Newbie Hunting Rifle

[pointfiveoh]

I set a goal this year to primarily eat game meat at home by 2020. To that end, and to spend more time in nature than in front of a screen, I'm putting together my first, and probably only, bolt gun for hunting whitetail and feral pigs in the southeast US.

I'd like to be able to hunt with it for larger game if the opportunity arises, but realistically I'll primarily hunt close to home and could borrow a bigger caliber or dangerous game rifle if needed.

I have several ideas about what I want, and would like some help thinking through it before I buy everything. I already have a Vortex Diamondback HP 3-12x44 that I caught on sale and seemed reasonable for my budget, which isn't huge.

Here are the 3 top contenders based on my internet research:

1: Tikka T3x stainless in .308. I'd like to shoot it some before I immediately throw it into a new stock to get a feel for why I'd want a new stock anyway. Ultimately I think I want to have it cut to 20" and threaded for a brake so my kids can also shoot it comfortably when they're a little older. What are some quality options for brakes that would look like they belong on a stainless lite barreled Tikka?

2: Euro optics still has T3 hunters in 30-06 for under 500 smackeroos which is enticing, but I think 308 is suitable to my goals and a little cheaper in the long run. I'm also concerned with blued/wood guns in the SE humidity. Should I be worried about it?

3: The Ruger American Predator .308 starts out threaded and has a pretty good reputation for accuracy. I'd plan to get a Magpul stock in the future and would use the same Vortex scope to top it off.

I'm cool with "upgrading" my base gun over time, don't think I need big detachable magazines in this capacity, and don't plan to get into precision shooting competitions. I want a gun that could be useful for the next 20 years as a meat collector. I like to tinker, so some upgrades would likely happen through time, but I don't have an upgrade path in mind at the moment. What might you suggest?

I'm pretty big with orangutan arms at a 78" wingspan. I'm not overly concerned with weight of the overall package, but lighter is nice where it makes sense. A shorter rifle might be handier, but I'm not exactly handy sized anyway so I'm not sure how much it matters. Am I wrong?

Ultimately, I can drop 500 to 600 on the base gun, I have a scope that came in a little under 300 on sale and I still need rings. It's a little dumb, but I have an easier time spending a few hundred bucks at a time rather than dropping a grand on the initial package. Which option would you pick?

I know several of you have a lot of experience with guns like these and I tend to buy things and immediately think I should have grabbed something else.

I have a little Lee reloading press that I never quite started using. I'd like to handload something once I settle on a rifle, more for the experiment than because I have a real need for it in my local hunting area. That's probably fodder for a different thread though, and this post is too long already.

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[okie john]

The stainless T3 in 308 is an excellent choice for a humid climate. You can upgrade the stock, but that’s optional.

I don’t know anything about Vortex scopes, so I can’t comment on that.

I also don’t know anything about brakes except that they make rifles louder. Muzzle blast can make a rifle as intimidating to shoot as recoil, so that might not be the right answer for a kid's rifle. On the other hand, if you’re going to start handloading, then I’d plan to load reduced-power ammo with H4895 for the kids—which is easier than you’d think—before I’d cut up a rifle.

I’ll let others comment on the upgrade path.


Okie John

[Duelist]

Get the .308 T3 stainless. Don’t bother putting a brake on it. If you are handloading for it, you can make loads that are effective and recoil less - use a 110-125gr softpoint going 2200 FPS, for example. Or buy “managed recoil” ammo for them when they start, which will basically be the same thing. Or get a .243 or 6.5 Creedmoor or .260 and enjoy a light kicking gun yourself from the start. If you go hunt elk or something like that one time in ten or fifteen years, the .308 and 6.5-7mm cartridges based on it will be fine, you won’t need another rifle, just a proper bullet.

The bigger issue for kids shooting that rifle will be the length of the stock. So you may need a youth stock for when they are shorter.

Your scope should be fine. It may be more power than you can actually use when hunting in your area, unless you will have access to wide farm fields. But it does have a low enough power range to be useful closer up, so I think you’ll be fine. Get a *good* base, like DNZ, and good rings. Like Burris.

[HCM]

The Tikka T3x and the Ruger are both great guns and the aftermarket for both is growing.

I would likely go Tikka for your stated purpose.

If you are going to cut down the barrel and thread it down the road, I recommend investing in a suppressor. Not sure if it is legal for hunting in SC but as noted blast is an issue with new shooters.

[pointfiveoh]

Thanks for those thoughts.

What should I look into for scope rings? What about precisely mounting the package on the rifle?

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[Jack Ryan]

Thanks for those thoughts.

What should I look into for scope rings? What about precisely mounting the package on the rifle?

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Look for some that fit on a 30-06.

[OlongJohnson]

You're on the right track. I vote Tikka. Limbsaver makes a direct-fit recoil pad that helps. Extra magazines can be had for ~$30, not the $50 you might read in posts from several years ago.

This is what I think is best for scope rings. https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....l=1#post627816

If you just want one rifle, .308 and go hunt stuff. You can humanely put down anything in 48 states outside the northern Rockies with it. You can handload rounds that mimic .300 BLK, including the exact bullets engineered to be effective on game at those velocities (110 gr @ ~2400 fps). You can practice with affordable mil-spec surplus ammo.

I second the comments about possibly too much scope for SE woods. I'm a fan of the 2.5-8 or even 1.75-6 Leupolds, in _ _ 3 -level or higher. They are very compact and lightweight. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me to put a big, heavy scope on such a nice, lightweight rifle. The lower-grade Leupolds seem to get into the realm where you're paying more for the name than the hardware, and other brands offer better value.

[DamonL]

Some good info on choosing a hunting rifle and glass and mounts.

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....ighlight=Tikka

Search for Tikka and you will find a lot of discussions.

[Bigghoss]

For you I would vote Tikka as well.

[ranger]

Thanks for those thoughts.

What should I look into for scope rings? What about precisely mounting the package on the rifle?

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Talleys seem to be a great solution for the Tikka T3. I have them on multiple rifles. When the T3X came out, the T3s went on sale and I bought a T3 3006 blue-synthetic as my "do all" hunting rifle.