Author Topic: Which 30-06? (Read 1591 times)

billmaly · « **on:** February 21, 2003, 06:32:59 AM »

Looking through the Cabela's Shooting catalog this AM, and for some reason, I am looking at rifle stuff. I am primarily a handgun (one time) hunter and shotgun hunter, and have fired a centerfire rifle 2 or 3 times only. But....gosh....it might be fun to poke around with.

So I got to thinking about caliber. There's A LOT of caliber's out there, but IF I buy a rifle, it will be for plinking, MAYBE some hunting someday, and also, (paranoid nut in me) to have around for just in case. With the last item in mind, the choice became obvious...30-06. It exists in a myriad of loads, and ammo for it (in case I didn't have my reloads available) is plentiful and easily found.

So, having said that, which new or lightly used 30-06 is a good purchase? I'd want synthetic stock and ideally a stainless barrel, but blued would not be a big deal. Remington 700 came out as an easy choice (with built in iron sites, since scopes can break), but what else is out there that should be considered? Prices? Bear in mind, I am a newbie in the world of rifles.

SeanD · « **Reply #1 on:** February 21, 2003, 07:06:22 AM »

If you want new, and a blued/plastic stocked rifle, go to wal mart. Cant beat their prices on remingtons and winchester push feeds. Should be able to pick one up for less than $400. If you want a real synthetic stock on it its gonna cost you some cash, they start at $200 and up. Or since you arent in any real hurry, just poke around on here and learn a bit more about what you really want, and then look around at some different used rifles.

Zachary · « **Reply #2 on:** February 21, 2003, 07:56:27 AM »

Quote from: billmaly

IF I buy a rifle, it will be for plinking, MAYBE some hunting someday . . . So, having said that, which new or lightly used 30-06 is a good purchase?

You are thinking about a .30-06 FOR PLINKING and MAYBE some hunting? :eek: That sure is a A LOT of gun for just plinking.

In any event, I would look at the TIKKA and Remington 700 rifles first. If they are too expensive for you, then you can take a look at the Savage. I don't particularly like Savages...not because they are "ugly" (because I don't really care how a rifle looks), but because their actions feel sloppy to me. That notwithstanding, virtually every Savage owner says how accurate they are, and how very inexpensive they are.

Zachary

Mikey · « **Reply #3 on:** February 21, 2003, 09:17:06 AM »

billmaly: I love the 06 caliber but if you are looking at expense as a factor and intend to plink, then possibly hunt but also use it, if necessary, for defense, why look to the 06? For less than $ 200 you can find yourself a nice, new as unissued, mil-surp in 8mm. The Model 48/48A Czechoslovakian Mausers come to mind immediately. And, there is tons of ammo available, all the way from surplus military stuff to premium quality hunting ammunition from european as well as American manufacturers.

You can play with your Winchesters and your Remingtons, you can cherish your Savage, you can pine for the Sako or Tikka, but there ain't nothing like a Mauser, mil-surp or otherwise.

Good luck to ya. Let us know what you decide. Hope this helps. Mikey.

savageT · « **Reply #4 on:** February 21, 2003, 10:44:11 AM »

Bill,

I'll second the thoughts of Mikey and his love of Mausers. I really love the Swedish 6.5x55mm caliber for just about anything! You can plink away all day at the range w/o getting a sore shoulder, w/o developing a nasty flinch and use it for varmint hunting for coyotte, fox and groundhogs. Then, if and when you have an opportunity to hunt the whitetails, the 6.5x55mm will give you a perfect light-medium caliber for deer. Now, 8mm will also work very well, but it's just the thought of spending a day at the range with 30-06 class calibers that gets my shoulder aching all over again!

Personally, if you ever find a nice Savage m99 lever action in .300 Savage caliber, grab it and you'll be a one-gun happy man. It will do everything with that short necked caliber that the original military 30-06 did back in WWI.

PaulS · « **Reply #5 on:** February 21, 2003, 11:22:04 AM »

Billmaly,
The '06 is my rifle of choice for most purposes and I have spent many days plinking with it. In today's market the '06 is still one of the most popular hunting weapons going but the 308 is quickly gaining popularity because it has CHEAP military surplus ammo that is drying up for the 30-'06. You can find inexpensive used weapons in both calibers. If you are a handloader then either one will work without perceptable differences. Look around the pawn shops for Remington, Winchester or any of the other fine rifles. If you are looking for new - Walmart, or any of the discount sporting goods stores would be a good place to start. Cabella's or many other "on-line" or catalog souces may yield good prices too but the chain stores have an advantage in buying power and are usually less expensive if you can find what you want - they tend to cater to the "middle of the road" "off the shelf" buyers.

PaulS

JBabcock · « **Reply #6 on:** February 21, 2003, 05:11:56 PM »

billmaly,
Find somebody you know that knows something about rifles. Then start going to pawn shops and look for a used Remington 700 in 30-06 or even 270. Both of these guns are perfect for a first gun. The recoil will be fine, ammo is available everywhere for about 11 bucks a box. You should be able to find a decent gun, maybe with scope for about 275.00 to 325.00. I would recommend a scope even though you said you didn't want one because everybody shoots better with one. It would be better to start with a used gun. Remington is the most popular and the cheapest to buy. Also easy to operate. If you decide you don't want to continue, you can sell it easy enough.

NightFox · « **Reply #7 on:** February 22, 2003, 12:50:21 PM »

Bill

These guys are telling you all wrong. For what you would pay for a good used Remington 700 you could buy yourself a good Savage 30-06. I have 2 of them and only use them to hunt. That Savage will out shoot any of those Remington 700's anyday of the week.

JBabcock · « **Reply #8 on:** February 22, 2003, 02:57:47 PM »

Yup, your right. You can find one of those cheap, ugly Savages on the used gun racks too. There is always lots of them, usually more than any other brand. Wonder why people are always selling those cheap, ugly Savages?

acearch72 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 22, 2003, 04:59:41 PM »

I've got a Kleingunther K15 custom gun in 7mm Mag,
a Winchester Model 70 in 264 Win Mag,
a Browning Abolt in 270,
and a Savage 16LZ in 308 Patriot.

The Savage outshoots them all out of the box with off the shelf ammo.

So don't knock the Savage

safetysheriff · « **Reply #10 on:** February 22, 2003, 05:56:36 PM »

Did I hear somebody say Wal-Mart? Did I hear Ruger stainless steel in model 77 with their all-weather stock for less than $400 dollars? You know the one: hammer-forged baareel; hinged floor plate for easy unloading; famous Ruger factory service (if you'll even need it); relatively light weight; scope rings included; no scope base needed 'cause it's built in?

I just thought that maybe there isn't a better buy out there.....

I only know that I wouldn't trade mine, in '06 for anything else out there.
It was $363 plus tax not too long ago.

Course, if I was to go plinking, I'd buy a .270 instead and fire the 100 grain bullets... if anybody really intends to go plinking with all that power!

Steve L · « **Reply #11 on:** February 22, 2003, 06:17:59 PM »

I would first set a price range, then find the rifles that fit the description of what you want in that price range, then go handle or even possibly shoot a few of them. Decide what you like from there. I personaly like the Win. M70 FTW for fit, feel of the action, reliability, and they just seem to be more of an extension of my body than any rifle I have shot. I also like the Savage rifles but do not fault those that do not because your brand of choice is a matter of personal preference and as you can tell by the amount of suggestions you will have a better chance of being satisfied with your new purchase through hands on research because asking a group of hunters and shooters what rifle is best is akin to asking a group of race fans which truck to buy, you will get enogh feedback to put you on the right track but the ultimate decision is still up to you.

SeanD · « **Reply #12 on:** February 22, 2003, 07:00:16 PM »

JBabcock,
because they are cheap and ugly.

Mainspring · « **Reply #13 on:** February 22, 2003, 08:27:09 PM »

As for a new plastic .30/06, the Remington 710 is hard to beat for value. It's hard to beat Ruger customer service, though.

It is a fact, though that Mil Surp .30/06 is drying up, and what is out there is probably pretty old. I'd suggest something in .308. That ammo is available pretty much where ever hunting licenses are sold, and can be had on the net in the form of Mil Surp pretty affordably. And as for versatility, the .308 can be had in everything from a dinky little 60gr (I think?) Acclerator bullet up to 180 gr slammers. This round will pretty much do everything that a .30/06 will do.

The idea mentioned about Mil Surp rifles is also a good one. Mauser made a bunch of 98Ks in both .308 and .30/06, besides the more common 7mm, 8mm, 6.5x55, etc... There are also a lot of re-fitted 98Ks in .308 floating around. For the price, a Mil Surp Mauser, for your applications, would be pretty hard to beat. You can find scope mounts for them still, and there are plenty of stripper clips available for fast re-loads...though you can't use both a scope and stripper clips. There are also plenty of synthetic stocks to be had for these rifles. IMHO, the standard issue sights suck, but they work, and can be changed out too.

If you look hard enough, you can find a .308 Mauser 98k for well under $200...so I would have to recommend that to you.

jamie · « **Reply #14 on:** February 22, 2003, 08:51:22 PM »

Sean and J people buy them because they are inexpensive. Then they use them and their friends look at them and not being in the "know" theier friends tell them "What are you doing with that cheap ugly Savage? You need yourself a .............. (fill in the Blank)" So these Savages end up in Pawn shops. I was one of those that got rid of a Savage and bought a Rem 700, worst thing I ever did. And as I writ this I am already planning my next bolt, a Savage. That is, after I buy the scope for my new encore barrel and after I order my 6.5 STW barrel and get a scope for it also.

SeanD · « **Reply #15 on:** February 23, 2003, 10:43:34 AM »

I like savages. The bolt feels sloppy in the action, but they lock up tight, and shoot great. They are ugly, especially the bolt nut, but i can overlook that. The thing i dont like about them is the safety. I much prefer the remington two position safety to the savage or the winchester. Just my preference, and it seems most people dont like the two position remington safety as much as i do. I bought a new savage 7 rem mag in an ugly wood stock, and it was a fine rifle except for a few things. It kicked waaay too hard, due mostly to the totally inadequate thin rubber butt pad. It was also impossible to mount a standard leupold 3-9x40 without funky extended scope rings (weaver). I sold the rifle to a friend, and he likes it fine. He has three savage bolt guns and is sold on them. I will buy a savage soon for a varmit gun though, they are hard to beat for the money.

Zachary · « **Reply #16 on:** February 23, 2003, 11:21:45 AM »

I would never recommend the 710 to anyone, not even my worst enemy. The 700s, on the other hand, I would, and do, recommend all day (in addition to Tikkas.)

Zachary

JBabcock · « **Reply #17 on:** February 23, 2003, 01:27:45 PM »

I love savage 99's. My last one was a 308, but I gave it to my nephew. They really hold there value, so I'm going to have to save up some more if I want another.
I would like to have a Savage in 223 just because everybody I talk to say's they are the most accurate gun out of the box they own. My tastes actually lean towards FN 98 actions, I have 3 JC Higgins that are all built on FN actions. Love the Old World craftmanship. But I would suggest somebody that's just getting into rifles to go with an older Remington. They are everywhere, and fairly cheap. I guess to me the Savages just don't have the look that I like. They way a gun looks is important to me, maybe not to you.
I love the way a 98 action, 4x scope, 22" barrel and nice walnut looks. Especially in 30-06 or 270. To much Jack O'Conner I guess.

Mainspring · « **Reply #18 on:** February 24, 2003, 06:12:11 AM »

Zazhery,

Like I said, I've never used, or even hefted a 710, so I don't know anything about it. What don't you like about it?

NightFox · « **Reply #19 on:** February 25, 2003, 07:55:20 AM »

You guys are a bunch of pretty boys. Guns are made to shoot not look pretty. The Savage may not be pretty but it sure will shoot. So just take into affect if you want a PRETTY gun or one that will actually shoot. If you want to pay $500 for a pretty gun or $300 for one that will actually shoot.

stv · « **Reply #20 on:** February 25, 2003, 08:09:23 AM »

IN my local sporting goods store they have a few slightly used firearms that I looked at for price range just this AM. The best example was a Rem 700 ADL in 308 with Scope bases(no scope) for $300 and that might be negotiable. There are those that argue that the 308 is not as good as the 30-06 - yadahyadahyadah. Any good modern caliber is effective and the 308 is as good as any. Why do you think swat teams and military snipers use the 308 - because it is good, So don't pass by one. However I do own and use a 30-06 and will not let it go because it has a family history and is a pre 64 Win that is a supergrade and it shoots well. I do think a used rifle is a good choice because of depreciation as long as it hasn't been abused or neglected(rust, pitted bore, etc.)