M77man

You can get a brand new M77MKIIfor that or cheaper since they're clearing them out for the new M77 Hawkeye. Don't get me wrong, Remington makes good rifles, just so long as it's not a 710 but IMO, the SPS is comparable to the cheapo Savages, what are they 110's and 111's, but cost a little more. You are better off paying the $450 for better quality. Just my opinion.

CBM SC

I just went through all of it myslef !! I started off wanting a 30-06 or 7mag !!

After doing a lot of what you are doing I was inches away from buying a Browning A-bolt blued/sythetic .280 for $629 !! But I read all the stuff about the Tikka's and checked one out and ended up going with a T3 stainless .270 WSM for $499 !!

I really like the gun ! It shoots good and ended up shooting a lot flatter than I expected ! The ballistics are slighlty better than a 7mag if they both are shooting the same grain bullet but the .270 WSMkicks less !! I shot a deer 2 days after I bought mine at 125 yards and flopped it with a lung shot !! So I was impressed needless to say ! I don't know a whole lot about guns............but the Tikka is a good value IMO !! The A-bolt has a more quality feel and look to it ...........but I don't think when it gets to the meat and potatoes part of it .........that it's really any better !! Long term may tell me different but right now I am very happy with what I got for $499 !!

7MM.REMINGTON.MAGNUM

the 7mm mag is in no way over kill for anything i have shot deer at 20 yards with mine and there was no meat damage where my 270 hasin the past wreaked alot of meat on game. but you can if you do it wrong have a mess with any gun 7mm if you can see it you can hit it thats what i like about the 7mm accuracy and long rangeif your going to be hunting only in the bush go with something different 30-06 or maybe a 270 but if your hunting openlasnd and cutbloks and stuff why not be set up for that trophy buck 500 yards away that you cant sneak up on because it has your seant and its looking straight at you. all guns will do the trick but some will do it easier. but the main thing is like find something you really like. research every calibur you like like the 270 the 30-06 the 7mm mag and throw in a few you never thought of like a 243 or a 6mm or an 8mm the 6mm and the 8mm will be hard to find ammo for and if you like the wsm' well id sudgest looking at the 270wsm i have been looking at it myself but i cant justify it because my 7mm mag is a lil better out at 800 yards. do the reasearch what stands out and you like the most go for that cal dont just look at the bullet trajectory up to 400 yards go to 800 or better alot of bullets will be close and look the same to 200 yards and to 400 yards find out whats best for you. my grandfather shot a 7mm mag and i reasearched it for years before i bought one. well do some serious research on the cals before you select one.

M77man

You came away with a great deal my friend! I wanted the Tikka T3 stainless but at the time they were nearly $600 and I ended up with my Ruger M77 MKII stainless in you guessed it, 7 Mag for $504. I think if npaden or can find a good deal like ours (yours was better), then he should go for it. Tikka T3 Lite, Remington(other then 710), Savage(16 or 116 only), Ruger M77, or Kimber.

npaden

Well, one of these days I am going to actually have to go buy a rifle.

I'm still stuck on this. Right now I am waffling between just going over to Academy Sports here in town and buying an A-Bolt Hunter with a wood stock and a matte blue barrel for $599 + $49 sales tax for a total of $648 and ordering a A-Bolt Stainless Stalker in 7mm Mag for $763 + $25 shipping and $25 FFL transfer fee for a total of $813.

I did somemore research on ballistics and Federal makes a 180 gr Nosler Accubond that gives the .30-06 plenty of punch out to 400 yards (1,658 ft lbs) with a drop of 24 inches. I think that would be enough for elk and 400 yards is probably the edge of where I feel I would be willing to take a shot at a deer or elk anyway. The 7mm Mag does outperform it (1,777 ft lbs pushing a 160 gr Accubond and a drop of 20 inches at 400 yards) but not sure if it is enough to really make a difference. In reality I will be shooting most shots at 300 yards or less and at 300 yards or less there is very little difference in the calibers.

When looking at other calibers one that suprised me was the old .270 winchester. It actually outperforms the .30-06 throwing the same bullet in most cases. It is tempting to get one, but there just isn't a factory load for the .270 that I would be comfortable shooting at an elk with.

Right now I'm leaning toward the .30-06. It will be easy to just go pick it up and walk out with it the same day. No messing with shipping and FFL transfers and fun stuff like that. The $165 difference in cost isn't much but I could put that toward a range finder or a nice pair of binoculars and be farther ahead than the difference between the 7mm Mag and the .30-06.

I was going to update the post saying that I have for sure decided on the .30-06 with the wood stock and matte blue barrel for $648 including sales tax at Academy but I figure I'll givemyself one more week to think on it.

Thanks again for all the input.

Nathan

npaden

A couple more thoughts.

Based on the ballistics research it seems like picking the right cartridge for the animal you are hunting is more important than selecting the right caliber. The 180 gr Trophy Bonded Bear Claw sounded like a solid cartridge so I pulled up it's ballistic chart and it dropped all the way down to 1,258 ft lbs of energy at 400 yards compared to the 180 gr Accubond with 1,658 ft lbs of energy at 400 yards. Quite a difference.

Lastly, I wonder if the 26" barrel of the 7mm Mag in the A-Bolt would make much of a difference in any of these ballistic numbers vs. the 22" barrel of the .30-06 in the A-Bolt?

Thanks, Nathan

npaden

The real kicker is that I would like to use the same gun for an occasional elk hunt. I think if elk were not in the picture the .270 win would be plenty. If I look at what is out there that I would use as an elk cartridge, I think the best performing cartrige for each caliber in Federal brand ammo is the Nosler Accubond.

Here's the scoop:

.270 win - 140 gr Accubond - Energy - 300 yds 1,796; 400 yds 1,554 - Drop 300 yds -6.7; 400 yds -19.5
.30-06 spr - 180 gr Accubond - Engy - 300 yds 1,922; 400 yds 1,658 - Drop 300 yds -8.3; 400 yds -23.8
7mm Rem Mag - 160 gr Accbd - Engy - 300 yds 2,035; 400 yds 1,777 - Drop 300 yds -6.9; 400 yds -19.9

Looking at it from that perspective the .270 win almost has me believing that it would be fine for elk but I just can't get myself to believe it.

Folically Challenged

DUDE, JUST THROW A DART & BUY A GUN!

Any ofthese caliberswill kill deer & elk! Don't let all the information weigh you down, just buy a rifle & start shooting it!

Accept the fact that you're never going to find a consensus around here on what's best. What you WILL find is a lot of people who'll congratulate you when you post pictures of your trophies!

I hereby ORDER you to go buya rifle! (and tell us which one!).

FC

North Texan

Have you considered the .270 WSM?

M77man

Nathan, be patient and get the 7 mag. Don't be impatient and end up with something you will not like later. Remember that this rifle may be the one you will have for a life time. Nothing wrong with either caliber but get the one rifle that you will be truly happy with in the long run! Good luck!

Ron