cjwink

For target shooting.. most people use the 308... I would go with it or one of its offspring.. .. Nothing wrong with a savage the accutrigger is nice..

bronko22000

MSM - I have to agree with Wilds. Yes there are a lot of other cartridges out there that may be better than the old '06. But for a cartridge to be out 100+ years and still going strong is a good argument for the versitility and usefulness of the chambering.
As for the rifle, there is nothing wrong with Savage firearms. I have a few. As well as Brownings, Remingtons, andMarlins. But IMO, rifles are like cars. Sometimes you get a lemon. My advice is to go somewhere where you can look, fondle and get the feel of as many as you can and choose the one that best fits you.

Briman

The 30-06 is very versatile, particularly if you handload. I have 3 rifles chambered in it. It can be considered a tool that fits all jobs, but I will also argue that a hammer looks like the right tool for every job if its the only tool you have.

Have you ever fired one where you are shooting in a match, 50-60 rounds, out of a bolt action rifle, and try to keep the same concentration level on the 60th round as you did on the first? I have. Many times. I'll take the .223 for killing paper any day of the week.

kendradad

Whatever calibre you end up with, buy a Browning. I admit I am prejuduced, but for the money, I think they provide the best value.

Wilds

We never figured paper ate all that well. Kinda dry if you don't wet it down, and then it gets too mushy if you do. Tends to burn easy in the pan also........

I must admit that I don't "kill" as much "paper" as you likely do, beyond my own R&D for load development....even then it's pretty quickly done as there ain't much voodoo in making sh!t shoot right.

We do tho' swing aLOT of off seasonsteel in our neigborhood, andthe guy to bring only 50 or 60 rounds for the dayis gonna get his balls broke for it......

Just sourced, today as a matter of fact,three 12" wide and 10 foot long planks from a welding table at work.Enough 1" plate to rebuild the range with at least 2 dozen plates, maybe 30 if I go 12X12.No more 3/4" for us as the last batch only lasted a year.

I can understand how a paper killin' match shooter like yerself can only do it with a .223...really I can, just keep in mind my 12 year old is gonna needa new barrel on his .243 by next year.

Shootin' that though, usuallykeeps him off my 30-06........

whitetaildreamer

Yes the 30-06 is a very versitile cal. for many hunting situations but I believe you stated that you wanted a gun for targets. If so then the 30.06 wouldn't be my first choice for your application. I'd check out some ballistic charts to compare the flat line shooting of many different cal. The next question I would ask you is, "what is the distance in target shooting you are planning to do?" If it is only fifty yards and this is your first firearm then why not start out with a .22 cal. Very inexpensive to shoot and good gun to learn on. If you are reaching out to 100 yards or more then maybe a 22-250, .243, 7-08, .270, or even a .308. With all of these cal. you can reach out to 200 yards with alot flatter tragectory than a 30-06. The smaller cal. will be easier on your shoulder especially if you are wanting to do alot of shooting at the range. I'm not saying that Savage rifles are the best on the market but for the price they are one of the most accurate out of the box. Once you have decided on the cal. then I would shoulder a number of different rifles to see which one fits you best. This is very important. Since you will be target shooting then don't skimp on your optics. They are as important as the gun you will choose. Once again there are many good optics out there but how the scope will sit on the gun as well as the eye relief that feels right to you is important. For target shooting I wouldn't get a gun/scope combo. Though the price may be lessat first you most likely will bemore satisfied with a better scope than will be provided with most combo units. Check around for the more information you get the better your purchase will be.

HEAD0001

30-06 is a great choice. Buy a Remington Model 700 CDL. This is your first rifle. And can easily be the only rifle you will ever need in your entire life if you take care of it. The cartridge can be a great target round. And if you hunt with it then your bullet selection is limitless. Find yourself a couple of cases of Lake City ammo and fire away. Go for it. Tom.

Pavomesa

Any notion the /06 isn't a good rifle for targets is silliness. It was THE gun for Camp Perry matches out to 1,000 yds until the military took them away and gave all their shooters the .308. As for trajectory, the /06 gives up precious little there as well. I've used them all my life and got nothing but good to say about them. The 30/06 is one of those rare cartridges that is so balanced it's hard to find a load that doesn't shoot good. I've done squirrely stuff with them like load 1.5 gr of Bullseye under 170 gr cast bullet and even a crazy load like that they will do almost same hole accuracy at 25 yds. Or you can crank them up with lots of powder and big bullets and go after the brown bears. Some folks might think they are too light for that extreme but I never heard of any more peopleusing a 30/06 for this work getting eaten than with the big blunderbuss magnums.

NBDeerHunter

I have the savage model 111 in 30-06 and it is an awesome gun for the $$$ Accuracy is as good if not better than just about any other factory made gun on the market and for a cheaper price. yes savage may lack a bit in the fit and finish department but they are damn accurate. I would buy another one in a second
Nothing wrong with Remingion, Ruger, Winchester, Tikka etc but save some of your hard earned $$$ and get the savage that fits you best.
You will not be dissapointed

msmforever69

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I talked to the local gun shop, he said for my purposes I would need a heavy barrel rifle. Since I will be shooting at ranges, I will shoot more in an hour than some hunting rifles would in a year. Therefore I need something that has a long and heavy barrel, and since I will be shooting the rifle from a bench weight isn't an issue, in fact I prefer a heavier weight. I considered what you all said, and I guess a .308 would be okayy, i'll live, but not going any lower than that. So I looked at heavy barrel guns and I'm stuck once again. Savage has the 12 series line, and CZ has the 550 varmint. Anyone know anything about the CZ 550 varmint? I like the stock in that better than the stocks in the savages since I prefer a wood stock. Also if anyone knows other good heavy barrels (1000 and under preferably) in .308 or 30-06, share what you know I'm a grad student, so i'm beyond broke and I'll be buying the rifle off student loans haha, so I figured I might as well get advice before spending 1000 dollars of loan money on a rifle.

doubleA, the savage 10FP seems very good asides from that stock. I'm almost tempted to get in .300 win mag, but I should really listen to the pros I supposed, it's only natural to want the most powerful one. This is one of the ones I'm considering in addition to the CZ 550 varmint, and some other 12 series from savage.

Bake North, I looked at the mossberg's...they are way too cheap, suspiciously cheap. I wonder why they would be half the price of other rifles that look the same, quality can't be good i'm guessing?

Folically Challenged, I had the scope from the 800 i spent on an air rifle. Can't believe I was spending so much on air guns when i could have gotten a centerfire rifle. Thanks for your suggestions though. I did go to the gun store, and that's how I found out about the me needing a heavy barreled rifle.

So now it's just finding a heavey barreled rifle in .308 win, or .30-06 springfield. If anyone knwos anything about the CZ 550 varmint and how it compared to the savage FP, any of the savage 12 series, or other heavy barrelled rifles that you might know off.

Thanks!



Thanks for your opinions.