CHOOSING RIFLES

[tnt1960]

I own a Remington 700 ADL 30-06 that I`ve had for a long time. It`s killed a lot of deer for me. I remember the day that I bought it, the salesman at the gun shop told me that I could use it to hunt any big game animal in North America, with the right bullet. It`s a great gun!

[lonlon]

30-06 is a good choice. Dependable, available at reasonable price for those that like to shoot alott. I have a 700 Rem in 300 Win Mag, maybe I shoud trade it in for a 30-06 barrel for the T/C ?

[mgemmill]

I don't know much about rifles, but I have a Ruger M77 in 7mm rem mag. I shoot it occassionally and I think it shoots good. I also like the T/C Icon the wood is beautiful.

[vambo991]

Kimber 84 Classic or Montana. Made in New York. Great Quality

[nateberly]

ORIGINAL: jyeomans

Hi coach, I have a 30-06 pump also, I use 180 grain corelocks & it really kicks,if I go to 150 or 160, would the kick be as bad. Is 150grain efficient for deer. They can get big in NH-MAINE. Thanks for the information. John 

I have a 30-06 rem pump and I used to shoot 180 grain. I then switched to 165 and the kick was much less intense AND I had much better grouping. Not sure if it was the mentality of getting ready for the recoil, or if 180 was just too much for it.

[buckfarmdude]

Remingtons are never a bad choice. I have always hunted with a remington model seven, and I just bought a remington model 700 in .308. I, too live in Maine, and I liked the idea of having a caliber that would work well as a "brush-buster" but could also reach out a few hundred yards if necessary. I like the compact lightweight feel of the model seven, and if you like to walk around alot this is probably the model for you. Just remember however, that they only come in 20 and 22" barrels. The remington 700's come in lengths of 20, 22 24 and 26. Mine has a 24" barrel, so I get the added downrange power and accuracy without it being cumbersome to carry. You can spend a few hundred bucks on one of these or well over a thousand. I bought my SPS (Special Purpose Synthetic) on gunbroker.com for barely ove 500. Can't beat that.
Hope this actually helps instead of confusing the living heck out of you.

[shaman]

ORIGINAL: jyeomans

Hi coach, I have a 30-06 pump also, I use 180 grain corelocks & it really kicks,if I go to 150 or 160, would the kick be as bad. Is 150grain efficient for deer. They can get big in NH-MAINE. Thanks for the information. John 

180 grain in a  30-06 is overkill on whitetail.  Don't get me wrong.  I like overkill.  Overkill is a good thing.  I shot 180 grainers at whitetail for many years.  If you're looking to reduce the kick, definately think about the 150 grain with both the 30-06 and the 308 WIN.  Even the largest deer  will find them hard to resist. Honestly, you could even drop down to a 130 grain bullet and still have a potent deer load.

Recoil will be much lighter using a 150 grain bullet, than a 180  if all other things are kept equal. 

I generally shoot 165 grain Hornady SP in both the '06 and the 308 WIN, but it is not because of the deer per se.  I standardized on the 165, because I shoot the same load in several rifles, and this one load shot well in all of them.  It started out as 2-rifle/one load combination for the Texas Hill Country and then tried them in and M1 Garand.  Now the '06 load is in five rifles and the bullet is used  in 5 more rifles in other calibers-- my go-to deer bullet

I download my 308 Win  down to about 300 Savage levels and it is still devastating on deer.  We grow them big in KY as well-- live weights can get up around 300 lbs.  I think my biggest one to date went 270 lbs.  I've killed big ones with 180 grain Remmie core lokts,  165 grain and 150 Hornady SP's and several others.  The bottom line is : find an inexpensive load that prints well on paper and you're comfortable shooting recoil-wise. Don't worry too much about the weight of the bullet.

[coach]

I shoot 180 gr. for deer.  The reason for that....is because I use 180 for moose and bear also.
So it doesn't matter if its Silver Tip...or whatever.....its all bullseye at 150 yards.
 
Is it me....or ....when you shoot at a deer or whatever animal....after the shot...you don't remember the recoil.  Well...I don't.  I could take 4 quick shots ...and I don't remember.  I'm so concentrated on the kill zone...that I forget all about it.
 
I have to admit......recoil doesn't bother me at all.  But we are not all the same.
Tip...
Go down in grain yes.
Buy a recoil pad...yes.
But, when you go to the shooting range....Either you practice on your gun shyness or don't.
Shoot just enough round to sight in your gun. Hold your gun firm...not to tight and not too loose.
If you shoot 2 boxes....well ...even the 150 grain will become a bit much.
Don't over do it.  Once your gun is sighted in...you don't have to keep shooting 40 times a year.
Go in the spring....get a couple of shots....go back in the fall before the hunt...make sure its still dead on.  That's it.
 
You want to shoot during the summer...practice with a 30-30.  Almost no recoil...fun to shoot and you could shoot 3 boxes and still be ok.  (or 32 special...22-250....22....smaller caliber.)
 
It still gives you practice on your eyesight and follow through...movement...placement...confidence.
 
Good luck
 

[buckfarmdude]

   Can't go wrong with a Remington 700. I just bought the SPS version, and it is one nice gun. I put a Bushnell Elite 4200 scope on it, and it's a perfect setup. It's a great setup that won't break the bank. The rifle has the new Remington Supercell recoil pad, which cuts the felt recoil in half. It really makes it a lot more pleasureable to shoot. The new X-mark pro trigger is flawless. Absolute zero creep.
   I was hunting with my aunt who uses a .308 (Remington model seven), and she shot a deer at 230 yds. with a 150 gr Core Lokt. The whole shoulder joint on the deer was destroyed, and it ran less than 20 yds.
Shop around gunbroker.com and you're more than likely to find a good deal there. (you'll want to do 2 seperate searches-One where you type "308", and one where you type ".308". For some reason it brings up two different sets of results.)
Hope this helps.

[passin through]

Either are good guns.....pick whichever feels right.  I like browning because of the length of pull which is different than Remington (but I still own several Remington)  You can have a shorter length of pull for rifles especially if you are mainly going to be shooting from a rest.  Longer stocks and better fit upon mounting to your shoulder would be more important for offhand and still hunting shots.  The biggest thing is get the gun you like...like it for the right reasons, (weight, caliber, design, ect) then shoot it till you are confident that if you see a target you can take that target down cleanly.