New Deer Rifle - Starting with Rem 700 SS .308

[WonderMonkey]

Hello all. I've done some side jobs and I'm going to get a new rifle/scope with the money.

I hunt white tail deer in "sort of" Northern Kentucky. This area of land has moderate hills. The lease we have contains a combination of standard woods, thick brush, cleared power lines, and the occasional open field. The multi-purpose rifle I have my eye on is the Remington 700, Stainless barrel in .308 caliber. All this is up for debate and change but that's my starting point. The base version of the Rem 700 Stainless .308 is around $650 I think.

I'm willing to put my money into just the rifle and put on a cheaper scope that I already have and put on a nicer scope next year. I know I won't get full value out of rifle in year 1 with a cheaper scope but in the end I'll have what I want instead of having to go cheaper on the rifle.

I will have about $1000 to spend but I don't want to buy a rifle just to use all that money meaning I don't want to spend to my budget but rather find out what I want and hope it is within budget.

Question: Do you agree with the Remington 700 and in a .308 caliber? If not what do you suggest?

With whatever base rifle you suggest would you get the cheapest stock then upgrade with an aftermarket?

Thoughts, suggestions?

[shaman]

Where in NKY are you hunting? I'm over by the Bracken/Pendleton/ Robertson/Mason line. In fact, I'm looking at all of them right now from my front porch.

A Rem 700 in 308 is going to be perfect, but so would a Savage or Ruger or Winchester. Me? I like a 3-position safety like the Winchesters or Rugers. The next guy is going to say tang safety. If I had to tell you the best bargain of all of them, I'd go with the Savage with the AccuTrigger or the Ruger All-American or the Weatherby Vanguard. It's really all about taste more than fact. In Northern KY, you will never have an action freeze in the cold or a barrel rust from 5 days of rain. You will be home with your deer in the freezer before the Thanksgiving leftovers are all eaten and the first significant snow falls in Dayton. Your lungs will never tear at your chest from hunting at altitude. The Big One will probably walk out at 50 yards and not 500.

Find the rifle that fits the best. Remember you will be wearing heavier clothing, and there is a significant difference fit from a T-Shirt to a sweater and parka. Stainless? Honestly, rifle season has not been all that hard on my firearms. All are blued steel on wood. I keep a couple of them home when it rains. However a quick coating of car wax usually is all the prep I need. After the hunt, I'd recommend Ed's Red and Eezox.

If you would like good alternative to your plan, think about a used Rem 7600 in 30-06 or 308. It will get you into the field a lot cheaper. It is about as accurate as the 700, and the pump is a little faster cycling than the 700. I hunt with one in 35 Whelen, and it is a super deer killer. Stick a $40 BSA 3-9X scope on it from Sportsman's Guide and you're on your way. It's a good idea-- didn't say it was better.

Having hunted around here for 30 years, I can't think of a thing better than your choice. My #1 pick for opening day is a .308 Savage 99. However most of my rifles are 30-06 The majority of us at camp have 30-06. My rough guess is the majority of folks around my county hunt with 30-06, 308, 270 or 30/30. A few are using .243 On my farm I take the majority of deer fairly close from a treestand. However, more and more of our late season deer are being taken at 150 yards or so. Remember that a short-action 308 may actually have more felt recoil than a long action 30-06 due to the weight of the receiver. Outside of that, for where you are going to be using it, there is not appreciable difference. 150 grain or 165 grain Green Box Remmies should work just fine. There is going to be no need for premium ammo. I shoot 150 grain bulk Rem PSPCL or 165 Hornady Interlock in all my 308 and 30-06 loads-- between my sons, and myself that's 9 rifles.

In regards to scopes: I've never paid more than $100 for a scope. Most of my shooting opportunities are inside 100 yards. The demands on the scope just aren't that great around here. About the time legal hunting begins, you can see through your scope. About the time it ends, you can't. What more can a deer hunter ask for? I've gotten by with Bushnell Banner, Simmons, and a few nice BSA's. Having said that, a buddy of mine showed up with a nice Nikon scope a couple years ago, and I was mightily impressed with the difference. However, I understand the problem of budget. I'm still crawling out of 2.5 years of unemployment and 1.5 years of under employment j at DP&L. I'm just getting back on my feet. Don't feel you need to throw $700 at a scope. My biggest bucks have all been taken, looking through a $40 Simmons 3-9X purchased in 1985.

Be sure to check out my weblog (see the link in my signature) There are gobs of stories about hunting in Northern KY, picking the right rifle, etc.

[WonderMonkey]

I am near the border of Bracken/Robertson/Mason myself, so not that far from you. We just recently got this lease so we are still learning the land.

Thanks for all the detail and information in your post. I will certainly look into the alternatives that you mentioned and throw them in the mix. As far as scope I may spend a bit more for a quality lens but I won't get too many bells and gadgets. No range finger, etc.

Again thanks, and I will read your blog shortly.

[mnslayer]

I agree with shaman REM7600 is a great alternative to the 700 and very accurate. I shoot a remington7600 in 270win shoots the size of a quarter at a 100yrds using winchester powerpoints and a $40.00 bsa scope. As with you I was on a budget when I purchased it and could not afford the high price scope. Now 15 years later it still sports the BSA scope and is one of the most accurate rifles I have ever shot. As for the stainless steel if that what you want they do look great and I love them but basic care of a blued gun will make it out last multiple owners. Make sure you buy a caliber suitable for what you hunt and where you hunt 3006 and 308 are great rounds for multi game hunting and should serve you well. Do your home work and good luck hunting.

[Cut N Run]

I'm not a huge fan of Remington, but I've shot my share of them with good results. Ask the members of this forum what rifle & caliber they prefer and you can expect to get a classic Ford/Chevy debate raging. I like your choice of a .308 because it does the job without producing heavy recoil. I've been hunting with one for over 30 years and it is plenty of gun for hunting the terrain in this part of the world. That caliber is capable of reaching out there if you need it to as well, you just have to practice and be comfortable making long shots. If you were going to be hunting down east where the fields are 1,000 yards long, you might consider more gun.

I have always been a fan of having the best optics you can afford. If you need to go with a lower end scope to start, it beats iron sights only. I would caution you that a buddy of mine had a low-end Simmons scope on his rifle and he lost & wasted a few deer. We took that rifle to the range to make sure it was the gun and not the guy behind it as the problem. We also brought along a M-8 4X Leupold that used to be on one of my rifles. The rifle was printing all over the paper and was inconsistent at best. Once the Simmons got replaced and the Leupold got sighted in, we realized what a tack driver that rifle was. That combination has taken every deer it has been shot at since the gun & scope got put together. Your rifle will shoot straight, don't short yourself out of possibly taking or wounding the best deer of your life because you under glassed yourself. Inexpensive scopes work, most of the time. But they are not built with the same precision as higher quality optics.

Jim

[Dan Salmon]

If it were me, I'd do the following:

First, I'd go find a good $200 to $300 binocular. Nikon, Leupold, Bushnell are all manufacturers that come to mind with excellent binoculars in this price range. You will see a lot more deer with binoculars and that's really the biggest hurdle to deer hunting. You can't shoot what you don't see.

Next, I'd go looking for a good condition used Remington 700/Model 7, Winchester Model 70, Ruger M77 MkII in .308 Win., .270 Win. or .30-06 Springfield.

I'd then buy a new Weaver K-4 or K6 fixed power scope to mount to it.

At this point you are out about $600 to $800.

Last, and certainly not least, I'd spend the rest of the money on ammunition or the components and tools to create my own ammunition and spend a lot of time on the range.

[WonderMonkey]

Thanks everybody for their input. My new rifle arrives today or tomorrow. I got a Rem 700 SPS SS.

[WonderMonkey]

I've picked up my rifle.

[mnslayer]

Welcome to remington country wondermonkey. happy hunting

[1-GTOHunter]

Sweet looking Rifle Wondermonkey,if You haven't picked out a scope yet look into the Leupold Rifleman 3X9X40mm matte black scope....unless You want the nice pretty Silver scopes to match that stainless steel?