RIFLES+ME=CONFUSED.

So im completely green when it comes to rifles. The only one i have ever owned is my .22 savage, i love it and am a very good shot with it and all so, Now i have decided i want to buy a "BIG" rifle but i need some help. I will probably be using it mostly for coyotes, foxes, and any other varmint i come across, but i want one that will be able to put down a deer or maybe even an elk. I was thinking 7mm mag or maybe a 25-06 since i had friends with those guns and they seemed to match my goals?? what do you guys think?
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firefighterbraun
I actually started out with the same gun you did. A savage .22. Its a fun little gun. I'm not huge into the varmint/predator hunting. Though I try to get out and take care of the local coyotes every once in a while. But what we got for guns is a Rem 770 .270 which is the wifes deer killer. Its a good gun and not too expensive. Only issue with that is the bolt is not super smooth but for the price you can't beat it....and it comes in all calibers too. Also got a Stevens 30-06 which is my deer and elk gun and I love it. Also got a Traditions .50 muzzleloader among some other shotguns and pistols. But overall I think if you're looking for a good all around gun to use on big game too I would say at least a .243 if not the .270. Hope you get some more help on this since I am not a huge varmint hunter! :thumb
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sneekeepete
Considering everything you just said I would say go for a .270. It is enough gun for deer and elk but won't break your bank shooting a lot. Ammo is usually available most places too. The 7mm and 25-06 are also great choices as well as about a million more. But like I said considering what you said you wanted it for I would reccomend the a .270. :thumb
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model70
I agree that the 270 would be an excellent choice. The good old 30-06 would be a great caliber to look at also. Both would be very easy to buy factory ammo for. The 30-06 would offer a little better bullet selection for factory ammo. You could not go wrong with either one in my opinion.
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i shoot a Ruger M77 .270 iv shot coyotes, deer, and elk with it also own a 30-06 but prefer my .270 due to the bullet drop i have experienced on the 30-06 but i do still love it as a fun gun to go shoot with and with practice performs just as well as any other gun out there but +1 on the .270 or 30-06
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NONYA
buy a 7mag and never need another
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9er
"NONYA" wrote:buy a 7mag and never need another
 amen
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Springville Shooter
I'd agree to choose between the 270 and the 7mm mag as you can get the best factory stuff for these choices. Factory loads for the 25-06 and especially the 30-06 are poor unless you shoot the highest price premium ammo.-----------SS
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Loafer
If you can call some friends who have bigger rifles and ask if they will take you out to shoot'em. Magnums are great because they can kill big and small and near and far, but they are magnums so you want to be sure you can manage the recoil. It may be good to go with a .270 or 30-06 and step up to magnums later. Out of those two I lke the .270.
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NotEnufTags
"NONYA" wrote:buy a 7mag and never need another
 +2

I've used a 30-06 for 22 years. It's enough gun, but i've found lately that I'd like something with a little flatter path out to it's Max Point Blank Range and with less drop as you continue past 300 yards.

If I were buying a first big game rifle right now, I'd look at the 300 win mag, 300 wsm, or a 7 mm mag. Of those the 7mm mag and 300 win mag seem to have the most availble factory ammo. They both will give you a great gun from your coyotes through your elk. Let us know what you decide on.
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Huge29
I like the 7 mag too, however you mentioned that you will primarily be after coyotes and fox. Well, there is really only one obvious caliber that can do both with an emphasis on the smaller varmints, that of the .243. It certainly is not the best for varmints and far from the best for big game, but overall can do both reasonably well. I hit a fox with my 7 mag simply because I was on a family farm where cats are disappearing and here comes the fox, knowing no deer were around----I shot it from about 50 yards with a 175 gr hollow point. As you can imagine, Mr. fox multiplied. If you are into the pelts, it is simply not an option with the big boys. Good luck! If I were you, I would look at the budget and buy just what you want right now for what you will do the most now, sounds like varmints. For that, get the .223 or 22-250 and down the road a little get a 7mag or 30-06; I have all of these and each one is for a different scenario of hunting. You just have to figure out the story of how to justify it to the wife...that is the only hard part, choosing and saving money is much easier than obtaining permission. Besides, they are a great investment if you know how to buy them right.
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amp713
"Huge29" wrote:I like the 7 mag too, however you mentioned that you will primarily be after coyotes and fox. Well, there is really only one obvious caliber that can do both with an emphasis on the smaller varmints, that of the .243. It certainly is not the best for varmints and far from the best for big game, but overall can do both reasonably well. I hit a fox with my 7 mag simply because I was on a family farm where cats are disappearing and here comes the fox, knowing no deer were around----I shot it from about 50 yards with a 175 gr hollow point. As you can imagine, Mr. fox multiplied. If you are into the pelts, it is simply not an option with the big boys. Good luck! If I were you, I would look at the budget and buy just what you want right now for what you will do the most now, sounds like varmints. For that, get the .223 or 22-250 and down the road a little get a 7mag or 30-06; I have all of these and each one is for a different scenario of hunting. You just have to figure out the story of how to justify it to the wife...that is the only hard part, choosing and saving money is much easier than obtaining permission. Besides, they are a great investment if you know how to buy them right.
 hahahahahahahahaha only one comment on that besides thanks. and it is "SINGLE" lol
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I'd go for the all round big caliber and get a .300 Win Mag. Easy to find ammo for and prices are good. Easy to reload in the future if you ever get into that. You can kill anything in North America with it and not have to worry if you have enough bullet or velocity to do the job. From Moose and Bears to Coyotes and Fox. Gets the job done. Depending on how much your budget is.. out of the box you can't beat the Remington .300 Win Mag in the Sendero. Awesome! Get a good scope to go with it and you will be deadly out and beyond 500 yards.. with lots of practice of course.. :)
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+1 for the .243

If you take Elk out of your requirements list or it's just a "nice to have", the .243 is your round. .243 is an excellent varmint cartridge and with the right bullet is good deer medicine. You say you currently own a Savage .22. The jump to a 300WM or similar belted cartridge is going to get your attention for sure...and even the venerable 30-06 can pack a whallop with heavier bullets.

The .243 is mild on the recoil, the ammo is cheaper than other options and just as readily available as the 30-06 and .270 options. Above all you are going to want to be accurate and that means practicing a lot. I personally am more likely to practice if I know I'm not going to get the snot kicked out of me an hour or two at a time. No sense in developing a flinch with your new rifle.

All that being said, the fine folks in this post have given you a lot of good options. If Elk is a definite yes, then 30-06 or 270 gets the nod. For my money, I'd avoid the jump to belted mags due to ammo expense and the whack in the shoulder.

Just my $0.02.
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amp713
well i do hunt with muzzelloaders so i dont think the recoil should be to bad in comparison....
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Over the years, I played the Magnum game #-o and found as wisdom overcame the enthusiasm of youth, I prefer less recoil for several reasons including pain, noise, faster second shot and more. Recoil is easy to figure as it's basically bullet weight and the amount of powder versus the weight of the rifle. 7mm mags, 300 Win and Weatherby mags are powder hungry and recoil beasts. Try a day of practice shooting 100 rds or so with the big mags versus a 243 and see which gives bests accuracy. :thumb

I have an 06 as a primary rifle now and I'll freely admit I much prefer the .308, same bullet, less powder and almost the same velocity! The clincher between the two is that bigaboo, recoil! :>/ My carbine is a very light 30-06 and a full blown 180 gn bullet slaps the snot out of you! ](*,) I had a similar weight carbine in .308 that was much more pleasant to shoot. The long action rounds are just not as efficient as the short action rounds and you'll get a much more pleasant and thereby, practice inviting round, by going to a.308 versus the 30-06; a 7mm-08 over the 280 Rem Express; or a .257 Roberts over the 25-06; and the nice thing is you don't lose much at all! In short steer clear of the Mags, look hard at short action rounds such as the .257, the 7mm-08 and the .308 or even the old 7x57 Mauser, an almost identical round to the 7mm-08. :)
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The Ox
if ya wanna shoot cheaper ammo id say 30-06 or even 308 . if ammo price isnt as big a factor 7mm or 300 win

if your looking for a good gun for a good price the savage rifles are very accurate and affordable.
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If the OP is still looking for advice. OP if you are only going to seldomly hunt elk, I would go with the .270. If you can become a good shot with a .270 you should be able to take an elk at 300 yards without a problem. The .270 is the best deer cartridge IMO and it is slightly undersized for Elk when comparing to the big bores, but it does its job. If you are going to use the rifle for primarily elk hunting, I would definitely go with a short mag.
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My advice, FWIW:

Go with a .270 or a .308.

Of those two, I like the .308, but that's just me. 30-06 is the traditional "do it all caliber" for North America but I'm finding that having a modest variety of calibers would be best, depending on what one hunts. I myself have a .22 LR, .223, .308, and to finalize the range I'm considering a 9.3x62.

Biker
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DeadI
I have a really nice Weather by 300 WIN Mag I will sell you. Great gun for deer and elk. And you can't beat the price either. 450 $. It has a muzzle brake installed and leupold rings and base.
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I forgot to add:

If it were me, and being that you don't have a lot of rifle trigger time, I'd get a .223 and shoot the heck out of it. You're already doing that with the .22LR, but now it may be time to step up a notch.

The .223 can be used on coyotes, does very well as a poodle shooter, and ammo is plentiful. This will help you to get used to shooting. Another nice thing, minimal recoil. After the .223 I'd look at working my way up the ladder and going with a .308 Winchester. After that, then decide what larger caliber you want. You may decide you don't need a larger caliber, who knows? You will however have the expirience to help you make an informed decision.

Biker
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Have you looked into a .308? It's a great caliber for an all around gun. It has it's limitations like almost every caliber, but it's a great all around cartridge. If you keep your shots to reasonable distances, you'll have no problem taking down a deer, elk or whatever comes across your path. It has mild recoil and I think it could be a contender in your decision making.
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257wby
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spoofman
i shoot the heck out of the .308 and love it. I have killed elk and varmints with it. I now own 6 of them. Once you buy a caliber and shoot it you will get used to its performance and the distances then your confidence grows and the rest is history as far as missed shots. It is heavy enough to kill elk which I have hunted with others that shot .270's and struggled with taking down a bigger animal. they did not shoot much and so accuracy was an issue. But the 30 caliber range makes up for some error either way for the novice shooters.
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