Opinion: best overall rifle for hunting?

[dla]

I wanna know what everyone thinks is the best overall hunting rifle for Northern America hunting: caliber, barrel size etc

Looking to get a new rifle here fairly soon.


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Cartridge: 308 Winchester
Rifle: Tika T3 Hunter
Scope: Leupold fixed 4X

 

[Newtosavage]

Cartridge: 308 Winchester
Rifle: Tika T3 Hunter
Scope: Leupold fixed 4X

Tough to argue with that if a person only had one choice.

 

[deerkiller]

Sorry, it’s just fancy wording for plastic just like every other manufacturer.

OK … just more great rifles for us smart shooters anyway …..

 

[thinhorn_AK]

OK … just more great rifles for us smart shooters anyway …..

Lol I have a few tikkas. They are good, not the best. Keep up with the “space age materials” though like a “smart shooter” lol.

 

[Newtosavage]

Lol I have a few tikkas. They are good, not the best. Keep up with the “space age materials” though like a “smart shooter” lol.

Might not be the best, but it's hard to argue they aren't the best for the $, and as much as 90% of us will ever need.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Might not be the best, but it's hard to argue they aren't the best for the $, and as much as 90% of us will ever need.

An off the shelf Remington with a Chinese scope for 399.00 at sportsman’s warehouse is as much or more than 90+% of us will ever need.

Out of all the gear we use for our big hunts, the rifle is one of the least important pieces of gear. It’s just that nice guns are cool.

 

[Newtosavage]

An off the shelf Remington with a Chinese scope for 399.00 at sportsman’s warehouse is as much or more than 90+% of us will ever need.

Probably true, but 90% of us won't admit that either.

 

[MNBill]

Glad to see all the 280s! I just got a Browning XBolt Stalker 280 Rem on a smoking deal. Here is mine, all ready to go and hunt. Rifle, scope and mounts, sling and ammo.

 

[Dunndm]

An off the shelf Remington with a Chinese scope for 399.00 at sportsman’s warehouse is as much or more than 90+% of us will ever need.

Out of all the gear we use for our big hunts, the rifle is one of the least important pieces of gear. It’s just that nice guns are cool.

I don’t know man! I can shoot 1000 yards easy 1” grouping. I’m pretty Major league...

But you’re probably right. I probably wouldn’t notice the difference between a great gun and a decent gun.


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[thinhorn_AK]

I don’t know man! I can shoot 1000 yards easy 1” grouping. I’m pretty Major league...

But you’re probably right. I probably wouldn’t notice the difference between a great gun and a decent gun.


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Hey I like nice guns as much as anybody here, I don't even have any "cheap" guns these days, my cheapest rifle setup out of the several I own is probably 1800 bucks with the scope so not a budget gun. I just look at my hunts here in AK, I could go for 10 days, Im using my boots, pack, raingear, tent, sleep system for a large percentage of that 10 days, the rifle on the other hand is getting carried 99.999% of that time and used for a few minutes out of the entire 10 day trip.

For well over 15 years, all I had was an off the shelf Remington with a cheap Bushnell fixed power scope, I shot lots of elk, mule deer and antelope with that rifle, hard to imagine killing any more animals with a nicer rifle.

 

[Reburn]

Hey I like nice guns as much as anybody here, I don't even have any "cheap" guns these days, my cheapest rifle setup out of the several I own is probably 1800 bucks with the scope so not a budget gun. I just look at my hunts here in AK, I could go for 10 days, Im using my boots, pack, raingear, tent, sleep system for a large percentage of that 10 days, the rifle on the other hand is getting carried 99.999% of that time and used for a few minutes out of the entire 10 day trip.

For well over 15 years, all I had was an off the shelf Remington with a cheap Bushnell fixed power scope, I shot lots of elk, mule deer and antelope with that rifle, hard to imagine killing any more animals with a nicer rifle.

Everything you said here was right on. But I will respectfully add that 99% of your other gear is working so hard so that 1% gun can be on 100% of the time. Its one of the only pieces of gear that can't fail. And your boots. Boots failing is bad.

 

[deerkiller]

A lot of truth there!!!

Yes, "a lot of truth" AND a lot of luck as well - If your boots quit you are in a jam, if your rifle quits you did it all for nothing

Some guys like to buy a rifle and then accessorize and customize it, absolutely nothing wrong with that - Other guys like to buy once and use for a lifetime without looking back, nothing wrong with that either

 

[Ndbowhunter]

A guy could buy a Ruger American 243 from grab a gun for 265$ use a lee loader and 100gr Speer’s with lee dipper powder charges and top it off with a 6x swfa and handily kill every animal you’ll hunt this side of the Africa.

Seriously.

Dudes in Alaska use the shittiest, most jenky ass, barska scopes not level, things got Rust pockets in the bore and running light core lokt bullets from AC, sorta sighted in on some piece of cardboard at 100 paces and absolutely kill monsters with 22-250’s.

And other guys come up with matching Camo and have carbon this and that all over the place, 300 whiz bang ultra fag guns with euro glass and the scenario goes like this... bang... bang.. it’s running away... gut shot.


Tikkas: They look dumb, the stocks sorta goofy, it’s a one size fits all action.. floating recoil lug, plastic bottom “metal”, Chincy feeling mag that’s not flush, 2 position trigger safety, made in socialist Europe..

but man are they sweet shooters, and reliable too.

Short answer tikka stainless compact 308 with swfa 6x and load in some Berger ammunition or Hornady Precision hunter.

It’s the 20-80 rifle.. 20 percent effort 80% reward.

 

[Newtosavage]

Dudes in Alaska use the shittiest, most jenky ass, barska scopes not level, things got Rust pockets in the bore and running light core lokt bullets from AC, sorta sighted in on some piece of cardboard at 100 paces and absolutely kill monsters with 22-250’s.

And other guys come up with matching Camo and have carbon this and that all over the place, 300 whiz bang ultra fag guns with euro glass and the scenario goes like this... bang... bang.. it’s running away... gut shot.

Truth hurts sometimes. LOL

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Funny thing is I sorta backed into hunting.

My experience into western style hunting was taking guys out hunting in Alaska as a way to pay for my surf trips.

My opinion was most Hunter’s were kooks who tried to buy themselves a skill set through gear.

If some dude showed up with a Christensen, or a 300 ultra.. oh man. It was gonna be funny.

Or whatever that funky fleece stuff cabelas used to sell.

Showing up to kodiak in November wearing fleece outer wear. Real good idea.

Was always of the opinion a Remington 700 in 300 win mag with 180gr bonded bullets and a Leupold 3-9 was the best all around set up.

And in a way it is good. 180’s through bear shoulders Does what it’s supposed to do. And hell they don’t do much damage to fox fur either. They weigh enough that recoil isn’t too bad. And holding top of back at 300 can work.

But.. not ideal when ur balancing on a boulder trying to shoot with ur knees tucked up under ya and 3500ft lbs of energy makes you pull ur shot and the goat ***** off out of your unit.

Or that 26” barrel wants to snag itself on every damn alder bush in the bear run.

Or when you sight in ur gun and call it good enough because after 15 shots you don’t know if it’s you or the gun or the scope but either way the shoulder hurts.. it’s pretty close and you’ll just get to a 100 and it won’t matter anyways..

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Quit spying in my gun safe.

Whatever, you got more free time and drool worthy guns then any married man with kids has a right to. Haha

 

[BuckSnort]

Whatever, you got more free time and drool worthy guns then any married man with kids has a right to. Haha

LMAO... truth right there..

 

[Ndbowhunter]

Fuzzy wuzzy didn’t like a 55gr through the lungs yesterday.

 

[Ryan Avery]

Fuzzy wuzzy didn’t like a 55gr through the lungs yesterday. View attachment 97919

How far was the shot?

 

[Ndbowhunter]

50 or so.