Hunting Rifle Light, Fast, and Quality
- Thread starter Fred Bear
- Start date
A Tikka is fine and you can get prefit barrels for it which is nice. A Savage or Ruger is fine too. My light weight general purpose hunting rifle is a Winchester M70 Featherweight in 30-06. I have a Leupold VariXIII 2.5-8x32 with Premier Reticle mildot. It came from the factory in a McMillan stock and weights just over 7 lbs with scope, rings/ mount unloaded. 22" barrel is light and fast it's my woods rifle to clear cuts. A 308 win loaded with 165 gr Partition will be fine for all game up to elk to 300 yards. I wouldn't skimp on the glass. Leupold VariX III or VX3 would be the minimum or baseline scope. Clarity and low light brightness will serve you better while hunting.
I like the idea of a scout rifle. Never got a chance to try a forward mounted scope and with LVPOs not sure if the forward mount would help. I would like to try it but I am skeptical how well it word in low light.
That said I do love the specs of the ruger and savage scout rifles. They seem priced a bit high for me, maybe I will end up shooting a lot and feel like upgrading. At my level, I don't think I would appreciate the difference between say the ruger scout and the RAP for the extra $.
Right idea, wrong cartridge. Go 300 HAMR and don't look back.
Also good, especially since Wilson Combat bought NULA from Melvin Forbes.
Also good, especially since Wilson Combat bought NULA from Melvin Forbes.
New Ultra Light Arms: The Best Bolt-Action Hunter Ever Made?
Looking for an iron specifically designed for the backwoods? New Ultra Light Arms redefines accuracy among ultra-lightweight rifles.gundigest.com
Really any sporter rifle you could get your hands on with be fine, even used. If money is an issue I get a used 308 in reasonable condition and spend extra on good quality glass. LPVO is fine but a good 3x9 or 3.5-10, 2.5-10 will also work. I've shot running rabbits with any of those I listed so on a standard hunter it'll work. Heck my first big game shot was on a running caribou with a Leupold VariXIII 1.5-5x from a 45-70 Marlin. A decent used Leupold varix III or Zeiss Conquest 3-9 would be my baseline scope for your needs.
I use the scout for hunting in bush where you aren't going to get shots off further than 100 yds at best, and most are within 50. Either a red dot or a scout scope are great additions to it. Not heavy at all, I've walked all day through think bush with it
@reubenski
I don't shoot 110s.
I do shoot 125 TNT at ~~2,500 FPS
This from the Wilson Combat 300 HAMR webpage
HISTORY
BALLISTIC COMPARISON
300 HAM’R
- 16.25” Barrel
- Sierra 110gr HP 2600FPS MV, 1651FP ME
- Sierra 125gr SBT 2520FPS MV, 1763FP ME
- Sierra 135gr HP Varminter 2400FPS MV, 1727FP ME
- Hornady 150gr SST 2290FPS MV, 1747FP ME
- 16.25” Barrel
- Hornady Black 110gr V-MAX 2395FPS MV, 1401FP ME
- Hornady 125gr HP American Gunner 2175FPS MV, 1313FP ME
- Hornady 135gr FTX 2055FPS MV, 1266FP ME
- Federal 150gr Fusion 1900FPS MV, 1202FP ME
How long are you going to keep this for? (Noting a previous post you made in this thread) My first hunting rifle was a browning a-bolt 7mm Magnum at 14. My dad bought it for me because back then you bought a 30-06 for everything, including rabbits lol. If it was between 10-440 yards (my farthest deer taken at 15), it was always 1 shot 1 kill. In one instance, 1 shot 2 kills (javelina). I still have this rifle. If I need to go make something reliably dead and I am unsure the circumstance, I bring this rifle. It's 20 years old, 9.8lbs with scope, and not a sub moa bench shooter, but no animal ever suffered from it. Not having a Tikka smooth action was never a deal breaker.
Point is, .308 is fine and if you like the scout rifles, get a scout.
I personally love scout rifles. I always have and I always wanted one in 16" and bought one recently (out of your perspective price range). However, If you don't know if you are going to shoot it a lot, go with a Tikka .308 in 20" or 22".
Why? Resell value. You can sell a used Tikka super easy.
Last edited:
I have a wilson combat built upper, and I bought Padom’s barrel and brass, etc.
The 300 BO is a good cartridge. I’m not downing on it.
I just like the HAMR a little better.
The 300 BO is a good cartridge. I’m not downing on it.
I just like the HAMR a little better.
I’ve read this thread twice and went a slightly different route. My father came out of multiple back surgeries a couple of weeks ago and wanted a compact, low recoil rifle for deer season. We were considering the 300 BO, but several friends Who are hunting and shooting fools recommended the Howa 1500 Mini in 6.5 Grendel. They have had good success with t out to 300 yards. After sighting it in, I found my holdover at 500 meters and placed 5 shots in the kill zone on an NRA Ram silhouette from a rest. Since he won’t be taking any shots grater than 200 yards, this package will do the job very well.
At this time I am working up loads using Lead Free for it, because they are impossible to find.
At this time I am working up loads using Lead Free for it, because they are impossible to find.
Exactly. I like the idea of either Ruger American Ranch in either 7.62x39 or 6.5 G. Low recoil, small handy rifle should with enough energy for sub 200 yard shots. Howerver, when I started looking around for hunting ammo for the caliber they seemed hard to come by. I do not plan to start reloading, would be fun but not sure I have the time.
Check out 65grendel.com they have a Section just on hunting and some of the members evaluate a lot of ammo in real applications. I came across some factory Hornady loaded with the 123gr A-Max today in a LGS in NV so it is starting to trickle in now. Also Cavity Back Bullets out of Montana is selling loaded 6.5 Gr with their Lead Free Projectiles.
I’m impatiently waiting for Barnes to bring back their 115gr Tac TTX bullets.
It's your gun if you like I love it and if I only had 1 centerfire rifle the 308 win would be my choice you can getammo anywhere
Me too on the 308 Win. Will cover a lot of game from varmints on up. My only centerfire is a Savage 110 in .223. While I like it very much, a part of me wishes I had gone with a 308.
I'm pretty sure you could convert it by getting a bolthead, barrel, and magbox.
That is indeed a thought. I`d think even more seriously about it if I were going to take up serious deer hunting.
