I’m an avid skeet shooter. I don’t have anything fancy. Just a Beretta Silver Pigeon 2 over under.
I am familiar with firearms, I just don’t know a lot about rifles.
Anyway, I am wanting to move into hunting and I am looking for recommendations on a good quality bolt action that can fire lighter or heavier loads depending on the type of hunt I go on. I understand that I will have to find rounds at each weight that work best with the rifle and that each different load will have to be re-sited in each time. I am interested in hunting anything from deer up to elk. My range will be inside 200 yards, maybe 300 for a long shot but I don’t think I’m that good of a shot.
My initial thought is a Tikka T3X or a Browning XBolt in 300 WSM.
Tikka all day long and twice on Sunday. I’d shy away from modern Brownings (and I hate to say that because I love what that company used to do in the past). Other good options would be Bergara, Weatherby Vanguard or 307, and Howa. Just get one whose weight is appropriate for the caliber you choose.
Speaking of caliber, 300WSM is awesome. In fact I own Tikka in that. For under 300 yards, it’s a bit overkill. For a 30 caliber, I’d look at the proven 30-06, or even 308. Otherwise 270, 280, and 6.5 prc will give you excellent performance at those ranges with significantly less recoil
I wouldn’t go with a 300wsm because it’s just not easy to find. It’s gotten better but I don’t commonly see it on the shelves in my part of the world in Minnesota. Also don’t be afraid to go with some of the tried and true caliber’s like a 270 or 300wm. You will always find ammunition with them overall
Well just as your post popped in I was typing exactly the same thing. I love the 300 wsm. I have a Tikka in that cartridge, but I’m not sure I would recommend it for a first rifle. Neither would I 300 WM, 7 PRC, 300 PRC, etc. I agree 270 Win or 6.5 PRC would be my recommendation for a first rifle. Plenty of gun for most big game in North America, but without the heavy recoil. I would add the 308 Win as an hororary mention.
Just a quick note, I believe Jim recommends getting an accurate 6.5 Creedmore (like a Tikka) for your first centerfire rifle.
Another good option is 7 rem mag. Has lighter and heavier loads and lots of off the shelf options. Not sure what your budget is but Europtic has the tikka T3x rough techs on sale for about a grand. Comes with a threaded barrel. The stock is stiffer than the cheaper T3x models. For 25 bucks you can swap out the grip for a more vertical option and you can throw on a backfire recoil pad and you’re ready to go.
I agree with this. Not likely to have a flinch As a skeet shooter but if you’re shooting skeet loads only, then the recoil from a larger caliber rifle might be new. 6.5 creed, see your impacts and develop good habits. Even with a 308 bad habits can form if you’re not careful.
I don’t know, personal experience and all but my 20 gauge skeet OU guns will bruise my shoulders a lot more than my modern mid-range rifles with good stock design and a reasonable weight, even more so if suppressed. Plus if elk is really on the menu I don’t know how happy I’d be with the 6.5 Creedmoor unless you’re really going to limit your shot distance
So I’m hearing most folks recommend a Tikka T3X with a Roughtech stock in 6.5 Creedmoor, with the factors being: Quality of the Tikka brand; stiffness of the Roughtech stock; availability and low recoil of the 6.5 cartridge.
However, one comment mentioned that 6.5 might be under powered for larger game.
That being said, is the recoil of 308 and/or 30.06 that much more than 6.5? Enough that learning on them would cause bad habits like flenching?
I like the roughtech. However, for the price, you could buy the standard T3x and a nice aftermarket stock that would be even better than the roughtech.
6.5 creed is a great choice for animals smaller than elk.
I’m not sure what your budget is, and if your willing to ship in a gun to your local dealer, there’s plenty of money to be saved on guns…The old model Seekin’s are about as turn key as they get, $1298
For an overall rifle, I would say yes to the Tikka with another thought to a Winchester XPR in 30-06. With ammo available from 130 gr to 220 gr it can be used for anything on the North American continent from Coyotes to Elk and Moose at the ranges you specified. No need to go to a magnum, but if you insist try 338 Win Mag. Super accurate, hard hitting and recoil is no worse than the 30-06 with a brake installed. Ammo available from 180 gr to 300 gr that will do anything on the North American continent to the big bears and most game in Africa. I 100 % agree about shying away from Brownings, which have proven themselves to be highly innacurate these days, which is strange since Winchester Model 70s and XPRs have all been super accurate. Don’t be mislead by a manufacturer’s name go for accuracy and put the savings in good optics. If you can’t see it, you can’t hit it.
I’m curious, how much do FFLs charge in your area to transfer a gun purchased online? The dealers in my area in northern California charge $125-$150. I had a dealer I worked with for a while, who was more reasonable, but he retired and moved to Idaho. Don’t blame him. Still it makes online purchases less attractive. For my next purchase I am getting a new 270 Win to replace the one I gave my son. The online prices look great, but most of the savings is eaten up by the transfer fee I would have to pay.