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Good evening,

I was hoping I could get some feedback on a rifle for my brother-in-law. He is starting to get into hunting out here in Colorado and beginning to realize that mountain hunting is a tough game. He is looking to get a good rifle to start but not looking to break the bank. Below is the email he sent me:

"I really understand the need for a light rifle now. I was hiking on some seriously steep terrain this weekend where I'll be elk hunting in October... could be miles to walk and a heavy gun is the last thing you want.

I did some research for a cheaper option to the Kimber Montana and found the Tikka T3 superlight, it's only about 1/2lb heavier than the Kimber but $500 cheaper, and it comes in a .300 Win Mag. Thoughts?"

If money wasn't an option, I love Mel Forbes' NULA or the Kimber Mountain Ascent. When I went on my sheep hunt last year in AK, the guides were all carrying Kimber Montanas in 325. If more than one guide in camp is carrying the same gun, that says something.

We got him a Leupold V3 with CDS turrets, so he is good in the optics department. What would you recommend in the sub $1,000 marketplace. He will be hunting elk and deer. He is a decent sized guy, so .300 Win is a good caliber for him. A muzzle-break would be a plus.

Thanks for your help and good luck this season!

(I posted this elsewhere for maximum, quality feedback)

BP-B6

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Well tikka would be a good gun I picked one up Friday 7mm-08 weighs 6.13 pounds out of the box


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If you keep your eyes open, you can pick up a Kimber Montana .308 for 800-900 quite often.

Remington SS Mtn. Rifle, or KS of some flavor.

Or buy a Tikka in a 7mm-08, .308 or 30-06

No need for a 300 magnum


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Trying to save money over a Kimber Montana that he knows he really wants is a fools game. He'll end up buying later anyway.

A used Montana 300WSM would be pretty easy to find at a decent price. Otherwise, a used Montana 308 can usually be found easily.

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Rem 700 or Win M70, IMHO� and in .300 WM so it whacks the chit out of 'em at the extended shot distances that hunting in the West can tend to present sometimes. Not arguing that some of the others calibers recommend are inadequate by any stretch, I just like the 300WM personally as a great all around do-all rifle (and the 7MM Rem Mag, and the 338 WM)...


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Savage Lightweight hunter would be good for the price. I'm a big fan of the 84M Montana though and that would be my recommendation if you can find one for an acceptable price. Although, I would not consider the 8400 Montana a "Mountain Rifle". I have no personal experience with the Tikka, but a friend does, and they do seem to be great rifles.

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I would go 84M Montana in 308 first. I think I would get the Tikka Superlight over an 8400 Montana. The 84L in 280 is another good choice.

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Good choice for a newbie hunter...ultralight .300 win mag! He should get the montana that he wants but in a lighter caliber that won't kick the living day lights out of him. I would say .30-06 is about as heavy a caliber as I would want.

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What Rifle is he packing now? There are ways to turn Most Factory Rifles into a better mountain type rifle. Lighter Stock, Cut the barrel have it re-crowned.


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I own two Tikkas. 25-06 and 22-250. The 22-250 is a Superlite and it is a fantastic rifle but in a 300WM, no thanks!! My 25-06 or maybe a 270Win would be about as large of a cartridge as I want in a rifle that light.

The Tikkas are also among the most accurate rifles I own and they are both untouched since they came out of the box other than a little paint on the stock of the 25-06.


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Originally Posted by kscowboy01
When I went on my sheep hunt last year in AK, the guides were all carrying Kimber Montanas in 325. If more than one guide in camp is carrying the same gun, that says something.



Birds of a feather; go to 10 other camps & see what the guides are carrying........likely to be something different.

But you/he wouldn't be wrong for carrying one; just remember, the guides also need to be prepared for bear in AK & that's not likely the case in CO, or if it is, it's just black bear.

As for the mountain gun caliber, an 'o6, 308, 280 Rem., 270Win, down to the 7-08 are all good choices & very capable with good bullets available today. Honestly, I've stepped away from the 7 & 30 mags........the only exceptions might be a 7WSM Kimber if one came along, or maybe the right gun in a 300WSM.

As for the gun, I'd generally prefer a 22" barrel to the 24" but that's not a deal breaker.....I love the Rem KS that I own with a 24" barrel, but still prefer the 22".

Tikka is fine stuff, but not much appeal to me; older Rem 700 Ti's are available but pricey; the current Rem 700 SS Mountain is decent at a fairly reasonable price & are available; older 700 MR's are available & can be re-stocked, same with Win M-70 FWT's.

Not much of a Browning fan, but they can be had light & are easily available (I wonder why?).

Obviously, you are aware of the Kimbers & as already mentioned, some used can be had for under a grand with time & patience. Also, it's hard to go wrong with a Rem 700 KS if it comes at the right price.

Lots of choice.

MM


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This one would do him, if he doesn't mind the recoil:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth.../1/F_s_kimber_montana_300_win_mag#UNREAD

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Nice rifle & a good price............if I wanted that caliber, I'd jump on it.

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Where is boxer/big stick when you need him? Ok kidding, but there are lightweight rifles (Rem mountain, ks, tikka light and superlight,etc), and there are really lightweight rifles (NULA/ULA/Forbes, Kimber, weatherby ultralightweight, custom, etc). I've hunted WY for the past 18 years and think I've seen about every possible "mountain rifle" there is. My experience says that a rifle must fit well, and the shooter must be able to shoot it well, or you could spend millions and not gain a thing. If he truly is a new hunter (and assuming a newer shooter) shooting mag calibers out of seriously lightweight rifles will only lead to frustration instead of learning. A reasonable elk caliber (which could be anything from let's say 7-08 upward) on a light but not too light weight rifle would probably serve him much better in the long run. Unless he is doing a serious high altitude sheep/goat hunt, or doing an on foot backcountry wilderness hunt where every ounce matters and is carried on your back, most people can get by with an extra 6 oz to a lb of rifle weight with no trouble at all. My personal "mountain rifle" for the longest time was a weatherby ultralightweight in 30/06. Killed a lot of elk and mulies with that rifle and never wished I had bought a mag or larger cal in that rifle. I currently have quite a few mountain type rifles in various makes and calibers as they lend themselves well to how I hunt. For me, the rifle needs to be an accurate one and one that I can shoot well. If it doesn't meet both of those criteria it gets traded or sold. The biggest thing for me is to pick an appropriate caliber for what you want to hunt, find a rifle that fits well, and learn to shoot it well in field conditions. He will be much better served by doing that than by comparing rifles on paper. Once he gets a handle on what he needs and what he likes, there are a ton of options for true rifle loonies. The tikka suggestion (both light and ultra light) is sound as is the Kimber 84m or L or if he has to have a mag cal 8400. A nice used or new rem mountain rifle and even a model 7 would do as would a win mod 70 fwt on the heavier end.

Good luck with the choice

Craig

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Light guns are fine and all but he should get the rifle he can shoot best first, worry about wt, second. Most of us could lose few pounds around the waste if one is needing to carry a lighter load, and it's a lot cheaper than trying to cut ounces off a rifle. Like what has been said, don't need more than an 06' for CO. hunting.


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Losing weight around the waist has nothing to do with a carrying a lighter rifle. I've never seen a fat hunter way back in the back country anyway. It is only the guys who have no weight to lose on their bodies that are looking for other ways to cut weight who seem interested in a lighter gun.

For the money Tikka is the way to go. I've had a couple and like them just fine. I only sold mine after buying the Kimber. I like the Kimber better. It is almost exactly 1 lb lighter, but a good argument can be made that the Tikka is light enough. And it is certainly a lot cheaper.


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They just want constant reassurance that what they believe is the truth.
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Weatherby MK V ULW 30-06 5 3/4 LBS
AMRA


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"He is starting to get into hunting out here in Colorado and beginning to realize that mountain hunting is a tough game."

You don't mention his experience in hunting/shooting prior to moving(?) to Colorado. Unless he has shot a 300 WM a bit and is comfortable with the recoil and thinks he can handle the increased recoil of an even lighter rifle in 300 WM... I would look at the oft mentioned alternatives; 30-06, 308, & 7-08.

I HAD a 6.1 pound 300 WM (bare rifle weight) and really liked the combination, but the recoil was quite snappy and after several years asked myself why deal with the unnecessary recoil when an '06, or 308 would suffice for everything I need to do (Deer, Elk & Bear). I enjoy shooting them a hell of a lot more, hence find myself at the range playing with them more than I ever shot my 300 WM.

YMMV

Jerry


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Dakota, thanks for the lead. It looks like we just bought that one.

We will test it out and see how he feels shooting it. If it's too much for him, we will go the .308 route or put a break on it.

I have a .308 custom built on a ULA (now NULA) action. It's a great gun and has killed lot of North American game and African game.

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Originally Posted by JMR40
Losing weight around the waist has nothing to do with a carrying a lighter rifle. I've never seen a fat hunter way back in the back country anyway. It is only the guys who have no weight to lose on their bodies that are looking for other ways to cut weight who seem interested in a lighter gun.

For the money Tikka is the way to go. I've had a couple and like them just fine. I only sold mine after buying the Kimber. I like the Kimber better. It is almost exactly 1 lb lighter, but a good argument can be made that the Tikka is light enough. And it is certainly a lot cheaper.


I've backpack hunted with a 6lb .308 Kimber and a 7.5 lbs 30.06. I carried each in my hands all day long on those trips and the 06' won out in the long run because I could shoot it better. The extra 1.5 lbs was not a big deal. And yes, I'm one of those scrawny guys and cutting wt. is valid goal, but I will always choose hitting over carrying when it comes to firearms.


“Some ideas are so stupid that only intellectuals believe them.”
― G. Orwell

"Why can't men kill big game with the same cartridges women and kids use?"
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