Looking to buy a new rifle

[RAF]

I'm toying with the idea of buy an new center fire rifle. Right now I have a Reminton Model 4 chambered in 30-06. It was the fore runner of the 7400. It's a fussy rifle. I tried to hand load for it but nothing I did would work. Only thing that works in it is factory ammution. I haven't used it on deer for 3 years. I've been shooting a 243 the last couple of year. Anyway I'm looking for something else. You never know, I might go for something bigger than deer. I keep thinking of a 300 Win mag but think it's a little too much for deer. I was also thinking of some of the short magnums but know little about them.

[jjw]

As you probably already know I bought a new savage .300 win mag and used it for a 3 day whitetail hunt this year and took a doe. Even though, as you stated it is a bit much for whitetail, I had to break her in. I did a good share of research before choosing the .300 win mag, and decided on it, as I wanted a do everything big game rifle for north America that could reach out and touch something. I like it very much, but will go back to my .30-.30 next year for whitetail rifle season.
A .270 would be a very good caliber, and I have heard a lot of positive things about the short magnums. I am currently very interested in the new Marlin XLR lever rifle with the 24" barrel in five different calibers, .30-.30, .35, .444, .450 and .45-70. I especially like the .444.
Good luck and have fun.

[whyohe]

RAF, i'd recomend a 7mm mag if you want some thing you can use on deer and a little larger. my buddy got an elk with his and uses his for deer also , just laods differently for each. i dont know much about the WSSM but you might want to look into one of these too.

[dans]

If you are a handloader then the 300 win mag can be loaded down a bit for whitetails and still have the capability to go up to heavier loads/bullets for bigger game. You can't go wrong with a Savage. Accuracy at an affordable price.

[rossman40]

I was all set to buy a Sendaro in 300 RUM a few years ago till I got the chance to shoot one, too much punishment on this old body. So I went in to the store and was set on a 112 in 308 but it was no longer available and settled for a 112FVSS in 30-06. My best groups have been less then 1/2 MOA at 100yds. You can get ammo cheap and anywhere plus load up bullets heavier then the .308 for bigger game. Plus with a Savage you can swap the barrels and boltheads pretty quick and have a different rifle cheap.

[RAF]

I was in the gun shop yesterday. Nothing new in my gun room but saw something I liked and going to give it some serious thought. I'm leaning towards a 300 WSM. The one I looked at was a Tikka but in 300 win mag(no WSM in stock at the moment). I like the feel of the rifle. It was blued with synthetic stock. Balance was great and it was light. It was priced good too, $719. I could easily load it with 150 grain bullets and should work good on deer and if I went for something bigger, it wouldn't be hard to step up to a heavier bullet. There is a draw back. They're not interested in my 30-06 because it's an auto loader. They say there have been problems with the extractor on the 7400 models. Mine is a model 4 so it's older. There's also concern about the ever evolving gun laws and there may be a problem in the future with auto loaders.

[herman]

I have a couple buddies that have the tikka in 300 wsm and they sure are shooters,useing their hand loads.I have a 308 varmit and a 25/06 in the tikka and both will shoot.
I did have the 300 wsm in a browning also but sold it because I didn't shoot it that much.
One buddie has the 300 wsm in the remington sps and it shoots great also.He also has 2 sako's in 300wsm and the tikkas shoot better than they do.
Below is a sample of how my 308 and 25/06 shoots,the 25/06 didn't shoot too well but I sent it back to them and this is how it shot afterwards.
[ftp]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/owensby/tikkaaccbond222333.jpg?t=1164042688[/ftp]


[ftp]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/owensby/tikkaamaxsmall.jpg?t=1164042821[/ftp]

[RAF]

I'm impressed, one more mare for the Tikka 300 WSM.

[jjw]

So RAF, any updates on acquiring a new rifle?

[RAF]

I was back in the shop yesterday and they had one in stock. Looked it over real close. I really like the rifle but I wasn't impressed with the removable magazine. Was disappointed that it's made of plastic. Not a big deal though. My plan, if I decide to go ahead, will be to buy it in the new year. Of course if I do, I doubt if I could wait until spring to shoot it but the weather here in winter is not good for going to the range . While I was looking at it another customer came along and cautioned me no to buy it, saying you'll be sorry. Asked what he meant and he said his father had one and the recoil was wicked. I'm not that concerned about recoil and if that's the only complaint, no big deal . I then had a look around at other supplies I'll need. Dies, brass, bullets and powder. My reloading manual is an older version and doesn't have any info in 300 WSM so I bought a new one. Had a quick look through it and find that there are other short magnum calibers out there to consider but I still think I'll stay with WSM.

[bubba]

RAF

The recoil is fine, you canadians get to discount that too dont you?

They are typically tack drivers too, the only funky thing about them T3's are that they are one length action to serve all, even the short action calibers have long action length.

The only thing that I will caution you on is the cost of spare magazines -they rape your for the plastic guys 60-70USD here..........

other than that I say all thumbs up !

You need load data just ax me :-)

[RAF]

bubba said:

RAF

The recoil is fine, you canadians get to discount that too dont you?

They are typically tack drivers too, the only funky thing about them T3's are that they are one length action to serve all, even the short action calibers have long action length.

The only thing that I will caution you on is the cost of spare magazines -they rape your for the plastic guys 60-70USD here..........

other than that I say all thumbs up !

You need load data just ax me :-)

YIKES 60 - 70 US, I'll have to try hard and not lose it or break it. . Thanks for the offer on load data. Had a quick look in the new manual. Looks interesting. My plan is to load it with 150 grain bullets. What kind, not sure yet but it will be a deer round. If the opportunity come to shoot something bigger, and I think it will, I'll work up a load of 180's.

P.S. No discount on recoil. That's an old wives tale

[E.T.]

RAF

I own the Tikka 300wsm, synthetic with SS barrel. The bolt action is so smooth that I had to recheck a few times for a round chambered when I first started using it. She did have a nasty barrel jump but this was tamed with embedding a 1-lb chunk of carbide in the fore stock. With the factory 180gr mine easily gets just under a MOA groups. Have got it down to ¾” at a hundred using 4350 powder. This is the second love of my life in the gun cabinet. ;D
But alas the 10ML-II has been a range hog and I have yet to go back and play with loads for over a year.

There is also a model with a second set trigger and wish I had got that one instead because to replace it now the price is over $250. Had a machinist set the trigger at 2.25 pounds and love it’s response with almost no travel play.

Price of spare plastic magazine was $90 Canadian when I got one afew years ago, must have gone down some or they seen me coming with that "I got to have look". ;D

Ed

[RAF]

Thanks for the reply Ed. I noticed how smooth the bolt was too. 4350 is what I was thinking of for a powder. Have lots on hand and also use it in a 243. I'm not sure what I'll do with the trigger. That's something I really didn't pay attention to when I was handling the rifle but thought of it later. Probably take it to my gun smith. He also did my savage and it works great. Boy, almost have myself talked into it

[bubba]

RAF

in the US anyways, the triggers are pretty nice, 2-4lbs, and if you can turn an allen wrench, then you can adjust it!

-bubba

[RAF]

bubba said:

RAF

in the US anyways, the triggers are pretty nice, 2-4lbs, and if you can turn an allen wrench, then you can adjust it!

-bubba

Hey Bubba, that's good to hear. Was wondering if it was made so I could adjust it myself. I have an old Savage 110E, I think, in 243 and I can adjust that trigger myself.

[bubba]

this is simple raf, you taker her outta the stock, there is ONE allen head screw to adjust, and it hits on another screw head limiting the trigger pull adjustment, even bubba could figure it out.........

turning it out lightens the pull.............

nice trigger, if they would just make the face of the trigger alittle wider - it might be perfect!

-bubba

[RAF]

;DThanks Bubba. When I buy it I check it out. Might be asking how to do it again. At my age memory starts to go ;D

[joe21a]

The 300 win mag or short mag are both excellent cart. And if you hand load you can lower the power to that of a 30-06 or lower with the right powder.,but at full load it will take most any animal and the bullet selection ( 55gr to 200gr) you can't get that with the 6mm mag or the 7mm mag.. In the short mag they make some pretty light rifles. I have used 4350 for many years great powder.

[RAF]

I've been studying my new reloading manual and have settled on 4350 for a powder. I'll likely start with a 150 grain bullet, because it will be mainly used for deer, and work up a load. It's interesting you mention lighter bullets. My manual doesn't list anything under 150 gr. Let see, a 55 grain bullet ;D. That should be humming. Might double as a 'yote gun too .

[Rifleman]

Raf, Just a word of advice before you start to load 150's in a 300 mag for deer. If you load them at top speed and happen to take a shot inside of the 200 yd mark with a non-premium bullet you are likely to experience bullet blow up. You can load it a little slower, say at 2900 fps and bypass that issue. Or maybe go with a 165 or even a 180 gr. A 180 gr is a great all around bullet weight for the 300 mag. It will handle elk,moose or anything smaller, will be less likely to blow up on short range shots, and at the longer ranges, have a better trajectory and flight characteristics. My own personal bias is to find one load per gun that shoots well and load or buy a bunch, zero to it, and learn it. In a 300 win mag, a 180 gr nosler or something similar would be a reasonable choice.

[joe21a]

My thinking has be a little different in the last 10 years or so. I have loaded lighter bullets (White Tail) in my 308 and 300 win mag. I use 125 gr in both, They shoot very flat, do a great job on heart-lung or head shots. And the main reason for using the lighter bullet was to have less bullet travel on pass though shots. This makes it safer if another hunter is in the woods behind the deer some place. I do have to be careful about bullet placement, but then we all should be. For larger animals I use the 165 bullet.

[RAF]

Oh no , something else to think about. This could get interesting.

[joe21a]

The 55 grain loads are a sabot round, The components are sold if you look and most of the time they give reload info. If you want loads for the 110 to 150 grain loads the Speer manuel lists them. If loading TNT or V-Max style varmit bullets you should keep them below 3100 fps per manf. advice. ( thin jacket) The 30 cal big game bullets can go as fast as you like but they will reflect speed as more damaged meat if bullet hits shoulder.

[RAF]

Ah, a sabot in a center fire rifle. Seems Remington came out with those some time ago. I think they were called accelerator. I was interested for 30-06 because they advertised 4000 FPS, but they weren't particularly accurate. Seems they were also available in a couple of other 30 caliber loadings. Will have to take a look for another manual for lighter loads 'cause my manual doesn't list anything less that 150 gr. Don't have my manual in front of me but seems they list speed of 150 at around 3100 for the 300 WSM and just over 2900 for the 180 grainers. I'll definately be looking for a premium bullet.

[redneckrob]

you can't go wrong with a remington 700 bdl in 30-06 . it has the biggest bullet selection of any caliber on the market and has more than enough power and range for any game in north america. you don't need all those 300 shoulder pounders and expensive shells

[RAF]

I already have a Remington in 30-06. It's not a BDL but a model 4. I guess I just need another rifle and pretty much have my wife convinced ;D

[redneckrob]

i have a 30-06 in a 700 bdl and a 7400 and a 710 , then i have a 25-06 in a 700bdl. as you can see i am a firm believer in remington. you can't have too many guns , even if some are the same caliber!!

[antleraddiction]

I reload for 2- 300 wsm if you don't like 4350 try H4831SC it turned out consistant loads and under 1" in a Tikka T3. As mentioned the light rifle package of the Tikka pays you back in recoil but installing a sims or pachmayr recoil pad will help emmensley if you find it too much. If and when you try 180 gr bullets may I suggest trying either RL22 or IMR7828SC. The 7828SC has proved to be the most consistant preformers in these 2 rifles with the RL22 putting a few FPS on the chrono. Both the fellas I load for went with 180gr Nosler AB's under 7828sc for deer and have been pleased with the results on paper/game. Neither have tackled anything larger but the 165 Barnes TSX would be a good place to start the search.

I use a 7mm rem mag for up to including moose, it is a perfectly suited gun IMO for saskatchewan as an all arounder.

If you don't like the tikka mag have you checked out the Browning Abolt? Composite stalker is a blue on syth. frame just like the tikka. It will require a trigger job as well, which requires either a different spring installed or the existing cut down. It features a smooth as silk 60 degree bolt throw(true short action unlike the Tikka), and a detachable box magazine with a hinged closure plate( so no chance of losing it). If you should happen to lose or require a spare mag brownings fetch the same cake, but aren't plastic. One of the other 300wsms is a abolt and they both shoot 1" or better if the shooter is up to it!!

BTW I am not a abolt pusher, I have owned both but prefer 700's. Just thought I'd mention it as an FYI, since you haven't bought just yet. Go with whichever feels the best and you won't be sorry, both solid guns.

Good Luck

[RAF]

As a matter of fact I was in WS this morning and looking around. Place is about 1/2 empty as their move continues. I have looked at the A bolt but there's a $200 + difference in price. Still like the T3 for it's light weight. I'll keep the powder suggestions in mind along with the suggestions on the recoil pads. I did find something though that I was looking for. Last time I looked couldn't find it but there is was today. Last set of RCBS small base dies for my 30-06 auto loader. Not sure how long I'll have this though. Just received my copy of the Outdoor Edge and article about the conservative government and their plans for the gun registry. Seem they're taking a close look a banning all auto loaders. Also said something about they're looking a compensating owners that will forfeit their guns . I think me and other owners will end up on the short end of that stick. Wonder if it'll also apply to rim fire