help me pick my next new firearm

[Scibaer]

i want to cover all the basics for hunting, whether it crawls, flys or runs
so far, i have a marlin model 60 .22
           a marlin model 336 .30-30
           a remington 870 20 gauge

what am i missing ?  high power rifle ? muzzleloader ?  handgun for hunting ?
i want to be able to just about hunt anything around where i live .
so, help me pick my next new firearm

[kynardsj]

Got a good selection going on there. I'm thinking a .22 and/or a medium to big bore pistol. Preferably both.

[burntmuch]

Looks like you need a little more range. Just in case you come across a big feild you wanna hunt. sooo
 
 30-06 Rem 700
 7mm-08 Rem mod 7
   

[PowPow]

What about something that will reach out for the long deliberate accurate shot on something big or small?
25-06, 270 maybe. Bolt or single shot.

[streak]

Got a good selection going on there. I'm thinking a .22 and/or a medium to big bore pistol. Preferably both.

Good suggestions!
 I would add a good old 30-06 or .270 and to round out everything a swivel breech muzzleloader in .54 or .62 caliber with one rifled barrel and the other smooth! That way in muzzleloading season you are ready for " Beast or Fowl"!!

[mcwoodduck]

Let's think.
Small Game - Covered with the Marling M 60 and 870 20 ga
Upland birds- 870 20 ga
big game (deer black bear, hogs) Marling 336
turkey- 20 ga with 3" heavy shot.
Water fowel 20 ga with heavy shot
 
OK how about a 20 Slug gun barrel for the 870.
A 50 cal muzzel loader would be good.
A 22 Hand gun to cary when you are big game hunting for small game.
A medium caliber or large caliber handgun.
Or a T/C with barrels in 30-30 and 22LR.
How about a varmint rifle.  223 of some kind - H&R Untra vartming
CZ 527 American or Varmint.
 

[mannyrock]

 
  Hmm,  I am paying attention to the word "basic" in your post. You want the basic firearms you need, not fluff or superfluous stuff.
  This makes the response very easy, in the following order.
  1.  You need a good bolt action rifle in .30-06 or .308 Winchester.  A Remington 700,
Ruger 77, or Savage 110 will do fine.
  2.  You need a good  bolt action rifle in .223 for varmints and predators.  Again, a Remington, Ruger or Savage will do fine.
  3.  Only if you want to get into black powder hunting, and get the extra season in, you need a .50 caliber muzzleloader.  A Thompson Center Omega will do fine.
  That's it. You simply do not need anything else.  And you certainly don't need to buy a handgun to hunt with.  Your longarms are the basics and all you will ever need.
  Best, Mannyrock
   
 
 

[hillbill]

  Hmm,  I am paying attention to the word "basic" in your post. You want the basic firearms you need, not fluff or superfluous stuff.
  This makes the response very easy, in the following order.
  1.  You need a good bolt action rifle in .30-06 or .308 Winchester.  A Remington 700,
Ruger 77, or Savage 110 will do fine.
  2.  You need a good  bolt action rifle in .223 for varmints and predators.  Again, a Remington, Ruger or Savage will do fine.
  3.  Only if you want to get into black powder hunting, and get the extra season in, you need a .50 caliber muzzleloader.  A Thompson Center Omega will do fine.
  That's it. You simply do not need anything else.  And you certainly don't need to buy a handgun to hunt with.  Your longarms are the basics and all you will ever need.
  Best, Mannyrock
 

id have to say manny rock nailed it. the bolt rifle will give you more range for big game hunting.the 223 will be cheap to shoot, fun and the best for predators or varmints.the 50 cal smoke pole will let you take advantage of the extra deer season if you have one in your area. with what you already have you would have a nicely rounded utilitarian collection. i myself would add a 22 pistol of some sort of a accurate reliable variety and possibly a center fire handgun also. so i guess since your just goin to choose 1 gun, any of the above would be a valuable addition.

[Scibaer]

ok so the consus is.. i need a long range bolt action rifle and a muzzle loader.
what caliber would work from varmints to elk ? .270 .280.. 7mm-08 or 30-06 ?

[PowPow]

I got the best accuracy of all my reloading from the 270 with 90 gr SIE Varminter bullets and great accuracy from 130 SBTs, and okay accuracy from 150 SBTs.
The small varmint bullets in the 30-06 (110 V-max) were coyote accurate, but not small critter accurate.
The 180s in the 30-06 were great and they make up to 220 gr, which I have not needed to try.
No experience with the 280 or 7-08.

[hillbill]

06 or 08 is hard to go wrong with.7mmx08 is really hard to go wrong with.they will all do what the other will do. choose one

[mcwoodduck]

ok so the consus is.. i need a long range bolt action rifle and a muzzle loader.
what caliber would work from varmints to elk ? .270 .280.. 7mm-08 or 30-06 ?

One Rifle to do it all,
257 Weatherby or 7mm Rem mag,

[ironglow]

IMO.. the gap seems to be with a varmint rifle between your .22 LR and the 30/30..
    Here's my suggestion.. Axis camo in .223 Rem. ($413 MSRP).. or..Stevens 200 in .223 (415(MSRP)
  Keeping in mind your "basic" description, get it in .223 and it will be economical to shoot.  The Axis or Stevens would not have accutrigger, but if needed an aftermarket could be installed.
  Then there is the H&R..and it's usually no slouch in accuracy in .223
   
 

[Scibaer]

right now, i'm thinking about a bolt action rifle. in a caliber that will be happy medium, just under the recoil and power of the 30-06 .
i think the 30-06 would be more then enough gun for what i hunt, but a 243 isnt enough.
so maybe a 270 or 7mm08 .. i want a lighter recoiling rifle that wont be too much gun for coyotes and too little for whitetail or black bear.
and it could be a replacement for my 30-30 .
 

[mcwoodduck]

right now, i'm thinking about a bolt action rifle. in a caliber that will be happy medium, just under the recoil and power of the 30-06 .
i think the 30-06 would be more then enough gun for what i hunt, but a 243 isnt enough.
so maybe a 270 or 7mm08 .. i want a lighter recoiling rifle that wont be too much gun for coyotes and too little for whitetail or black bear.
and it could be a replacement for my 30-30 .

308 Winchester as a replacement for your 30-30.
Factory loaded ammo from 125 grain reduced recoil to 180 grain round nose soft points for anything under 100 yards.  Bear, moose, elk, deer, .....
Earlier I picked 257 Weatherby or 7mm mag as they are very versitle too.  From light lazer bullets to heavy for caliber for the larger game.  30-06 and 308, 7-08, and on and on were too close to your 30-30 to make a difference in ballistics.
the 30-30 throwing a 170 grain bullet at 2400 FPS and a 308 or 30-06 throwing the same 180 grian bullet at 2600 and 2700 FPS did not seem like a huge step up for your big game rifle as well as the 30-30 has the ability to shoot 125 grain reduced recoil loads as well.
In 308 pick a 150 to 165 grain bullet and call it a day for all you hunting needs.  If you are going for really big game or are in a swamp the round nose 180 grain soft points are going to be more than enough.

[Scibaer]

ok so, now the top pick is a bolt action in .308

[hillbill]

if you want a lighter recoiling bolt rifle that could double as your varmint gun and be big enough to take black bear. you might have a look at the 260 or 6.5x55.it shoots flatter than one would think because of the great ballistic coefficent of the long 6.5 bullet and is a proven killer as well.

[mcwoodduck]

ok so, now the top pick is a bolt action in .308

Check the used racks.
A few years ago I was thinking of an Enfield No 1 MK3 that I wanted to mount a scope on and my budget was about $600 for the rifle the scope and the gun smith time.
While looking I walked into my friends shop and there was a Remington M700 V in 308 Win for $550.  Youn never know what is going to show up that is better than you were thinking for less than you are planning on spending. 
A ruger, Remington, Browning, Winchester are all possible.
So far that 700 V has been a great rifle for hunting, varmints/ preditors, and target shooting.  A little heavy for hunting but has knocked down a deer and a Pig on it's trips out.  One laying down the other standing off hand.  The standing was a pig at about 70 yards and hit him.  He went down and stood back up, guide said shoot again.  Racked bolt and sent another one an inch an a half grom the first entry while he was moving.

[Scibaer]

well now that i ( we  ) have narrowed down my choice, i will start looking.
and there is always the next gun show coming along too.
 but i do want something that fits inline with my collection, something classic , that quintisential  bolt rifle

[mannyrock]

    You are absolutely positively correct. 
 
    If you are looking for one cartridge that is a happy medium, just a notch below the .30-06, that can handle anything from Elk to Varmints, then the .308 Winchester is the answer.
 
    In standard factory ammo, the .308 has about 93% of the power of the .30-06, with 16% less recoil.  (Recoil in ft pounds for .308 is generally 18 foot pounds, and for the .30-06, 21 or more foot pounds.)
 
    All of the he-men tell me that they notice zero difference in recoil between these two rounds.  However, I only weight 150 pounds, and I feel an enormous difference in the recoil.
 
   And, if you ever want the .308 to have the equivalent amount of energy of a .30-06 for Elk, you can simply buy the 168 grain Hornaday light magnums in .308, which virtually duplicate the energy of a standard .30-06 in 180 grain.  If you go back and look at hunting and shooting magazines for the past 3 years or so, you will find lots of articles where the .308, with premium factory ammo,  was used on Moose and Elk, killing them stone dead in short order.   And, Boddington took a Scout rifle to Africa in .308 and shot 20 head of the largest African plains animals, including greater kudu and wildebeast.  Of these animals, 19 were one shot kills, and one required 2 shots.
 
   Get the .308. You will be very happy.  Yet, for a nice cheap and relatively quiet varmint rifle out to 125 yards, I highly recommend that you also add a .22 magnum bolt action.  This would be instead of the .223.
 
  Best, Mannyrock

[mannyrock]

 
   P.S.- Though it pains me to say it, since I love the .30-30 round, if you get a .308 bolt action with a 22 inch barrel, and then have a gunsmith cut and crown the barrel to 21 inches, you will have an incredibly handy big game rifle, and you simply won't need the Marlin .30-30 with its 20 inch barrel.   So, sell the Marlin and use the funds to buy a high quality scope for your .308.  The best one I have ever found is the Leuopold Vari-X II, in 2x7 or 3x9.  Very handy, trim, compact, rugged and great optics.
 
 
Best, Mannyrock

[mcwoodduck]

   P.S.- Though it pains me to say it, since I love the .30-30 round, if you get a .308 bolt action with a 22 inch barrel, and then have a gunsmith cut and crown the barrel to 21 inches, you will have an incredibly handy big game rifle, and you simply won't need the Marlin .30-30 with its 20 inch barrel.   So, sell the Marlin and use the funds to buy a high quality scope for your .308.  The best one I have ever found is the Leuopold Vari-X II, in 2x7 or 3x9.  Very handy, trim, compact, rugged and great optics.
 
 
Best, Mannyrock

At 21" why not just get a ruger 77 international or one of the ruger ultra light weights both with 20" barrels. 
The international has that classic hunting rifle look with the full stock.  If my M77 is a 22" barrel and I can not justify the international for 2" no matter how much I like hte full stock look. and gives you the option of iron sights or mounting a scope. 
Some of the Remington Model 7 rifles had 20 or 21 inch barrels.
I just hate getting a rifle and taking it to the gun smith to have an inch or three hacked off.
You have some time.  Your 30-30 will do almost everything that a 308 will do. 
If it were me, I would shoot the 30-30 and save up for an elk hunt and buy a rifle for elk when the trip is final.  I cna not tell you how many rifles I have that will kill deer, when a 30-30 or similar would have killed all but one of my deer easily.  (he was a Mule deer in Mt and was about 250 yards out)  Other than that I fed the Rugby team in college with 5 to 6 deer a year out of NC almost all shots were under 100 yards and a 30-30 would have worked well.  Heck a load of buch shot at 70 to 75 yards worked.

[mannyrock]

 
McWood,
 
    The reason I start with a standard rifle and cut the tube to 21 inches is that I just don't want a lighweight barrel on my big game rifle, especially if it is my do-all rifle.  Like it or not, lighweights heat up and wander greatly after 2 or 3 shots.   The Remington Model 7 in particular.
   Shame on you for mentioning the .30-30 and the .308 in the same sentence. :-)  They are simply not in the same league.   The .30-30 will do much of what a .308 will do on medium sized game out to maybe 200 yards, but after that, forget it.  Apples and oranges.    And since he wants the minimum number of rifles to cover the maximum amount of game and trajectory, plus long range varmints, I feel that the .308 fits the bill and the .30-30 just isn't there (though I really like the mild round.)
 
  Oh well, maybe he won't end up hunting as much as he thinks he will.  I know that I don't. 
 
Regards, Mannyrock
 
 

[Scibaer]

like what manny said, i am looking for a smaller ( im down sizing my collection ) number of firearms to do all the hunting i will do.
 i do hunt alot, on average 3 days a week as soon as the season starts till it ends, excluding bow hunting,
partly , the reason for this project, is to allow me to do more hunting, getting into coyotes, and bear among other hunt opertunities,
  im not sure if i will or want to keep my 30-30 , so i need a rifle to replace it and or, fill in where the 30-30 dont fit the bill.
 i got small game and birds covered with my .22 and 20 ga. now i need a rifle for deer, hogs, bears, maybe elk. and i need something that i can take coyotes or other varmints with.  i will get a muzzleloader for the late season and a slug gun for that season/region.
for now i want to focus on the rifle .  where i live and hunt, 200 yards is about as long as your going to get. we also have a shotgun only area and a swamp/wetland area that has limited hunts.  i hope that helps ya's

[mcwoodduck]

OK I agree that under 200 yards the rounds are basically the same.  both throwing similar bullet weights the similar speeds.
the difference is the action. 
The bolt action is more accurate. out past 200 yards.  Has more to do with the construction of the rifle than the rounds.
I love my 308's and if anyone asks what rifle to get for deer, black bear and hogs, it is the first out of my mouth.  While not have gone moose hunting (yet) a 308 would be my choice for the terrain I saw in the north east, and maybe a 338 WM for the terrain I saw in Montana, but my 308 would go on the trip.   My 308 often goes with me in the field when Elk hunting.  Especally when we are in the woods and the open sights are a plus to me and my scope on the 338 is a PITA.
I have no problems shooting my open sight 308 out to 200 yards and hitting a gong, I have had problems with doing so with a lever action 30-30.  I think had more to do with the buck horn sights than the round or the rifle.  Stick similar sights as the Williams sights on my Ruger and results are going to be similar,
As far as ballistics go with the 30-30 a deer would never be able to tell between it and a 308 or a 300 Super douper, holly cow, shoots through main battle tanks, magnum.  A hole in the right spot is a hole in the right spot.
What I was saying was do not throw away your wrist flicker for the first pretty 308 to come by, take your time and use the 30-30 until the right deal comes along for the rifle you want.
 

[Empty Quiver]

I'll play along. First and foremost do not try to find a do it all rifle, same for handguns and shotguns. Arguably you already have the rifle and shotgun covered, for a while.


First, go get a good defensive hand gun, I'll suggest a 9mm sub compact, Springfield XD to be specific.


Second and this is your choice either a hunting handgun(.44 mag), or a .338 win mag category bolt action rifle, not 30 calibre.


Fourth, I would start looking at a varmint / predator rifle. An AR 15 can pull double duty as a SHTF gun here. Or, a nice semi auto goose / turkey gun, pick up a slug barrel for that 870 while you are at it (smoothbore rifle sighted).


Sixth, a fine turn bolt in something 6.5mm - 7mm you decide if deer/predator or deer/elk is more your style, and size accordingly. Or, an inline muzzle loader, 50 cal. and be done with it.


Eighth, Wimp out listen to the wife (and possibly good sense) Buy a .41mag Blackhawk, a .300 mag Tikka lite, and a matching .223 Tikka lite. I would still keep my eyes open for a slug barrel for the 870. If Elk size game is out of the question consider a .243 and skip the two gun thing.

[Scibaer]

EQ, brother.. i have no wife, youngest kid left the house last year, and i ( we ) got divorced at the end of last year, lol ..
its just me , the guns and my work/hunting buddies .. i dont even have a dog yet !

well i didnt see the 300 Super douper, holly cow, shoots through main battle tanks, magnum listed anywhere , i know cuz i looked, 
  A hole in the right spot is a hole in the right spot.    no more true words have ever been spoken , and my old 30-30 does it well enough on deer, but, well you know .. buts its just the right fit for varmints and yotes.

What I was saying was do not throw away your wrist flicker for the first pretty 308 to come by, take your time and use the 30-30 until the right deal comes along for the rifle you want.    that is my intent, 100% but its time i move into a bolt gun with a good scope.
   

[Empty Quiver]

Go with the eight gun plan   Doesn't really sound like the extra large game is in the future so maybe a .300mag is too much.


I see no reason to sell the Marlin. Get a 7mm-08 to compliment it not to replace it. When hunting the woods carry the Marlin when in the clearings carry the 7mm-08, if you are not sure go with the 7mm-08.


Get a hold on some thing solid now,  a BLR in 7mm-08 ( I feel myself swooning a bit ). See, now wasn't that easy. Thank me now, or later.

[mcwoodduck]

I see no reason to sell the Marlin. Get a 7mm-08 to compliment it not to replace it. When hunting the woods carry the Marlin when in the clearings carry the 7mm-08, if you are not sure go with the 7mm-08.

Get a 308 and a reloader then you can share bullets for the 30-30 and the 308.
If you pick a pointy bullet for the two your 30-30 is a two shot.

[mannyrock]

 
   McWood ole buddy, you are killing me.   Out to 200 yards, the .30-30 and .308 throw similar weight bullets at similar speeds?   What?   In most factory ammo, the .30-30 throws a 170 grain bullet at 200 yards at around 1,600 feet per second, whereas the .308 throws a 180 grain bullet at 200 yards at around 1,950 feet per second.  Doesn't sound so similar to me. :-)   And, an Elk will be able to tell the difference between the two.
 
   Empty Quive my friend, the guy asked for the fewest guns possible to cover his HUNTING needs.  And you're telling him to buy a defensive handgun and also a big bore handgun for hunting? 
 
  I surrender.  I give up!  :-)
 
Manny