Looking for a new rifle

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BlueMountainHunter8
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Looking for a new rifle

Post by BlueMountainHunter8 » Fri Dec 31, 2010 5:06 pm

Im looking for a new rifle for mule deer and elk hunting. It needs to have pretty good knock down power at long distancas because im going to be hunting in the wide open so it has to be good at 600 yards. My budget is about 500 dollars since i am a college student. Would love some suggestions on what caliber and what model. Thank you

BIG R
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Re: Looking for a new rifle

Post by BIG R » Fri Dec 31, 2010 8:34 pm

Remy,700,7mag :thumb

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killerbee
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Re: Looking for a new rifle

Post by killerbee » Fri Dec 31, 2010 9:23 pm

BIGR, a 7 mag> are you serious??? thats like a guy wanting info on the toughest truck out there, and someone mentions an isuzu trooper :)) 10sign: :thumb lol


sorry, just couldn't resist- And it was just humor, not really a personal jab :thumb

my choice would be a good ol' tikka t-3 in a 300 short mag,( well my all time favorite is the 300 wby, but it's expencive to shoot)

the factory tikka is so hard to beat- FULLY adjustable trigger, sub MOA from the factory, light, and tough!( by-the-way, i dont even own one, BUT I WILL)

remmy 700, yea- great gun, i do have two of them, wouldn't replace them for nothing either.

but i've always wonder why anyone would choose a 7mm over a 300 win, or even a 30-06??

my BARNES re-loading manual shows a "7mm remington magnum" 160 gr bullet at 2800-3000 fps, the same book shows a 30-06, 165 gr bullet at 2800-3000 fps.

although the lighter bullet will mainain speed longer- i'll take the KE of a 30 caliber bullet anyday. i can adjust for drop, but you cant adjust for kenetic energy

my ol' outfitter boss use to have a saying, "the words MAGNUM AND TURBO" have sold more useless products than anything. true with a 7mm MAGNUM, what makes it a MAGNUM? the belt? it sure doesn't show it in performance. pull the belt of the case , and all you have is a .280 remington, loaded A little hot.( 50-100 fps) but its a "magnum"


:-k

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Re: Looking for a new rifle

Post by BIG R » Fri Dec 31, 2010 10:03 pm

I'm getting 3200 fps out of a 168 gr vld and the bc is better than that of a 300 @ A 1000 YDS.I have killed elk out to just over 800 yds with this round and know other people that have also. :thumb

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killerbee
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Re: Looking for a new rifle

Post by killerbee » Fri Dec 31, 2010 10:29 pm

:))

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Springville Shooter
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Re: Looking for a new rifle

Post by Springville Shooter » Sat Jan 01, 2011 10:14 am

Here's why I chose 7MM over 30 for my main go-to. True, the 30 will throw up much better muzzle velocities with bullets of similar weight such as 150 and 160 grain. What alot of people don't pay attention to is the little BC number that is very small and hidden compared to MV. Let's use the 150 Nosler BT loaded in the 30-06 vs the 7MM rem. The bullet has a co-efficient of .493 in the 7MM and .435 in the .30. A reasonable load for the o6 is starts this bullet at 2900fps. The 7mag flings them out right at 3100 with common loads. The 300 win gets them going at around 3250 or so. Check out the difference in down-range performance:

30-06 7MM 300 Win

Range FPS Drop
0 2900 -1.5, 0 3100 -1.5, 0 3300 -1.5
100 2687 0, 100 2903 0, 100 3067 0
200 2483 -3.3, 200 2714 -2.6, 200 2845 -2.2
300 2289 -12.3, 300 2533 -10, 300 2635 -8.7
400 2103 -27.9, 400 2359 -22.7, 400 2433 -20.2
500 1926 -51.2, 500 2192 -41.9, 500 2241 -37.6
600 1759 -84.3, 600 2031 -68.1, 600 2058 -62.0


Here's what I get out of this data;

1. The 30-06 does not campare to the 7MM after 300yds
2.The 7mm only uses around 4 more grains of powder than the 06 to get this performance.
3.The 300 Win only has appreciable difference after400yds.
4. The 300 Win uses at least 10 grains more powder to get these results, giving a considerable amount more recoil and muzzle-blast.

All are good choices, but if I could only have one of these it would be the 7MM for me. ----SS
"Only accurate rifles are interesting"-----Col. Townsend Whelen

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Re: Looking for a new rifle

Post by sneekeepete » Sat Jan 01, 2011 10:30 am

IMO the Tikka T-3 is your best choice for rifle and I would have to say chambered in 7mm or 300 WSM are both great calibers for what you are talking about. What are your plans for optics though? Without the right optics shots as far as you mentioned can be very difficult especially in low light conditions. Have you also bugeted for somthing that will allow you to use the ballistics in one of these rounds?
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Springville Shooter
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Re: Looking for a new rifle

Post by Springville Shooter » Sat Jan 01, 2011 11:45 am

From the rifles that I have personally worked on, the Weatherby Vanguard and the Savage seem to edge out the Tikka in that price range, though the T3 does shoot very good for the money as well. Pick up all three and take home the one that fits you best and you can't go wrong. Pete has a great point, as far as a relialble 600 yard package for $500.00, I can't think of any rifle/ scope combo that can be had together for that price. Shooting 600yds at game requires a precision scope that has either a BDC reticle, or adjustable target style knobs. In my opinion, the bottom of the line scopes for this kind of work will run you at least $300.00. Realistically, if you want to shoot 600 yards at deer, plan on spending about $800.00-$900.00 on your rifle/scope combo, then plan on spending another $300-$400 on ammo to become proficient at those ranges.-----SS
"Only accurate rifles are interesting"-----Col. Townsend Whelen

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Re: Looking for a new rifle

Post by m gardner » Sat Jan 01, 2011 12:08 pm

Springville Shooter wrote:From the rifles that I have personally worked on, the Weatherby Vanguard and the Savage seem to edge out the Tikka in that price range, though the T3 does shoot very good for the money as well. Pick up all three and take home the one that fits you best and you can't go wrong. Pete has a great point, as far as a relialble 600 yard package for $500.00, I can't think of any rifle/ scope combo that can be had together for that price. Shooting 600yds at game requires a precision scope that has either a BDC reticle, or adjustable target style knobs. In my opinion, the bottom of the line scopes for this kind of work will run you at least $300.00. Realistically, if you want to shoot 600 yards at deer, plan on spending about $800.00-$900.00 on your rifle/scope combo, then plan on spending another $300-$400 on ammo to become proficient at those ranges.-----SS
Reality. :thumb

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sneekeepete
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Re: Looking for a new rifle

Post by sneekeepete » Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:17 pm

I had forgotten about the great deals on the Weatherby Vangaurds as well as the Savages. For some reason I was remembering them being just a hair more spendy than they are. Shooter I think you are spot on with the optics, rifle, and ammo pricing.
IMO buy the best you can and become as efficient as you can at stalking.
SNEEKEEPETE
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Colossians 1:27,28

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