Florida Shooters Network

so i got this sweet new job in Texas, where we have acerage for hogs and deer, and the boss has a ranch in Oaklahoma w/ mulies/antelope, and all other kinds of stuff...

so i have decided i want a 30.06 to hunt w/ but have no idea where to start....

im not parcial to any brands... my 308 target rifle is a savage in 308 which is nice, but way too heavy to run tru the woods w...

do i need DBM?

i figure just a leopuld vari-x 3-9 will be good???

wood is pretty, but how bad will is ding and scratch in the woods?

i'm not a hunter, just a wanna be redneck from New Jersey, and just gettin started here... so any advise appreciated

Since you already have a .308 target rifle, I would advise you to stick with that caliber. The animal killing difference between a .308 and a .30-06 is so negligible as to be not worth mentioning. Only if you want to shoot a 220gr bullet do you start to notice any difference. If you decide to get into reloading, then all your brass will be the same.

Ditto.....I bought a 30-06 bolt gun because I already had a couple of Garands. If you already have a .308, buy a .308 field gun. If you're worried about scratching the stock, get a polymer stock. Savage 110 series, Rem 700, are both good rifles. The 700 will never go out of 'style', in my opinion....

Remington 700 in 308 synthetic and stainless and a decent scope or even a Savage 111 series is usally a decent cheaper alternative that is pretty accurate also. I have a 111 30-06 that has killed a few deer and is really accurate.

While it is nice to have another caliber for various other work, I'd be tempted to lean to another 308. That said a lightweight 06 with a nice recoil pad and shooting the right loads can be tamed down quite a bit. Wood stocks can take a beating but it often shows, I'd be leaning to good after market syn.

What's your budget just for the rifle?

Get a Tikka T3. They're awesome quality, and lightweight.

budget is really open, but i;d prefer to stay at about 500 for the rifle it self...

i found http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/prod ... /411544592

but its in 270, which would probably fine to kill about n-ething up to about 300 yards??

Hunting is Florida normally involves rather short range shots--50 to 100 yards. I suspect there will be an opportunity for longer shots in Texas & Oklahoma.

In most hunting, you carry the rifle A LOT and shoot it a little, which is why light rifles are popular. I hunt in Florida so I don't even use a scope since the ranges are short and the additional weight gets to be a real pain after a while.

All bolt actions are suitable--I like Remington 700s and it's small cousin the Remington Model Seven, as well as the Winchester 70, Browning A-bolt, Tikka T3, Savage 110, and there are a bunch of new offerings by Thompson Center, Mossberg, and others. Synthetic stocks are lighter, handle moisture and scratches better, and last a long time but most don't like their cheesy look compared to a beautifully finished wood grain stock.

Lotsa people out in Texas rely on the good old lever-action .30-30 Win or .35 Rem for deer and hog. It's a great gun for shorter range work, but the cartridge doesn't lend itself to longer shots (over 150yds) which you're likely to encounter out there sooner or later.

My recommendation: get a good bolt action rifle from the list above (and don't overlook used rifles) and practice with it without the scope so you get a feel for what you can do with it accuracy wise as well as how quickly you can mount it and get on target. If you decide to go with a scope, add one later after you look into what you really need. Cheap scopes are adequate for most hunting applications, but if you're consistently needing to attempt longer shots, the money spent on good glass is well worth it.

A key thing to remember is that the correct placement of a quick first shot is critical. Wounded animals are no fun and wounding them is unethical. Make sure you can put a shot in a 4" circle at the distance you will engage at and pass on longer shots. Also, study the game so you know exactly where you should be placing the shot to make a quick clean kill.

I agree with what's been said on the caliber. Either is good for what you want and both calibers are inexpensive and available. Only having one caliber to deal with helps you avoid mistakes (grabbing the wrong box before you drive 4 hours to shoot) and if you get into reloading, it greatly simplifies your life.

Anyway, welcome to the world of hunting. It's a lot of fun and a great way to get out there and see the real beauty of what God has created.

Find you a well taken care of pre-1964 Model 70 and live well!

MiamiE wrote:Get a Tikka T3. They're awesome quality, and lightweight.

Tikka's have the cleanest/smoothest factory action of any production rifle,period. I had a Varmint and traded it ,but I still have a Tactical. It will never leave.

The T3 Lite makes an excellent hunting rifle if one were looking to purchase.

Tikkas are very nice and typically very accurate with the added bonus of using mags. Extras for that can be a bit to choke on at about $60 a pop. Add a limbsaver and it becomes a pretty nice shooting killing iron.

Great score on the new job!

One of my dogs is named Tikka....


308 IS the new 30-06.

Another vote for the Savage 110 in 30-06. I have one and I love it. It's affordable and plenty accurate. You may want to replace the Simmons scope that many come with, but even if you don't it's ready to run.

Another vote for the Tikka T3. I'm eyeballing one myself in 7mm-08. Bud's has good deals on them. The hard to find laminated ones are real nice.

Really I have found the T3 Lite is great but my Marlin 30-30 does just the job for everything in Florida. I haven't even scoped it.

Another vote for the Tikka T-3 lite. I've got one in a 30-06 and I love it. Smooth smooth smooth.

X

Get a SAVAGE model 10 .308,get a bushnell fixed 10x40 scope that's all you need.

If I was going to buy another bolt action hunting rifle, regardless of the caliber, I would buy a Weatherby Vanguard. It has an excellent trigger, a 24" barrel and the two that I have, a .270 and a .30-06, both came with factory 1" or under groups at 100 yards.. My handloads improve on that somewhat..
Great rifle, great value..

JMHO

Dave

ha i forgot all about this thread....

well a buddy of mine had bought a 300 WIN back in April.... he wasn't too fond of it and had spent a boat load....

so i bought it from him for about $700 less than he paid(his price tho).... Specs:

Browning X-Bold Medalion 300 Win
Leupold Base and rings
Leupold VX-II 3-9

so far ive shot it a few times, and not too bad. I took it whitetail hunting back in December. Didn't get anything(my fault, was sitting in the stand w/ no round in chamber when the big boy popped out).

I hope to take this thing out to colorado next year for some elk and mule deer