Long(ish) Range Deer rifle

[mcapo]

m

Sub $1000 for the base gun and 10 pounds or less

Im looking at these

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/savage-10t-sr-bolt-action-rifle

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/savage-110-tactical-bolt-action-centerfire-rifle

And also the ruger American predator

Honestly with a sub $1000 budget, not sure you can really go wrong. The market has a lot of sub moa guns in that price range. Features, weight, etc. will probably be your deciding factor.

I would look towards Howa/Weatherby Vanguard, Bergara and Tikka but the Savage is a fine rifle.

Heck, I won a 30-06 Savage Axis in a raffle ($400? gun) and the first three rounds out of the gun were at one moa shooting off a wooden block with Remington Core-lokt ammo. So were the last three rounds - 'cause that's all I shoot it....

As to caliber, anything 6mm/243 on up. I prefer the intermediates - 6.5 creedmoor, .270, 7mm but my youngest son has gravitated to 30-06. As a matter of fact, he has hunted with an old Remington 742 in the 30-06 that last few years. Even that old gun will hold about 1.5 moa until the barrel gets some heat in it. 30-06 hits hard....

 

[duanewade]

Its foot in mouth time but you don't need a premium rifle to shoot at that range. While the .243 is under your expectations I've seen whitetail killed at 400+ yards killed with it, DRT dead. My TC Venture in .243 will shoot 3 rounds into one hole at 100 yards and I have about $650 in the rifle and scope (Nikon Monarch 4x12).

On the other hand if you want the edge of more umph in your round the earlier mentioned .30-06 will do more than you want and I know where a sporterized 1903 a3 O3 an be had for $450 (scope too) near Goshen.

A .308 would also fit the bill and these can be had at most BB stored for under $600 with a scope.

The .270 mentioned earlier would be another excellent round.

 

[ISP 5353]

Take a look at the CVA Cascade XT line up. My wife's is extremely accurate and it comes in a variety of calibers.

 

[Hookeye]

Im not a fan of entry level rifles.
They work but are just basic tools.

Is hunting something you intend to do for years?

If so Id spend more for something a little nicer.

 

[Hookeye]

Savage Axis...

Original had crap stock, flimsy, low comb.
Also long action for short action cartridge.

Got one to see what the hype was about
Not impressed

 

[ckcollins2003]

Since you're already used to the AR platform, have you looked into the 6.5 Grendel? You would only need an upper and a mag to switch your 300 BO to your 6.5 Grendel and you're good to go.

 

[Mark-DuCo]

I second the 6.5 Grendel suggestion. I hunt white tails with a 6.5 Grendel with a 20" barrel and a suppressor.

I do have a Savage Axis II in 7mm-08 that I hunted with before my 6.5 Grendel. It is a good gun for the price.

I also have a Weatherby Vanguard in 6.5 creedmoor that I won last year. It is very accurate, and the action is very smooth. This would be my deer gun if the barrel was threaded. Once you go suppressed, it's hard to go back lol.

 

[YoungMilsurpGuy]

Since you're already used to the AR platform, have you looked into the 6.5 Grendel? You would only need an upper and a mag to switch your 300 BO to your 6.5 Grendel and you're good to go.

6.5 grendel and 6mm arc have been something i have been considering.

With 6.5 grendel though you are about 300-400 less fps then creedmoor and with more drop and being pushed around by wind and how gas guns are a bit less accurate to me i'm thinking it's more of a 300 yard cartridge.

6mm arc seems interesting as it's basically .243 -p in an AR and at least on paper looks capable about to 400 yards

 

[Michigan Slim]

I bought my .270 to shoot 300 yards+. A month after I sighted it in and ran it at 300 yards, I shot a buck at 30 FEET. Still have never stretched its legs past 200.

 

[KomboJoe]

Anything .243 and above will work great. Heck even a 308 will work out great.

 

[ZurokSlayer7X9]

A friend of my fathers goes out west and has taken lots of different game. What has he used to take them all. A rem 700 in 7mm mag. Bear elk deer goats antelope ect.

He says the secret seems to be it shoots very flat allowing him to take shots at distance with very little holdover.

I've yet to hunt with it, but 7mm Rem Mag is becoming one of my favorite calibers. My Rem 700 in 7mm is exactly what I would take out west. I have rounds that deliver a 139gr solid copper ballistic tip 3,100 ft-lbs at 3,250 FPS at muzzle, and drops 16" at 500 yds. A little overkill for anything in Indiana, but definitely will take out anything in North America.

 

[Mgderf]

Im not a fan of entry level rifles.
They work but are just basic tools.

Is hunting something you intend to do for years?

If so Id spend more for something a little nicer.

Savage Axis...

Original had crap stock, flimsy, low comb.
Also long action for short action cartridge.

Got one to see what the hype was about
Not impressed

Not the Axis, but the Mossberg Patriot.
Still considered an "entry level" bolt gun to be sure, but mine is very nice.
I think I have seen them available with a synthetic stock but have never been a fan.
My Patriot sits in a very nice American walnut stock.
Granted, texturing on the stock is pressed, not engraved, but it provides a really positive grip.
I'll post a picture or two later.

 

[Hookeye]

Got nothing against synthetic stocks, even the cheaper factory ones.
Rather liked the older Remington checkered rynite stocks, they worked well after forend stiffening (cheap n easy to do).

 

[YoungMilsurpGuy]

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/ruger-american-rifle-hunter-bolt-action-rifle

Something like this on sales seems exactly the ticket. 6.5cm in a 20 inch barrel does about what i want at 400 without any extra

 

[ckcollins2003]

6.5 grendel and 6mm arc have been something i have been considering.

With 6.5 grendel though you are about 300-400 less fps then creedmoor and with more drop and being pushed around by wind and how gas guns are a bit less accurate to me i'm thinking it's more of a 300 yard cartridge.

6mm arc seems interesting as it's basically .243 -p in an AR and at least on paper looks capable about to 400 yards

Creedmoor and Grendel are 2 very different cartridges that don't fit in the same weapon platform. The 6.5 Grendel to the 6mm ARC, very comparable. I prefer less recoil, faster follow up shots, and the ability to stay on target between shots. The Grendel is more than capable of ranges past 500 yards and I'm sure the 6mm ARC is as well. After looking at the ballistics comparison, they are almost identical. You just have a heavier projectile with the Grendel so you lose slightly less velocity.

Gas guns are not less accurate than bolt guns, especially for hunting purposes. If we were talking 1,000 yard PRS shooting, that may be a different topic for more discussion.

.243 is a great cartridge as well. I would go with whatever you feel most comfortable with and whatever you can find ammo for. That's the main reason I turn away from newer cartridges like the 6mm ARC. Until ammo is readily available, it's reloading... which isn't so cheap anymore.

Good luck!

 

[Cynical]

My daughter has the .243 short action. Incredible accuracy.

Couldn’t agree more. My son-in-law gave me a Savage Axis in .243 two years ago....yeah I know, let me finish. I ordered springs from M-Carbo and did a trigger job on it. While we were sighting in he said I can’t really tell but I think you’re hitting the same hole. I was looking through my 6-24x scope and said, yeah you’re right, it was 1 ragged hole. I don’t care what anybody says Savage makes good barrels, and the inherent accuracy and low recoil makes the .243 a great deer gun for youth and adults. Ironically I loaned him my sporterized Mauser 98 in .270 and he anchored a nice deer at 70 yards.

 

[natdscott]

Actually, Savage makes low end barrels, at best. That, when you look at learning how to live with one, and when you compare them to good barrels, much less premium.

But.

They do shoot straight, and that counts for a lot, in my book.

For hunting, I would never hesitate to use a Savage, as long as it
satisfied my requirements above.

 

[YoungMilsurpGuy]

Actually, Savage makes low end barrels, at best. That, when you look at learning how to live with one, and when you compare them to good barrels, much less premium.

But.

They do shoot straight, and that counts for a lot, in my book.

For hunting, I would never hesitate to use a Savage, as long as it
satisfied my requirements above.

I may just be slow since I went to public school but what makes a barrel low end if it shoots 1 MOA?

 

[Kdf101]

My personal best long range shot was with a cheap entry level savage rifle in 30/06. Had a 200 dollar leupold rifleman scope on it. Was 350 yards. Most of my deer have been about 320 yards closer than that!

 

[BugI02]

I am sure there are others that would work, but this caught my eye tonight and I would think it would work nicely.

WTS: - Remington 721 .270 with Custom Deluxe stock .

Back up for sale, sell fell through. For sale is this Remington 721 in .270 Win . Base and rings included. Not scope. FTF in or around Hancock County. $550 OBO. Just selling to fund another project. EDIT: The stock in the gun is a 700 Classic stock , the original stock is the other one .

www.indianagunowners.com

Add a primary arms 4-16x or similar for around $300

I'll second the vote for 270 Winchester. Very few of the latest, greatest calibers can improve more than incrementally on its ballistics and plenty of choice in components to tailor the load to your rifle if you roll your own

Personally, I'm fond of a Ruger M77 red pad or Mark II with 22 inch barrel in that price range