What Are the Best Hunting Rifles Currently Made?

[G8rHunter]

Wow. I was just saying there's lots of good information to read and learn here at NWFA. TONS of threads on the subjects you make threads on. If I was a jerk, I would delete them or merge them into existing threads as that is forum rules. But I didn't.



Oh, and asking me to shut the h___ up won't get you very far. But thank you for the outburst.

Open mouth, stuff foot! I agree, I typically check to see if the topic has been brought up, but it is difficult to wade through. Thanks for being kind! I generally don't react to what others say, giving them the latitude of not knowing me. I noticed you challenged me a few times yesterday, and I'm okay with it. There's a ton I don't

Agreed, however, i found they will negotiate prices if you try. Timming is every thing with them, get there before the hoard and you can have the store almost to your self!

I will shop anywhere but Cabela's! Returned a $30 item, and I was given the run around. The impression: if it is this difficult to return a low end product, guess what it will be like for a higher end...

 

[Kruel J]

Open mouth, stuff foot! I agree, I typically check to see if the topic has been brought up, but it is difficult to wade through. Thanks for being kind! I generally don't react to what others say, giving them the latitude of not knowing me. I noticed you challenged me a few times yesterday, and I'm okay with it. There's a ton I don't

I will shop anywhere but Cabela's! Returned a $30 item, and I was given the run around. The impression: if it is this difficult to return a low end product, guess what it will be like for a higher end...

Try Sportsman's Warehouse. There's one on 82nd ave out by your neck of the woods. I've always had good luck with them!

 

[titsonritz]

Okay, new terminology for me, rate of twist. So, a Tikka .243 has a rate of twist of 10 and the .308 is eleven; 7mm Rem mag is 9.5; 6.5 Creedmoor is 8. What the heck do those numbers mean and is it all that important?

It's an entirely different thread, that's what it is.

 

[titsonritz]

I am not the person who believes ASKING QUESTIONS ARE STUPID! I learn from asking questions. I would ask you to shut the h___ up, but someone private messaged me and said you were a cool dude! BTW, I am not a jerk either! Obviously, to make myself vulnerable on this forum, communicates a healthy self-esteem and not scared of the perceptions of others. However, when you suggest reading more and posting less, you are basically communicating, I don't care what your learning style may be. Based on what you last said, I think you do care!

Point being this stuff has been asked a million an one times. Perhaps consider a search on subject of interest and post a specific question there. The "read more post less" mantra applies.

 

[DirectDrive]

There's not enough storage space on the servers to list them all.

And then if you try to list them and leave someone's favorite out, there will be buttsoreness.
So there's that, too.

 

[titsonritz]

HK416.

 

[Baseacegoku]

HK416.

He never specified what he was hunting....

 

[thorborg]

I'd like a Tikka, but it's a bit out of my budget

Your quite right, I forgot about the lack of sights. I was remembering I paid $859.99 which I feel was a bargain for what I got, (BC was free to veterans) But the big drawback though, (dollar wise) it was sans any sights; so with scope, mounts and dust covers it was around 1600. Not the 1000 or less the OP was going for. Even a lower cost scope could push it over a grand.

The good news is, there are a lot of fine "others" but used, for excellent value. If you are persistent and patient. Maybe even a Tika. I paid 400 for a great Browning BAR in 30-06 but not hunted with it, and 500 for a nice little Remington 700 in .243 with a smooth as glass bolt that helped me be successful for a couple of years (2017 & 18) I bought it just weeks before hunting season with just enough time to work up some good loads, and be comfortable with it. Both came with a quality scope, (I felt) sighted in, and ready to go.

 

[bbbass]

Easy guys, it's a new day!

Gr8Hunter, FYI it's generally one subject to a thread. Not a hard and fast rule, but I'm sensing some fatigue from the 250k posts in yesterday's thread. People have been generally patient and trying to help, but if you reverse it and see that we get the same questions over and over and over you might understand a bit better.

 

[bbbass]

So, do you want higher or lower numbers, and I guess the caliber has something to do with it?

Indirectly. There are a number of factors having to do with bullet weight and shape. Best advice I can give you is to decide what cartridge/caliber you want to shoot, and then research what twist is offered by a number of different manufacturers for the intended bullet weight/shape in that cartridge.

Tell you what... tho this info is easy to find on the net, next time you get into a store buy a reloading manual. You will see many rifles of different cartridges listed and can see what twist rates are used in the test barrels.

Going back to what cartridge is used for which animal... again, that is a separate subject from what brand rifle and by all rights should have it's own thread. Again, much has been written both here and in articles. It is much too long a subject for me at the moment since I gotta get ready to go sing in my quartet! You can PM me and when i have time and energy, I will attempt to make a short list of the most popular calibers, in one man's opinion, IF you list the animals you want to know about. Deal?

 

[Ura-Ki]

Indirectly. There are a number of factors having to do with bullet weight and shape. Best advice I can give you is to decide what cartridge/caliber you want to shoot, and then research what is offered by a number of different manufacturers for the intended bullet weight/shape in that cartridge.

Tell you what... tho this info is easy to find on the net, next time you get into a store buy a reloading manual. You will see many rifles of different cartridges listed and can see what twist rates are used in the test barrels.

Going back to what cartridge is used for which animal... again, that is a separate subject from what brand rifle and by all rights should have it's own thread. Again, much has been written both here and in articles. It is much too long a subject for me at the moment since I gotta get ready to go sing in my quartet! You can PM me and when i have time and energy, I will attempt to make a short list of the most popular calibers, in one man's opinion, IF you list the animals you want to know about. Deal?

I can do you one better! For most common chamberings you can find on the shelves!

For Varmint hunting;
.17 HMR .22 mag, .223, .22/250, .243, 6.5x55 swede ( gotta look around for this one)
For deer; .243 6.5 creedmore 6.5x55 swede 7x55 swede, 7x57 Mauser .270 win, 280, 7 mm rem mag, 7 mm 08, .308 .30/06 .30/30
For elk; 6.5x55 swede, 7x55 swede, 7x57 Mauser, 7mm 08, 7mm mag, .270 win, .308 win, .30/06, .300 win mag, .338 win mag .375 H&H
Again, these are going to be on the shelves of most good gun shops, but not the be all, end all list!

 

[kenboy]

Old school works for me....30+ year old Remington mod 700 in 25-06 cal. I load 117 grain boat tails and have harvested a pile of bucks and coyotes. Deadly accurate if you know your ballastics out to 400+ yds.
Browning A bolt in 300 mag has worked outstanding for elk shooting Federal Premium 200 grain.

 

[G8rHunter]

Try Sportsman's Warehouse. There's one on 82nd ave out by your neck of the woods. I've always had good luck with them!

That's where I bought my .22!

 

[G8rHunter]

Point being this stuff has been asked a million an one times. Perhaps consider a search on subject of interest and post a specific question there. The "read more post less" mantra applies.

The search option on here doesn't work!

 

[Mooseman]

So I reckon when all the questions are asked and answered we end up Here...End of the Internet

 

[dplev4]

I am primarily a bow hunter. However, I have a Sako 75 Hunter in 7 mm which I traded for some time ago and am pretty happy with. It is the only rifle I have owned that I would even consider taking a shot out past 400 yards. I also owned a CZ 30.06. Traded it and missed it so I just picked up another CZ in .308. These are just great rifles.

My son hunts with a Tikka Lite in .308. He shot a perfect bullseye at 100 yds his first shot after we mounted a Vortex scope. All other shots were in the orange, and he seems to hit things using pretty much any decent quality factory ammo. My CZ is pretty forgiving too but barrel twist is important because my Sako 75 only likes certain ammo.

I don't see how anyone can go wrong with most of the choices listed in this thread.

 

[No_Regerts]

Do not have to be exact here. If you hunt deer what do you use, depending on the size? Elk, maybe .308, 30.06, etc? Pronghorn? Pig? Other?

If I were doing all of the above, I might choose something flatter shooting and with enough penetration to take more off-angle shots on bigger animals like elk. I'd start with a standard sporter weight rifle in 270 Winchester, 7mm Remington Magnum, or the 300 Winchester Magnum. The 300 Win Mag is a level of recoil that some find objectionable. They all have similar trajectories and work well in open areas. I shoot these three calibers a lot and have become more and more fond of the 270. Its very mild in recoil, shoots flat, is cheap to shoot, and gets the job done. I mention magnums because they do shoot flat for game like pronghorn. I have no qualms with using a magnum on small game if it helps with trajectory and bucking the wind.

That said, my do-it-all rifle is a 30-06 with a 3.5-10x40 scope. I understand its trajectory to shoot out to 400 yards on game comfortably. I use 180gr bullets which do well when shooting close range as well. Its not the first rifle I pick up, but its never a bad choice.

Honorable mentions are the 7mm-08 Remington, 280 Remingon, the 270 WSM, and 300 WSM. These have fewer factory choices, but are still relatively popular. The 7mm-08 kills way beyond what most people would think.

My favorite current factory rifles are the Tikka T3 for anything up to 2.5 inch cased magnums. I'm also partial to Winchester M70s. With the 300 Win Mag, I prefer more magazine space like an M700 or Weatherby Vanguard. Thats only because I reload and like to tailor my loads to my chamber and throat.

 

[No_Regerts]

Unfortunately, I can't help you here, because I do not hunt [yet].
I'd say .308 Win is a good all-around caliber, affordable and easy to find.
Note, that .308 Win/7.62x51 is still among longest recorded sniper kills.
Longest recorded sniper kills - Wikipedia

View attachment 553271

I've never been a big 308 fan. Its a legitimately good cartridge. However, neck it down to 7mm or 6.5mm and its flatter and can penetrate deeper. Or, put the same bullet in a bigger case and start giving yourself a greater margin of error.

As a hunter and not being concerned with military performance, I can list 10 cartridges that push a heavier .308 bullet faster and penetrate from just about any angle. But, I will concede this: Since the bullet does all the killing, a 300 Win Mag might be a 500 yard elk cartridge given the optimal bullet expansion velocities of most hunting bullets. If so, the 308 is a 350 yard elk cartridge given the same expansion window. Thats farther than most have any business shooting at game.

 

[DB is Here]

The search option on here doesn't work!

Curious what you say that, it seems to work for me.

 

[Mooseman]

Curious what you say that, it seems to work for me.

Try "Barrel Break in" and see what comes up... lol