skeeter 7MM

270, 7mm 08, 2506 all great choices for this situation IMO. I am not much for winchester rifles or leather slings but hey it isn't my setup. I personally would rather have a 40mm objective and if you want the best in the range of the VX III - I'd be looking at the Zeiss Conquest 3x9x40 as well. I have both leupold and zeiss scopes, IMO the Zeiss is superior of the 2.

reddog132

I think that's a great set up for a first rifle. Your friend won't be disappointed.

zekeskar

the only thought I'll add is the synthetic/stainless option with a synthetic, non-stick sling. This is the type of rifle I'm going to buy next after years with a standard grade Win 70 30-06 with a Leupold scope. I think it will be better for the rainy, muddy, rough conditions I'm seeing more of lately.

TomFromTheShade

The reason why I decided to go with the wooden stock and the leather sling was to give the rifle a little more familiar look to someone who probably hasn't ever handled a synthetic rifle. I know that a lot of people would go with a more powerful scope, or a scope with a larger objective lens, but I didn't for a few reasons. The 2.5-8x scope gives plenty of magnification for deer hunting, and the smaller objective lens is a good choice (in my opinion) for a few reasons. I've read that the human eye can only process as much light as a 40mm objective lens can provide, and between 36mm and 40mm I'm not going to nit pick. Also the smaller objective lens will allow me to mount the scope using lower mounts, getting the bell close to barrel for added accuracy. The smaller scope will also be nicer for carrying and look more proportionate on the rifle.

timbercruiser

I would get one of the new synthetic slings over the leather. They won't slip off the shoulder like theleather.

coolbrze0

Sounds like maybe $900 would be a good cost estimateof this gun. I got my 700 BDL 30-06 for $550 + $275 for the VX II 3-9x40 and $40 for the Leupold Dual Dovetail scope mounts & rings. $1500 may be a bit too high, but I didn't do exact prices of what he's looking for. Either way, he's going to enjoy it!!!

killer243

i am a big fan of leupold scopes and their customer survise is great however i think if i where spending that much on a scope i would go with the zeiss line because i think they make a much better scope then the vari x3 for the money. however i have a vari x2 on 3 of my rifles and for the price/performance i don't think they can be beat.
i think you made a great choice on the rifle though, it should make one hell of a deer rifle that will last a life time and then some.

by the way i think the 270 is one of the best all around deer caliber's out there.loaded with a quality 130 gr. bullet you can go from shooting deer out of swamps toshooting them on the other side of feilds

James B

I am getting a new 270 this year for deer hunting. I have hunted deer with about every caliber known to man. I long ago lost count of how many deer that I have taken with the 30-06. However, the 30-06 is just more gun than a guy would ever need for deer. I shot two with my 7600 30-06 last year and came to the conclusion that its just a bit much for deer. I alsao shot two with the 308 last year and four with the 25-06. All were good size Mule deer and all three rifles were more than plenty of gun. That said, sometimes you need or want a rifle that will reach way out there with plenty of left over power at 300 yards which is about as far as I am willing to shoot. I believe that while many rifles will do that job, the 270/280 are about as good as it gets for this duty. Good luck this season.

MikeVT

Remington 7400 30-06. Paid $300.00 12 years ago, still works great.

bow357

If only buying one rifle, get a 30/06. The variety of bullets is endless and as far as scopes are concerned, Burris, Leupold, Nikon, Redfield are good choices. I personally like Burris with the posi-lok system. You can bump it during airline travel and it won't get knocked off