Hunting rifle?

[Guest canynracer]

Hi,

I am thinking I want to learn to hunt, mainly deer now. I have never been. My question is...

what do you all think about the Remington 770 in .308?

I know nothing about rifles, is the .308 a good all around round? should I be looking at something else?

I want an entry level rifle, needs to be cheap in price and come with a scope, and be bolt action.

help out...

Edited October 26, 2008 by canynracer

[Rightwinger]

That would be a great rifle for getting into deer hunting. You might also want to check out anything in 30-06. Very comprable round.

[Guest canynracer]

did not know that!!! Thanks!!!

[xd shooter]

IMHO the round depends on what type of land you are giong to hunt. I have a 7mm Mag to hunt in a little longer distances & a .270 & a 30-30 for a little more brush guns.

[Guest 70below]

I prefer 30-06, I've used it for deer, moose, bear and caribou. Great round, and you can stock up on ammo (from CMP) for about half what .308 goes for. Right now, everyone is on a .308 kick, so you can get good deals on an '06 rifle.

[DaveTN]

I am thinking I want to learn to hunt,

Do you want the deer meat or are you doing it for the sport?

mainly deer now.

What are you planing on moving up to?

what do you all think about the Remington 770 in .308?

I’m not familiar with the 770. First, I would want to know if it’s really a Remington or a rebadged Russian rifle.

I know nothing about rifles, is the .308 a good all around round? should I be looking at something else?

Shooting a lot of .308 from a bolt at the range will be something you want to think about.

I finally broke down and bought a PAST Super Mag Plus Recoil Shield this past week.

I know nothing about rifles, is the .308 a good all around round? should I be looking at something else?

If all I wanted to do was shoot Deer and maybe do a little practicing I think I would go with a 30-06. I have sources for good cheap practice ammo for my 06’s. Because of the war the only cheap .308 ammo is junk…IMO.

For your hunting rounds themselves the cost of ammo will be the same.

I want an entry level rifle, needs to be cheap in price and come with a scope, and be bolt action.

I’m a Remington 700 fan for Bolts, but Savage has some packages with scopes pretty cheap, and the Savages are very good rifles.

Also… I know you said bolt, but last year Dick’s ran a Marlin 336 with a scope for $319. 30/30 lever is a great deer rifle.

help out...

Until you are ready to get into the good stuff; buy used and buy stuff that you can flip and get your money back. Like everything else; shooting rifles is habit forming and it is expensive. As you get more experience that cheap stuff won’t make the grade and you will want to move up. In a year or two you will be spending more on a scope that you have budgeted right now for the whole package.

[Rightwinger]

I agree on the Savage rifles.

My first personally bought (as in not from my father) was a Savage 110 with the Bushnell scope package Walmart used to sell. This was back in 1991 and I still have both the rifle and scope. The scope is now on my muzzle loader and the rifle has had a nice thumbhole wood stock put under it but it still shoots right there with all my much more expensive rifles.

The new Savage triggers are apparently match grade stuff so would be great to get into hunting with.

Heck, put a WTB up Canynracer and see what comes at ya. You'll probably get a great deal as well as a proven rifle from one of the members here.

[deerslayer]

You can't go wrong with a .308, especially around here. You won't encounter any deer at any range that will justify buying a 300 Super Ultra +P+ Magnum. Many would be shocked to learn how little difference in trajectory there is between, say a .270 and a .300 Winchester Magnum at 300 yards. In fact, the military reliably snipes out past 800 yards with the .308. I'm not that familiar with the 770, and would prefer a bare-bones 700 or Winchester 70.

DaveTN is on to something when he advises you to reconsider if you will be shooting a lot from a bench. You're a stout enough guy, but I suspect some kids may want to come along sooner or later. The 770 is probably relatively light, and a few rounds from a bench may make younger deer hunters flinch a little.

Dick's Sporting Goods had the 770 w/ a 3-9 scope for $319 last weekend (not sure if that price is still good). I'm sure it's a cheaper scope, probably a Bushnell or Tasco, but for $319, you can't go wrong. One thing to watch for on cheaper variable power scopes is a changing point of impact when changing magnification. In other words, at 4X, it's dead on. Move it to 9X, POI may move a little.

Edited October 26, 2008 by deerslayer

[Guest logansdad]

I vote for the Savage package, too. Caliber for deer is really very preferential - .270, .308, .30-06, and many others will do the job adequately on deer. Since cost seems to be a serious consideration in your choice, check out ammo prices for the various calibers and factor this into your decision.

As DaveTN states above, you should think of the bigger, long-term picture when making your selection. I can shoot a deer with this rifle today, but what will I ask of it tomorrow?

[Almond27]

I vote for the Savage package, too. Caliber for deer is really very preferential - .270, .308, .30-06, and many others will do the job adequately on deer. Since cost seems to be a serious consideration in your choice, check out ammo prices for the various calibers and factor this into your decision.

As DaveTN states above, you should think of the bigger, long-term picture when making your selection. I can shoot a deer with this rifle today, but what will I ask of it tomorrow?

Whoa that last question is a damn good one I never thought of that.

[Smith]

I gotta go with the Savage 110. You can't beat the price and it will be more than accurate out of the box. I personally think the .270 is a better all round cartridge. You can use it for everything from varmint (light loads) up to elk or even moose with heavy loads.

[towerclimber37]

IMHO the round depends on what type of land you are giong to hunt. I have a 7mm Mag to hunt in a little longer distances & a .270 & a 30-30 for a little more brush guns.

+1!

In Tn, you can go with a scoped 30 30 and do pretty much what ever you need...unless you're shooting from one mountain to the other.

if you want to go cheap..you can pick up an old bold action service rifle and scope it.

I've seen it done for under 400 dollars (the glass was more expensive than the rifle)

[Guest canynracer]

As DaveTN states above, you should think of the bigger, long-term picture when making your selection. I can shoot a deer with this rifle today, but what will I ask of it tomorrow?

WOW..thanks guys!!!

Dave, to answer your question about food or sport, answer is both...

to the above question: I am thinking 308 cause I also want to "play" a bit and learn long range (sniping) skills...I am really looking for the "all around" rifle...I wont be hunting this year, but I plan on it next year. I want to practice a lot, and recently have this overwhelming desire to learn the art of long range shooting. (this is what you get from watching the military channel about snipers, and long range rifle competitions)

I looked at the Savage..I like them..I also like the rem 700...

now, what I DONT like about the 770 is the bolt, seems small and fragile...should that be a concern? Is the bolt considered the "Action"?

Also, I have heard that I want a "Heavy Barrel" (Bull barrel?) if I want long distance...is there truth to that?

the cost of ammo is a little concerning, but I think I can afford the 308..now if the 30/06 goes just as far, well then, I would rather get that!! LOL

as far as the recoil, well, I will have to deal with that and strap a cat or something on my shoulder to absorb it...poor kitty

[Guest canynracer]

OH, and BTW, my mom is going to send me a lever action 30-30...She has had it since I was a little boy...Winchester I dont know the model.

[Moped]

A 30/30 makes an excellent first deer rifle, especially if you hunt in brush or woodlands. They're size is terrific for fast shooting. I love carbine length rifles.

30-06 has been used to take every game animal in North America, though I'd personally be a LOT leery about taking on a grizzly, brown, kodiak or polar bear with one. It's a flat shooting round out to about 300 yards or so.

I like a .308 as well, but it's not quite as popular as the 30-06 or the 30/30. Handles will in a carbine package. It is a bit expensive. 30-06s are a whole lot easier to find for sale.

If it were me, I'd get that 30/30 from your mom and see if you catch the deer hunting bug. If you do, you can move up to a bolt gun (Savages are the best bang for the buck) and a larger calibar. If you don't, you aren't out a bunch of money that could be better spent else where. Just my two cents.

[Almond27]

It almost certain it would be a Model 94 if its a Winchester in .30-30

[Guest Astra900]

OH, and BTW, my mom is going to send me a lever action 30-30...She has had it since I was a little boy...Winchester I dont know the model.

Unless you have some really big hay fields you're hunting in, that 30/30 will serve you just fine. Just put it in the engine room, and he will go down. It's funny how hung up on big numbers and big magnums some people are. I'd bet a big pile of chips no belted magnum can claim the body count of the old 30/30. Other than some mil-surp calibers, a .308 is the biggest cartridge I own. Or ever will for that matter. .303British 7,62x54R 7,92x57 Mauser They are only bigger by technicality. You get a well built .308 and work up a load for it, I will guarantee you will probably never take a shot it can't handle. The readily available ammunition offered and the components to load with go way above any other common cartridge.

BTW, I have found AA 2520 to be the most accurate powder to load .308 with;)

[DaveTN]

to the above question: I am thinking 308 cause I also want to "play" a bit and learn long range (sniping) skills...I am really looking for the "all around" rifle...I wont be hunting this year, but I plan on it next year. I want to practice a lot, and recently have this overwhelming desire to learn the art of long range shooting. (this is what you get from watching the military channel about snipers, and long range rifle competitions)

I looked at the Savage..I like them..I also like the rem 700...

Also, I have heard that I want a "Heavy Barrel" (Bull barrel?) if I want long distance...is there truth to that?

the cost of ammo is a little concerning, but I think I can afford the 308..now if the 30/06 goes just as far, well then, I would rather get that!! LOL

as far as the recoil, well, I will have to deal with that and strap a cat or something on my shoulder to absorb it...poor kitty

If you can ever get to Middle Tennessee on a weekend give me advance warning and we can go to a 300 meter range. I can let you use a Remington 700 VLS (that’s a Heavy barrel) .308 with a Leupold VXIII 6.5 X 20 scope.

(Among others, like a M1 Garand, M1 Carbine and a DPMS Panther .308AP4.)

The 30-06 and the .308 are pretty close but the 30-06 is a more powerful round. I suggest the 30-06 because you can get good military surplus ammo to practice with; that is not the case with the .308.

But having said that you need to shoot a heavy caliber rifle first. I try to put 100 rounds through my 700 when I go to the range; but I can’t, it just isn't fun. I can with my Garand or Panther but not with the 700. That’s why I just bought the Past Recoil pad.

Since all I’m doing is shooting paper anyway (I don’t hunt) I’m looking at doing a .223 set-up.

Everyone wants the perfect sniper rifle cheap. It doesn’t exist and you will soon find that out. A good starter scope for long distance will run $500. You can put a good scope on a cheap rifle and have a decent set-up, but you can’t put a cheap scope on a good rifle and have a decent set-up.

[Guest canynracer]

Thanks for the info...I will be looking at all of these, I spoke with a buddy, he has a 308...I am gonna take Daves advice and shoot it.

Thanks everyone!!!!

[Guest TNHillbilly]

If you want, you could drop by my place and pull the trigger on my son's Rem 700 30-06, just to see how you like that.

I think you are about 3 or 4 miles south of me.

[ShaunM]

I know everyone says 30-30 but if you think about it why spend the money on a 30-30 when you can find good deals on 30-06 or 308's. I know 30-30 is a great brush gun I have killed many deer with one, but on the other hand I have been in the situation where one day I am hunting in the woods in the morning then leave and not go home but go to a really long field and hunt for the afternoon, what I am saying is why carry 2 guns with you for 2 different hunting situations. I can kill a deer with my 308 or 30-06 just as easy in the woods as my 30-30 and then take them to a pipeline or field or whatever and be able to shoot longer ranges. By the way I still love my 30-30.