Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

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Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby Jack's My dog on Thu Jan 12, 2017 1:41 pm

It is most likely that I will not have access to our deer hunting land going forward. As such, my buddy and I have begun talking about traveling out of state for some antelope, deer, elk, and hog hunts. I hunted in the slug zone and my only center-fire rifle is my .223 AR. 300 yds would be on the outside of how far I would consider shooting at his point. I am wondering what you guys would pick out for caliber, rifle model, and optic with a 1k budget?

The budget is not a hard number, but my firearms funds are a limited. I have had good luck with my Savage 220, 17hmr, and .22 and I am partial to the Hog hunter in .308. I have also heard a lot of good things the Ruger American. I know the Rem 700 is always popular, but the press they have received in the last few years would not put them at the top of my list.

I have also liked my Votex Viper PST and would consider them again, but I would also maybe consider switching my nikon pro staff 2-7 from my slug gun to a new rifle.
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Re: Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby smurfman on Thu Jan 12, 2017 2:03 pm

I would look at something in 30/06, 270, or 308 as those will handle anything you mentioned and then some with no problem. There are a number of other chamberings which would work just as well but those three are common, inexpensive, and can be had in many different forms if you don't reload.

As for rifle brands, I am partial to the Savage 110/10 series for an inexpensive rifle but I have seen some pretty good deals on Howa 1500 lately. These are pretty similar to, if not the same as, the Weatherby Vanguard which is another good and relatively inexpensive rifle.

My personal pick would be to hit the used racks and look for a higher end rifle there. Remington 700, Winchester 70, Ruger 77, and a host of others can be found in the $500-$600 range and often can be had with a decent scope too. If not, you have enough money to get a scope which would handle your needs.

I am not too fussy when it comes to scopes and have found those such as Burris Fullfield II and Signature, Leuopold VX-II and -III, Meopta (under the Cabela's Euro brand as I bought mine through the Bargain Cave), Bushnell 3200 and 4200, and the like to serve me well enough. I have used the Pro Staff and it worked well for me. The two I had eventually went with the guns I had them on as gifts otherwise I would still have them.

One should be under the $1000 mark with most of the above, even if buying new. As I tend to buy used, I would expect to be well under that price point.
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Re: Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby farmerj on Thu Jan 12, 2017 2:08 pm

Consider a round common enough that ammo will be available wherever you plan on hunting.

I'm partial to a savage or Stevens myself
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Re: Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby Ghost on Thu Jan 12, 2017 2:12 pm

Smurfman has nailed it if you want a bolt gun. You could also add another AR upper, I'm a fan of the 6.5 Grendel.

Edit: with a good QD mount you could use your existing scope if it has adjustable turrets that have good repeatability.
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Re: Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby Squib Joe on Thu Jan 12, 2017 2:13 pm

Be warned on the Ruger American that it only has a two position safety. This is fine for hunting out of a stand, but if you intend to walk around in the brush there is a good chance you'll get that bolt thrown open in the safe position while walking around.

Tikka T3 rifles are on sale in many places now that the Tikka T3X came out. You can get rifles that used to go for 800-900 for 600-700 in many cases.

Also look at Savage, Weatherby, Bergara (a hidden gem in hunting rifles), Remington ...
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Re: Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby Randygmn on Thu Jan 12, 2017 3:51 pm

FYI- if you are interested in an AR platform, Savage is coming out with a new line of AR's (first time ever) in both 556 and 308. The 308 has a left side charging handle, which is pretty awesome imo. Prices are very reasonable, too. And, as a semi auto- it's really gonna be pretty versatile.
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Re: Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby OldmanFCSA on Thu Jan 12, 2017 4:16 pm

All suggestions above are good.

I have a whole bunch of rifles that would fit your requirements, BUT IF I were to build another rifle, it would be on a Rem 700 long action with a 26" SS tube chambered in 280AI (Ackley Improved) which is a blown out reshaped 280REM case. Basically ends up equal to a 7mm Rem Mag for velocity, but with less powder and a better burn equating to a more accurate rifle. Choice of stock depends on favorite usage.

http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/to ... l-carlson/

Kenny Jarrett originally built these rifles and called them "BeanField" rifles as used in Missouri, but the cartridge will work to fill all your needs. In a jam normal 280Rem ammo can be fired in the rifle. Nosler is producing cases for reloading without fireforming. Another company, I forget who, is manufacturing live ammo for this cartridge.

"1-9" is a very forgiving 7mm twist rate..................."

Look into it, as it is also being used in the Long Range shooting games - a little more recoil than the 6.5 Creed More's as projectile is 0.020" larger in dia and uses a 160 - 195 grain weight as opposed to a 6.5(0.264") using 140 grain projectiles. Accuracy will hold for a much longer range and retain more energy.

Check out FaceBook for various rifle groups - If you need, I can direct you to some Groups that I'm not an Administrator on.

Of course my NORMAL suggestion would be to get a 50BMG rifle but they can be a little heavy to carry in the field.
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Re: Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby goalie on Thu Jan 12, 2017 4:30 pm

I just put together a 6.5 Creedmoor Howa 1500 topped with a SWFA fixed 6x Mil-quad scope.

I got the rifle at Whittakers for $330 shipped. I got the scope and rings during SWFA's Black Friday sale for $285 shipped. I would spend the rest on ammo and shoot the hell outta it.

FWIW, the Howa is a much better rifle that the Ruger American. I have two Ruger American's but, as said, it has a 2-position safety instead of the 3-position on the Howa, and the Howa, while heavier, isn't a plastic POS.

You could do the same with a 308 or 270. The nice thing about the scope is that it has a metric ass-ton of elevation adjustment, and allows you to shoot out a really long ways spinning turrets, then you have a ton more adjustment/elevation on the winshield/reticle. It also tracks repeatably. Something that a lot of scopes don't do well.

You could also do the same scope and a Kimber Hunter or Tikka T3 Lite in your caliber of choice and be right at that 1k mark.

Edit: FWIW, I have killed at least a dozen deer with a .270 that I got at Wal-Mart for 220 bucks topped with a Weaver 4.75x Grand Slam. Good scope, good mounts, and get shooting. Most any decent rifle shoots well enough for hunting.
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Re: Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby farmerj on Thu Jan 12, 2017 4:36 pm

I'll state it again.

Find a common caliber. One you can find on a gas station shelf in a place like meeker county Colorado.

Because without ammo, all you have is a club
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Re: Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby yukonjasper on Thu Jan 12, 2017 4:47 pm

http://www.accuracy-tech.com/6-5-creedmoor-vs-308-winchester/

Interesting comparison. I thought I'd share the article as I have been ruminating on an MSR in a big game caliber and had sort of thought it would end up being a 308, but maybe not. Great - more to think about.............

I have been using a Remington 7400 30-06 for 25+ years. I use it for deer and have used it for Elk. It should be good for anything you can hunt in North America - that's the tag line anyway.
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Re: Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby Jack's My dog on Thu Jan 12, 2017 4:55 pm

farmerj wrote:I'll state it again.

Find a common caliber. One you can find on a gas station shelf in a place like meeker county Colorado.

Because without ammo, all you have is a club



This seems like solid advice.
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Re: Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby photogpat on Thu Jan 12, 2017 5:06 pm

Savage 110 in .270 or .30-06 should get you max versatility and ammo availability anywhere. It's a bolt gun - so you can travel anywhere with it too.
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Re: Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby goalie on Thu Jan 12, 2017 5:22 pm

farmerj wrote:I'll state it again.

Find a common caliber. One you can find on a gas station shelf in a place like meeker county Colorado.

Because without ammo, all you have is a club


Or, just buy a ton of ammo when you buy the rifle, and bring ammo with you.

(Granted, I also said 308 or 270 for the same reason, but I also have never gone hunting and forgotten my ammo or ran out of ammo or even remotely got close to needing to buy ammo at the gas station, and I likely never will.)
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Re: Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby crbutler on Thu Jan 12, 2017 5:44 pm

.30-06.

Can handle anything from Moose/bear down to pronghorn and varmints with the right ammo.

It's very forgiving to reload for and there are factory sources of specialty ammo as well.

The only down side is a bit more recoil than some of the others.

I would look for a stainless bolt gun and synthetic stock if your esthetics can tolerate it. You won't get too upset about the weather then.

As to what rifle, I have seen some Winchester M70's that will fit your budget (barely) new, but used is fine if you can find it. I admit that the Ruger American is doing well and Savage has the reputation for accuracy (but tend to be heavy and clunky). Remington I have been staying away from lately with all this stuff about the safety issue, but if you buy a cheap Remington 700 you will be able to upgrade it over time.

Other calibers than .30-06 will work, but the .308 and the .270 are really the only two that are quite available that will work well. The .30-30 just isn't an elk rifle, and with its limited range (actually more trajectory issues) not a good choice for universal hunting use unless you are willing to give up on much over 150 yards, so pretty much your shotgun does as well as that.

The .308 will work on all that you commented on hunting, but if you are in bear habitat, having a 200-220 grain back up load might be reassuring, and that is the only place it is not interchangeable with the -06.

The .270 has a bit less recoil, but probably is not as reliable on really big stuff as the -06... like Moose and brown or grizzly bear, or bison. It will work fine for everything you mentioned though.

As far as odd stuff, for hunting use, anything from 6.5 on up that puts a bullet with a SD over .2 (around .3 is ideal) over 2400 FPS will accomplish 95% of all hunting tasks, so if you don't care about local availability of ammo, use pretty much anything.
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Re: Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

Postby crbutler on Thu Jan 12, 2017 5:49 pm

Also, with the .308 and the AR platform, be a little careful. Most of the hotter hunting ammo is not made with the AR's gas system in mind, and you,might find you are doing some harm to your gun.
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