[lonyaeger]

Okay, I have .22LR and 5.56/.223 covered. I'm thinking my next (and probably my last) rifle should be of a bigger caliber.

I want a rifle chambered for shots of 400-600 yards or more and one that has enough stopping power for either whitetail or mule deer; I'm in Texas now, but will be moving to Arizona within the next few years.

It's been years since my Colt 30/06 went down with the boat. I want to hunt again, but I'm out of touch with the new ballistics and calibers.

Any recommendations would be appreciated....and this rifle could be "pre-owned" if any of you are looking to off anything good.

[Dillinger]

Originally Posted by lonyaeger

Okay, I have .22LR and 5.56/.223 covered. I'm thinking my next (and probably my last) rifle should be of a bigger caliber.

I want a rifle chambered for shots of 400-600 yards or more and one that has enough stopping power for either whitetail or mule deer; I'm in Texas now, but will be moving to Arizona within the next few years.

It's been years since my Colt 30/06 went down with the boat. I want to hunt again, but I'm out of touch with the new ballistics and calibers.

Any recommendations would be appreciated....and this rifle could be "pre-owned" if any of you are looking to off anything good.

I'll make you a great deal on my .308 Winchester... LOL

Seriously, are you looking for ultra high tech?

You want common ammo that can be had just about anywhere?

You want 1,000 yard performance?

Or is a hard hitting round at 500 or 600 yards enough gun for you?

What about weight? If this is a hunting gun, you don't want an artillery piece.

If this is a serious distance gun, you don't want a pencil thin barrel and lightweight stock.

There are a ton of options out there, but you have to kind of tailor the weapon to what you are going to be doing with it.

Whitetail and Muleys don't need a magnum caliber to put them down. You could do it with a .243 or a .257 Roberts, both of which are a nice shooting round.

Everything is dependent on what you want to do with it in extreme cases and work backwards from there, with the thought in mind of compromising here or there.

The other option is to pick one purpose, and buy or build a Zero Compromises rifle with that in mind.

JD

[skullcrusher]

.30-06 is still a great caliber, and some of the newer hunting rounds have been shown to perform excellently. Not sure of what you are looking to spend, but Marlin and the XL-7's have been getting rave reviews and very affordable. Plus, Marlin has come out with wood stocks for the XL-7. They look very nice as Marlin owns H&R and NEF who have traditonally had very nice wooden stocks. Check them out on Marlin's web site. Plenty of other calibers to be had with the XL-7's as well. I think the wood stocks are only available in .30-06 and one other caliber for the time being. Just one suggestion, brother.

[cpttango30]

I got one cartridge for you 260 rem.

That is what I am wanting after the AR.

Man I don't understand you guys that get by with only 2 or 3 rifles. Hell I have 4 22lr rifles. With #5 on the way from the CMP.

[lonyaeger]

Yeah, but on the other hand....I bet I have more PISTOLS than you!

[Dillinger]

Originally Posted by lonyaeger

Yeah, but on the other hand....I bet I have more PISTOLS than you!

Pssssst. Hey bro. A Pistol is just something to fight with until you can get your hands on a rifle.

[lonyaeger]

To address points already offered:

JD: I'm not opposed to "pre-owned." If .308 Win is a good caliber for my needs, let's talk.

Not ultra high-tech.

Common ammo would be a definite consideration.

Hard-hitting at 500-600 yards would be good. But I bet all of us have at least a little distance-envy.

Primarily a hunting rifle but something that would be fun at the range.

Skully: Don't want to pay alot, hence the "pre-owned" notion. But 30/06 would certainly be a consideration. And, if possible, I would prefer wood stocks....but that wouldn't be a deal breaker. Traditional is good, IMO. And I WILL check out Marlin.

Tango: Tell me more about this .260 Remington of which you speak.

Thanks y'all!

[Hot Sauce NARC]

I would have to second tango on this one......260 Remington

I had a similar decision to make a while back and i chose to have my .308 win rebarrelled with a custon 260 Remington barrel amongst a few other things (project thread to follow later tonight)

260 remington is a .308 win necked down to .264 caliber. It shoots faster and flatter and there are quite a few bullets out there for it that get you up into the high .5 and low .6 ballistic coefficents which cut through the wind much better than a .308 win. and with a 139gr bullet traveling around 2700 fps it should definately be enough power to knock down any critter up to elk size.

[jpattersonnh]

.260 Remington? Why not just buy a 6.5x55 Swede and call it a day! Ballistics are almost identical. The Swede rifles are also better fit and finish, true classics!
140gr from a 6.5x55 at 100 yards is equal to a 180gr 30.06, and gets better at further distance. 160gr beats out the 200gr 30.06.
If you want a hot rod a 6.5-06 is an awesome cartridge. It gives up nothing to a .264mag and is not a barrel burner.

I don't know that I'll ever need one, but I want to build one on a classic 98 action.

If the OP has a .30-06 in mind, this is a sweetheart!
http://www.allans-armory.com/aapictures.php?ItemId=161309SC

[Silvertip 44]

Go ahead and get it----M1A.