On the advise of guys here my wife tried a 7mm-08. She loved it. Light recoil much mess then a 12 gauge. So I Found a pre owned looks like never shot tikka for 500. It will be her first bolt gun just for longer range hunting. With the less recoil it will kill everything we hunt and do it better then my 243wim ar10.
Spot and stalk rifle ideas?
- Thread starter Brian1183
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On the advise of guys here my wife tried a 7mm-08. She loved it. Light recoil much mess then a 12 gauge. So I Found a pre owned looks like never shot tikka for 500. It will be her first bolt gun just for longer range hunting. With the less recoil it will kill everything we hunt and do it better then my 243wim ar10.
A quick note regarding muzzle brakes, hearing protection is a must especially if you have a hunting buddy near you.
Brian, since you live up in burbank angeles shooting ranges is close by. Check it out and bring a few bucks (or buy your own ammo) and ask people on the line if you could try out their hunting rifle. On a weekend, you can find all the calibers listed above and take notes on the way they perform.
Brian, since you live up in burbank angeles shooting ranges is close by. Check it out and bring a few bucks (or buy your own ammo) and ask people on the line if you could try out their hunting rifle. On a weekend, you can find all the calibers listed above and take notes on the way they perform.
My 2 cents. I would advise you to think about .270. Specifically look at Marlin XL-7. Around $350 and quite an accurate gun. Takes down anything in North America. Doesn't require a muzzle break and won't leave you with a bruised shoulder.
For optics, once you settle on what you want, go take a look for it on OpticsPlanet. Great deals on name brand optics. Not sure about the quality now but for a long while Redfields were better glass than Leupold. And way less expensive.
For optics, once you settle on what you want, go take a look for it on OpticsPlanet. Great deals on name brand optics. Not sure about the quality now but for a long while Redfields were better glass than Leupold. And way less expensive.
Redfield is owned by Leupold. The Redfield division is the low end offering by Leupold. While Redfield is a reasonably good scope, it is not in the same class as the VX-2 - VX-6 scopes.
Shop local and support you neighborhood stores. They are the only reason you can buy guns in California at this point.
If I had a $1k budget and wanted one all around rifle. I would get a ruger American SS in 308 with a Leupold VX-2 or 3. The Ruger American continues to impress me. I have my Ruger Americana shooting handloads shoot Quarter size groups. This set up is what I reccomend to friends looking for their first rifle. A 308 with TTSX will bring the pain on all big game and won't kill your shoulder. I love short action cartridges.
I also have a Tikka Tx3 in 260 and that is a phenomenal rifle but with scope vx6 and rings I am around $2k for that set up.
I also have a Tikka Tx3 in 260 and that is a phenomenal rifle but with scope vx6 and rings I am around $2k for that set up.
while i thank you all, i feel like im even more torn on what to do...too much information..HA!
i found this table online regarding recoil http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm and it seems to me based on the chart and the rifle weight i prefer to carry, 30-06 is the largest ill shoot...according to longbow it seems the ballistics on that and the 308 don't have the best ballistics... if thats the case, what would be the hardest hitting/flattest caliber smaller than .30cal?
i found this table online regarding recoil http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm and it seems to me based on the chart and the rifle weight i prefer to carry, 30-06 is the largest ill shoot...according to longbow it seems the ballistics on that and the 308 don't have the best ballistics... if thats the case, what would be the hardest hitting/flattest caliber smaller than .30cal?
Go to your shop and look through some scopes. If "Light" is what you are going for stay towards the smaller objective sizes (like 32-33 mm) and a 1" tube. Bigger lenses and bigger tube size equals more weight. Much better off with a higher quality scope than just size and magnification. I don't normally use more than 6x anyway. The Leupold scopes are very good. But you have mentioned staying with Vortex. So go look through some and see what you like. Most of the mentioned calibers will work, see what your shop has and find a range you can go to and shoot various calibers and talk to the owners and see what they think the pros and the cons are. Then you can make up your own mind. Learn your gun forwards and backwards. Get proficient with it and you wont need to worry about all the noise out there about this caliber or that one. All are good..
My .02
My .02
i have a leupold vx-3..which goes up to 10x on my 270win..works great..i do wanna go a lil higher magnif, cuz at 100yds i was shooting at a 6" target and it is nothing but a small dot...the pig hunt i went on, my friend hit a perfect headshot off a tree at 247yd (ranged), that seems hard with a 10x. i figure ill go for about a $600-$800 scope, which seems to be their viper line..maybe the viper pst 6-25x50 at 23.4 oz... they have a 2.5-10x32 FFP at 18.7oz
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The 6.5-25 pst is not a hunting scope. It can be used as one sure but it's not ideal. I put one on a mid range gun I use to make shots out to 570 yards. (yes that's mid range) it works good on set up shots at the 300 to 1000 yard range. It sucks donkey balls at 0 to 300. The 6.5 low power is just way too much. Picking up targets at 100 is impossible at times.
All you need for a general purpose weapon is a 3x9 or 2x10. At 9 power hits on Deer size game are no problem at 400yards. When it's time to get into long range hunting you are talking about a whole other level of gear that's made for that.
All you need for a general purpose weapon is a 3x9 or 2x10. At 9 power hits on Deer size game are no problem at 400yards. When it's time to get into long range hunting you are talking about a whole other level of gear that's made for that.
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My father in law recently bought a Ruger scout chambers in 308, it's a pretty sweet light weight fun. I prefer my 30-06, but it weighs 9.5 lbs fully set up (which I don't think is too bad honestly.)
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Because of my age carrying around a lot of weight is not an option anymore. for local hunting I buy rifles that can handle 0 to 300 yards. I can say most of my kills have been under 100 Yards. Just saying. going out of state that's a whole new issue. all though It would be sweet to get a medium range gear such as the 7 mm mag . yeppers. I am happy with the 308 it's accurate enough. so is the 243 ...
Since you mentioned on your original post that you might use it for pig, ill share you the picture of two of my pig hunting rig . If iam going to push a bedding area or a brushy hillside I'll use a gun with lower magnification as possible for closer shot. If I go spot and stalk like an open barley field I'll go with my 3x9. Both scope are eluminated for early morning or late hunt. the one on the left is a 30-06 . The other one is a 270 .
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keep this in mind too.. light rifles are hard to shoot far. Everything is magnified on a light gun. recoil management, trigger pull and how you hold the gun all add up to make light guns hard to shoot. You will also need to practice slow since the barrel will get very hot very fast.
here is a good combo for you
tika t3 ultra light with a lupold VX R 3x9 chamber it in 260 and you are good to go. If you decide to chase moose or something the least of your problems will be buying another gun.
be worth a drive to SD to see the guys at fine firearms i hear they sell a few tikas
here is a good combo for you
tika t3 ultra light with a lupold VX R 3x9 chamber it in 260 and you are good to go. If you decide to chase moose or something the least of your problems will be buying another gun.
be worth a drive to SD to see the guys at fine firearms i hear they sell a few tikas
ah..interesting, didnt really think about the low end...do you think a 4x on the low end is still too high?
Yes, it's definitely too high,
Imagin a deer at 75yards running up hill, you shoulder your gun and panic as you can't find the deer. You panic and search all over, nothing looks the same though the scope and as the deer stops for a second you miss the opportunity.
At 2 or 3 power the same situation plays out completely different. The wide field of view enables you to fine the deer fast, track its move waiting for it to stop then boom. Dead deer!
Another common problem at high mag is wobble induced by chasing the cross hairs. Go try a scope at 20 power and try to hold it still. Now do the same at 3 power. You will instantly see the problem. Even at 4 power you will see more wobble as your brain tries to correct your hold but is always just a beat slow causing never ending wobble.
Higher power scopes do have a place and they do work but the long range game and target shooting setups are just not the same as building a budget mountain gun.
Imagin a deer at 75yards running up hill, you shoulder your gun and panic as you can't find the deer. You panic and search all over, nothing looks the same though the scope and as the deer stops for a second you miss the opportunity.
At 2 or 3 power the same situation plays out completely different. The wide field of view enables you to fine the deer fast, track its move waiting for it to stop then boom. Dead deer!
Another common problem at high mag is wobble induced by chasing the cross hairs. Go try a scope at 20 power and try to hold it still. Now do the same at 3 power. You will instantly see the problem. Even at 4 power you will see more wobble as your brain tries to correct your hold but is always just a beat slow causing never ending wobble.
Higher power scopes do have a place and they do work but the long range game and target shooting setups are just not the same as building a budget mountain gun.
Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
This thread is starting to crack me up. Go look at previous threads about this subject. Light weight generally means a short action bolt gun with a small to medium size scope, Leupold 's 2.5 to 8 in whatever series you decide upon mounted in any mount presentation you decide on will work to the end of your life for what ever you want to hunt.
This x2 except I prefer Vortex for the glass but 3x9 is perfect for deer and pig. That is as close to a perfect rig as you will be able to get if you are looking for light but still manageable recoil imo. Good luck.
.270.....Queen of the Mountain guns (Jack O'Connor).....Nuff said.
It will do everything you want in an all around caliber....Ammo always available, including green stuff....Recoil is no problem and all the best guns (and less expensive like Savage Axis ll) can be bought in this caliber....2 cents
Same .270 Rem 721.....My dads 1st buck (1954) & my best buck D-16 (2012)....58 years apart.
ps......Same fixed 4x Redfield scope too.....lol
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It will do everything you want in an all around caliber....Ammo always available, including green stuff....Recoil is no problem and all the best guns (and less expensive like Savage Axis ll) can be bought in this caliber....2 cents
Same .270 Rem 721.....My dads 1st buck (1954) & my best buck D-16 (2012)....58 years apart.
ps......Same fixed 4x Redfield scope too.....lol
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