FReeper Advice Needed on Selecting Hunting Rifle (.223, 30-30, 30-06, 308 or 7mm)

Remington Arms ^ | 08-12-11 | wac3rd

[wac3rd]

I need to choose a weapon for deer or bear hunting, typcial range is 200-400 yards.

Also, what is a good scope set-up to get? A few of the Remingtons (308 and 30-06) come with peep sights as a package.

Thank you in advance.

[5Madman2]

Go simple

There is probably very few animals in North America that cannot be taken with a 30-06.

Ammunition is plentiful and in enough bullet weights and loadings that is is easily adaptable to most conditions and game.

Go with a decent quality scope, midrange cost. There are plenty out there. The high end is not going to make enough of a difference to the average shooter to justify the extra cost. A decent 3-9 variable with around a 40mm objective is just fine.

[ScreamingFist]

To even consider a .223 mouse rifle for potentially dangerous big game told me all I needed to know.

Well, yea, and not a single post on this thread recommended a .223. If you don't ask you'll never know. As far as your 60 years, well I have 40 years myself.....but I never turn down an opportunity to teach....

[ScreamingFist]

http://hstrial-rchambers.homestead.com/Index.html

BTW, if that is your website it's quite nice....

[Sea Parrot]

It is our family home page I attempted to put together, not very professional, but will have to suffice.

[ScreamingFist]

It is our family home page I attempted to put together, not very professional, but will have to suffice.

It's great! Now you old curmudgeon....;) What would you suggest for the poster......experience DOES matter.....and it would be great if you share some wisdom.

[ScreamingFist]

Also wanted you to know, as you can see from my recommendation at post 25 I like scout rifles.....that Mosin-Nagant scout on your webpage is....genius.

[Sea Parrot]

“What would you suggest for the poster......experience DOES matter.....and it would be great if you share some wisdom.”

There is a wide choice of calibers for specialized work.

But for just one cartridge, one will never go wrong with a 30-06.

For close range woods, 150 grain bullet or heavier. For dangerous game penetration, 220 grain RN. (round nose)

For open western prairie and mountains, 165 grain SPBT (soft point boat tail) bullet would be my top all around choice. Little much for goat, (antelope) but a sure killer for elk and heavy body muleys.

For many years now my use of muzzleloaders as personal choices for hunting would be of little or no interest to a neophyte. I tired of cartridge rifles and later handguns for hunting long ago.

All my cartridge reloading for many years has been restricted to cast boolits (bullets) with smokeless powder which offers a real challenge. To achieve accurate velocities with paper patched boolits that are near the same for jacketed bullets in given calibers gives me much satisfaction. For general shooting up to 2,000 fps, water dropped hard cast gas checked boolits are great.

If one may have an interest in boolit casting for being freed up from buying commercial ammo and jacketed bullets for reloading, cannot go wrong by going here for info: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/index.php

[ScreamingFist]

If one may have an interest in boolit casting..

Thank you, I have just recently tried casting my own.....thank you for the link....

[Sea Parrot]

“Also wanted you to know, as you can see from my recommendation at post 25 I like scout rifles.....that Mosin-Nagant scout on your webpage is....genius.”

I too like scout rifles very much, for desired use, the concept is hard to beat.

The MN is my truck/ATV gun, it receives hard usage but is a great little rifle.

Got it cheap and the way it came, tricking it out as a pseudo scout was cheaper yet.

That FN 98-k in 7.62x51 is my favorite scout, it is deadly accurate with cast boolits.

[MileHi]

For open western prairie and mountains, 165 grain SPBT (soft point boat tail) bullet would be my top all around choice.

I have a load for my model 700 that features a 165 Partition. It will do an inch from the sporter for three shots if I do my part. Factory 165 works acceptably sighted in for my load.

If I could have only one rifle, it would be that one with that load. Anywhere in North America.

[Yorlik803]

458 Winchester Magnum. Good enough to bring down elephants. If you shoot long range, aim it like a M79 grenade launcher. It arches like a rainbow.

[texmexis best]

You don’t say what type of bear you will be hunting. If it is brown bear a .30-06 is not be sufficient.

Bear guns:
.45-70
.458 Lotte
.458 Winchester
.460 Weatherby?

If you are going to go after dangerous game you should not rely on small rounds that are to be shot with precision as you may not be able to get the precision that is required to drop them. Go with a round that will disable the bear with nearly any hit and anything close to the chest will drop him.

A friend of mine went to Alaska for about a month after bear. When he returned he found out that 5 hunters had been killed by bears. They will kill you and the attack is about 1 second long.

A .30 calibre is not sufficient and most bear guides will not sign on with you unless you are carrying something bigger.

The .45-70 has been used for nearly a hundred years on Elephant. One shot.
It was also used by whalers and eskimos to kill whales. It is definitely adequate to the task.