Rifle Selection

[Pocu0801]

Thanks everyone! Great information and suggestions. I will update you all on my selection, maybe tomorrow i can get some luck and draw WY and can focus on being a bowhunter!

 

[catorres1]

Hey Pocu,

Couple of thoughts that i hope help and do not make things more complicated. First, glad to help further via phone if that helps, it can be complicated to go into without writing a book on here, so PM me and I 'd be glad to help further if you like.
I have owned Remingtons, Winchesters, Brownings, Tikka, Weatherbys, Whitworth...not been rich enough to do a full custom, unfortunately...
I've been through the buying process many times for myself, but I probably learned the most when I went through it for my sons.
Without going into too many details, and assuming the goal is a rifle you are happy with out of the box, not looking to do too much additional work on it, I would say an important consideration would be fit. Different stock designs are all based on some anatomical assumptions, and you may find that some just are not as pleasant for you as others. It depends on length of pull, sure, but more than that, your neck, your facial shape, the size of your hands, the length of your arms etc etc.
To illustrate, when I took my first son to pick out his first rifle, I was a Winchester shooter with that classic straight combed stock. But I did not push him that way, I made him pick up every rifle of every brand that I trusted and try them over and over. Long and short....he chose a Weatherby Vanguard because he said it felt the best.
After getting his rifle, and shooting both his and mine, I realized how much easier it was for me to shoot his rifle than mine. Long and short, I realized I'd been buying based on the recommendations of others, without really considering what fit ME. He and I have a similar build and the Weatherby stock just plain fits us better. I now shoot Weatherby as well.
Another thing I also consider...having had a few bum shooters, I prefer those brands that guarantee some level of accuracy. Not that it is a panacea, but I have found that my odds in getting a good shooter is much higher, as these manufacturers know that they will get complaints if the gun does not meet their guarantee, so they do what they need to do to be as certain as possible to make that standard so as to avoid the expense of complaints and returns. That does not mean others are not just as accurate or moreso, but I like getting every bit of the odds in my corner, but thats me and it does not mean I would not buy from a manu that does not give me a guarantee.
One thing on that...unless you are going fairly high end like a Fierce or whatever, I found that buying a little lower in the price scale gives you some room to 'fix' problems if all else fails. That is, if you guy a 1k rifle, and are not happy with it for whatever reason, you could throw another 1k at the problem and have it rebarreled and bedded etc...and have something very nice. On the other hand, if that 1k rifle performs, you are done. I have had it go both ways in the past, but if you start at a 2k rifle, it better be just what you want and absolutely perform (ie, I want a guarantee, every company has lemons now and then), or you will have 3k in it and then you could have had gone towards a custom choice.
On caliber....if you are a new shooter and don't handload...300 wm has a little bit of bite. You mentioned flinch...my youngest son started with a 243....was quickly shooting out to 300 plus yards from field positions, no problems. But half way through season, he started missing. After working with him, I realized he had developed a huge flinch. Turns out, it was not the recoil, but the blast and noise from the 22" 243 we had. He was always sensitive to that sort of thing...anyway, moved him to a 6.5 grendel from an AR...mild recoil and report...and he is hitting out past 500 and not missing animals anymore. He is shooting a 270 a little now that he is older, and has not had any problems yet.
All that is to say...recoil matters...flinches are hard to deal with....but as a former shooting instructor, I can tell you that sometimes with some people, it is the blast that freaks them out without them realizing it....so a muzzle break is not always the answer either...and hearing protection must always be worn with a muzzle break, even for just the one shot. But a lot of people love them, so you'll have to see what works for you, but definitely think carefully about caliber, breaks, recoil, blast and how that might induce a flinch for you.
I shoot a 300 WM...usto shoot 375's and 458's a bunch, so the 300 is all good for me at this point. I like big bullets....but also know shot placement is where it is at....so you might look at some alternatives to consider.
I will say that there is reduced recoil ammo for the 300 you could start with , but selection is very very small....if you handload...then go for it...mild loads that are accurate and hit like an '06 are easy to work up.
But lots of people are happy with 7mm's and the like...my oldest shoots a 270....I'll not wade into that argument, I will just say that while horsepower is nice and gives you more flexibility and room to grow....that horsepower of course has a price and prioritizing the ability to shoot it well obviously comes before extra power. Lotsa choices out there, lots of research you can do...which, for me, is a big part of the fun!
Good luck, hth, feel free to PM me if I can help further, sorry for the book!