I posted up an add in the classifieds for a rifle and thought I would open up to some discussion here on what I'm looking for...

I'm helping my neighbor/friend with the selection of his first rifle and he's got some varied needs. Here's a real scenario to give some feedback on. -

Budget $800ish for whole pkg. I’ve told him that I may spot him a few bills that he can pay me back on if we find just the right deal.

Here’s the situation. One of my neighbors who is in his mid 20’s and always been into the outdoors and hunting and is finally able to buy his first rifle. Here’s the breakdown of what he needs… Hopefully one of you has a safe queen that is ready for some adventure.
He’s been saving for this rifle for quite a while and wants to have as close to a all-around gun as possible for basic N. America.
We’re in Florida so the gun will get a steady workout on wild hogs and then deer in season. Where we hunt, we are shooing on tomato fields and in open oak hammocks. Expect shots to range to the ability of the shooter and conditions. Many times, there are opportunities from the elevated stands to shoot at pigs that are 6-800 yards out, but we try and set up for 300 and under.

Here’s the interesting kicker. He has long time friends that live in Alaska (in Kodiak) and he goes up to hunt with them. This year it’s Elk and Blacktail. They fly into Kodiak and then take a float plane to one of the other islands to hunt elk. He’s hopeful that next year is moose. They have to deal with the costal brownies and he is hoping that a brown bear is going to be an option in the future.

So there you have it. He wants one rifle that will do all of this. If he wasn’t a lefty, I would loan him a rifle for his Alaska adventure every year, but he really needs a left handed gun. We’ve discussed a .338Win as an all around. I load and have a .338 that I love, and it would be pretty easy to work up something for the different scenarios with the .338. I’ve also got 10 boxes of 7mm Rem ammo, and many components for loading that cartridge as well. I love the 7mm as an all-around cartridge, but my experience on the larger Alaskan game is total hearsay and what I’ve learned from others adventures. Any feedback on the 7MM Rem for this scenario? We’ve discussed these and many other chamberings for this gun..but it’s helpful that I have a bunch of factory 7mm ammo (and no 7mm to shoot any longer) and 338 components but not married to either!

Were it you in this scenario in your mid 20's, knowing what you know now, and you had $800-1k to spend on a gun what would your choice be?

Ruger American in 30-06 with Leopoldo VX 2 scope in 3-9x...

Tikka T-3 Superlite in 7RemMag. Dollar for dollar the best buy out there. Guaranteed MOA in weather tolerant synthetic stainless and light enough to be a mountain rifle.

I agree with Jerry Dollar on the scope brand but would likely go 2 x 7. Then later , when more money is available look for a lightly used Swaro Z-5 3.5 x 18 - 44 BT.

30-06 and Leupold scope. If not that a Leupold scope on a 30-06.

Jim:
Do you really think a 7mmag is horse enough
for brownies? Bullet weight is the limiter on
a 7mmag. I've had and shot one for years. Grew up on an '06 though.

I was going to say: imo, a .243 is plenty for anything in Fla.

The .338 in Fla is much like Dad and I shooting prairie dogs with his .375. Until you consider we did that solely for Shooting practice just before elk season and his trip to AK.

I really feel he's limiting choice to one rifle out of reason. He really needs two. Unless he went with an '06 with bullet choice's we have with it. A good 220gr for brownies and lighter for everything else. Reloading is a must though.

IMO anyone that can afford to hunt AK from Fla can surely finance two rifles.

Most of you guys have lots more experience with such hunts than I do. Most of my hunting has been mule deer and elk in CO, and two hogs in Fla.

This is interesting, hope to read more ideas. Might learn a bit more.

George

First of all, you’ve already mentioned what is probably the #1 best ‘all-around’ cartridge if you’re gonna hunt everything, and that’s the .338 win Mag. It’s about as good as it gets. If you think that’s too much gun, keep it simple and get a .30-06, which is also an excellent and versatile cartridge.

Keep it simple, either of those choices will be outstanding.

Dont forget 308

The .338WM is perfect for Alaska hunting as long as he can tolerate recoil. What I have done with my .338's is to have the stocks fitted to my length of pull, so that my eye is at the right distance from the scope without having to stretch my neck. Also, the stocks are normally heavy since that tames recoil. For Alaska game a 225-grain Barnes 3-Shock Tipped is fine as an all around bullet, but there is nothing wrong with a 250-grain Partition, or an A-Frame of the same weight. For long distance shots of smaller game such as deer, a "Swiftb.338WM Ammunition" with 210-grain Scirocco is also great. For pronghorn and such one can even go down to 180-grain bullets. The problem is that such a rifle, plus the scope and mount would cost over $800.00.

That said, there is nothing wrong with a .30-06 loaded with 180-grain bullets. The 30-06 is still very popular with moose hunters in Alaska. For closer shots you can use heavier bullets.

Stainless Ruger, Winchester or Tikka

.270 with 150 Partitions or 30/06 with 180 Partitions

Top it with a 2-7 or 3-9 scope, Leupold, Burris, etc. and it will get the job done.

I'd start looking at pawn shops. No need to buy new, especially if on a tight budget.

My son wanted an all around rifle.

Ruger MKII stainless sty stock topped with a 2x8 leupold with B@C reticle 338wm.

Fit the bill.

He cannot hunt brown bears without a guide, and when he has enough money to hire a guide he can afford to buy a .338 WM. So the debate really is elk and lower. Don't know how you could go wrong with the first suggestion.

Some suggestions here forget the $800 budget. And AAW’s point is excellent. Having Alaskan friends won’t cut it unless they are registered guides.

300 Winchester Magnum. He doesn't need a 338 WM unless he can take the recoil. The 300 WM will do it all for ANYTHING that he wants to hunt in Alaska and North America. Put a decent Leupold scope on it. Have him save a little more money, or you can make a donation towards his purchase. I'd look at the Winchester Extreme. I have it in 300 WSM with a Swarovski Z-5 and custom dial up reticle and love it. And yes, he won't be hunting Brown Bear or Grizzly without a licensed Alaskan guide.

So a Winchester Extreme with a Swarovski Z5 is a little bit more than $800? Please tell me where you shop cause obviously I am not buying right...

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
300 Winchester Magnum. He doesn't need a 338 WM unless he can take the recoil. The 300 WM will do it all for ANYTHING that he wants to hunt in Alaska and North America. Put a decent Leupold scope on it. Have him save a little more money, or you can make a donation towards his purchase. I'd look at the Winchester Extreme. I have it in 300 WSM with a Swarovski Z-5 and custom dial up reticle and love it. And yes, he won't be hunting Brown Bear or Grizzly without a licensed Alaskan guide.

UEG, here’s a news flash for you... A .338, shooting Bullets close in weight, kicks less than a .300 Mag. Similar powder charges, similar bullet weights (180/185, 200/210, 220/225), but going down a bore 10% larger so felt recoil is a bit less. After I started shooting a .338 I never went back to a .300.

Shop Gunbroker, be patient, use the search filters to peruse used rifles.

In my mind the -06 sized cartridges are the way to go for "all around". A 270, a 30-06, a 338-06. 35 Whelan.

Its only April, you and he have months to shop before the season starts.

I think Ive purchased my last new firearm.

quote:

So a Winchester Extreme with a Swarovski Z5 is a little bit more than $800? Please tell me where you shop cause obviously I am not buying right...

jdollar: As I said (read it again), have him save a little more money. I wasn't personally bound to $800 and a cheaper scope, in my own decision. Just making a suggestion, nothing more.

DLS: I have two 338's. They literally sit in the gun safe. If I'm going that direction I shoot my 325 WSM, which I do quite often. But thanks for your news flash and your observations, my friend. Stay well.

Solid stuff. Much appreciated!
I'm certainly no expert on Alaska licenses or game and the info on guide requirements was a excellent piece of info to have.
It's been interesting to have these discussing with someone who is going to go do some adventuring and is picking a versatile pkg and trying to get as much out of 1 gun as they can. Throw in the yearly Alaska thing and you've got some real things to consider.

I told my wife he's asking for my opinion on this and she starts laughing and says that I'm lying to him if I told him I think he needs less than 14 rifles for hunting North America. I realized at this point that I have really screwed up and set her expectations way too low if she thought my answer is going to be only 14... why be limited to so few. I love my .338 and told him that's what I would take if I was going to Alaska. There's a nice MK II 300Win and a Tikka T3 SS 30-06 that have been offered that would work great, but no affordable for the budget .338's yet. We will see if these are what he's looking for.

quote:

I told my wife he's asking for my opinion on this and she starts laughing and says that I'm lying to him if I told him I think he needs less than 14 rifles for hunting North America. I realized at this point that I have really screwed up and set her expectations way too low if she thought my answer is going to be only 14... why be limited to so few

So true!

quote:

I told my wife he's asking for my opinion on this and she starts laughing and says that I'm lying to him if I told him I think he needs less than 14 rifles for hunting North America. I realized at this point that I have really screwed up and set her expectations way too low if she thought my answer is going to be only 14... why be limited to so few. I love my .338 and told him that's what I would take if I was going to Alaska.

When I only owned one rifle my 06 03A3 was a do it all rifle and caliber.

My next 3 were 06's a do it all caliber,

Now I own dozens of rifles in many calibers. I shot game with them just to say I have.

But every time I open a safe to pick a rifle a 06 is on the list.

Doesn't always make it.

But I wouldn't feel bad about taking one.

I own and have hunted with all the calibers in this thread and my go to is the 338 win mag. I do not think you can do much better than that however with that said if I was in an area that primarily was not elk, or bear (Florida) I would happily go with a 270, 30-06 or 7mm because they are easier and cheaper to shoot than a 338. Any of those (270, 30-06 or 7mm) with a heavy premium bullet would work for elk or bears. They would not be as good as the 338 but they will get the job done.

quote:

Originally posted by MtElkHunter:
I own and have hunted with all the calibers in this thread and my go to is the 338 win mag. I do not think you can do much better than that however with that said if I was in an area that primarily was not elk, or bear (Florida) I would happily go with a 270, 30-06 or 7mm because they are easier and cheaper to shoot than a 338. Any of those (270, 30-06 or 7mm) with a heavy premium bullet would work for elk or bears. They would not be as good as the 338 but they will get the job done.

The .338WM has been my favorite rifle caliber since I arrived to Alaska in the late '70s. Easy to reload for, and plenty of bullets to choose from. As I get older there is a good chance that I will step down from the .338WM to a .338-06, but it will be hard for me to depart from one of my .338's, and this is a Ruger African. It has a 22" barrel, and does not have a muzzle brake. Beautiful walnut stock, but I put it away and replaced it with a McMillan.

This .338WM was the original Ruger African. It has a dull dark-gray finish, and the bolt is not shiny like the new African models.

Just get a good load with a 300 gr bullet with in a 375 H&H control feed bolt action rifle with decent scope, and iron sights,then hunt the world over for what ever comes your way.
It ain't rocket science. 375 H&H for the world!
.......................................... MacD37

For the world I don't think I could argue that the 375 would be the best overall if you had to go with one, however, most people do not hunt the world with one gun. If you can afford to hunt the world you can and most people do have a battery of guns. I think the thread here is a person who lives in Florida and will spend most of his hunting in Florida with an occasional hunt in Alaska and wants one gun to do it. For north America not the world I think the 375 is to much gun. I can almost make the same case for the 338 as it is definitely more than is needed for Florida because you don't need a 338 for deer and hogs. Really a 2 gun battery would be ideal, 270 for small game and 375 for the big stuff, but again this thread is for 1 gun. My criteria for the one gun is versatility, cost to shoot, availability of ammo, shootability, reasonable power and reasonable accuracy. With those things in mind it is hard to argue with any of the standard calibers in my post.

I'm assuming he is poor.
get him an 800 dollar rifle in 30-06.
[the Bergagra B-14 is my choice, it comes in 7-mag too]
then next year get him an 800 dollar scope.

now he can afford the 40 dollar a box ammo.
if he has to have everything right now like the rest of the world just buy him a Ruger American or the like and a simmons scope, eventually he will learn the difference between now and doing it again.