First big game rifle
 

Okay, I know this must get asked a lot, but I need some advice. :) I started in hunting backwards from most - I started bowhunting. I' ve been doing that exclusively for several years, but now that I will be going on a moose hunt this fall, I decided to look at gun hunting. I' m looking for something that won' t break the bank (I just don' t have the money to drop a grand in a gun and optics), but will be accurate and durable. I read the post below on the savage 7mm rem mag with great interest. Do you have any other suggestions? (I know there is no one perfect choice and am just looking for guidance).

Thanks!!!!

RE: First big game rifle
 

Savage makes a great rifle for the money. No frills but reliable, accurate and dependable. 7mm Rem Mag would be a good all around choice if moose is on your list of quarry, as would a 300 Win Mag or even a 30-06.

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RE: First big game rifle
 

why not a .308 win, i am not an expert on the cartridge, but the charts are comparible to the .30-06 and i have heard the 308 is inherently more accurate and less recoil.

RE: First big game rifle
 

The reason I didn' t mention the 308 Win is because it doesn' t handle the heavier bullet weights as well as a 30-06. You generally wouldn' t use a 150 grain 308 caliber bullet on moose. The sectional density just isn' t there until you get 180 and over.

RE: First big game rifle
 

If I was hunting a lot of bigger and tougher game as a general rule, my gun would be one of these: .30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, or .300 Win Mag. My personal favorite is the 7mm Rem Mag, but that' s personal taste.

RE: First big game rifle
 

Nothing wrong with the choice you mentioned for an all arounder. I personally don' t own any Savages currently, but have heard many say they make a good reliable gun. It may not be the prettiest but gets the job done at a lower cost than others. Same used to be said about Tikka' s and you' ll find lots of fans of their offerings now.

I would say look for a decent scope with solid rings/bases and you should be fine. The Bushnell 3200 Elite, amoung others would be a good starting point.

Don' t be affraid to look at some good quality used stuff as an option.

RE: First big game rifle
 

Hey Grizz,
The best place to go for guns for the buck is Wally-World.You can pick up a savage for around 350-$400 big ones.If that don' t flaot your boat you can get a 300 weatherby for about the same price or maybe a Winchester Short mag for 349.99.You don' t have to go new either you can buy some good quality used guns at local gun shops,pawn or your paper.Caliber wise though I would stick with a 30-06 7 mm or 300 of some sort.BBJ

RE: First big game rifle
 

I would go with a Weatherby Vanguard .300 Wby. Mag. Good luck.

RE: First big game rifle
 

All good choices above. I think I would pick the 30-06. That caliber with 200 grain Nosler Partitions which you can buy factory loaded will do it all in North America. The possible exception( though its been done many times) would be the biggest bears. Look at the Swift scopes as they are a good scope at a good price as would be the Elite 3200. The 06 will handle heavier bullets than the 7mm' s. I may catch hell from the magnum crowd.

RE: First big game rifle
 

True enough, but the sectional density arguement comes into play. A 175 grain 7mm bullet in theory will penetrate better than a 200 grain .308 bullet due to its superior sectional density. In reality I think it is six of one and half a dozen of the other. If it was me and I was looking for a new rifle to hunt deer up to moose I would probably pick a 280 Rem.

RE: First big game rifle
 

I love my 7mm Rem Mag and wouldnt be afraid to use it on moose if i got the chance but i would step up to larger bullets than what i use for deer. That is definetly the key to large game animals, quality bullets. Something along the lines of a Nosler partition, Bear Claw or any other slighty more expensive bullet that penetrates good and holds together. Any of your magnums would be a great choices. Heck a Marlin lever action in like 45/70 or 450 marlin mag would probably pound them too since theyve take big bear and elk.

Dave

RE: First big game rifle
 

The 280 would be a good choice as well. With Barnes bullets in the 30-06 you have the option of using the 250 grain Original. In 7MM the have a 195 grain bullet as well. The 308 bullet has a little higher SD. at 376 vs 347 if I remember right. The 45-70 would be a great choice as long as the range is not to long.

RE: First big game rifle
 

Thanks guys! I appreciate all the thoughts.

I went down to the Bass Pro Shops near where I work (lucky me) to handle some of them. They have a Ruger M77 for $479, either stainless/synthetic or blued/wood. They also had a Nikon Buckmasters (I think) scope that matched the stainless. For the gun, this was not that much more than the savage, which they also had, but it looked like the Ruger had a much smoother action and solid feel. How does Ruger stack up? I' m leaning to the 7mm Mag with an appropriate bullet.

RE: First big game rifle
 

I have never seen a Ruger that will shoot with a Savage. I shoot both but the Ruger had to have a trigger job, barrel floated, and action bedded and the Savages still shoot a little better. Don' t get me wrong, I like the Ruger and think it is a nice rifle, but they just usually don' t shoot out of the box.

RE: First big game rifle
 

i would no touch another ruger. been there done that. savage will outshoot them out of the box. would stay with the 300 win mag, you can get heavy for moose and light for deer or even varmint. you can even look at the 300ultramag or the 300wsm.

RE: First big game rifle
 

The standard velocity 180 grain .308 load is 2620 fps, the 30-06 is 2700. I don' t know how this is considered not handling 180 grain bullets well. High energy loads push 180 grainers comnsiderably faster. If you are talking 200-220 grain bullets though, the .308 can' t even come close to the 06.

RE: First big game rifle
 

That is pretty much what I had in mind. For a .308 caliber I wouldn' t go lighter than 200 grains on moose.

RE: First big game rifle
 

A buddy of mine hunts with the 7mm mag and I use a ' 06 (30 that is). I think the 7mm is a little big for smaller animals like deer, especially whitetail. It is very adequate for elk though as is the ' 06. And since that is our primary prey it works for both of us.
I enjoy the heck out of my -06 and one big advantage is ammo cost and availability. A few years ago we went plinking around and both ran out of ammo before we ran out of fun. We stopped at a local southern Utah sporting goods store to reload, and his ammo cost nearly twice what mine did and he got one of the last boxes. If you reload it isn' t that big of a deal but if you don' t it can get costly if you shoot a lot.

RE: First big game rifle
 

grizz,

savage rifles are pound for pound the best you can get for price and accuracy but , i recommend getting one with the black composite stock

also , i would say go for the model 11 short action , and try one of the short mags offered in it , whether it' s the 7mm saum , or one of the .300 short mags , i have heard rumors that they have less recoil , and they are available in a short action which is a more stiffer rifle ( not in cycling the action ) :D:D

RE: First big game rifle
 

Thanks guys, looks like I should give the savage another closer look! Aside from these two, any other competitors around the $500 price point?

RE: First big game rifle
 

the savage may not look the prettiest, but they sure do shot pretty.

RE: First big game rifle
 

under that price range , the remington 700 adl would fit the bill for a 7mm rem. mag. , or a pump 7600 in .30-06 but , the savage is still your best bet :D:D

P.S.- i would like to clarify what i meant by the rifle is more stiffer ,
it does involve the action , the newer savages are much better than the ones made about 10 to 15 years ago , i had a model 110 long action in .243 from that time period and the action was very difficult to work , it was like it kept sticking upon opening and on closing , and would some what bind during cycling , it shot great but that action is what made me get rid of it ,
when they first came out with the short action version i looked at one and saw a lot of improvement in the rifle itself and it' s quality so i purchased a model 11 in .22-250 rem. , and i' ve never looked back , that rifle handels great and is much more improved over the ones from 10 to 15 years ago , i,ve also got a newer model 111 in .25-06 and i' m equally satisfied , those rifles are very accurate out of the box shooters ,
anyway , that' s why i said that the stiffness wasn' t in cycling the action grizz , i was saying that the action isn' t stiff or sticky to operate , they work great , the short action is considered stffer because you don' t have as long of a pull to load/unload your rifle , so the bolt has a lot less space to travel and less chance of any jams and also helps to improve accuracy ,or at least that' s my understanding of it , if i' m wrong i' m sure i' ll get corrected :D:D:D

RE: First big game rifle
 

The Ruger is a nice rifle. You will probably need to get a trigger job that will run about $75.00. Mine shoot great besides that though.