What Are the Best Hunting Rifles Currently Made?

[Andy54Hawken]

I can only say that my 12 gauge 7.5 birdshot (2.75) doesn't give me pause. But, then, it is gas-operated with a nice recoil pad!

One of my favorite grouse guns is a NEF Pardner single shot in 20 gauge...it fits me nicely , but only weighs in at around
5 1/2 -6 pounds , even though it can take a 3 inch shell...I'll never put one through it...OUCH!
( Not that I need a 3 inch shell to take a grouse )
Andy

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Recoil is subjective at best ...and for me at least how the rifle fits me , makes or breaks recoil , more than the cartridge itself.
A very short list of low recoil , yet highly effective , hunting cartridges that I like :
.30-06
.270
7mm Mauser
7mm-08
.30-30
.243
.308
( And yes this list is far from complete and very open to argument )

A rifle with :
A stock that fits...
Has good weight and balance..
And a quality recoil pad...
Should not be a "bad recolier" or hard kicker.
But if the stock has too long or short a length of pull , or the comb of the stock is too high or low , then recoil with any cartridge could be uncomfortable.
Andy

Recoil is a real thing when it's a .338 RUM, or a .375 H&H mag. Or Better yet, many mountain rifle calibers. Lightweight isn't always great.
Older guns with junk rock hard butt pads are the enemy.

 

[G8rHunter]

BTW, I have taken very large deer with a .243... just sayin. I wouldn't hunt elk (although some people do) or moose with one, but .243 is a well respected long range cartridge for mule deer when fitted with an appropriate bullet such as Sierra 100gr SPBT.

I realize it is the size of the deer and the caliber, as well as shot placement. Someone I read recently noted that poachers regularly prove that a well-placed shot with a 22 will kill a deer. I know enough not to try an illegal caliber or attempt an unethical kill, although poachers don't care!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Recoil is a real thing when it's a .338 RUM, or a .375 H&H mag. Or Better yet, many mountain rifle calibers. Lightweight isn't always great.
Older guns with junk rock hard butt pads are the enemy.

I never said anything about light weight rifles...

I did say that if the stock fits , recoil shoudn't be hard or heavy.
"Good weight and balance"
"Quality recoil pad"
"A stock that fits"
Were things that I said.

And yes I do have experience with Magnum rifles such as .338 Win mag . 300 Win Mag , .458 Win Mag , .375 H&H and a few more...
Andy

 

[No_Regerts]

It is a great caliber.
7mm-08 Remington The best all-around cartridge! Reloading Data

The 7mm-08 is a killer. Its essentially a 7x57 that fits in a true short action. I once had a wood/blued 700 Mountain Rifle in 7mm-08. Selling it was dumb. Real dumb.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

I never said anything about light weight rifles...
I did say that if the stock fits , recoil shoudn't be hard or heavy.
And yes I do have experience with Magnum rifles such as .338 Win mag . 300 Win Mag , .458 Win Mag , .375 H&H and a few more...
Andy

Sorry I didn't mean you said anything. I was just chiming I'm on recoils

 

[G8rHunter]

I am not getting any younger, and I will eventually not want to stress out my shoulders unnecessarily. So, I found this a bit humorous, and it was not actually written by Chuck Hawks (even though his name appears). The article does express it is quite limited in scope (and partly what makes it funny). I think older shooters will relate and enjoy! So, if you like a rifle that kicks like the devil, skip reading.
Factory Ammunition Prices

 

[orygun]

I have been looking around and found an article that suggests the perfect deer ammo is the 7mm-08 Remington. Quite the case is made for how it out performs the. 308. Anyone had experience with this caliber?
Link: Best Deer Cartridge - Hunting, Whitetail Hunting Tips and How-To Guides | Guide Outdoors

My wife hunts with a 7mm-08 in a Ruger compact. She shot an elk at 70-80 yards and dropped it with a very good lung shot. All would have been well if she had just let him bleed out, which he was doing at a pretty good rate. But she chose to approach him for another shot. He jumped up and she started shooting! He was "killed" three times, but it was the final shot to the spine that anchored him (She shot five times total, connected 4, all at a moving target). Not one bullet was recovered, all left substantial wound channels and shot completely through. 140gr Core Lokts. Same bullet hammered a forked horn Blacktail at 35 yards last Nov. He never took another step. Through the ribs on both sides and an upper leg bone on the exit side. The 7mm-08 is a great round, especially for a smaller gun where it doesn't kick much. I may have our grandson use that rifle for mentored hunts this fall.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Another often overlooked thing to consider is :
No matter what cartridge , caliber , bullet or bullet design...sometimes bullets do weird things when they hit flesh.
Andy

 

[bbbass]

1. Most game animals are taken at under 100yds AFAIK.
2. IMO the current mania for long distance hunting is unwarranted.
3. The cartridge that one shoots well, knows the ballistics, and is loaded with a "hunting" bullet, is the "best".
3A. What makes #3 happen is time on the range with several rifle/cartridge combos... you won't know until you get there. It's a journey, not a race.
4. Larger bore sizes/caliber takes more powder to push the heavier bullets that are typical. IMO heavy recoil is more from the extra powder than it is from the bullet weight directly.Yes, no?

For a factory load, Core-Lokts have done very well for me. Performance was as expected at varying distances from 25' to 200yds. Can't as for more than that.

I have also used Sierra boattails (100gr in my 6mm and .243) and Nosler partitions (170gr in my 7mmRemMag)

I tried using 220gr Silvertip in a 300WinMag but the scope had come loose and I missed and elk big time at 100yds. Was so shocked I looked for a blood trail for an hour, but no joy. I later found I had not used Loctite on the scope mount screws. Can't do that with a magnum cartridge.

 

[bbbass]

Another often overlooked thing to consider is :
No matter what cartridge , caliber , bullet or bullet design...sometimes bullets do weird things when they hit flesh.
Andy

Andy, I have read so many stories of "bullet failure". One writer says the bullet should expend it's energy in the body of the game animal for shock effect, another writer says exit wounds are best for bleeding out or blood trail. IDK

Some of my buddies are spine or neck shot fans (drops them where they stand), some are heart/lung shot fans. After seeing a throat shot 250lb mule deer suffer on my first hunt (Granny shot him with a 32-20, was going for the neckbone), I wouldn't ever risk a neck shot. But I've never dropped a deer or elk where it stood with a heart shot. They always run! YMMV

(Edit: I read something about hitting the nerve plexus in the front just behind the breastbone... seems like a small target and the shooter has to break the shoulder to get to it... is this why so many favor the shoulder shot?)

 

[G8rHunter]

My wife hunts with a 7mm-08 in a Ruger compact. She shot an elk at 70-80 yards and dropped it with a very good lung shot. All would have been well if she had just let him bleed out, which he was doing at a pretty good rate. But she chose to approach him for another shot. He jumped up and she started shooting! He was "killed" three times, but it was the final shot to the spine that anchored him (She shot five times total, connected 4, all at a moving target). Not one bullet was recovered, all left substantial wound channels and shot completely through. 140gr Core Lokts. Same bullet hammered a forked horn Blacktail at 35 yards last Nov. He never took another step. Through the ribs on both sides and an upper leg bone on the exit side. The 7mm-08 is a great round, especially for a smaller gun where it doesn't kick much. I may have our grandson use that rifle for mentored hunts this fall.

Gosh, four out of five!!! Kudo's to her! I'd be happy with one hitting. Sounds like she knew that deer sometimes get away, and she wasn't allowing that to happen! Thanks for sharing, and I bow to her highness!

 

[G8rHunter]

I read this morning of a hunter shooting a big whitetail buck with a supposedly good lung shot. It blew him away that he saw the blood trail and how far the buck travel before he found him. In fact, when he found the dead buck, he couldn't believe how well placed his shot! He said, it should have resulted in a much quicker lethal kill. I guess shooting deer has a individual aspect that can sometimes skew the data?

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Yes each deer , elk , bear , grouse whatever will react differently when shot , even with excellent shot placement on the hunters part.
Reload before tracking or walking up on downed game...
Practice with your firearm and hunting load off the bench , in poor lighting , when you are hot , cold , wet , tired etc...

I have had deer drop right there when hit with a .54 round ball in a "kill shot" zone.
( I like the classic Heart / lung or a spine shot )
I also have had them hit there and run off aways before dying ...Never underestimate the will to live in a animal.
Andy

 

[bsa1917hunter]

Anyone mentioned Tikka T3x SUPERLITE yet?

Light, accurate, weather resistant, excellent functioning, ergonomically well thought out design and well balanced rifle. It gets my vote for one of the best made hunting rifles made these days, with a price tag of less than $1,000.00. Here's one of my most recent T3X superlites. Cant wait to get it out and do some deer and elk hunting with it this year.

6.5 Creedmoor:




My next vote would go to the Ruger Hawkeye, if weight and extreme accuracy isn't a concern. The Ruger with it's CRF will be top notch in feeding and extraction, which is a major plus in a hunting rifle for me. If downright excellent accuracy is top on your list, look into the offerings savage has. Savage makes so many good choices, you are bound to like one of their configurations or models. The only downfall to savage is they have not been 100% reliable for me in extraction. This is not a knock on savage, just the way the pushfeed design is. You'll see that in other pushfeed designs as well. They have momentary glitches, due to design... Yes, they do. I've seen it with many Remington 700's and weatherby vanguards. Just how it is. Come to expect it...

 

[DeanMk]

What was the key point again?

I like Bushnell scopes and have owned a number of their Banner scopes. IMO they are reasonable for a moderate quality rifle, used by a brand new shooter.


Break

Guys,
Simmons scopes... remember when Tasco scopes were junk? (and no smart Alex e comments!!)

The scope I linked to was 1-4X. The one you posted was straight 4X.
Variable power...ALWAYS variable power scopes.
I still like the price. That was too funny.
It put this scene in my mind...guy walks into a gun show, sees a guy selling various things, including some scopes...
"Hey, that's a nice one. How much?"
"How much ya' got?"
"I gotta ham sandwich and a pack of Kools."
"SOLD!"

…

 

[DeanMk]

Would you say the same thing of a 30-06? muzzle energy of 2,820ft⋅lbf with 150gr pellet

.308 = 2648ft# muzzle energy with 150gr

My buddies kill lots of elk with 30-06. I've killed a number of elk with .308, and so have millions of other hunters. Although I care not what the OP uses, lets be real. I wouldn't go after one with a .223, I'd say .243 is marginal. Can't make up my mind about 30-30 for elk.

Many variables come into play when hunting game larger than deer... are we wanting 600yd kill shots, neck shots, heart/lung shots, break the shoulder shot, backbone shot? What type of larger game? Elk, moose, bear, giraffe, lion, rhino, water buffalo, elephant?

Have you seen this before?

Skip to 24:02 and just let it run.
That Moose can't move its one leg, because the .30-30 round broke its shoulder (if you listen closely, you'll hear him praise the Buffalo Bore round he used).
I still say, "100 yard gun", but that was quite a convincer for me. There may be more sensible choices for a large game rifle, but don't under estimate what can be done with a good, stout, .30-30 load, either.


Dean

 

[G8rHunter]

Damn, shot my first shotgun slug (3 inch) and it kicked like hell! I don't want a rifle that has recoil anywhere close to that! A gun that makes the shooter flinch before firing can't be accurate.

 

[bbbass]

The scope I linked to was 1-4X. The one you posted was straight 4X.
Variable power...ALWAYS variable power scopes.
I still like the price. That was too funny.
It put this scene in my mind...guy walks into a gun show, sees a guy selling various things, including some scopes...
"Hey, that's a nice one. How much?"
"How much ya' got?"
"I gotta ham sandwich and a pack of Kools."
"SOLD!"

…

Now that's funny right there!

Yes, I use only variable power scopes. IMO the 1-4x is a good choice for a beginner!!! However, 4X scopes were the standard here for many years. My buds killed a lot of deer with a 4X.

Point being, IMO there is no need to spend $500 on a scope for a $300 rifle. Think outside the box... I've ordered a number of scopes from ebay. El cheapo. Not a used scope tho, not trusting somebody that far. And I wouldn't use a cheap scope on a magnum caliber, ever.

 

[FishnhuntOR]

So many good rifles out there. My main hunting rifle is SS lite tikka. it is lite, smooth and accurate in 30/06
BUT, I will say. My TC Venture in 270 (on sale for $299) shoots just as good if not better than the tikka when I start getting further out. 400 yards +.
the other day I did my best long range group with the TC, 3 for 3 at 625 yards on 8" gong. 140 gr SST using vx2 3-9 with CDS