Shopping my first "nice" rifle

[MarkOrtiz]

I'm kind of in the same boat. I am looking at 6.5 PRC right now. Just trying to narrow down the rifle.

 

[Neckbone]

Well, I've come across a savage 110 ultralight used with reported 15 rounds through the pipe for $975 out the door. Its in 6.5 creed. I may give up on goldilocks and get me a new deer rifle. Im going to check it out tomorrow. Hard to beat for that price..

Tell you what, doing a deep dive into ballistics, cartridges, etc... watching videos and reading forums can really scramble ones brains and complicate the rifle buying process. There is a lot of data to read but I have a feeling that at the end of the day, under 400 yards it doesn't mean a whole hell of a lot.

At the end of the day there is no perfect round/rifle for everything. No matter which way you lean there is a trade off elsewhere. I guess thats why one ends up with a safe full of rifles!

 

[Neckbone]

I'm kind of in the same boat. I am looking at 6.5 PRC right now. Just trying to narrow down the rifle.

I feel like narrowing down the cartridge is harder than figuring out what rifle to get!

 

[Stearinlys]

I got a factory 8 twist T3x .243 rechambered to .243AI, and if I were doing it over would probably sell the factory barrel and order a 6CM prefit. The AI is sweet. Looks super sexy (which we all know looking cool is the most important part). I like not having to trim brass. But dies are a pain and expensive (admittedly I got a little stupid with dies and spent way more than I needed to). Good brass is available again (or was last I checked) but for a while good .243 brass was tough to get.

6CM gives up probably 100-200 fps to the .243AI. It's the easy button in terms of brass, dies, factory ammo.

I was searching for a "goldilocks" cartridge to get long barrel 6CM performance out of a short barrel and I think I have it. I'll almost certainly get another .243AI barrel now that I have stuff sorted out and dies and all that, but in hindsight it was a lot of squeeze for a little juice. But that juice is very tasty.

Edit: to make this relevant to OP, I built this gun as a "do it all, Western long range deer/elk/pronghorn/bear/whatever" rifle to replace a 7mmRM that I loved to shoot as long as I was wearing double ear pro. Field use, others at the range, with my kids, all sucked big time. Not one regret, wish I'd done it sooner. .243AI, Rokstok, 19" barrel and suppressed. Zero hesitation recommending this or something close to it as a do everything western rifle.

This is super helpful thanks! Are you using 108's then?

 

[Stearinlys]

I feel like narrowing down the cartridge is harder than figuring out what rifle to get!

I felt/feel the same way. I tried to figure out what the thought process should be though instead of getting stuck on a cartridge/bullet bandwagon as I always do...

I figured it goes this way:
1. Do I suck?
2. Am I recoil sensitive? How much?
3. What's the legal calibre size where I am?
4. What ranges am I hunting at?
5. What animals am I going for?
6. What kind of terminal performance am I looking for on target?
5. What Bullets and Speeds can achieve the above 6?

That's helped me anyways

 

[MarkOrtiz]

I felt/feel the same way. I tried to figure out what the thought process should be though instead of getting stuck on a cartridge/bullet bandwagon as I always do...

I figured it goes this way:
1. Do I suck?
2. Am I recoil sensitive? How much?
3. What's the legal calibre size where I am?
4. What ranges am I hunting at?
5. What animals am I going for?
6. What kind of terminal performance am I looking for on target?
5. What Bullets and Speeds can achieve the above 6?

That's helped me anyways

This is a great way to look at it, and what I have been hearing a lot of lately. Pick what you want to hunt and the range you feel comfortable at. Pick a bullet and speed that gets you to a lethal shot on the game and distance and let that dictate the cartridges that will do the job. Pick the cartridge that has the least recoil that will do what you need.

 

[OXN939]

Being in FL I don't have very easy access to true long range stuff on a regular basis. I would like to reliably reach out to 400 yards.. That is long range to me

It's easy to lose this in some of the threads on here. There are lots of videos of dudes shooting at 600 or 700 yards, but in reality it is very difficult to consistently hold an 8" group while shooting under field conditions at that distance unless you practice that far or further regularly, which is close to impossible for most guys east of the Mississippi.

As far as advice for this thread, keep your '06 and upgrade the glass to something like a Trijicon Huron. That does elk and bear. Then consider adding a lightweight mountain rifle in 7mm-08 or 6.5 CM. That does deer, antelope, hogs etc, in a much handier package with less recoil. Between those two, your bases are covered at sane shooting distances. You're spot on that under 400, none of the other bells and whistles really does much other than support the gargantuan outdoor gear industry.

 

[Article 4]

Lightweight and long range don’t go together well. If you want a true long range rifle I think you might consider 9+ lbs, easier to shoot accurately. My saum is 9.5lbs loaded and it’s a dream to shoot.

Caliber consideration is important. If you want less recoil than 3006 you’re going to have to look at something like 260 rem, 7mm08, 6.5 prc, 270, little more thump 280ai, 270wsm, 7prc, 7mag.

Rifles… brownings, tikkas, seekins, savage all shoot. Pick what feels good and continue putting meat in the freezer. Best wishes

Agree here. A 5lb rifle is fun to think about but heck to shoot in a magnum and IMO and IME less of a stable LR platform. Unless you are at 10k feet for sheep & goats etc...

I run 11lb ELR hunting rifles, including scope and Suppressor. Super accurate, repeatable, stable in the wind and when using natural rests...durable as heck in case you drop it.

Really like the 7PRC for N America. Will take anything short of brown bear and maybe some other dangerous game and if you only have $$$ for one rifle, it will work well

 

[Neckbone]

I felt/feel the same way. I tried to figure out what the thought process should be though instead of getting stuck on a cartridge/bullet bandwagon as I always do...

I figured it goes this way:
1. Do I suck?
2. Am I recoil sensitive? How much?
3. What's the legal calibre size where I am?
4. What ranges am I hunting at?
5. What animals am I going for?
6. What kind of terminal performance am I looking for on target?
5. What Bullets and Speeds can achieve the above 6?

That's helped me anyways

This is a great approach, thank you!

 

[Neckbone]

It's easy to lose this in some of the threads on here. There are lots of videos of dudes shooting at 600 or 700 yards, but in reality it is very difficult to consistently hold an 8" group while shooting under field conditions at that distance unless you practice that far or further regularly, which is close to impossible for most guys east of the Mississippi.

As far as advice for this thread, keep your '06 and upgrade the glass to something like a Trijicon Huron. That does elk and bear. Then consider adding a lightweight mountain rifle in 7mm-08 or 6.5 CM. That does deer, antelope, hogs etc, in a much handier package with less recoil. Between those two, your bases are covered at sane shooting distances. You're spot on that under 400, none of the other bells and whistles really does much other than support the gargantuan outdoor gear industry.

Funny you say that, after my first 2 trips where my scope lost zero I put a trijicon huron on the 30-06!

Come to find out the problem was a loose picatinny rail from the factory! Im thinking it was slowly backing out until I pick up the rifle in the back country of idaho and see the damn thing is wobbling. Thankfully my buddy had a set of torx in the truck so it wasnt a big deal (I carry rifle tools with me now)

That was my original plan (get a lightweight deer rifle and keep the 06 for the elk hunts) and probably what I will do now that I found the savage ultralight on a good deal near me

 

[OXN939]

loose picatinny rail from the factory

Happens all the time. Out of factory rifle combos I've seen, very few are assembled correctly. If you haven't yet, I'd highly recommend giving the screws and screw holes a good wipe down with acetone to degrease them- the machining and packaging oils from the factory keep components like rails or ring screws from staying tight much of the time. After degreasing, an almost microscopic dab of blue loctite will keep this from happening again.

If everyone debating long range performance of boutique magnum calibers online got a 6.5CM/'06 combo and sent 500 bucks worth of ammo through each of them practicing from field expedient positions instead, guys would save a ton of money and would a lot fewer animals.

 

[Legend]

Short history: Got into the western hunting scene 2019 with a WY general elk tag (first application ever submitted, drew with zero points). Not wanting to bring my dear old dads 1970s M77 .308 (sentimental value RIP), with little research I purchased a Savage 110 Apex Storm in 30-06 that came with a Vortex crossfire 2. Took it to the range a few times and went hunting. Was able to get and fill 2 doe antelope tags that year as well as kill a bull at 78 yards... frontal shot that dropped him where he stood..

Anyway, the point of the thread. 3 mule deer hunts later (2/3 successful) and now I'm wanting to upgrade my shooting iron. I am a bit torn on which way to go..

First thought process: Get an ultralight deer/antelope rifle. Sub 6 pounds, low recoil, longer range capable (meaning 400-500yd to me). Had it in my head I want a muzzle brake to keep recoil super low. (6.5 creed perhaps). I've spent a lot of time shooting the -06 and want to see how it would feel shooting something with far less kick...thought I had made up my mind

Then I got to thinking...in the coming years when I draw elk tags, I'm not going to want to reach for the heavy ole 30-06 and leave my new fancy rifle at home.. So maybe I should lean more towards a do it all cartridge.. something between the 6.5 and the 30-06. Noticeably less recoil (braked) but still a solid round for elk. I know a 6.5 has killed elk but I like the idea of a more substantial round for the larger game like that..

Then I get to reading the pros and cons of muzzle brakes with the concussive blast and the absolute need for ear pro....I start considering suppressors (which would decrease recoil, but not nearly as much as a brake from what I've read)

I know I'm rambling here... I guess my goal is to get a nice rifle, very light weight, long range capable, noticeably less recoil than the 30-06, and capable of killing anything from antelope to elk out to 500 yards. $2500 budget max. Have my eye on the savage 110 ultralight (carbon barrel, threaded muzzle, ready to roll) Tikka t3x superlite (No threaded barrel tho, stock is meh, over 6 pounds) Howa superlight (so so light, cant find one locally to fondle).

Anyone want to drop some pearls of wisdom?

I would recomend not using a muzzle break for hunting. When you are 50 and your ears ring all day long you will then understand.

Everyone has good intentions of using ear protection....but that isn't realistic when hunting.

 

[Neckbone]

Happens all the time. Out of factory rifle combos I've seen, very few are assembled correctly. If you haven't yet, I'd highly recommend giving the screws and screw holes a good wipe down with acetone to degrease them- the machining and packaging oils from the factory keep components like rails or ring screws from staying tight much of the time. After degreasing, an almost microscopic dab of blue loctite will keep this from happening again.

If everyone debating long range performance of boutique magnum calibers online got a 6.5CM/'06 combo and sent 500 bucks worth of ammo through each of them practicing from field expedient positions instead, guys would save a ton of money and would a lot fewer animals.

I like your thinking...
and good tip on the acetone/loctite. I didnt clean the screws but I did put more like a gob of blue loctite on them before screwing the rail back down.