I have a Winchester Model 88 in .308 and a Ruger Deerfield .44 carbine. I like both but want a better all around gun, mainly because they are blued/wood and since most of my time is spent on or near salt water. Also, not many aftermarket products available. I think I will sell or trade my Model 88 for something, and it will have to be VERY weather resistant. Many calibers would suffice, but I'd like to stay at 30-06 recoil or less. This gun will shoot small deer, maybe a large moose, but mostly cans and targets, to be honest. I like to shoot. Some deer hunting could occur in unfriendly brown bear country, but I will not seek bears. CALIBER IS NOT THE ISSUE! Stock will have to be synthetic, right? I really like the rubbery Hogue stocks and they are only available for Ruger 77 MKII, Rem 700, Win 70. Most any synthetic would do, though. I'm willing to get a new trigger, if it makes sense economically. Stainless is OK, but I think something like a Black-T or teflon finish would be much better up here, so maybe I'd better reserve $200 for that. I've seen lots of stainless with minor pitting, but never as bad as some of the blued rifles my buddies have abused. I don't know if it matters if you finish on top of SS or blue. I'd like to stay under $800 (or much less, if possible!) for the project, without scope, ending up with a very tough, accurate, fun gun that can travel with me everywhere. Compact like Model 7 might be OK if recoil is not too bad. Rem 600 in .308 is a little more than I like, however.

Thanks for reading this, and thanks for all I've learned here in the last few months.
-Bob

I've had very good luck with the remington 700's I've had, as well as most of the folks I know. Extremely accurate right out of the box. My suggestion would be a 700 BDL with a synthetic stock, stainless, in .30-06. That would give you an all around good hunting gun, no matter what game you desire. I've never lived in an area of real salty air, but I would think that with minor preventative maintenance, you could keep that stainless in great shape. That would save you the money on having the barrel coated(and you could put it towards a qualtiy scope). The 700 triggers are adjustable, and can be made to shoot very light and crisp. I believe they run about $600 or so...maybe less. I wouldn't spend a whole lot getting into custom work....for what your needs are, this should work just fine. Good luck!

Thanks WV Hunter. Is the Rem 700 still a well made gun? I was checking out the limited supply of guns at Walmart. The Rem 700 (I can’t remember which model, probably ADL, the finish was matte.) looked and felt cheap compared to the Ruger 77 and Weatherby Vanguard. The 700 did have clean, simple lines, but so did the Vanguard. The Ruger was bulkier but I like the scope mounts and I know a few guys who are happy with this gun (except the trigger). The Savage seemed a little crude. I don’t know if the Vanguard comes in stainless, but if it did, that would be tempting. None of the Walmarts had Howas. But if the Rem 700 BDL is well-made, that does seem like a practical choice because of the adjustable trigger. But the Ruger MK2 SS/Zytel.270 was only $325! The 30-06 SS/newer synthetic was $430.

The Remington 700 BDL is a super gun. IMO, the Ruger's, Savage's, and Vanguard's are not as nice. I'm sure others will argue that, and that's personal preference for sure. The ADL is basically the same gun as the BDL, just with no frills. ADL has matte finish, which is ok, plain jane stock, and you have to load it from the top. It is a solid, inexpensive gun though, and they shoot very well. My dad just got one a few weeks ago, and it is a nice gun....and it shot a 25/64&quot; group <img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle> right out of the box, with factory ammo. Personally I couldn't believe it. That thing is a shooter for sure.
Personally I like the BDL with the detachable box magazine. A buddy of mine has a few top of line Ruger's and the actions on his guns are absolutely terrible. Feels like a grinder when you work them, vs my Remingtons that are silky smooth. I'm not putting down Rugers in general, but that's all I have to compare to.
Do your homework, see what feels best to you, and will fit your needs best. Don't just take my opinion on it. Personally if I were buying a new gun today, it would be the 700 BDL Stainless Synthetic DBM. My second choice would be a Browning A-Bolt...they are very nice too.
By the way...welcome to the board...glad to see you're &quot;no longer lurking&quot; <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

Aren't you Ruger and Savage fans going to stick up for your guns?<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

My first choice would be a Remington 700 LSS...<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Hunt Safe!

Jack

will thay all are grat guns but I would look at the savage wether worrer and he 3006 will do any job you put it on alot of pepol dont like the savage ontell thay shoot one thay made a belever out of me and thay wont brack your bank ether

My personal experience is that Remington 700 is far more reliable than either the Savage or the Ruger....and I mean &quot;FAR MORE&quot;