RFI: 1st hunting rifle

[Maca]

I need some guidance on buying a first general purpose hunting rifle. My intention is to take my son on an elk hunt in 3-4 years (he is 12 now), most likely in Colorado.

Living in Massachusetts, our hunting is limited to bows, blackpowder and shotguns.

308? 6.5Creedmoor? Open to suggestions.

I’ve been looking at Tikka, though there are so many varieties that I quickly lose focus. Sig Cross is something i considered as well.

I’d like to keep the gun price to sub $2k, not including glass, etc.

Thanks in advance for advice.

[WobblyPossum]

If you’re looking at the Sig Cross and also considering 6.5, Aim Surplus is having a sale on that model for $1300. I don’t personally have experience with them.

[cornstalker]

My opinion.
I like the 7mm Remington Magnum for a one-and-done solution from antelope and whitetail up to moose, with barely more recoil than a 30-06. Elk are tough animals with a powerful will to live. They are not impressed with ft-lbs of energy. I have seen an elk drop in its tracks to a 340 Weatherby. After laying there for 20-30 minutes, it jumped up and nearly ran off a cliff when approached. I consider the 300 magnums to be great elk cartridges. With heavy-for-caliber, well-constructed bullets, they shouldn't disintegrate smaller animals unless you hit heavy bone.

Christensen and Browning make accurate and reliable rifles in your price range that come with muzzle brakes. The new line of Scheel's exclusive Christensen rifles is pretty impressive. Brakes are ridiculously loud and require ear pro at all times, but they also allow you to leverage a little more horsepower without taking a pounding that leads to flinching. If you can stretch the budget a tad more, Fierce is putting out some amazing rifles as well. i.e., the Carbon Rival.

Seekins and the better Bergaras are possibilities too.

Tikka makes fine rifles, but the ones I have shot had more recoil than comparable rifles from other manufacturers. In a 308 or 6.5 Creedmoor, no big deal. In a 300 magnum, it would really put a shellacking on you without a brake.

[cornstalker]

The new 7mm PRC should be unveiled by Hornady within the next couple of weeks. It might be worth a look too if time is not an issue.

[Caballoflaco]

Paging @Lost River and @GJM to the courtesy phone in the rifles subforum.

[Maca]

Paging @Lost River and @GJM to the courtesy phone in the rifles subforum.

Thank you.

[okie john]

I need some guidance on buying a first general purpose hunting rifle. My intention is to take my son on an elk hunt in 3-4 years (he is 12 now), most likely in Colorado.

Living in Massachusetts, our hunting is limited to bows, blackpowder and shotguns.

308? 6.5Creedmoor? Open to suggestions.

I’ve been looking at Tikka, though there are so many varieties that I quickly lose focus. Sig Cross is something i considered as well.

I’d like to keep the gun price to sub $2k, not including glass, etc.

Thanks in advance for advice.

First off, get in shape. Elk inhabit steep country, and the lowest point in Colorado is almost as high as the highest place in Massachusetts. That kind of elevation change can be a massive shock even when you’re expecting it.

Second, logistics trump ballistics. You’ll want to shoot and train over the next few years to get ready for this hunt, so ammo price and availability are big factors. I’d avoid something chambered for a new/odd cartridge until the shortages work themselves out. 308, 270, 30-06, 7mm Remington Magnum, 300 Winchester Magnum, and 338 Winchester Magnum are all classic elk cartridges, but around here the first two are the only ones I can find regularly. Your situation may be different.

Speaking of ammunition, the bullet kills the elk. It's the only part that even touches the elk until you show up with a skinning knife. Train with whatever you want, but use ammunition loaded premium bullets like the Nosler Partition, Swift A-Frame, or Barnes TTSX when you head out on Opening Morning.

With all of that in mind, a mentor of mine once laid out his criteria for an elk rifle.

• Rifle with scope and sling must be under 8 pounds
• At least .30 caliber
• No porting, brakes, or other superfluous hardware
• Non-glare stainless steel in a good pillar bedded synthetic stock
• 22” barrels—except in the magnums that need a 24” barrel for velocity
• Simple trigger group, bolt and safety designs
• Shoot flat enough that 2” high at 100 ensures that holding high hair at 300 yds will put it in the vitals
• Iron back up sights
• Scope with an objective no larger than 40mms held with field detachable mounts (scabbard friendly)
• Shoot premium bullets under 1.5” throughout the entire temperature range that can be encountered

That’s not a bad place to be for anything shy of dangerous game.

$2,000 per rifle is plenty, even in these days of inflated prices. A base-model Remington 700 or Tikka T3x in 308 or 30-06 would fill the bill with enough left over for Nightforce glass and a fair quantity of ammunition. Their factory synthetic stocks have improved since my mentor wrote that list, but you could still upgrade either stock and stay within your budget.

The shorter SIG Cross is too short for my taste without a suppressor, and the longer one is heavier than I’d prefer to lug over an elk mountain.


Okie John

[HCM]

First off, get in shape. Elk inhabit steep country, and the lowest point in Colorado is almost as high as the highest place in Massachusetts. That kind of elevation change can be a massive shock even when you’re expecting it.

Second, logistics trump ballistics. You’ll want to shoot and train over the next few years to get ready for this hunt, so ammo price and availability are big factors. I’d avoid something chambered for a new/odd cartridge until the shortages work themselves out. 308, 270, 30-06, 7mm Remington Magnum, 300 Winchester Magnum, and 338 Winchester Magnum are all classic elk cartridges, but around here the first two are the only ones I can find regularly. Your situation may be different.

Speaking of ammunition, the bullet kills the elk. It's the only part that even touches the elk until you show up with a skinning knife. Train with whatever you want, but use ammunition loaded premium bullets like the Nosler Partition, Swift A-Frame, or Barnes TTSX when you head out on Opening Morning.

With all of that in mind, a mentor of mine once laid out his criteria for an elk rifle.

• Rifle with scope and sling must be under 8 pounds
• At least .30 caliber
• No porting, brakes, or other superfluous hardware
• Non-glare stainless steel in a good pillar bedded synthetic stock
• 22” barrels—except in the magnums that need a 24” barrel for velocity
• Simple trigger group, bolt and safety designs
• Shoot flat enough that 2” high at 100 ensures that holding high hair at 300 yds will put it in the vitals
• Iron back up sights
• Scope with an objective no larger than 40mms held with field detachable mounts (scabbard friendly)
• Shoot premium bullets under 1.5” throughout the entire temperature range that can be encountered

That’s not a bad place to be for anything shy of dangerous game.

$2,000 per rifle is plenty, even in these days of inflated prices. A base-model Remington 700 or Tikka T3x in 308 or 30-06 would fill the bill with enough left over for Nightforce glass and a fair quantity of ammunition. Their factory synthetic stocks have improved since my mentor wrote that list, but you could still upgrade either stock and stay within your budget.

The shorter SIG Cross is too short for my taste without a suppressor, and the longer one is heavier than I’d prefer to lug over an elk mountain.


Okie John

I’d add that ammo popularity and availability tends to be regional. 7mm Win Mag and 300 Win Mag are fairly popular here in TX, in MA things may be different. Look at what is on the shelf locally, especially in big box stores etc (if that’s a thing in MA).

Whether or not you reload would be a factor. If so some of the newer rounds such as the PRC rounds (6.5, 7, and .300).

6.5 Creedmoor is the new hotness but given the conflicting opinions on its effectiveness on deer I’d be a bit hesitant to choose it for Elk.

[Maca]

308 is readily available, other calibers are so so.

Is 308 sufficient/humane?

[Duelist]

308 is readily available, other calibers are so so.

Is 308 sufficient/humane?

yes.