Hunting rifle advice

[BrowningBoy]

There are tons of good quality scopes out there that are very affordable. Weaver, Bushnell, Burris, Nikon, Leopold Vari-x II. Just don't buy the anything super cheap. Redfield is also back in business. For a deer rifle in PA I would recommend the Leopold Vari-x II in 2-7 power. This gives you plenty of field of view up close and gives you enough power to make distance shots. The longest shot I've ever taken in PA was 65 yards. All the rest of my deer were taken inside 20 yards.

No matter which rifle and scope you choose, buy yourself a Past recoil pad. It will cut the recoil substantially. Good luck!!

[edh47]

Weatherby Vanguard in 243 Win is, in my opinion,an excellent deer hunting rifle. It is cheaper to buy than the
Rem. 700 as well.

[Qtrborecrazy]

I`ll put my 3 cents in. Buy stainless Savage 16 FCSS in either 308, 7mm08, and 270. With all the new superformance loads from Hornady you will be able to kill anything out there except BIG OLE GRIZZ BEARS. Friend of my just dumped a buffalo with his 308. 1 shot and it went down. Good luck with what ever you decide and good hunting.

[cdeily]

I'm a fan of the Marlin 336 in 30-30. It is compact, durable, accurate, and ammo is relatively cheap and easy to come by. You can probably find one used with a nice scope for what you are planning to spend on a 700. My recommendation is check out some of your local clubs or the for sale forum on here. You'd be surprised the deals you come across. I love my .30 06 (just picked up a Winchester 670 and love it) too but personally I think the ultimate PA hunting gun is either the Marlin 336 or Winchester 94 in 30 30.

[Paradox596]

I am now looking at a rem 770 cal is somewhere between 270 and 30 - 06 .
I have heard the bolt is sticky but other than that it seems to be cheap, tough, and affordable.
There is a sale at Cabelas that come with a mediocre scope but that is now my leader. at 300$ dollars

[hornady]

If you can make the trip, Grice in Clearfield is having a big sale this weekend, you can go on-line and see the sale paper. Anyone that has not gone out to Grice should, it’s a nice drive you see some great scenery, and The Museum is worth the trip also.

[Tomcat088]

I am now looking at a rem 770 cal is somewhere between 270 and 30 - 06 .
I have heard the bolt is sticky but other than that it seems to be cheap, tough, and affordable.
There is a sale at Cabelas that come with a mediocre scope but that is now my leader. at 300$ dollars

I'd personally think twice before I bought a Remington 770. I understand that you're young and that might fit your budget better, but just understand what you're getting. I wouldn't call them all that tough. You can flex the stock and the DBM area with your hand, and I've seen more bolt handles broke off of those rifles than I have ever seen on any other rifle. There's quite a few problems with them besides the bolt being sticky. You might want to read here, so you get an idea of what you're getting. For some people and certain purposes, they'll "get you by", but most of the time saving a little more money and investing it in a different setup is better long term. http://forum.pafoa.org/rifles-42/109...ience-one.html . There's a thread for you about Remington 770's, and if you search you'll find plenty others. They aren't some cheap version of a Remington 700, they're a completely different rifle made to bank off the popularity and trust built on the Remington 700 action.

[phillyshooter]

I just picked up a new Stevens model 200 in .308 for $350 and topped it with a Nikon 3-9x40 for another $130, I put a box through it to zero in and I couldn't be happier. They may be ugly but they sure can shoot.

[titus2423]

I just picked up a new Stevens model 200 in .308 for $350 and topped it with a Nikon 3-9x40 for another $130, I put a box through it to zero in and I couldn't be happier. They may be ugly but they sure can shoot.

What type of place did you buy your Stevens from? Box store such as Dunhams or an independent shop? I paid just under $300 OTD for mine. I didn't like the look of the stock too much at first but it's grown on me.

[whitejohn]

marlin xs7 is my vote i got mine in 243 and have shot lots with it was great when i was smaller (light and low recoil) and cant beat the price of them i just stepped up to a 7 mag finally this year