New Rifle, Advice?

[maxama10]

Well, Im in the market for a new rifle. I have a Bushmaster .223 which is fun for plinking but trying to shoot deer and coyotes doesnt work out too well with the iron sites. So Im looking at a .270, I think 300 win mag or .308 etc.. is too much to shoot coyotes and the ammo is more expensive also. I want to go with a Savage, after the reading through the other threads on this topic. I went and talked to the clerk and the gun shop and she suggested a .270. All they had was a Savage .270 wsp or something(?) and it was a different round from the normal .270 It was a little shorter and fatter shell, It also cost around 5+$ more per box. However, she said to order a .270 rifle was going to be a bit more expensive. Im looking to spend 400-500$. What do you think?

Also, wanted to pick up some rounds for the .223 but they had very few choices and were really expensive. The clerk told me that most of em were on backorder for months because of the war. :-/ I need to find a gun show so I can pick up a lot of em, cheap.

What kinda scope would you reccomend. Something relatively cheap but decent quality. This would be my first hunting rifle/scope.

[Lohman446]

I would not go into the "special" cartridges (WSM or such) unless you have a specific need for them. I have a Ruger .270 "carbine" and could not be more happy with it for an all around rifle - not knocking Savage, its the cartridge that makes this gun so versatile to me.

I fully recommend the .270 as a great cartridge, reasonably flat shooting with plenty of stopping power for all but the largest big game animals you are going to realistically hunt in North America.

[doc_Zox]

what about another big caliber upper for the AR?

the 6.8 stuff is looking good

http://www.rockriverarms.com/item-detail.cfm?ID=SPC0675X&storeid=1&image=u68mid07.gif&CFID=7780142&CFTOKEN=32632892

a flattop with a nice scope will set you back a bit
but its a nice set up

[kruger]

Two others that you should seriously consider is the 7mm/08 and the 25/06. The 7mm/08 is a 308 necked down to the 7mm bullet. Flat shooting and hard hitting in a short cal. hull. The 25/06 is a 30/06 necked down to a 25 cal bullet. Think of it as a 243 MAGNUM. This is my favorite bullet and is just devastating on deer sized animals. Its not the best choice in high winds or thick brush tho. Either of these can be had in just about any rifle made. I personaly prefer the Winchester, but I also have other makes and just love them all.

As for the scope, it really depends on how much you are willing to spend and what type of enviroment you plan on hunting in. Bushnell makes a 3200 and a 4200 series of scopes that have a rainguard coating on the lense. This helps with prevention of water droplets and fogging on the outside of the lense. Very reasonably priced too. For a mid range scope, then Zeis has a line called the Conquest. Very nice and bright scopes. Do not skimp on the scope. Buy as much quality as you can reasonably afford, you wont regret it. If you are going to be hunting a lot at dawn or dusk, then consider getting a 30mm tube scope. Helps gather a bit more light. For long range hunting, (over 150 yds) then look to the variable power scopes, up to 9X. If you are going to be mainly hunting up close, (150 yds or less) then look at the fixed 4X scopes. Most people tend to over scope their guns, but that seems to be the trend lately. Hope this helps.

[Army]

Kruger has good advice. The .308 or 7mm/08 is all the round you need for what you want.

But I would stick to Savage. The cost savings will allow a better glass to be had.

[maxama10]

alright I had put the rifle on hold for a while but am looking at picking one up now

I'm now thinking .308 savage






as for scopes? 300$ range? what ya think guys

Edit: will probably be 200 yards to maybe 400 yards
mountain/desert

[bornl33t]

ma buddy picked up his savage in a .270 with a scope on it. He liked it for for his purpose, hunting. He said it was accurate to the ranges he required and had good target acquisition for moving deer...he picked his up new at sportsmans warehouse for just under 400$
I'm a novice with the whole gun thing though, but I'm studding real had. Just wanted to through that out there.

[maxama10]

Hmm thanks! That seems unbelievably cheap though! Wow.

All the savages I've looked at were at least 500 to 600 for the rifle alone.


Perhaps he picked up the Stevens brand rifle which is the cheap version of a savage made by the same company. (as I understand it)

[bornl33t]

Hmm thanks! That seems unbelievably cheap though! Wow.

All the savages I've looked at were at least 500 to 600 for the rifle alone.


Perhaps he picked up the Stevens brand rifle which is the cheap version of a savage made by the same company. (as I understand it)

Kinda like the beneli-stogger?
I can double check for you if you can wait a few days. I know Sportsman's is THE place around here to buy firearms. They can't be beat...especially once you pay for ffl dealer fees on firearms purchased and shipped. But it's not uncommon for me to practice selective hearing when it comes to money matter....

[maxama10]

well I just ordered one through an ace hardware for 529
synthetic, blued, short action, .308




thanks though

[maxama10]

Alright, I'm looking at the leupold vx I and vx II

would be about $300 for a 3-9

the difference that I can see is that vx-I you can get 3x9-50 and vx2 you get the 3-9x40 for nearly the same price

So I don't know which would be better for my application, I'm also afraid the 50 might not fit on the rifle? I don't think that much of my hunting will be at dusk or dawn so maybe I should go with 40?


Can anyone tell me anything about these?

[Lohman446]

The VXII has better lenses - I wouldn't even consider a leopuld scope below the VXIII though.

Frankly, when I picked out my last scope I found the Nikon Monarch suited what I wanted better, and it has held up on the 375 so I have to beleive its a fairly decent scope.

Without massive recoil to worry about there are decent scopes that will do what you need cheaper.

[maxama10]

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...564&hasJS=true

Kruger, Lohman

what would you say to the first one there, the 219$ one?

would be better for me as I don't have an entirely huge sum of money to be honest

Looks like the warranty on em is just as good as leupold too!

[maxama10]

well, I didn't take lohmans advice and bought a leupold vx-I


lol

here it is

savage model 11 in a .308 with the 3-9 Leupold VX-I




love it

[93civiccpe]

Darn.. Wish I had seen this thread sooner. The Leupold VX-1 scopes aren't bad, but don't allow the most amount of light through them either. They are older technology that at the time was great, but now is just average. I would have told you to look at the Bushnell Elite series... high quality lenses with the newest coatings at a very reasonable price. None-the-less, nice looking setup. Best of luck in your hunting. I'd make sure to do a proper break-in procedure on that rifle / barrel to ensure long term accuracy, but maybe I'm just old-fashion.