RE: The ultimate newbie here...
 

I say get the -06. load it down to 55 grain accelerators to explode woodchucks or up to 220 grain Round Noses to Drop Bear. Mine loves 150 - 165 Nosler Ballsitic tips to put a hurtin on Deer:D 7mm Mags while nice, are not my 1st choice - if nothing other than personal preference.

RE: The ultimate newbie here...
 

I perfer the .30-06 too. I've almost got my new one ready, just waiting on the stock to be camo dipped (New MossyOak Break-up). It's a Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker w/ Leupold PRW Rings & bases w/ a Zeiss Conquest 3-9X40.

RE: The ultimate newbie here...
 

welcome aboard.

RE: The ultimate newbie here...
 

You know the gun is important but another couple of items that are sometimes over looked is a good fixed blade knife and a set of binoculars do not skimp on the knife as I have found when buying a less expensive knife I have to do twice the work. Also check into the local walmart are sportinggoods store for the rules abd regulations in your area for example some states require a hunters education course I took the one here in Texas and even though I have been hunting my whole life I found it very educational. Welcome aboard and thnaks for your service to our great nation,

RE: The ultimate newbie here...
 

i feel the exact same way zoomer. i'm getting a rem 700 bdl in 30-06. and that was the deciding factor. the versatility of the cartridge.

RE: The ultimate newbie here...
 

A few things to consider when choosing a cartridge and loads.

Firstly,most guns will not shoot the full range of available bullet weights accurately.In other words if you buy one of the cartridges that uses a .308" bullet,don't expect it to shoot all weights from 110gr to 220gr accurately.The reason for this is that the rate of twist of the rifling can't be optimum for such a large variation in bullets.Usually the best accuracy is obtained within a given range usually from 150gr to 180gr or perhaps 165gr to 200gr in .308".In 7mm the optimum accuracy range is usually 120gr to 160gr or 140gr to 175gr.Of course these ranges do vary from rifle to rifle and bullet to bullet.

Concerning the accelerators used to fire .223" bullets in barrels designed for .308"bullets;accuracy is very inconsistant.Some guns shoot them reasonably well but they they shoot patterns rather than groups in many rifles.

Switching bullets or loads back and forth when hunting different animals does have it's drawbacks.Since it is common for different bullets to shoot to different points of aim you must recheck the point of impact whenever you change loads.Secondly,different loads have different trajectories which means that you must learn more than one trajectory and must always be aware of the trajectory for the load that you are using which can cause problems when buck fever kicks in.I have witnessed this situation myself in hunting situations.A good way to prevent these problems is to select one load suitable for all of you big game hunting that shoots accurately in your gun.Then you need only have one sight in and one trajectory to remember.Simpler means less chance of a mistake and a missed or wounded animal.

RE: The ultimate newbie here...
 

Welcome! Watch out for this bunch!;)

RE: The ultimate newbie here...
 

I think I've found my rifle. It's a Tikka T3 Lite Stainless. It has exactly what I've been looking for with a guarantee for sub moa. Can't beat that, just have to do my part now. I know I can from the bench, but heart pounding sixteen pointer (haha, yeah right) in my scope will make it a different story.

If you have any opinions on this rifle, do tell.

RE: The ultimate newbie here...
 

I have heard that Savage rifles are one of the most accurate out of the box rifles on the market. The only Savages that I have personally handled lacked a little in the "fit and finish" department for my taste, but overall looked like a great value. I would personally look at a slightly smaller caliber (270, 30 06, 300 WSM). I have owned a couple of Remington Sendero 7 mags and felt like the recoil was a little stiff. I am now shooting a 300 WSM and LOVE it.

Good luck with your rifle choice and your move.

RE: The ultimate newbie here...
 

You found the sendero's in 7mmrem to have stiff recoil yet you love the 300wsm?The sendero's are quite heavy and most wsm's are lighter than average so the recoil should be noticeably greater with the 300 wsm. Perhaps the sendero stocks just didn't fit you properly.