I've been given the go ahead from my wife to get a new rifle. I've only hunted deer to this point and my 30-30 has served me well. I am looking for one more rifle that will best serve me for deer, elk, and long range antelope hunts. Some things are factors for me.
Price, not that I want the cheapest thing I can find, but value for my dollar is definately an issue. Along with this is cost of rounds. My buddy has a .300 wm and at more than a buck a round I couldn't afford to shoot nearly as much as I want to. Whatever I get will get a lot of rounds thrown through it at paper. Recoil is also an issue, not so much for me, but I frequently take my wife and kids out to shoot and whatever I get will see a lot of use by my 14 year old daughter as well as myself. She does fine with her .50 inline muzzleloader, but not well with my friends .300 wm.
So with these things in mind, anyone have opinions on which way to go? Whatever opinions are shared here I do understand that there is also the feel factor involved. I will definately spend some time at my local gun shop shouldering rifles and getting a feel for them. My knowledge is limited though, so I appreciate your opinions.
Finding the reach for antelope & the power for elk isn't too bad of a problem. Trying to find 1 rifle that will accomodate this for both a 14 year old young woman and a grown man is far more difficult.
Recoil sensitivity has lots of factors,likely the largest of which are cartridge selection and stock fit. If you finda rifle that fitsyour daughterwell, you can train her to shoot it effectively. However, will that rifle fit you, too?
Will your daughter be going for elk & long-range antelope? Those 2 critters are on the edge of the capabilities (power & range, respectively) of the .30-.30 that you already own. If she were just going for deer, then she could use that gun, & you could use the new one for the bigger/farther beasts.
You're not going to find 100% agreement on a cartridge for your purposes: that's why there are seemingly THOUSANDS of them these days! For reach & power on the lower end of the recoil spectrum, however, a 7mm Rem. Mag. will get you at least grudging nods of adequacy from some,and outright shouts of adulation from others. You're likely going to receive very persuasive arguements for cartridges from .270 to .375 H&H. Nobody's wrong - it's just what works best for them!
Oh, by the way, no matter which cartridge you select, $1 per round will be on the low to middle part of the spectrum for quality constructed bullets, which you'll want to be using should you go chasing elk. However, 7mm mag. will be far less than many of the newer cartridges that have lower production numbers. It's tried, true,& proven, so you'll probably be able to find ammo wherever you go, and at a decent price.
So:
1) Decide who's using the rifle
2) Picka riflethat fits that person like a favorite glove
3) Pick a cartridge that that person is comfortable with from a power/range/recoil/cost standpoint
4) Get to the range!
Have her shoot a 7mm Rem Mag (if you know someone who owns one) to see how she handles the recoil. If she handles it well, then you may want to keep the 7mm Rem Mag in mind.
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Thanks for the input guys. Just to clarify, my daughter will not be hunting with this rifle. She'll only be using it when we are out shooting targets. She'll be going deer and elk hunting this year, but will be using her muzzleloader. I'll just be along as a guide on those hunts, so both of us needing a hunting rifle at the same time won't be an issue.
Have you considered an Encore with two barrels? Go with a 30-06 for yourself. There is plenty of cheap ammo out there. Get a 223 barrel for the kids to shoot. There is plenty of cheap ammo out there for that. If you shoot 300-400 rounds in the first year you could probably pay for the extra barrel from ammo prices alone. $10 a box for '06, and $4 a box for 223 can go a long way. If I could only have one rifle it would probably be an Encore, or an 1886 Winchester in 45-70.
Watch E-bay, sometimes you can get a pretty good deal on a barrel, and even a scope there. Tom.
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We need to stop using these terms today, "Sniper Rifle", "Tactical", "Assault Weapon".
One Rifle
SPS 7mm-08.
