Hunting Rifle

[DevJames]

I haven't messed with the Ruger Hawkeye...but after fondling a .308 T3, I want one.

[alaskazimm]

Here's something to think about for caliber (and you've already brought it up) is ammo availability. I live in bush Alaska and though I own a 300 wsm (I reload), I've never seen ammo in the small villages around here. Always 30-06 though. So if the airlines loose your bag with the ammo and you're in the bush for you big $$$$ hunt . . . what would you rather have?

Also, the -06 has taken everything in North America including the big coastal brown bears. Though if I was hunting the coastal browns exclusively I would opt for a 338 or 375.

[Frenchy]

Being a fan of the Garand, the 06 is my first choice.

[CrAz3D]

Originally Posted by bigun

I have a T3 in 7mm08 and would not feel undergunned on anything shy of Grizzly bears, It is also one of my 2 most accurate rifles only beaten out by my SAKO 75 Varmiter.

I have a 7mm08 too, by savage. I'd go 308 or 7mm08 (necked down 30. Used to be able to find ammo at wallyworld, etc all the time, but as you know....
Plenty powerful for anything you're likely to shoot at.

[Eagle1911Pro]

The 06. So many ammo choices to pick from to cover anything I would want to shoot. The possibilities are endless.

[yocan]

30-06 is considered better but 308 is good to go, cheaper ammo, and if the world ever calms down will be much more affordable

[KingArthur]

Originally Posted by magnumize

Ive had my Winchester 70 in 30-06 for 10+ years.I think the 30-06 is a great caliber,and always easy to find ammo for it.

I have the same rifle with a Leopold (came with the gun) that I have had for the last 18 years. The 30-06 is a good all purpose general round. I have a Weatherby 7mm mag that I got a little over a year ago, and Sako pre-64 action .338 win mag for heavy game that I have had for about 3 years (I put a Shepherd Scope on that one recently).

[wombat13]

I went through this process one year ago. I needed an all-around hunting rifle. For now, all I hunt is deer, but I'd really like to go out west with my FIL to bag a big boy. For the sake of family harmony, I know that I'm only going to own one hunting rifle for the next several years. I wanted a caliber that would cover all the bases.

I chose .300WM. It is significantly more powerful than .30-06 or .308 and .300WM ammo is the most widely available of the magnum calibers (as I understand it). Factory ammo is available that ranges from lighter than .30-06 to approaching the performance of .338WM.

Remington.com - Products - Ammunition - Ballistics

If you reload you can tune your ammo to whatever you need.

What are the drawbacks to .300WM in a hunting rifle? I can think of two:

1. Ammo cost - ammo is more expensive than .30-06. IMHO, this is a hunting rifle, not a range toy. Right now, I'm shooting it quite a bit so I am comfortable with it, but over the long haul, ammo cost won't be a big deal for me. Besides, .300WM ammo isn't that much more expensive. Federal Fusion ammo is $8/box more for .300WM than for .30-06. That's not much of a difference for a hunting rifle.

Cabela's -- Federal Fusion&#8482 Rifle Ammunition

2. Recoil - .300WM kicks harder than .30-06.

Rifle Recoil Table

IMHO, .30-06 and .308 have the advantage if you think this rifle might be important for your SHTF plans because ammo availability is paramount in that situation. .300WM has the advantage for hunting because ammo is readily available in any hunting oriented store and factory ammo can be purchased in a wide range of power levels.

My all-around hunting rifle is a Ruger Hawkeye in .300WM (stainless/laminate stock). When I do my part, it shoots 1-moa with Federal Fusion 180gr. You won't be disappointed with a similar choice.

[frogger42]

Originally Posted by wombat13

IMHO, .30-06 and .308 have the advantage if you think this rifle might be important for your SHTF plans because ammo availability is paramount in that situation.

Thank you for bringing this up. This is something I should have put in the original post but neglected to do. I am not a hunter. I want to learn to hunt, but not really because I am looking for a new hobby (although I can't rule out that it could become that) but because I think it is a valuable skill to have in a SHTF situation and that isn't the time to be figuring out how to do it. I will probably go on 1 or 2 hunts per year to learn and then maintain the skill, but my primary reason for doing this is so that I could keep food on the table if things got bad. That is why I specified wanting a common, easy to find caliber.

Based on all my research, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with .30-06. Now, I just have to decide between the Ruger and the Tikka. Of course, then I get to discuss optics but we will save that for another thread. It will take me quite a while to save up the money for the rifle and I plan to spend at least as much or more on the scope. I have narrowed that down to Leopold, Zeiss or Trijicon and I'm pretty sure I'll go with the standard 3-9x40 but maybe 2.5-10x50.

[thelongone13]

If you want an AWESOME hunting rifle and not break the bank for the gun or to feed it, 7.62x54R is always fun...