Suggestions on first 30-06?
 

So I have picked up the hunting fever this year as I went for the 1st time. I'd like to go deer and elk hunting predominantly, maybe black bear. Anyways I am pretty set on the 30-06 because of the manufacturer's bullet diversity and I would like to have something large enough to take an elk but not too big as to only get 2 burgers out of a deer...

For the last few months I have been dead set on the Rem. model 700 in wood stock and refused to buy a gun in syn. But after this last hunting trip I used a buddies syn. stock .243 and it grew on me. Now the syn. stock rem 700 can be had for half the price of the wood so I am no longer opposed to the syn stocks.

I would prefer to buy used with a nice scope like a Leupold or Nikon if I have the chance, but it is hard to find a good deal at the gun shows around hunting season. With this in mind what are some good 30-06's (used of course) that I should have my eyes on when I go to the gun shows? For a used gun my high end is set at $500, and that is with a very nice scope...

On a side note, what are some goof rifles (new) I should keep my eyes peeled for? I hear everyone raging about the savage 111's and how good they are for the price. However my buddy just got a rem 700 in syn for $420 out the door at a sports store. Price range is about the same here as well.

I can give you my views on it and I'm sure you will get several. I have owned several 700's and I have always ended up selling them. Now I have a Tikka and I love it,but my favorite gun is my Savage. You can't find a gun that shoots better out of the box.

Winchester, Browning, Ruger, etc all make good rifles. Some will shoot better then others, it all depends on how good they made that barrel, how good the trigger is, and how good you are. I have a pair of winchester M70s that would dispell the internet legend that anything but an m700 will not shoot. We have a marlin XL7 with wood, inexpensive gun, and built similar to a savage. If I were to put good glass on it, I think it would be a shooter. Dont get fooled about too big of gun and no meat left to eat. Using the wrong bullet design for your use, and high velocity bullets, will lead to loss of meat. Dont get me wrong though, there is nothing wrong at all with an '06. It works.

I'd like to look more into the savage...is it the 111 models or axis that are solid (and cheap)? What should I expect to pay for a used savage wo/scope?

Check out the top site for new, and the other 2 underneath for used options. Personally, I'd stick with something in the Savage other than the Axis. A Savage 110 or a 11 is the cheapest way to go, but there will be other variants. Don't ignore the Ruger American or the Marlin Xls series. Journeyman guns at a real competitive price. If going used though you just might snag a Remington or a Winchester in your price range if you don't mind a nick or scratch or two (without glass). Cosmetics are overrated, but a gun with a bunch of surface damage has probably not been cared for. Pay attention to the functioning of the bolt, the magazine and the condition of the bore/barrel.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/a...s=savage+30-06

http://www.gunbroker.com/All/BI.aspx...s=savage+30-06

http://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.htm?T=savage+30-06

My daughter shoots a Weatherby Vangard in '06. I handload and it's a shooter. The vangard is resonably priced too. Nice rifle.

Tikka T3 with a Burris fullfield II for $620.00 but I would get the 270 and skip the 30-06. A 270 is better IMO. I had a 30-06 and wasn't fun to shoot cuz of the recoil. You would like the 270. Check it out.

Already have a .270....don't mean to be rude but I don't want this to turn into a caliber thread. Have seen to many veer off topic with that. I am STRICTLY talking 30-06 nothing else.

Thank You though...

This is not a hang on your wall gun I want. This is a down in the trenches sort of speak type of gun that I can bang up and not worry about scratching when out on my hunts. Hence the cheap price.

You can get the Savage 111 package at Dicks WITH the Nikon scope for under 500 bucks.

I hear ya. The price I posted was for an 06 also. The Tikka T3 lite should definitely be a consideration. It's a lot lighter than the savage. And a better/Smoother Bolt too.

700Guy:

Have you given a 7mm Rem. Mag. a serious thought. Ammo is also readily available. Take a look at the T/C Dimention. Good luck.

Please read the 3rd post before yours....BTW I also have a 7mm mag...

The 111's have the accu trigger correct? Sounds like a steal to me for that price...

Wal-Mart has a package deal with the accu-trigger for $399.00 here in Alabama.I'm not sure the exact model but it's not the Axis. You can find them all over for under $500.00.

So you have 270 and 7 mag why the 06?????????????????

B/C he said that's what he WANTS!

270 is great, ... 7mm mag is wonderful ...but he wants a 30/06. So he shall have it!!!!

One .300 Magnum, two .308s, and three .30-06s here. I can kind of understand why one might want a .30-06.

One of your first sources of frustration will be that everyone who's ever made a standard-length bolt-action rifle likely chambers it in .30-06. Along with that, every trim level known to mankind.

I own four M700s, from late 1970s-vintage all the way up to last year. Not a complaint from me about any of them. The latest version is, I feel, the most accurate of the bunch (700 LTR).

I also own a number of CZ550s. Although I've always liked Ruger M77s, I've always had some kind of accuracy issue with them. I think Remington's taken their M798 out of the line, so if I were looking for a solid, Mauser-action rifle, I think I'd still have to lean to CZ.

I don't own a Savage centerfire rifle, so I can't really speak anything good or bad of them. They're popular, and they're economical. That accu-trigger thing looks like a solution to a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place, at least to me.

Value-wise though, I'd recommend the Weatherby Vanguard. The one I own is well-made, accurate, and it's the cheapest centerfire I own. While mine's chambered in .300 Weatherby, I wouldn't hesitate looking at one in .30-06. A number of grades of wood, as well as the ubiquitous synthetic stocks are all available. It looks like Weatherby's website is listing these at MSRP of $599 now, so they've gone up a bit in the last couple of years, but I think I'd prefer the Vanguard over a M700 SPS at the same price point.

What you save on the rifle - spend on upgrading the glass you plan to top it with.

700, the rem. 700 sps is a good choice in 30-06. it comes with a synthetic stock, adjustible trigger. its drilled for a scope. i got mine from cabelas and it came with a 3x9 scope. it cost $499 plus tax. i load my own ammo for it and it shoot well with the load i use.

Exactly...

I went to a sporting goods store today and held all the models. I must say the savage feels like a great gun (111). One that also stood out was the Tikka. The bolt on that thing felt smooth as butter and light as a feather. However it was a little on the pricey side. Can't say that I liked the M77 as much, the action felt cheap and wobbly. And the 700 will always be on my most wanted list, very light and just looks sexy!

They didn't carry any vanguard's there but those are a little on the pricey side as well.

Looks like I have plenty of research to do!

Don't pass up the second hand rack. Your dollar will go a lot further. There are gems to be found there. You could do worse than a S&W 30-06 from the 60's or 70's which was made by Husqvarna or for that matter a Husqvarna. My local shop has a older Sako L61 on the rack. Nice rifle, nice price but I don't need it.

I know people will say why buy another person's problem. But the fact is is that most rifles on the second hand rack are not there because they had problems. Most are not worn out. They are barely broken in. They are there because the owner died, wanted to change, needed the money, had not used it years, or whatever.

It will be difficult to find a better all around cartridge than the 30.06 Spr. As you have cited there is a wide array of factory ammo available from plinker stuff to hard hitting relatively heavy 30 cal. bonded bullet loads. As far as make ... there are a myriad of good choices. The Remington 700, Ruger 77, Savage 110 or 111, Browning A or X bolt, Winchester 70, etc. My favorite is a Styer Pro-Hunter. I have several Model 700's and all shoot lights out. However, I am not a fan of either the Rem. 710 or 770. I know nothing first hand about the Ruger "American".

As far as buying at a "gun show" .... buyer beware. A lot of junk makes the trip to the gun show. Unless you know how to spot flaws, be very careful buying at a gun show. Some of these are nit nuch more than traveling "circuses" and you'll never see the dude again until next "gun show season". A deal that is too good to be true ain't likely a good deal !

I think that you'd come out better looking at a reputable gun shop that handles used rifles or buying a used rifle from some one that you know and trust. To give you a good example, go to Marks Outdoors web site .... which is in Vestavia, Al. for a good idea of typical quality used gun and used scope prices.

As for scope .... do not scrimp. The factory "packages" deals do not incorporate a "quality" scope. Buy the best that you can afford.

Take a look at these;

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/weatherby-vanguard-rifle-vgs270nr4o-winchester-griptonite-stock-stainless-finish-p-121954.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/marlin-bolt-action-rifle-xl7270-winchester-black-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-117249.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/ruger-hawkeye-bolt-action-rifle-hmk77rfp-7119-winchester-black-synthetic-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-99578.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/tikka-lite-bolt-action-rifle-jrtb318-winchester-bolt-action-black-synthetic-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-90826.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/remington-stainless-bolt-action-rifle-7267-winchester-black-synthetic-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-86358.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/howa-1500-rifle-whogue-stock-hgr62612-winchester-bolt-action-black-synthetic-stock-stainless-steel-finish-p-99595.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/savage-116fcss-weather-warrior-rifle-17799-bolt-action-black-stock-stain-steel-finish-wdbm-p-86703.html

http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/thompson-center-icon-weathershield-rifle-5547-winchester-synthetic-stock-weathershield-finish-p-112298.html

Handle them all and pick the one that whispers in yer ear.

Good luck and enjoy the buying experience!

Buy a Remington 700 ADL in black synthetic stock. You should be able to buy one for $350 or less. It has open sights and can be used to shoot and kill game as is. When you have some extra money -- I'm suggesting doing this in a two-step process -- buy a good scope and mount that on the rifle. Don't let people tell you that you can't take big game without a telescopic sight. You can. Most big game animals are taken at relatively short range. All of my deer have been taken at 150 yards or less (1 at 15 yards, 1 at 20 yards, and 1 at 35 yards). Of my two elk, 1 was taken at 60 yards the other at maybe 200 yards. I'm guessing I could have taken that 200 yard elk with open sights, though the shot was at 15 minutes after sundown (legal shooting extended to 30 minutes after sundown) and though I was 55 years old then.

All of my big game rifles have telescopic sights. I love telescopic sights. But cost seems to be an object to you at this time. When you have saved some more money, go buy a Leupold VX-III 3.5-10x for about $500. Now if you have $850 available now, by all means buy the rifle and the scope now.

Don't figure this will be the last rifle you ever buy. You will probably buy others. You can look at this rifle as a backup for all your hunting further on down the road. I personally like wood stocked rifles for their aesthetic value, but if I were going to go hunting in inclement weather I would leave my wood stocked rifles in the dry and take my Remington 700 ADL with synthetic stock in .30-06 out to hunt.

Another vote for Savage (I shoot their mod 116-weather warrior 30-06). A good budget shooter to look at is Mossberg's ATR 100.

The Howa 1500/Weatherby Vanguard are decent too.