Hunting bolt gun

[newyork]

Maybe this is nutty but I just found a Bergara Wilderness Ridge with Omni Brake for $850. 300 Win Mag. It’s available in 308 but I didn’t see it on GB. Probably similar price if it is.

[okie john]

The .30-06 is 100-200 FPS faster than a .308 Winchester in the heavier bullet weights. That matters at longer ranges.

Yes, but only if you handload and even then you need a 24” barrel. I’ve clocked a lot of factory 308 and 30-06 factory loads. Many 30-06/180-grain factory loads chug along a bit north of 2,600. Plenty of 308/180 factory loads will do that.

The varieties of high-velocity 30-06 in 180- and 165-grain weights that I’ve tested are indeed faster than standard loads but they’re solid 3 MOA performers.

200-grain factory loads for both are non-existent. 30-06/220 is 2,350-2,400 fps in a 24” barrel. And even if you hit some magic number you may not get usable long-range accuracy. So for the starting-out hunter who relies on factory ammo, they’re twins.


Okie John

[cornstalker]

Yes, but only if you handload and even then you need a 24” barrel. I’ve clocked a lot of factory 308 and 30-06 factory loads. Many 30-06/180-grain factory loads chug along a bit north of 2,600. Plenty of 308/180 factory loads will do that.

The varieties of high-velocity 30-06 in 180- and 165-grain weights that I’ve tested are indeed faster than standard loads but they’re solid 3 MOA performers.

200-grain factory loads for both are non-existent. 30-06/220 is 2,350-2,400 fps in a 24” barrel. And even if you hit some magic number you may not get usable long-range accuracy. So for the starting-out hunter who relies on factory ammo, they’re twins.


Okie John

I see your point. As a handloader I had not considered it from that perspective. Thank you.

[Lost River]

This is the rifle I'm taking hunting this summer. Tikka T3x in 30-06. It has a Swarovski Z3 3-10x42 mm BRH scope. It weighs 7.7 lbs as seen below. I have both 3 and 5 round magazines of it. I installed the vertical pistol grip for it. It shoots 0.66" groups with my handload (Barnes TTSX 180 gr. over 56.8 gr of H4350 @ about 2815 fps). Barnes Vortex 180 gr TTSX factory ammo is about 0.79" and comes out at 2760 fps.The whole package cost me $1300. I shoot mainly standing with shooting sticks and crouching. It is comfortable to shoot but feel that minor thump. I have a .308 version with a lighter optic and it thumps less.

Attachment 68169

That’s a fantastic set up right there

Yes, it is. You could do far worse than copying it to the last detail.


Okie John

Too funny.

I was thinking that New York could choose to duplicate Paul D's setup, right down to the load. He could hunt everything in North America from coyotes to bears, elk and moose, to mule deer, you name it and he would never have to change a thing. Then I scrolled down and saw Okie John's comment about copying it and literally chuckled.

That same thing holds true with my Tikka T3 .308 and 155 Scenar handload. Everything I punch with them tips over dead, and it makes things easy. While I still fiddle with other cartridges such as the 6.5 Manbun (as previously mentioned), and the .300 WM, there is absolutely no doubt that I could do it all with just a .308 and that one load.

No matter if you choose a .308 or .30-06, either are going to suit your purpose just fine. Pick a good all purpose load, similar in fashion to what Paul D did and stock up on it in bulk, or learn to handload.

While some of the other brands have appealing features, I really think the Tikkas make a bunch of sense, as they are like the Glock 19s of the rifle world. Reliable and accurate, they are pretty much ready to go right out of the box.

As far as scopes, that is very much dependent on your environment. A 3x15 SWFA would cover both close up eastern type hunting on the low end, and longer range opportunities on the upper end of the magnification scale.

Plus they track well and are repeatable.

To recap: I suggest a Tikka T3 30-06 or .308. w/ an SWFA optic. (unless you want to splurge for a NF)

CHEERS!

[newyork]

Does sound like a damn good set up. I can’t do a NF. Lol. I wish! I’ve got probably $1500 tops for all included. That tikka set up and another I learned of in 7mm-08 sound good.

I started going down the rabbit hole on a Bergara Wilderness Ridge with Omni brake in .300 win Mag thinking it’d be a beast but I’d never have to move up to anything from there and the Bergaras seem to be quite nice and sturdy.

Thoughts?

[Lost River]

While I am a big fan of the .300 win mag and it is by far my favorite magnum rifle cartridge, I definitely would not want one as an all around rifle. The 30-06 would be at the top end of the scale. The .308 would be in the middle and the 6.5 Creedmoor at the bottom.

You need to be able to actually go out and shoot your rifle frequently, and doing that with a .300WM is not pleasant. Both in terms of recoil and monetarily. Speaking of recoil, I don't know anyone who shoots a hard kicking rifle better than they shoot a soft kicking rifle. 300WMs are not the kind of rifle that you sit down at the range and put 40 rounds through from various practical field positions, and consider it enjoyable. You can do that with a .308.

A .308 and 30-06 will cleanly kill any big game animal in North America. I doubt there are any major species that have not been taken with either cartridge. If I was to grab one of my rifles out of my safe as my "One Gun" it not be a 300 win mag. A 30-06 or .308 would be a far better choice.

[newyork]

Well stated. I believe the same gun is made in 308.

So I’ve got tikka in 308 and 30-06
Bergara in 308


On my list so far.

[OlongJohnson]

...I really think the Tikkas make a bunch of sense, as they are like the Glock 19s of the rifle world. Reliable and accurate, they are pretty much ready to go right out of the box.

That's ultimately why the Howas went down the road. Needing to redo the bolt stop for each one. Plus, I haven't found a stock that really beds the receiver nicely without inducing excess stress on it that doesn't also double the price of the rifle. So a bedding project for each one, too. Already discussed scope mount preferences.

Remingtons may be OK, but might have to be rebuilt in order to work.

I haven't had any CF Savages, but I have a FV-SR that was a massive suck of time and money to get where I wanted it. I kinda wanna buy a 16.5-inch T1x, but it's basically the same thing as my Savage. I could have saved a lot of trouble with the Savage if the T1x had existed back then.

The Ruger M77 I had was much like a GP100. Hell for tough and heavy for what it was. I'm sure it would have been possible to make it slick, but it would have taken diving in and an unknown amount of work to get there. Also, I ended up with three, not two, factory rings, due to one of the originals having jacked up threads. The inside of the rings that held the scope tubes appeared to be as-cast, and would certainly have marked the heck out of a tube if not creating actual mechanical damage. I regarded them all as unusable without lapping, possibly starting with reaming. Leupold makes some nice alternatives.

I have no experience with Bergara-branded rifles. I really like my CVA Scout takedown in .300 BLK (made by Bergara), but it has significant room for improvement in fit and finish. I bought a Warne rail because I didn't really like the one that comes with it. For an accurate $350 backpack rifle, I can get over all of that. I assume the higher-end stuff is nicer. I keep having to talk myself out of getting the .44 Magnum version of the Scout. If they made a .45 Auto version with a 16.5-in threaded barrel, I'd be on it like a fat kid on cake.

I haven't figured out anything a Tikka needs other than mounting an optic and maybe making sure the action screws are torqued for best accuracy. Heck, that even puts it ahead of the USP in my experience.

[newyork]

Someone keeps telling me the sako a7 is the better gun for $900. The one in particular is 6.5. I’m wondering why one is better or worse than the other between the a7 and t3x lite

[okie john]

It shoots 0.66" groups with my handload (Barnes TTSX 180 gr. over 56.8 gr of H4350 @ about 2815 fps). Barnes Vortex 180 gr TTSX factory ammo is about 0.79" and comes out at 2760 fps.

This is the 30-06 acting like the 300 Holland & Holland of about 20 years ago.


Okie John