Author Topic: Your next rifle? (Read 1742 times)

Yukon Jack · « **on:** July 31, 2003, 07:50:44 PM »

Playing off of Zac's last post, I got to wondering what my next rifle purchase will be and when.

I haven't really decided, but looking at an old English rifle chambered for an obsolete, or in the very least, rare-to-America chambering. The one that has been keeping me up at night right now is a 1920's vintage Westley Richards in 318 WR. But I'm also thinking about a nice Hagn singleshot.

Curious what the rest of you fine folks are thinking about and dreaming of.

grizzy57 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 01, 2003, 01:07:53 AM »

DOES A 219 ZIPPER QUALIFY

GRIZZY

Sean · « **Reply #2 on:** August 01, 2003, 05:44:17 AM »

I am in the middle of that decision making process right now.
(Un)-Fortunately I have it narrowed down to 2 choices: Browning A-Bolt .375 H&H or a Ruger #1 Stainless Tropical in .405 Winchester. My dealer says that neither is easy to get right now but when I decide which one I'll be willing to wait for it. Sean

hillbilly · « **Reply #3 on:** August 17, 2003, 07:59:23 PM »

fellas all i can say is my next new rifle will be the next one to fall into my hands at the right price regardless of make, model, caliber, and to a certain degree condition. to put it mildly i'm always looking for my next new rifle. right now i've got a winchester model 70 in 30-06, a marlin 1895G in 45-70, a remington 700 in 22-250, a Ruger M-77 in 338win a savage bolt action in 17hmr(for sale) n old remington 870 12g 2-3/4in, and a Ruger 10/22. As i've told my wife i've almost got it all covered, all i need now is a fast 25cal for antelope. :grin: and a large double for my trip to africa, prehaps in a Charles Lancaster 450 x3-1/4inch nitro express or a Barellas 10.75x70R or maybe even a 700 H&H in case i'm ever attacked by a T-rex, yeah that'll happen ( the african safari that is.)

John · « **Reply #4 on:** August 18, 2003, 03:22:13 AM »

I can't think of a reason why I'd ever get rid of the sweet 06 I have right now. The sporting arms industry would be in bad shape if they had to rely on me for a living.

Mikey · « **Reply #5 on:** August 18, 2003, 04:21:33 AM »

Got it, but it's on layaway. Another Winnie Big Bore in Triple 4 and then after that a rebarrelled Mauser bolt gun in the same caliber. Just something about that 43 bore. Mikey.

Zachary · « **Reply #6 on:** August 18, 2003, 05:44:51 AM »

As some of you know, I ordered a Sako 75 Stainless Synthetic in 7mm-08 - my favorite deer round. I never owned a Sako and always wanted one. As such, $900 was a great price - so I grabbed it. I own a few Tikkas, which are the "sister" company of Sako. Although I have shot many Sakos, I very much look forward to using it extensively. The gun should be delivered sometime this week, so I'll post when I receive it.

Now, as for my "next" rifle, I have a Kimber 8400 Montana Stainless Synthetic in .300 WSM on order. I put a $100 deposit on it and the dealer says that I will either receive it close to END of this year, so early next. Apparently Kimber is notorious for delivering their quotas very late, but I don't necessarily find that to be bad thing per se because that means two things: 1) they take their time to do the job right, and 2) if people are willing to wait in line for 6 months to over a year, then it's got to be a good product. So the Kimber is going to be my next rifle.

And it's gonna be a LONG LONG time before my finances will allow me to buy another gun. :grin:

Zachary

Lawdog · « **Reply #7 on:** August 18, 2003, 08:54:21 AM »

With the way everyone is raving about the Tikka I think I may get one to see for myself. As long as it's blued and wood in .300 WSM caliber with a barrel at least 24" then we will most likely have a deal. Stick a new Weaver Grand Slam on it maybe and see if the scope is everything that the people at Outdoor Life says it is. Lawdog

Zachary · « **Reply #8 on:** August 18, 2003, 12:03:51 PM »

Lawdog,

I can only speak for the Tikka Whitetail Hunter (WH) series. I don't know much about the new T3 other than what others have said - and most of them like the WH much better.

As for the 300WSM, it is only available in the T3. Yes, it has a blue barrel and wood stock, but the T3 action is a "one size fits all" - meaning that short action cartridges like the 300WSM are actually used in long action receivers. As such, the detachable magazines are "stepped" in order to "fit" the WSM and other shorter cartridges (like .243, 7mm-08, .308, etc.).

As for the barrel length, I think that the WSMs in the Tikkas are 24 3/8" inches. But again, I wouldn't recommend the T3 based on what others have said.

Apparently Tikka still offers the WH series, but I think only in the Deluxe models (for the wood/blue version). No, the Deluxe models don't have any of the WSMs, but if you are willing to get any other popular cartridge, then you will be very happy with the Tikka.

Zachary

RWH24 · « **Reply #9 on:** August 18, 2003, 02:44:37 PM »

:wink: Hey Zach and other interested Tikka people. A local gun dealer told me as a Beretta Master dealer did, The Tikka is still made in the Whitetail Hunter. The T-3 maybe a marketing ploy to get them selling that get the Whitetail's back on the market. Especially if the T-3 does not sell well. The Wood T-3 is a light rifle, like a Mountain gun. The Synthetic does feel even lighter. Don't leke the way it fits me. The wood would make a goof lite carry gun in a 223-22-250 or a 243. I would not sit down and shoot several hundred rounds of 243, 6.5x55 or a 7mm-08 for an extended period of time. Maybe it will take it, I don't know. The wood does feel, warm. Satin is not as pretty as the Deluxe thou. Each his own.
Later guys. If you have any shotgun expertise look under Shotguns/wingshooting at Shotgun Exploded and give me a reply.

Randy

gtrantow · « **Reply #10 on:** August 21, 2003, 05:24:45 PM »

As I posted under Tikka, I am looking for a 7mm-08 to compliment my 7mmRegMag with 3x9:40 scope and my Marlin 336 in 30:30 with open sights. I hunt Elk, deer and antelope in that order. My elk hunting is in Colorado Wilderness thick black timber stalking to Colorado sage brush and high mountain scree fields. My 7mmMag works great in everything except the thick black timber. My 13 year old son uses the 30:30 and so I am looking for a Colorado mountain rifle (light, short action, low recoil and short total length). Because the shots are often 50-100 meters I opted for a Bushell 4200 1.5-6x36. My feelings are that too many people are focused on big objective and high power while most animals are shot at close range and low power. More than once I have wanted open sights or lower power than 3x when entering the thick tangles. The 1.5x has nearly double the field of view as the 3x.
Now my questions: Is the 7mm-08 a good second rifle cartridge?
What other cartridges would you recommend?
Which Tikka or other rifle would you recommend?
Do you agree with my perspective on scopes?
Thanks,

Zachary · « **Reply #11 on:** August 22, 2003, 02:54:01 AM »

Quote from: gtrantow

Now my questions: Is the 7mm-08 a good second rifle cartridge?
What other cartridges would you recommend?
Which Tikka or other rifle would you recommend?
Do you agree with my perspective on scopes?
Thanks,

Yes, the 7mm-08 is an EXCELLENT second rifle cartridge. It's my personal favorite and for good reasons - Short action, light recoil, inherent accuracy derived from the .308 case, less expensive factory ammo, if you reload - less expensive to reload because less powder, very effective on deer sized game out to 300 yards or so.

There are other great cartridges to recommend - .270 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, .308 Winchester, .260 Remington, etc. Still, for type of hunting, the 7mm-08 is very, very hard to beat.

As for Tikkas, I only recommend the Whitetail Hunter, not the T3. As for which WH model, it's up to you. I like stainless synthetic, but the Deluxe models are beautiful.

As for other makes, I generally like Remington 700s, but keep in mind that Remington's quality is not as good as Tikka. You may also want to consider Kimber - a very high quality rifle, and Sako, also very high quality. These rifles are also more expensive - about $300 to $500 more depending on model, but also a bit better quality than even the Tikka, yet way less expensive than a true custom rifle.

As for scopes, the Elite 4200s are one of my favorite scopes - regardless of price. The 1.75x-6x-32mm you mentioned is an excellent choice. Graybeard has one on his 7mm-08 (for his wife) and they both love it. Since most of your shots are under 100 yards, you don't really need any magnification over 6x anyway. That said, I like higher magnification scopes because I just feel more comfortable with them. On my Sako Stainless Synthetic in 7mm-08, I am going to mount a Leupold Vari-X III 3.5x-10x-50mm (30mm tube) ILLUMINATED reticle. I generally love Elite 4200s the best, but I wanted an illuminated reticle and 30mm tube (I got free Sako opti-lock that were 30mm so I am forced to get a 30mm tubed scope), so I got this particular Leupold.

Bushnell has the firefly reticle which is really good, but, as for illuminated reticle, I like Leupold's much, much better.

Zachary

longwinters · « **Reply #12 on:** August 24, 2003, 05:43:51 AM »

I really like the 7M-08 caliber. In my mind it has no weaknesses. And the Tikka rifle would be my choice (delux) or a Sako. Zachary covered everything pretty well. Although I would seriously consider the Zeiss Conquest scope (I really like mine), the Bushnell Elite is probably going to be my next scope just cuz it looks to be a very good scope at a little less cost.

long

OOBuckshot · « **Reply #13 on:** August 27, 2003, 06:53:25 PM »

I am like Zachary, If I was going to buy a new gun to hunt with, it would be a Kimber. My nephew bought a Sako in a .25-06 and it shoots good, but the stock has all the grain of a broom stick. My shooting partner bought a Kimber in a .22-250 and the wood in the stock looks great just like in the advertisements.

I am off he subject. My next rifle will be a gun to carry in the truck. Something that can get scuffed up and does not cost too much. I would like to find a Winchester mod 94 in a .357mag caliber used. I will keep it with open sights. Maybe I will find something at the next gun show the first week end in September. OOBuckshot

UMFAN1 · « **Reply #14 on:** August 28, 2003, 07:33:28 AM »

Decisions, decisions......My next rifle will be either a BLR in .358win or a custom 35whelen built by a gunsmith friend of mine. Actually, they both will be my next guns, just not sure in what order. :grin:

Zachary · « **Reply #15 on:** August 28, 2003, 10:02:05 AM »

I have wanted a .35 Whelen for a while now - at least a few years. No one really manufactures rifles in the Whelen. I keep on waiting for someone like Remington or Winchester to offer one in a stainless/synthetic model with a 24" barrel. Sure, I would love it if Tikka would offer a Whelen, but if a good 'ole American company hasn't offered a Whelen, then I would think a European one would either.

Sure would like a Whelen in a Remington BDL SS. :grin:

Zachary

jhm · « **Reply #16 on:** August 28, 2003, 03:23:22 PM »

Zachary : In 1988 Remington made their model 700 classic in 35 Whelan the model # is 5901 hope that will keep you looking in the USA

JIM

jhm · « **Reply #17 on:** August 28, 2003, 03:25:27 PM »

Zachary: I am sorry I see you wanted one in stainless all that work to no avail :-D :-D

JIM

UMFAN1 · « **Reply #18 on:** August 29, 2003, 07:53:25 AM »

Zachary, I did see one chambered in a Ruger 77 Stainless for sale(NIB) a few months ago. I was told that Ruger made a special run of them not long ago. Maybe worth looking into.

Zachary · « **Reply #19 on:** August 29, 2003, 08:09:11 AM »

I own many different makes of rifles, shotguns, and handguns - Remington, Tikka, Browning, Sako, etc. However, Ruger is NOT one of them.

I'm just not a ruger fan. I just never really warmed up to a ruger. But thanks for letting me know.

Zachary

Lawdog · « **Reply #20 on:** August 29, 2003, 09:13:32 AM »

Zachary,

Quote

I own many different makes of rifles, shotguns, and handguns - Remington, Tikka, Browning, Sako, etc. However, Ruger is NOT one of them.

Don't you think it's about time you stepped UP in class to a Ruger? Find out what you have been missing so you can weed out some of the "junker's" you got laying around.

All joking aside you might find out just how good the Ruger is. Lawdog

urika20 · « **Reply #21 on:** August 29, 2003, 11:45:12 AM »

I have a couple of Rugers also. And they are as nice as my other firearms. I'd by another Ruger if it met my satisfaction.

urika20

Zachary · « **Reply #22 on:** August 29, 2003, 01:25:23 PM »

Well, I guess that IF I found that Stainless Ruger in 35 Whelen that you were talking about, and IF the price was attractive, and IF the gun felt happy in my hands, THEN MAYBE I might get one. (But I'm not holding my breath.

)

Zachary

JBabcock · « **Reply #23 on:** September 04, 2003, 03:03:12 AM »

My latest addition to rifles is a pre-war Model 70 in 30-06. I've been hagling with the owner of the gunshop off and on for about a year, and we finally came to a meeting of the minds, which meant an opening of my wallet! It's in excellent shape, came with a 3x9 Leupold.

All of my hunting rifles now were manufactured before 1959. 3 JC Higgins built on FN 98 actions. Love those rifles, my favorites, and 1 Model 70 pre war. Great investment there.

The only "modern rifles" I have now are a Weatherby Vanguard my Dad bought me for my first rifle, and a Howa Varmit 223. The Weatherby was built by Howa too.

Lawdog · « **Reply #24 on:** September 04, 2003, 09:53:42 AM »

Quote

With the way everyone is raving about the Tikka I think I may get one to see for myself. As long as it's blued and wood in .300 WSM caliber with a barrel at least 24" then we will most likely have a deal. Stick a new Weaver Grand Slam on it maybe and see if the scope is everything that the people at Outdoor Life says it is.

Well I looked over Sako?Tikka and they don't meet my requirements. What I want is a rifle that;

1.] Blued - NO stainless

2.] Wood stock(walnut preferred with a nice grain) - NO laminate, NO plastic, NO synthetic

3.] 24 inch barrel nothing less

4.] NO detachable clip magazines

5.] Either .300, 7mm or .270 WSM caliber

6.] NO Remington's

7.] Really want something different than the Rugers and Winchesters(includes Browning) I own

Been looking at a Kimber 8400 but I have never seen one let alone held or shot one. Really want something better looking than a Savage. Anyone got any suggestions? Lawdog

urika20 · « **Reply #25 on:** September 04, 2003, 10:40:47 AM »

Lawdog, you sure are a fussy one :-D. You're not leaving much left. Maybe you ought to run out to a Cabela's and have a look in their gun library. Maybe grab ahold of an exotic rifle :grin: I looked at a Kimber 22 one of the ones made in Oregon and thought it was nicely finished.

Other than the above, I don't have any other suggestions.

urika20