Rifle and scope advice

[RyanH]

I am looking for some advice on a hunting rife and scope. I hunt in Oregon, and the only animal I am using a rifle for is black bear. I archery hunt everything else. I really don't know much about rifles but from the few people I have talked to in leaning toward a 300 win mag or 338. I want to be able to shoot from 100 to 500 yards max with most shots in the 200 yard range. I want a good scope too, I have used one with yardage bubbles but not sure I'm sold on them. I really liked my 17hmr scope that I dialed the yardage on the top, but I'm a rookie so I don't even know if they make something like that for these calibers. Any advice is much appreciated. Thank you

 

[A-con]

#1 If you like magnums like the 300 + 338, then go for it, but they are not necessary for black bears. A .308 or 30-06 will do just fine.

#2 your budget will determine what rifle and scope to look at.
What ever your budget, buy a quality rifle. Howa is a sponsor of this site, and make fine rifles at a very reasonable cost. Remington 700, Winchester 70, Ruger 77 and Tikas are all well made rifles.

#3 Absolute buy the best scope you can. A good benchmark for hunting scopes is the Leupold VX-2, they are available with CDS (dial the yardage)

#4 Wood stocks and blue steel guns look a lot better, but stainless guns with synthetic stocks will handle the weather a lot better. It’s a lot easier to make a SS/Syn gun look better than it is to weather proof a Blue/wood gun.

#5 Consider the weight of your gun scope combo. The older and fatter I get, the more I like light weight guns.

 

[fishing4sanity]

So many good choices out there, also lots of opinions as to what's good and bad. In my opinion a few good rifles to look at would be the Savage Weather Warrior, Howa 1500, Remington 700 and Tikka T3. I would suggest a synthetic stock and stainless steel in any of the above models, but if you like the looks of a wood stock then go that route, but in rough & nasty conditions I prefer the synthetic stock. The 300 win mag would be a good choice and is available in all the above models. Go check them out at a gun shop, cycle the bolts, test the triggers, see which one comes to shoulder best for you. In scopes I've got Nikon, Leupold and Vortex that would all have some good choices. I really like the Vortex Viper and the Leupold VX3 and you can get the custom elevation turret for both of those. You can get custom turrets for a lot of scopes these day, so you could probably go a cheaper route, but I would suggest getting as good a scope as you feel you can justify for the dollars. If you want a single suggestion I'd say the Savage Weather Warrior in 300 Win Mag, topped with the Vortex Viper HS LR 4-16x44, but that's just me.
Savage Weather Warrior
Vortex Viper
Now if money isn't a problem, throw out everything above and we'll start over.

 

[1_pointer]

Take this for what you paid for it and I don't mean this as a knock to you personally. However, from your post, you seem to be more of an archery 'loony' than a rifle 'loony'. As such, I would forgo the magnums you mentioned. Do you now or in the future plan to load your own bullets? If not, I suggest you pick the 308 Win, 270 Win, 30-06, or 7mm Rem Mag and in your shoes I'd consider them in that order. They are very universal with many factory ammo options and high availability. Any and all those chamberings will do what you are wanting to do with ease.

IMO, the rifle make and model doesn't really matter all that much except that it has to fit you. I suggest you go to a big gun store and look at all the stainless, synthetics from the major companies and see what feels best to you. As far as a scope, twisting turrets for longer shots has never been easier. I suggest either a Leupold with CDS or a Burris C4. They both have the ability to have to turret matched to the load you shoot.

That's my 2 cents on the topic...

 

[putm2sleep]

nuf said here.

'If you want a single suggestion I'd say the Savage Weather Warrior in 300 Win Mag, topped with the Vortex Viper HS LR 4-16x44, but that's just me.
Savage Weather Warrior

ditto.

 

[noharleyyet]

300 mag....short or long..many rifle choices that run the price spectrum...VX3 3.5x10x40 with or w/o cds

 

[BuzzH]

If not, I suggest you pick the 308 Win, 270 Win, 30-06, or 7mm Rem Mag and in your shoes I'd consider them in that order. They are very universal with many factory ammo options and high availability. Any and all those chamberings will do what you are wanting to do with ease.

As far as a scope, twisting turrets for longer shots has never been easier. I suggest either a Leupold with CDS or a Burris C4. They both have the ability to have to turret matched to the load you shoot.

That's my 2 cents on the topic...

Best advice on this thread...and likely the best you'll get.

Run with it....

 

[T Bone]

what pointer and buzz said.

30-06 will do everything you need.

 

[JohnCushman]

I agree with the 30-06. I load 180 grain SST's with Hornady superformance powder and it will take down anyting in north america. I put a cow elk down in her tracks at almost 400 yards with that round.

 

[30338]

And yet another 30--06 vote. Get a Leupold 3.5-10 with custom shop M1 on it for vertical adjustment and shoot a lot.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

The other great advantage of the 308, 270, 30-06 is that you can afford to shoot it alot. They are about the only hunting rounds you can buy for less than a buck a shell for practice ammo.

 

[jlmatthew]

300 mag....short or long..many rifle choices that run the price spectrum...VX3 3.5x10x40 with or w/o cds

What he said but dump the XV3 for a Zeiss!

 

[sheff]

If you are on a budget, Remington Model 700 SPS with a Leupold VX-2 3.5-10 40mm CDS would be my choice. If possible, upgrade to the VX-3. The most versitile cartridge would be a 30-06 but I'm a big .270 fan.

Sheff

 

[JohnCushman]

I have a Savage Axis in 25-06 and the thing is a tack driver out of the box with my handloads. My only complaint about it is the trigger, but for a damned good rifle for about $350 you can't beat it. I liked it so much I bought one in 30-06 too.

 

[RyanH]

Thanks for all the advice and opinions. I appreciate it. I am on a budget for sure. I dont plan on going as cheap as I can, but I certainly cant go out and spend thousands. All these suggestions are close to my price range I believe.

P.S. I really like how a new guy can come on this forum and ask a question and not be told how much of an idiot he is. Thanks again

 

[idahofishnhunt]

I agree with A-con, you don't need a magnum for bears. Get something you can practice a lot with so you can have good shot placement.

 

[mtmuley]

And if you hunt in the wet part of Oregon, I'd go stainless/synthetic. Someone said they don't look good, I beg to differ. Just don't put a stainless scope on it. mtmuley

 

[RyanH]

ya the price of ammo is going to be part of my decision, if I can afford to shoot it then its not going to do me any good. I have a couple other synthetic/ stainless guns because of the wet weather and I plan on going that route again.

 

[RyanH]

I just need to sell my shotgun and I will be ready to purchase a new rifle. Anyone want a benelli vinci with about 25 rounds fired through it? It shoots 3" shells, I just dont use it enough to justify having such a nice gun. Probably replace it with a cheaper semi auto 12 ga. Or any suggestions on where to sell it other than trading it in. I would rather not do that.

 

[idahofishnhunt]

And if you hunt in the wet part of Oregon, I'd go stainless/synthetic. Someone said they don't look good, I beg to differ. Just don't put a stainless scope on it. mtmuley

I have a Savage Weather Warrior in 7mm-08 w/ Nikon Monarch 3-12 BDC with matte finish, and it looks just fine.

Rifle=$700
Scope=$400
Talley Lightweight Rings=$45

Thing is a tack driver with the accutrigger that you can adjust. I have the same caliber for my daughter in a Trophy Hunter XP (includes rifle and scope in one package), which was $500 new, and shoots sub MOA with 2850fps. Good rifles. If I got a bigger caliber I would probably get the bear hunter model.