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Rifle recommendations

fencer

fencer

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I am looking for advice on the best rifle to buy that is a compromise between a decent deer rifle and a decent target rifle. I was thinking about the Remmington 700 XCR. Does anyone have any feedback as well as caliber recommendations?

I have also heard good things about the Savage as well.

As always, your advice and wisdom are greatly appreciated
 
i have 2 remington 700s
one is a sps.don't really like the stock
the other one is a 700 pss.i'll be buried with that one.remington rifles are very accurate and well worth the money
 
Savage 111 with scope on sale at Four Season's and Dick's.

This is for out of MA deer hunting, (since rifles are illegal here), I presume.
 
I may occasionally take it up north but will use it alot for target shooting.

I'd like to save the money by getting the Savage but I just can't shake the power of the Remington reputation
 
Coyote33 said:
Savage 111 with scope on sale at Four Season's and Dick's.

This is for out of MA deer hunting, (since rifles are illegal here), I presume.
Click to expand...

Just a clarification for those passing through: Rifles are only illegal for hunting deer in MA. Caliber restrictions apply in other circumstances.
 
Savage is an excellent rifle. And, the best value. Great shooter out of the box.
I'd check out the 111 in either .270 or .30-06.
.270 is a great round for hunting and can be loaded up well for long range target.
.30-06 is an excellent deer round and is extremely versatile. you can load or buy loads from 55 grain to 220. And, you can still shoot the same Sierra Match King 168 gr BTHP that 308 shooters love to use in matches. Target loads can be found or loaded for the .30-06 with ease.
There are more opinions than calibers out there and this is just mine.

Another one to checkout that is a little more on the fringe is the CZ 550 in 6.5x55. I'd check out the CZ 550 in general. Another very nice rifle.
The 6.5x55 is an excellent caliber for deer and one heck of a good target round as well.
 
fencer said:
I like the added effective range of the .30-06 but have been told that .308 is a "Flat" shooter and a better target rifle. Is the .308 under powered for a deer rifle?

Is the recoil of the .30-06 much greater?
Click to expand...

Yes/No .308 can be loaded up and 30-06 can be loaded down. The reason i suggest .308 is that it is more than sufficient for deer and is more common for target.

You will do fine with a 30-06 as well and they have taken more deer with that than any other cartridge.

both .308 and 30-06 are great calibers because mil serp ammo is available. So keep in mind the price of practice rounds goes up quite a bit when you get out of standard calibers.
 
Pretty tough to find a tactical team sniper unit that doesn't use a .308. there are other more exotic calibers that some teams use but if you showed up at a sniper competition with a .308 you'd have a lot of company.
 
I didn't see where he was looking for a sniper competition rifle, but the other thing to consider is if you'll go into woods where there are bear. If so, you may want something like a 300 Magnum or 30-06. If you are more into the deer than the target, you could also try .44 Magnum or .444 for woods hunting.
 
My understanding is that both .308 and .30-06 are widely available. However, if your in the middle of nowhere then .30-06 might be more easily found at the local gun shop if you needed some ammo.

Would this be innacurate information?
 
Well, not being a hunter, I can only pontificate here, but I found the 700 VTR pretty much useless for target with the stock stock, but was VERY light and seemed like a wonderful thing to have for hunting...

With a heavier B&C stock, it is a thing of beauty for target...

Right tool for the job seems to come into play here and I haven't seen anyone mention it... Not sure you want the same rifle for hunting and target, but that's just me...
 
rifle

think ahead.the savage is very accurate right out of box.and you can change
the caliber,simply by getting a new barrel.any thing over a 30/06 is more power than you need.and for target, load your own with cast bullets.my 1903 will put 5 rds into 1" at a hundred yrds.
 
rifle

think ahead.the savage is very accurate right out of box.and you can change
the caliber,simply by getting a new barrel.any thing over a 30/06 is more power than you need.and for target, load your own with cast bullets.my 1903 will put 5 rds into 1" at a hundred yrds.
 
Either the Savage or the Remington will make you happy .

My Mod 10 varmint in 308 is a tack driver .....even at 1000 yds .

I've always been a huge fan of the 700 though and have several in various calibers from bone stock to full blown custom .
 
I can only speak for myself when I say that my A-Bolt kicks enough to where I only shoot a box but my Bar I can shoot a few boxes. I carry a 9mm for any bear I might backup for.[wink]
 
ultramagbrion said:
Either the Savage or the Remington will make you happy .

My Mod 10 varmint in 308 is a tack driver .....even at 1000 yds .

I've always been a huge fan of the 700 though and have several in various calibers from bone stock to full blown custom .
Click to expand...

Did I read that right? 1000 yards? Are you pulling my leg?
 
I love my stainless a-bolt with boss (Muzzle break) in .300winmag. its loud but treats the shoulder nice, and is accurate and the synthetic stock is light and takes more abuse than a wood one. 308 and 30-06 are plenty big for deer, and most of the shots out here aren't more than a couple hundred yards MAX. where will you be hunting? i have a model 70 feather weight in 30-06 that i grew up with hunting elk in colorado which was also a great rifle.
 
My understanding is that target shooters who shoot at >600-700 yds usually opt for cartridges in a magnum caliber (338 lapua etc). The critical aspect for accuracy at long range is supposed to be maintaining supersonic velocities all the way to the target. I believe the common loadings for 308 will drop subsonic after considerably less than 1000 yds (maybe 600 yds?).

Either 30-06 or 308 should do for just great, and almost any bolt gun can change calibers within a certain range, short action 308's obviously can't convert to long action magnums etc.

I read that more deer have been taken with 30-30 than any other cartridge, but it is not one I would choose if target shooting interests you at all.
 
It really depends on what the definition of target shooting is. Most common loading used in competitive long range target shooting at 1000 yards is 7.62 or .308.

B
 
Thanks for all of the knowledge. This is a great forum.
I hope to get up to Northern NH next season but I figure that the longest shot I'd likely take to be about 300 yards due to terrain etc.

But here is a question for you all. If I am hunting in the Great North Woods and happen upon a bear, will I be wishing i had the .30-06 over the .308?.

I figure most of my target shooting will be limited to 300 yards as that is the greatest distance at the club I belong to.
 
But here is a question for you all. If I am hunting in the Great North Woods and happen upon a bear, will I be wishing i had the .30-06 over the .308?.


Nope a 308 comes within a couple hundred fps of an 06
but I'd never feel under gunned with a 30/30 for anything
in the Northeast if'n you can shoot.Magnumitis
never kills a bear-Shot placement does.
I have 30/30--35rem--308--30-06 and 444 rifles
and I prefer taking my 30-30
 
bpm990d said:
It really depends on what the definition of target shooting is. Most common loading used in competitive long range target shooting at 1000 yards is 7.62 or .308.

B
Click to expand...

I thought by "target", he meant practicing for deer season.

That being said, .270, .280, and 7mm are also good options to the .308 and 30-06.
 
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