Let's buy the perfect out west gun.

[wisconsinteacher]

My buddy is looking for a new rifle for hunting out west. He wants to deer/antelope hunt but I know elk will happen someday. He is leaning towards a Tikka but doesn't know what caliber.

I told him to buy a 270 because it is a great round and factory ammo is very common. From there put a good scope on it and then buy a good stock because he is 6'4" and has long arms.

What would you recommend for my buddy to buy to make a nice "out west" gun?

 

[coop22250]

No need to over think it, anything from a 6.5, 7mm-08, 308, 30-06, 270, etc out to about 400 the performance and drop are very close. The more important thing IMO is the right bullet for the right game. I have friends whose kids have killed multiple AK moose with a 243 and 100gr partitions, do just fine.

Tikka, Browning Hells Canyon, m70 Extreme weather SS, Ruger SS, they all fit the bill. My current fave is the EW SS. Almost every animal on the wall from AK-MT-NE-Wa was taken with a model 308 with an old 3x9 Leupold from a pawn shop, so don’t go broke thinking he needs a special gun to hunt.

But if he needs a good excuse to buy a new one, I’m one board with that haha!


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[truck driver]

Boy you really want to open up a can of beans LOL.
Ask Fotis and he will say his Weatherby 338-378 is the way to go and then there is Scotty with his 7mm Mashburn and then we can't let Guy out with his 30-06 or JD338 with his 338 Rum or Bill with his 300 Win and the list goes on and on.

 

[Thebear_78]

If I didn’t have any rifles and needed to buy one for all western hunting it be no question the Seekins havak 300 win mag. I have been extremely impressed with this rifle.

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[1100 Remington Man]

Everone here knows I hunt with a .264 Win Mag for Deer, Antelope and Caribou. This Fall 3rd Season Elk in Colorado I will be taking my 300 H&H Mag.
Now if I were held to only have one rifle out West if I did not reload a 7mm Rem Mag or 30-06 would be my pick and Tikka would not be my pick of Rifles sorry. I would look to Weatherby's Vanguard for the price and Remington or Winchester for a middle price Rifle.
High Price Rifle HS-Precision or New or Old Stock Remington Custom Shop or Winchester Custom Shop.
If I hunted Elk I would stick with Premium Ammunition in Factory loads from Nosler & Hornady.

 

[6mm Remington]

Winchester Model 70 EW SS -
Ruger Hawkeye
Tikka
Weatherby
Bergara
Kimber
CZ
Ruger American

Caliber - 6.5 PRC - 7mm-08 - 7x57 Mauser - 280 Remington - 280 AI - 30-06 - 300 WSM

Scope
6x42mm Leupold
6x36mm Leupold
3.5-10x40mm Leupold B&C reticle
4.5-14x40mm Leupold B&C reticle

Those are my picks.

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

7 RM or 300 Win Mag. It's what everyone uses out here...Covers everything from muzzle to 1K. Done deal, no need to complicate things.

 

[cloverleaf]

270, 7MM Mag, 300 Win Mag- all excellent choices. Only having experience w/ the 7Mag myself. I suppose we should include the 30=06. OF course ask your friend to shoot some one else's first if you can. A rifle w/ too much recoil is pointless... Just shoulder a variety of makes/ models. My .02- don't overlook the used rack. My uncle offered me this advice, years ago..."Don't be afraid of buying a used rifle. Most people will never shoot one enough to wear it out..." Spend money on different optics, if you have something you like, and on more tags! CL

 

[Slimfinn]

Well how much does your buddy want to spend? Is he buying the ammo for it or reloading? What does he currently shoot? So many great options to choose from, and a bunch already listed above.

 

[gerry]

My buddy is looking for a new rifle for hunting out west. He wants to deer/antelope hunt but I know elk will happen someday. He is leaning towards a Tikka but doesn't know what caliber.

I told him to buy a 270 because it is a great round and factory ammo is very common. From there put a good scope on it and then buy a good stock because he is 6'4" and has long arms.

What would you recommend for my buddy to buy to make a nice "out west" gun?

Tikka is nice and I would be looking at the 270 Win and 270 WSM myself, a 7mm RM would be nice too.

 

[Guy Miner]

If I didn’t have any rifles and needed to buy one for all western hunting it be no question the Seekins havak 300 win mag. I have been extremely impressed with this rifle.

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Glen Seekins builds one heck of a rifle. I've known him a long time.

Guy

 

[Guy Miner]

As predicted, I'd go with the good ol' 30-06, in the rifle of his choice. Mine is a Rem 700, but a Winchester Model 70 would be just fine. Mine is topped with a 6x Leupold, but, that's individual preference. It's taken:

Elk, mule deer, pronghorn, black bear, wolf & grizzly.

And I'd happily hunt any other large game animal in North America with it.

Guy

 

[JD338]

The 270 Win is a good choice for deer and antelope. If elk is on the docket, the 30-06 would be a better choice because of heavier bullets. The 300 Win Mag would be another good pick as well.
A Remington 700 or Winchester 70 platform with a HS Precision stock fitted to your friend would make for a solid rifle. Top it off with a Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10x40mm or 4.5-14x40mm with a CDS dial would set him up for hunting anything in North America.

JD338

 

[salmonchaser]

Yep.


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[wisconsinteacher]

He currently has a Savage 30-06 and he will be shooting factory ammo. His budget is $1500 for rifle/scope.

 

[Guy Miner]

He doesn't like his Savage 30-06 ?

 

[Paul Barnard]

Caliber/chambering doesn't matter as long as it's 25 on up and used with appropriate bullets. If he can shoot harder recoiling rounds comfortably, there's no reason not to go with one, but they certainly aren't necessary.

I would avoid American manufacturing for right now. In my experience it's been pretty hit or miss for a while, but with increased demand and a lot of issues trying to find and keep good labor, I would not go American.

Finding someone who regrets buying a Tikka is just about impossible. They are light, accurate, well-executed, reliable and are very reasonably priced.

Tikka in whatever 25 caliber and above he wants.

 

[JD338]

He currently has a Savage 30-06 and he will be shooting factory ammo. His budget is $1500 for rifle/scope.

Unless he wants another rifle, he could upgrade his Savage 30-06 with a good stock, a new scope and stock up on factory ammo allowing him to spend more time at the range shooting at extended ranges.

JD338

 

[Tjay]

Since he has an all around rifle already he might look a specialty round. 257 Weatherby on the smaller end or 340 Weatherby on the upper end. I would vote for the 257 Bee as it could be used for anything out west.

 

[bmoore]

Remington 700 CDL in 25-06