Need advice choosing a hunting rifle ...

[adoddere]

I just bought into a hunting lease in Arkansas (family there). I haven't hunted since becoming urbanized about 15 years ago. I own several handguns but no rifles and know little about them.

The game is whitetail deer. I'm told my stand (haven't seen it yet) has 500+ yard shooting lanes. As you might imagine, I have lots questions.

Caliber?
Manufacturer?
Action?
Optics?
What else should I be considering?

I'd appreciate any guidance you guys can provide.

[Grizz2720]

Just because the shooting lane is 500 yards does not mean the shoots will be at 500 yd. Could you make a 500 yd shot? Back to the questions. You really need to know how long the most common shot will be.
Caliber. 30-30 is still a good deer gun but not at 500 yd. 270, 7mm mag, 300 win mag, exotic cal 6.5 Grendel
Ruger, Savage, and Remington all are good.
Action depends on you. Bolt action is the first thing that comes to mind.
Leopold and Nikon come to mind. I have both, and like both the Nikon has a recticle that has a bullet drop on it. Site in in at 200 yd and the theory that each dot down indicates the next farthest 100 yd increase. I feel competent that under the right weather I can do 400 yds with it but that means still air, my wind reading ability is lacking because of lack of practice at ranges out to that far.
Bi-pod for stability will be needed or some solid rifle rest.
If need to make the 500 yd. shot then it will mean PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

[kunsunoke]

Caliber?
Manufacturer?
Action?
Optics?
What else should I be considering?

For whitetail, there's quite a few choices available - but the two most popular are probably the .270 Winchester and the venerable .30-'06.

Assuming we're talking about a bolt-action rifle, the best values for the dollar are offerings from Savage, Weatherby (Vanguard) and Howa. Vanguards are made by Howa, in fact. Remington and Winchester make beautiful rifles, but you may pay slightly more for them.

Mauser bolt-actions are probably the best choice here, as they would allow you to hunt in the Commonwealth of PA as well.

As for optics, I'd go with Leupold, Bushnell Elite, Burris or Redfield. Vintage Bushnell Banner scopes made in Japan are also good. Buy as much magnification and objective as you can practically afford, since the shots are likely to be long ones - however, your emphasis should be on resolution clarity and brightness (as nothing sucks as much as being forced to use a grainy, dark scope that fogs up and/or has major glare or distortion issues). Leupold rings work very well for most applications.

[IronButt]

A "beanfield rifle" would be perfect for that. Maybe a Jarrett, Sako, or even a Remington Sendero, in a flat shooting caliber, like 7mm Mag. Don't skimp on optics.

[mp517prct]

+1 on not skimping on the optics. When I worked at a sporting goods store, I sold quite a few $500+ rifles and cheap Bushnell, Barska, BSA or Simmons scopes. Spend the extra money and buy quality. Both Nikon and Leupold have lifetime warranties. I've never had an experience with Nikon's warranty program, but my father bought a used rifle with an old Leupold on it years ago. The scope fogged up, so my father took it off and shipped it back to Leupold, they fixed it and returned it at no cost, even though he wasn't the original owner.

As far as a rifle, I prefer the reliability of mauser style Controled Round Feed like the pre-64 Winchester Model 70 and the Kimber 84 series. Neither of these two are cheap though.

My advice to many of my customers was to buy a base model Remington 700 ADL when we had them on sale for $350 (several times a year) and build up from there. I came with a cheap chinese scope and rings, a marginal polymer stock, no detachable magazine or floorplate and cheap recoil pad. However, it was a Remington 700 action for $350, and aftermarket parts were readily available. Remove the cheap scope and rings, add a Leupold scope, mounts and bases when cash flow permits. Buy a Rock Mount bipod, find an aftermarket stock that you like and if it requires a floor plate, buy a trigger guard and floor plate from directly from Remington or a parts house like Numrich. Buy a high quality recoil pad, and you have a custom Remington 700 built to your liking for a lot less then buying a rifle with all the bells and whistles off the shelf.

P.S. - because the Remington 700 has been in production since 1948 and is not waining in popularity, OEM parts and aftermarket goodies will never be in short supply

[SharpShooter88]

I have a remington 700 in ADL and after trashing that garbage scope that came on it, it shoots pretty good now. 2 rounds in the same hole at 100 yards in .30-06 caliber. You will need good glass though. Look at the Bushnell Elite series and some of the luepolds for hunting. They are good scopes. Not the best. But good.

You can shoot just about any popular cartridge 500 yards, the question is, can you hit what you are aiming at, at that range?

I would advise getting a scope with some drop technology built in that is programmable. I know Swarovski and Zeiss have scopes that do that, and if I am not mistaken Nikon has a scope out that you can program to your caliber. For hunting, it is the way to go. Easy to use and no guessing, as long as you get a quality product.

Also check out the TC Venture. They make them in big time calibers and they are really accurate out of the box. I have one and it shoots sub MOA groups like promised with remington cor lokt 150gr shelf ammo. Can't ask for more than that for a PA whitetail rifle out of the box.

[twoguns]

I just bought into a hunting lease in Arkansas (family there). I haven't hunted since becoming urbanized about 15 years ago. I own several handguns but no rifles and know little about them.

The game is whitetail deer. I'm told my stand (haven't seen it yet) has 500+ yard shooting lanes. As you might imagine, I have lots questions.

Caliber?
Manufacturer?
Action?
Optics?
What else should I be considering?

I'd appreciate any guidance you guys can provide.

As another poster commented, 500 yrds. may be available but do you know you can hit the target at that distance? Great if you can. If not, practice! Appleseed Project can get you there too.

Answers to your questions;
Caliber, for greatest versatility go with a .30-06, next choice, .270 Winchester. Forget a magnum. Either of these calibers will do whatever you need if you can perform. Magnums are over-rated, expensive to shoot and just plain not necessary for deer.

Bolt action is best. Savage makes some nice guns and the Accu-trigger is nice to have. Ruger 77 makes a nice modified Mauser action....very strong. If money is no object, get a Tikka T-3. Very nice rifle. Stainless is available in all of these and good in all types of weather.

Optics, as others have said, don't go cheap. Leupold, Nikon are very good. You can get more scope for the money if you choose a fixed magnification, like a straight 4X, over a variable. Mil-dot reticle is very handy to have. Again if you have the money, look at Zeiss or Leica or Svarovski. Some of the guys who hunt professionally say spend the same (or more) on the glass as you spent on the rifle as a rule of thumb.

Have fun and be safe out there.

[dk99358]

Lots of good advice here so far. 25-06 would be a good cartridge choice in addition to the 270. I have a Tikka T3, it shoots great right out of the box, no tweaking required. Savage 110, Ruger 77, or Howa are other brands I would look at. Don't overlook the Marlin bolt action either, great rifle for the price. Handle several rifles, you may like the safety on one or another fits you better.

In optics, I would look real hard at the Bushnell Elite lines. The Rainguard coating works well. I don't like the Leupold VX 1 or Rifleman lines but the more expensive lines are good. Weaver Grand Slams are excellent scopes too. Something like a 3-10, 2.5-8, 3-9, maybe the Redfield 4-12 if $ are tight. No need for the big 50 mm objective lens, top quality 40 mm lenses will give you plenty of light. Use Weaver bases and Burris Signature Zee Rings. Ruger rifles come with rings, they work just fine and will save you a few extra $.

I like to carry binoculars and if you really are working at 500 yards, a range finder is probably a good idea.

Lots of ammo to practice with.

Dale

[Tim Ault]

I agree with most of the others , Rem ,savage ,Tikka ect. all make good rifles Get something like 270 , 7-08/.280, 308/30-06 all shoot flat enough with the proper bullet, and a decent scope and practice practice practice! and just not off a bench either practice like you'll be shooting in real life situations.

Tim

[mp517prct]

+1 on .25-06, .270 or .30-06, no need for a magnum. As long as Arkansas doesn't have some rare species of vicious deer, there is no need to beat up your shoulder.

With a 140gr bullet .270 tops out around 3050fps and 7mm Mag around 3250fps. The extra 200fps is overkill.

Leupold's custom shop will custom engrave BDC turrets for your specific load (bullet, weight and muzzle velocity) their ballisticians will do the bullet drop calculations, then engrave the turret and send it to you. Sight in at 100yds, remove the standard 1/4" MOA dial and replace it with the custom dial and you're good to go. Costs around $65