I am getting myself a late christmas present in the near future. I have given much thought about what gun will do what good for me here in the NW. Considering that I have a mere $1000 to spend, I have narrowed it down to either a Tikka All-Weather Synthetic or a Sako in the 7mm models with either an elite 3200, Bushnell Scopechief, or a Leupold Vari-X II. My question is...how would you spend $1000 on an all around NW USA gun? Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

-Coot

Coot,
I have a ss syn Tikka in 300 Win and love it. A 7mm is just as good for a all around gun. The 7mm kicks a little less and does just as good on Elk. A 338, 3006, or 280 would also be fine. I personally like wood stocks and blued barrels, but the all weather rifles are a better choice.

I live and hunt mostly SW Oregon, so I get used to the rain and wet snow.

I'd buy a Remington S/S Laminate Mountain Rifle in 7-08,put Dual Dovetail bases and rings on it and top it with a Leupold 6x42mm with Butler Creek flip ups............

Coot,

My All-around PNW rifle is a Ruger M77 MkII Stainless with a Hogue synthetic stock in 7mm Rem Mag. There is nothing I can't hunt in Oregon with this rifle. I load 175 gr. Nosler Partitions to 2950-3000 fps. It shoots flat enough for antelope if I ever draw a tag, and it works great on elk up close in the timber too. In addition, it has performed admirably in Africa on game as large as eland.

I hope this helps

Joel Slate
Slate & Associates, LLC
The Safari Specialists
www.slatesafaris.com

7mm Rem Mag Page www.slatesafaris.com/7mm.htm

Coot, I don't see anything wrong with your choice.

One might quibble about the 7mm being a little light, for elk, but I shot one for years without problems. A 30 or even 338 might be a better choice, if elk are your primary quarry.

As far as scopes go, I would not consider the Vari-XII. The new VXII is only a few bucks more, and has multicoated exterior lenses and click adjustments. Also consider the Weaver Grand Slam. HTH, Dutch.

The 7mm would be a great choice but I would go for a 700 bdl ss dm and a baush&lomb 3200 3x9.

How about a Weatherby Vanguard from Wal mart and a Bushnell elite, its still hard to go wrong with a Leupold XII but like it or not their time has past and an Elite has much more up to date technology built into it.

[This message has been edited by Wstrnhuntr (edited 01-28-2002).]

Scratch that last post! I just went and compared scopes again. This may be old news here but just iin case, Leupold has a new line up this year. The VXII hasnt gone away its been improved! They now have a VXI which appears to be very similar to the "old" VXII and in the Cabellas shooting catalog it says that they are "crafted with the waterprofing technology thats now famous throughout the industry!! Sounds like Bushnell rainguard to me! The new VXI 3-9 x40 is 199.99.... I think Ill get one..

[This message has been edited by Wstrnhuntr (edited 01-30-2002).]

A ruger stainless bolt action with a laminate stock would be my choice. The scope is up to you, but pick out the best one for you. I would consider uping the scope quality a bit and maybe trying to find a decent used rifle.

[This message has been edited by Buell (edited 01-30-2002).]

Remington Model 7 synthetic stock and stainless steel in 300 SAUM with Leupold 3-9 Compact scope. Lethal, flat shooting, and in a very portable package especially if you are hunting there in the Coastal Range where the underbrush is so thick!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jrslate:
[B]Coot,

My All-around PNW rifle is a Ruger M77 MkII Stainless with a Hogue synthetic stock in 7mm Rem Mag. There is nothing I can't hunt in Oregon with this rifle. I load 175 gr. Nosler Partitions to 2950-3000 fps. It shoots flat enough for antelope if I ever draw a tag, and it works great on elk up close in the timber too.

Mine is the same gun in .338WM, murdered lots of eastern wash. whitetails & mulies!!

good luck