_hook]

You're going to find that almost everything you do with the new stick, you could have done with what you already have. The problem is we have much more time to daydream about hunting and what fantastic item we can buy than we do in the field. New rifles and cartridges are mostly about separating hunters from cash, not making you significantly more successful in the field. Don't fall for the hype.

Spend your money on hunting opportunities, not guns.

That's definitely the case, and an easy trap to fall into. Probably why some spend so much time on social media (including hunting forums), and the "buy stuff" messaging is plastered everywhere.

That said, in OP's case having hunted with a lever action for decades and recently moving to Colorado, it's not a bad time at all to consider one of the bolt action options.