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Hi All,

I'm an avid bird hunter and am looking to try big game next year. Start with deer then elk. I live close to the mountains and would hunt some on west side (of the cascades) but probably more on the east side. I've read 30-06 is a good all arounder, but for some of the longer shots in the desert (east side) is a 300 warranted?

I'm also looking for recommendations on a nice starter rifle. I want wood, Can't stand synthetic. So far I found Weatherby Vanguard Sporter and Tikka T3 Forest.

Thanks for the help,
JA
 
Rifle fit and your accuracy with said rifle are far more important than caliber choice. Any modern centerfire cartridge from the 6.5mm's to as big as you enjoy shooting will work for shots out to 300 plus yards. Long distance shots on an animal are almost always a choice vs. necessary. What I mean is you can almost always hunt (stalk) to within 200 yards or less of your prey without spooking them. A exception to this rule is antelope.

If you are a recoil junky, go with a magnum of whatever flavor interests you. If you don't care for recoil there are lots of excellent choices in the 6.5mm family, 7mm family and .308 family, all of which are highly effective on deer and elk with proper bullet selection.
 
Yeah but .280 is better than all of them. :D
Nah...the 7mm Express is better than the .280 Remington, hands down.

But seriously, you can't go wrong with the 06'. Lots of ammo options. 150 grain bullets for deer and 165's or 180's for elk, and you'd do just great. And for woodstocks, look at the used racks at the local shops. I'm sure the 06' will be easy to find.
 
Nah...the 7mm Express is better than the .280 Remington, hands down.

Or at least as good. ;)

But seriously, you can't go wrong with the 06'. Lots of ammo options. 150 grain bullets for deer and 165's or 180's for elk, and you'd do just great. And for woodstocks, look at the used racks at the local shops. I'm sure the 06' will be easy to find.

The '06 is a pretty hard to beat for a single do all round.
 
Whichever caliber you settle on, it might be a good idea to get a stainless gun. Easier to keep the rust off the thing here in the rainy northwest.

I prefer wood over plastic, too. But I decided I needed a good all-weather hunting rifle, and bought a .308 Weatherby Vangaurd Series 2. It's stainless and has a synthetic stock.

Very good shooter. Extremely accurate. I put a Leupold VX6 1-6 Firedot scope on it.


9382B923-D108-4703-BCCD-CFBDB6790B5A.jpeg
 
Whichever caliber you settle on, it might be a good idea to get a stainless gun. Easier to keep the rust off the thing here in the rainy northwest.

I prefer wood over plastic, too. But I decided I needed a good all-weather hunting rifle, and bought a .308 Weatherby Vangaurd Series 2. It's stainless and has a synthetic stock.

Very good shooter. Extremely accurate. I put a Leupold VX6 1-6 Firedot scope on it.


View attachment 635795

Thanks for the suggestion. One of my shotguns with a regular blued barrel gets soaked regularly and I have zero rust. I dry it well and put a nice layer of oil on it before storage. Synthetic would sure be easier maintenance, but I prefer wood.
 
I'd say that if you're planning on taking longer shots, and arent well versed at external ballistics, get something that shoots flatter longer which will increase your max effective range. And practice
 
I think the tough part about a one rifle solution for all NW hunting is the variety of ground that you'd potentially be hunting. I think you might find that some situations you wish you had a little more 'umph', and in others it might be a little too much. Finding a platform for a rifle you like is also important. For me it's the Ruger 77 in bolt guns and the Marlin in Levers.
I like shorter barrel lengths, and heavier bullets at mid-velocity for the thicker stuff, and longer barrels...flatter shooting for the open areas.
 
Hi All,

I'm an avid bird hunter and am looking to try big game next year. Start with deer then elk. I live close to the mountains and would hunt some on west side (of the cascades) but probably more on the east side. I've read 30-06 is a good all arounder, but for some of the longer shots in the desert (east side) is a 300 warranted?

I'm also looking for recommendations on a nice starter rifle. I want wood, Can't stand synthetic. So far I found Weatherby Vanguard Sporter and Tikka T3 Forest.

Thanks for the help,
JA
The '06 will be fine for anywhere in the world, PNW included, although .300 Winnie Mag has been a popular round for a long time now.
Personally, I'd be happy with a 7mm-08 bolt gun and a good 1.5-6X or 2-7X scope.
Can down anything that grows in this region and the round works in a short action, which helps keep the rifle light and handy.

Dean
P.S. How was the Pheasant this year? I hear the population is down, but is it really that bad?
 
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The '06 will be fine for anywhere in the world, PNW included, although .300 Winnie Mag has been a popular round for a long time now.
Personally, I'd be happy with a 7mm-08 bolt gun and a good 1.5-6X or 2-7X scope.
Can down anything that grows in this region and the round works in a short action, which helps keep the rifle light and handy.

Dean
P.S. How was the Pheasant this year? I hear the population is down, but is it really that bad?

good year for pheasants. I'll Start heading up mountains for chukkar soon. Like all hunting, Snow makes it much easier.
 
I often cringe when I hear about "long range hunting", especially when it's concerning anyone who's not taken a lot of time and practice shots at a target first.
It seems as though the OP is responsible in that manner.

I started with a Ruger just like this one and would still have it except I gave it to my oldest nephew when he graduated. (unfortunately he's a walking POS and it's long since been traded away.) I'd have liked to have it back.... One of the nicest things about the Ruger 77 MKII is the fact that it comes with appropriate rings for a 1" scope tube. All you need is a scope.

However Ruger's come out with a new version and I am actually contemplating buying one. I'm not tickled with the Picatinny rail, but it can be removed and regular Ruger rings used like "normal". I also have no use for a threaded barrel on a hunting rifle, but lots of people disagree with me (I'm used to that).

My choice has been 30-06 for ages. If I can go prone, I can "sling up" (you've done your Appleseed, right?) and post reliable hits (most of the time) at 400 yards, but that's a long poke. I'm very unlikely to take a shot at that distance, even when elk hunting in the fields of Eastern Oregon.
I've owned identical guns in 300 Win Mag, but noticed that they are noticeably heavier than one chambered in 30-06. Going with a short action like the 308 or 7mm-08 lightens it up even more.
 
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One doesn't have to look very far to see the 30-06 is the one all others are compared to. Plus you can find ammo for it anywhere, if they have ammo, they have a box or two of '06 on the shelf. As far as rifle brands basically there are no bad ones so just handle a bunch until you find the "one" for you.
 

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