I'm wanting a new rifle. I'm getting a bolt action but I can't make up my mind on what brand to get. I want to hold a Tikka T3 as I've heard a lot of good things about them. Then there are the "budget guns" that are around $400 that have superb accuracy that compete with guns 3 times their cost. I'm interested in the following:
Tikka T3
Marlin XL 7
Weatherby Vanguard
Browing X bolt
Winchester model 70
Winchester SXR (even though its not bolt action)
I am still undecided on caliber as well. I'm looking into
.308
30-06
300WSM
300 Win mag
or of course 300 Weatherby Mag if I go with the Weatherby
I'm most interested in either the 300 Win Mag or 300 WSM.
I am wanting a true knockdown power rifle for not only the whitetail here at home, but in case I get the chance to go hunt up in Saskatchewan or out in Montana. Give me your thoughts on the above choices and feel free to steer me in a different direction should you have better knowledge on the subject. Thanks in advance---DrAsus
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I think i'd go with the Weatherby Vangaurd in (i know you didn't mention this caliber)in 7mm Rem. Mag. or 300 Win. Mag.Good accuracy,good price.My 2 cents.
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I am wanting a true knockdown power rifle for not only the whitetail here at home, but in case I get the chance to go hunt up in Saskatchewan or out in Montana. Give me your thoughts on the above choices and feel free to steer me in a different direction should you have better knowledge on the subject. Thanks in advance---DrAsus
The .308 and .30-06 have been putting venison in freezers reliably for years. A question though, have you any "other" deer medicine? If, say you already have a .270, you'd gain little by adding a .308 or .30-06 to your battery. On the other hand, how convinced are you you'll "get the chance" to hunt Saskatchewan or Montana? And what game species would you hunt? While a .308 would work for moose, it's not quite as good as the .30-06, which might not be as good as one of the .300s. That said, you live your whole life and never get or take that chance, and you're throwing spendy ammunition and the beating your shoulder's taking makes lots of pre-season practice prohibitive - and you've got more rifle than you need for whitetails. Not a happy recipe.
If you're looking for ONE rifle, though - I'd opt for the .30-06. I'd never feel horribly overgunned for deer, nor undergunned by any means for moose. Of your list of manufacturers, the only two I have any experience with are the Vanguard and M70 (albeit, the post-64, push-feeders that are no longer sold as "new"). The Vanguard (mine's a .300 Wby) has met every one of my expectations. Tough, accurate, carries easily (light enough to trudge up and down mountain ranges). Oh, and it's cheap enough that you can afford to put good glass on it. If it has a minor fault, it's a trigger that's on the stiff side. Nonetheless, a dime will usually cover three shots at 100 yards.
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Based on the brand / caliber you provided, I'd say the Tikka T3 in .300 WSM.
Personally I went with a Rem 700 Stainless SPS in .300 WSM. It's $300 less than the XCR and I used the savings to put a Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14x44M scope on it. Can take anything in North America at any reasonable (or unreasonable if you practice enough) shooting distance.
what are you currently using to hunt deer "around here" with?
what might you hunt in SAS? or MT? elk I assume...
without knowing more info and you saying you want knockdown power I'd look to the vanguard in .300 WSM or .300 Weatherby, though a vanguard in .270 WSM would not only be a smoker for deer and ultraflat it could do the job on an the occasional elk down the road in the future, but if you already have a deer rifle, why bother with another,a .308 .30-06, get a magnum would be my suggestion.
a .300wby with 200gr bullets suggests "knockdown power" and could handle all of NA quite well.
As far as rifles go I love the Winchester model 70's. The new rifles made by FN in South Carolina use forged receivers and have an excellent trigger. The Winchester safety can't be beat. it is the only safety that mechanically separates the firing pin from the sear. It doesn't get any safer than that. The claw extractor is as fail safe and reliable as it gets.
I believe that they are the only rifle on your list that is made in a plant that is ISO 9001 certified.
I much prefer the classic lines of the model 70 over the new modern lines of some of the newer rifles like the X-bolt. The model 70 (feather weight to be exact) is just a damn good looking rifle.
Having said this you won't go wrong with any of the choices. My second choices would be either the Tikka or Vanguard.
AS far as cartridges go if you are talking about Montana and Canadian white tail deer then two of the absolute best cartridges aver made are the .270 Winchester and the 7mm-08 regardless of how big the deer get.
If you are talking about elk, moose and bears then I would opt for a 300WSM. If not then the 270 is as good as it gets for deer and also works great on elk too.
I personally would forget about the 300 Weatherby. The ammo costs quite a bit more than the other 300's out there and it is often hard to find on the shelves. The added performance isn't worth the expense and hassle IMO.
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Don't leave out the Remington 700 or the Ruger M77.
+2...
Knockdown power doesn't come from a bullet, it comes from cars...
Leave the magnums to the guys with a lot of shooting experience...A .308, 30-06, .270 or .7mm-08 are fairly common deer calibers and will do all that needs to be done to a whitetail...
Which new rifle?
