Looking for a new rifle

Remy,700,7mag :thumb

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

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

:))

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

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?

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

"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

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.

ya really need two...a .222 .223 .224 .225 for varmints
and a 7mm rem mag or 7mmSTW or 7mm wby mag for western big game.

Everyone is talking about how far and how fast, what happen to hunting, not long range shooting?

I have rifles that have and will hit targets at 1000yds, I don’t shoot elk or deer at that distance (any more, yes I have killed animals at long range), I enjoy getting closer now days, I enjoy hunting and out smarting my quarry.

Any of the caliber will do the job, personnel choice is 30-06 with 165gr at 2850fps, this has dropped any elk or deer that I have done my part on.

Shot placement

I agree with M. Bird. I don't care how wide open the area you are hunting is you can get a lot closer than 600 yards.

"CK1" wrote:I agree with M. Bird. I don't care how wide open the area you are hunting is you can get a lot closer than 600 yards.

These guys have it exactly right. :thumb

I got a remington 700 chambered in 300 win mag. All factory. with a leupold vx-III 3.5-10x40. and made a custom load for it. This year i shot my cow elk at 821 yds. cant beat it.

I have always shot a 7mm. Bought my first Ruger in 7mm when I was 17. The barrel got rusted so I had to buy a new one. All my buddies tried to talk me into a Rem700. I did some research and decided on a Savage also in 7mm. I handloaded my own ammo and am able to put 3 shots in a penny size hole. Cant complain with that. I have not missed an animal with it yet. Thought he longest shot has only just over 500yrds. I have a Zeiss Conquest 4.5x14x44 scope on it that I want to put target reticles on so I can practice at long range. I have alway been able to close the distance on the game that I hunt but long range looks to be fun as long as you practice at it and take an ethical shot. I hunt mule deer and elk.

Ive got a Tikka T3 in 300WSM thats a dream to pack and shoots much better than I can so that would be my top choice, and with a burris 3x9 with ballistic plex reticle I can stroke em out to 400yds all day. As for Savages my brother has a model 110 that extremely reasonable ie cheap that shoots 3/4" groups at 100yd in 30/06. So you could probably get away with a savage for around $300 and another $300 for something like a Burris 4.5x14 and be well on your way to an inexpensive medium range(4-500yd) gun.

This is that old Ford or Chevy argument but all those rifles and cartridges will work fine for you. Me personally I like the Tikka T3 and the 300wsm. They are all capable of the distance you mentioned too and once hit in the right spot "Dead is Dead" as they say.

The 7mm and 6.5's have had a lot of attention lately because of high BC bullet offerings in VLD bullets but it is a fact that the 300 magnums have won more 1000 yard competitions than any other cartridge. Most of the time when you see comparisons it is done so to show ones personal bias towards a cartridge and not always apples to apples.

Again, they are great choices just look at those mentioned and see which one you fall in love with. You won't go wrong.

I bought the remington 700 .300 ultra mag this past summer. I got the ultra mag for longer distance shots(500+ yards), shot it 3 times at the range spot on, and dropped my first 6x6 elk with one shot this fall. Highly recommend the gun, its a lot of power, but you can shoot a smaller grain of bullet and it'll still be a perfect deer rifle if needed.

I switched from a 30-06 to a 300 win mag and absolutely love it

If i was on that budget, I would consider buying or trading(encore barrel) into a "used" long action rifle with a cheap scope on it, and transport the action into a new stock(Boyds FT). Pillar bed, glass bed, and free float the barrel yourself. Sell the old stock and cheap scope for extra boot toward a descent scope. This is what I did on a savage 110 7mm rem mag. Total investment $500-$530. Good luck.

Remington model 700, in 300 win mag.

Kevin

I know I'm a tad late on this one... for the price that you are looking at and the distance as well, I would look into a 300 Win Mag or 300 RUM (too much gun for me haha) Here in Logan, Cal Ranch has the Remington 700 ADL going for around $400. If I'm not mistaken, that was for the stainless model. Either caliber has plenty of knock down power and has harvested tons of big animals. I agree with the optics, some sort of glass with a BDC reticle would be necessary for those longer shots.

Remington SPS 300 Ultra. Have one. Love it. Now for a couple of my own thoughts on the taking of game. There is too much emphasis these days on seeing how far one can cleanly take critters. That's all well and good. IF you put in the range time, and the money into the equipment necessary to relibly and humainly take game at those ranges. There needs to be more emphasis on knowing the game,their habitat,and their ways. Marksmanship will never replace woodsmanship in the long run.
I guess I may as well say this too. I wouldn't,and don't buy a rifle based solely on B.C. My 300 RUM is a tweaked sporter weight bedded in a BDL stock that will put 168gr A-Maxes into one hole as long as you care to endure it. (no brake). All good fun to say the least. If you so desire,the Remington Managed Recoil ammo gives sub MOA accuracy as well out to 400yds in my particular rig. Not a bad choice for whitetails if I have to say so myself. Then again,If I so desire I'll break out the 200 Accu-Bonds. Sub MOA as well to 400yds with way more poop than any of us really need. I'm having a 284 built on a trued 700 Long action ,24" #4 Shilen,Holland lug,new firing pin assy,B&C M40 A1 stock skim bedded and a Leupy 4X-12X. Not for the BC,or to take game at 800 yds. Just because I never had one yet,and I'll likely use it on PA whitetails only. The thing is,my 300 RUM is so utterly flexible. Easy to load for. And nobody can deny it's credentials at the extended ranges. Not even the 7mm fellas. I've made several references to the 400yd mark. Thats my ideal. I practice out to 400 a lot. I'm totally comfortable to that range. Would I shoot farther? Sure. But ONLY if I can't possibly get to my comfort zone.(my drop chart goes to 600). If you hone your equipment and skills to the extreme ranges thats great. I love to see rifles taken to their limits. But we can't let the art of "hunting" fall by the side of the road.