Quote:
Originally Posted by Josh C
I'm interested in purchasing a new rifle mainly for whitetail hunting in LA. Shots could range from 10 yards to 400 yards on most of our stands. My question is what is the best rifle, scope combination for this task? I'm looking for caliber and name brand info.
Thanks.
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The most important thing is that you get a rifle that feels good to YOU. I suggest finding a good gun that works for you and then stick with it. For a hunting rifle there is no need to go high dollar custom, the production rifles in the 400-900 dollar range are more accurate than the shooter can be especially within 400 yards.
Let's face it, Bolt actions have cornered the market mostly because of reliability and accuracy right out of the box.
Brands, Again this is a very personal subject but i like the Sako 85, Ruger M77, Remington 700, Browning A-bolt/X-bolt, Weatherby Vanguard/Mark IV, and the Winchester Model 70 with the mauser type claw extractor.
The 700 is the action that the custom guys love to build off of, it is also the choice of our military in the M40/24 rifles. The dangerous game hunters may argue the mauser type controlled feed is more reliable if a charging buffalo is involved, the whitetail hunter shouldn't worry about either.
For caliber, how important is recoil, range? availability of ammo? You have the .30 caliber's in .308 win and 30-06 sprgfld which are excellent choices. In 7mm you have the 7mm-08 rem, .280 rem, & the 7 mm rem mag. Hard to go wrong with any of these. I shoot a .270 winchester but I think the success of this cartridge was largely due to winchester's marketing techniques, I'd personally rather have a .280 until i get to shopping for ammo at walmart, then i'll take my .270.
I'm rambling now.
For a scope go with a Nikon or Burris, best bang for your dollar hands down.