Spot and stalk rifle ideas?

[Brian1183]

Hey guys, I thought i'd get your opinions on what you think regarding a lightweight rifle for spot and stalk... I'm pretty new to this and went on a pig hunt recently... a friend of mine had this nice lightweight rifle which made me realize how heavy my rifle really is (weatherby sporter 7.5lbs rifle only)... i figure the lighter my total gear is, the better chance I will have to stalk something out at a further distance...

looking at 30-06 (versatile for most game, minus moose and grizz bear, which i dont plan to hunt)... 300 win mag and 7mm looks fun, but its pretty pricey per round and kicks like a mule for a lightweight gun..

i know there is no such thing as an "everything rifle" but it doesnt hurt to try to find something close...

Any ideas on whether to build something out? or would it be better to get something made...
the kimber mountain ascent looks nice...only 5.5 lbs in 30-06...just super pricey, but I can save for it over time..just doing my research ahead of time.. sorry if this has been discussed many times before..

Thanks!

 

[Baller]

As a rule, the lighter the gun the heavier the kick. Even in 30.06. Might be too much for you, depends on how much recoil you can handle and not flinch or bruise. Many good options out there. John from Fine Firearms should chime in. .260 is a good one as is a 7mm-08. With todays good bullets they shoot flat and have good knock down power.

 

[Brian1183]

As a rule, the lighter the gun the heavier the kick. Even in 30.06. Might be too much for you, depends on how much recoil you can handle and not flinch or bruise. Many good options out there. John from Fine Firearms should chime in. .260 is a good one as is a 7mm-08. With todays good bullets they shoot flat and have good knock down power.

Right, i figured that the kick would be worse.. i figured the heavier the round, itd need some sort of muzzle brake...

ive shot my dads old '89 browning bar (8lbs) in 30-06 with no muzzle break, and that wasn't terrible. shoulder got a lil sore after a box and a half of ammo...

ive never seen/shot a .260 or a 7mm-08... is that a common round to find?

 

[Baller]

Yes they are. Both are a necked down .308 case, if I am not mistaken, so the recoil is far less than the venerable '06 (And I have 2x of them). You can get bullet weights from 120-140 gr so you can hunt most animals up to Elk size provided you are not shooting at great ranges. I believe NBK recently shot some pigs with his .260 so they are great for deer and pigs without the need for excessive recoil with a heavier payload. I got mine for my daughter but I love it and will carry out in the field this year. Great for recoil shy people and/or small framed people such a children or women. Since we are transitioning to the no lead you might as well look into the Barnes TTSX rounds or the Nosler E-Tip. Both are great, just depends on which a particular gun shoots well.

My .02 anyway

 

[Brian1183]

Yes they are. Both are a necked down .308 case, if I am not mistaken, so the recoil is far less than the venerable '06 (And I have 2x of them). You an get bullet weights from 120-140 gr so you can hunt most animals up to Elk size provided you are not shooting at great ranges. I believe NBK recently shot some pigs with his .260 so they are great for deer and pigs without the need for excessive recoil with a heavier payload. I got mine for my daughter but I love it and will carry out in the field this year. Great for recoil shy people and/or small framed people such a children or women. Since we are transitioning to the no lead you might as well look into the Barnes TTSX rounds or the Nosler E-Tip. Both are great, just depends on which a particular gun shoots well.

My .02 anyway

ill have to find someone who has those calibers to see what thats like... outside of caliber, any recs on rifles? better to build out? buy?

 

[Baller]

Lots of good choices out there. For my money the Tikka T3 Lite is awfully hard to beat for the price..!! If you live in San Diego go to Fine Firearms and have John or Nick or Rico show you some. They are the best and friendliest staff in SD in my opinion. I wont go anywhere else now.

 

[Eric pecan]

+1 on a tikka .very smooth bolt and accurate out of the box. If your mind is set on boulding one , there's a lot of choices out there . If you have the money go for it. Below are some of the caliber of my hunting rifle and where I use it.
243, 270 local deer ( blacktail)
308 ,270 ,30-06 pig and deer ( mule deer)
7mm,270wsm,300wsm,6.5 -284 out of state speed goat,mule deer and elk hunt all are custom rifle.
Like you said , there is no everything rifle.

 

[Fowl Play]

Just since you mentioned you are new to this... here's my 2 cents. Personally, spending money on a lighter rifle would be one of the last things I would do in terms of acquiring gear. There are many other things that will affect your hunt more than 1-1.5lbs of rifle weight... particularly your optics. What quality are your optics (binoculars, scope, rangefinder, etc.)? That's what I would spend money on first.

 

[Brian1183]

Just since you mentioned you are new to this... here's my 2 cents. Personally, spending money on a lighter rifle would be one of the last things I would do in terms of acquiring gear. There are many other things that will affect your hunt more than 1-1.5lbs of rifle weight... particularly your optics. What quality are your optics (binoculars, scope, rangefinder, etc.)? That's what I would spend money on first.

got vortex 1500 rangfinder and razor hd 10x42 binos already (got em as gifts)... havent decided on a scope yet...prolly stick with vortex for scope as well....

 

[Fowl Play]

got vortex 1500 rangfinder and razor hd 10x42 binos already (got em as gifts)... havent decided on a scope yet...prolly stick with vortex for scope as well....

Those will definitely do the job... very good glass.

 

[Eric pecan]

On scope. I'll spend at least equal or 1 1/2 more of the price of the rifle .
Just my 2 cents .

 

[Nicholas909]

My favorite rifle is a 7-08. The recoil is min. In my own opinion it kicks less then the 308. I think the 7-08 is a little under appreceated. Take a look at the BERGARA'S B-14. They're a lot nicer then the Tikka's. Personal opinion again.

 

[NBK]

All good advice for sure - all of it.

Here is my subjective opinion:

First - the 30-06 is more than enough gun for moose. In fact, with the right bullets it will handle large North American bear.

I have to agree Bill and Eric - hands down the Tikka is the best rifle made under $1K. And they are extremely light. With that said, physics becomes a reality when discussing light guns in regards to recoil. And again, the two calibers mention above (7mm-08 Rem & .260 Rem) are home runs in light rifles. Hell, they are home runs in all rifles. As most of the folks know, 90% of my hunting is done with a .260 Rem. And we have killed coyote's up through elk with no issues. As mentioned, you just need to understand what your caliber limitations are and use your rig accordingly.

If you want a do all caliber - well, the 30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, .280 Rem, 300 Win Mag, 300 WSM or even .338 Win Mag would all be one gun do all choices. But those calibers all come with felt recoil (a muzzle brake can solve that problem in short order).

The beauty of your dilemma is, you have so many choices and we all have so many opinions! Sounds like a fun project is in your future!

 

[Brian1183]

All good advice for sure - all of it.

Here is my subjective opinion:

First - the 30-06 is more than enough gun for moose. In fact, with the right bullets it will handle large North American bear.

I have to agree Bill and Eric - hands down the Tikka is the best rifle made under $1K. And they are extremely light. With that said, physics becomes a reality when discussing light guns in regards to recoil. And again, the two calibers mention above (7mm-08 Rem & .260 Rem) are home runs in light rifles. Hell, they are home runs in all rifles. As most of the folks know, 90% of my hunting is done with a .260 Rem. And we have killed coyote's up through elk with no issues. As mentioned, you just need to understand what your caliber limitations are and use your rig accordingly.

If you want a do all caliber - well, the 30-06, 7mm Rem Mag, .280 Rem, 300 Win Mag, 300 WSM or even .338 Win Mag would all be one gun do all choices. But those calibers all come with felt recoil (a muzzle brake can solve that problem in short order).

The beauty of your dilemma is, you have so many choices and we all have so many opinions! Sounds like a fun project is in your future!

How easy is it to put a muzzle break on a rifle like the tikka?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[longbowhunter2]

Brian all great advice hard to add something. Is this for mainly local hunts? Maybe head over to PK2000 and try some rifles and shoot some rounds . I have 308 and 243 for local. But 260 has my vote. And 7mm mag for bigger. Some constructive advice look at the ballistics of the rounds. Pick one with better stats. For example look at ballistic statistics. Having senior moment but but like ballistics coefficient. What that means it will be more accurate round.

 

[Brian1183]

Brian all great advice hard to add something. Is this for mainly local hunts? Maybe head over to PK2000 and try some rifles and shoot some rounds . I have 308 and 243 for local. But 260 has my vote. And 7mm mag for bigger. Some constructive advice look at the ballistics of the rounds. Pick one with better stats. For example look at ballistic statistics. Having senior moment but but like ballistics coefficient. What that means it will be more accurate round.

im up in burbank near LA...SD is a bit far...

im going to start with local hunts but i'm sure the tendency will be to go out of state as well.. it seems a lot of people here like the .260..i really wanna get a chance to test it out before i make any real decision....

 

[NBK]

Easy is not a word I would use. But not a problem to do so. The Tikka is a fairly mild rifle to shot once it has a brake installed

 

[Brian1183]

Easy is not a word I would use. But not a problem to do so. The Tikka is a fairly mild rifle to shot once it has a brake installed

i quickly googled and it seems that most people are satisfied with just getting a limbsaver recoil pad...no major installation required...

 

[Snake Charmer]

I would recommend if money is the issue one caliber that can do it all and will fill the bill as far as what you want to do in any circumstance in North America and that would be a 308. Other that that I would recommend and partake in all the of calibers listed above and enjoy what they do best with their bullet weights and ballistics. One rifle is good but many are better ! Lots of good brands of rifles out there at this time so once again let your budget dictate but buy good glass and everything else will work out.

 

[longbowhunter2]

Surprisingly the the 308 and the 30 06 have average balistics but there is better rounds. The 7 mm mag has excellent ballistics. It's great for medium range, or more,. Since my eye sight is not as good as it use to be I stick with the, 308 for now. It has taken most of the local deer.