Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles The perfect big game hunting rifle?

What are the indispensable attributes of the perfect big game hunting rifle?

We all have our favorite rifles and cartridges but this is not a manufacturer/model or cartridge-specific question. Nor is it a question about the scope, if any. I expect the cartridge and scope of choice would depend largely on the variety of game hunted - but that's OK because this is not a "one rifle" question either. The question is more about the attributes you would like ALL of your big game rifles to share.

While I haven't given the question a lot of thought, I do see my more recent purchases leaning the same direction and there are specific attributes I value more than others.

Here is a quick list - in no particular order - of some of my preferences:

1. Accurate - MOA or better, preferably much better.
2. Great trigger - smooth and around 3-1/2 lbs pull.
3. Iron sights - peep or ghost ring preferred, scope optional.
4. Synthetic stock.
5. Rust resistant metal - I like stainless a lot, but any good rust preventing coating would do.
6. Bolt-locking safety.
7. Mauser-type extractor.
8. Controlled feed.
9. Relatively light weight.
10. Relatively low recoil.
11. Good balance and fit.
12. 22" barrel or shorter.
13. Studs for locking/quick-release sling swivels.
14. Slim stock.
15. Under $1,000 - preferably much under.

Given more time I could probably come up with a few others. But I don't have the time - the grand-kids are going to spend the day with my wife and I while the parents go to the Broncos game. Priorities.

Here's my ideal.

Winchester New Haven classic,(old style trigger) 21" 30 cal 1-11 Lilja featherweight, McMillan compact edge, NECG sights zeroed at 100Y. 5-168 Nosler BT's under an inch all day at 100 yards. Shoots 118 LR, Federal match and fusion ammo into knots, M80 ball and tracer in decent groups.

Ammo for it is found anywhere, will kill anything in NA, easily adjusted trigger, weighs 6 lbs, 7 oz. without optics.




Here's it's slightly heavier remington twin also in 308.

Pretty much as above.... Model 70, New Haven, push or CRF, stainless steel, 24” Barrel (no muzzle brake), quality synthetic stock, good recoil pad (I prefer a Pachmayr Sporting Clays) cut to proper length (a little short for heavier clothing use), full-length bedding, less than 8.5 lbs, iron sights,( scoped, loaded, slung), quick detachable base/rings (with a back-up Scope ready to use), Scope somewhere in the 2-8 or 4-10 range, zeroed at 300 yards, and in......338 Win Mag. memtb

Like the above, your spec's to me have always pointed to the 1990's SS M70.

Mine is a stock M70 SS Fwt in 308 I dropped in a McMillan Edge with PT&G Bottom metal. In the pic it has a 6x36 LRD in Weaver's, but it currently has a 2-7x33 LRD in X-Low Talleys. It shoots 168 NBT's at 2,730 sub moa, and weigh's 7lbs 4oz's with sling and rounds. There's nothing in NA I wouldn't hunt with this rifle. I may add a set of open sights just because I like them!



Another in 30-06 I built some years back... 30-06 Fwt with 21" bbl:

That bottom one in '06 looks a lot like a rifle that belongs at my house 😃

Ruger GSR.

I agree with a lot of the OP’s criteria, except as follows:
#1: I’ll take accuracy, but I can accept 1.5 MOA with a premium bullet IF the rifle holds a zero. I find that a lot of the time and money required to get sub-MOA loads is much better invested in plain old trigger time.

#3: Gotta have a scope. I wish someone would make a bomb-proof 4x with an illuminated reticle.

#11: Probably the most important criteria on the list. I’d flex on a lot of the other criteria to get this exactly right.

Brad is getting really close to what I consider the ideal. (So is rgrx, I just haven’t been following him as long.) In my quest to become more Brad-like, I’ve arrived at this:

[img]https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/12408175/m-70[/img]

Stainless Model 70 Classic, G-prefix/five-digit serial number, factory 24” barrel, excellent trigger, pillar bedded into a Bansner stock. Cheap Winchester 180-grain ammo is good for about 1.5 MOA and clocks exactly 2,700 fps at the muzzle, which is a nice touch. Haven’t had time to work up a load yet, but I’ll likely start with 180-grain Partitions when that day comes.

Weight as shown is 8.23 pounds. I’ll probably swap the variable for a Leupold 4x scope in Weaver rings as on Brad’s 308 for any hunts, so it will be field ready at just under 8 pounds. Balance is just about perfect, which is the ONLY reason I haven’t cut the barrel to 22” yet.

The scope shown is a Leupold VX-R 3-9x40 with the Ballistic Firedot reticle. The ranging ability of this reticle makes it easy to ring the 2-MOA 400-yard steel but I’m just starting to work out with the illuminated reticle, so I don’t have a fully formed opinion on it yet.

Another thing I like about this one is that it uses plain-Jane parts. If I felt the need to have a rifle for some specific nook and/or cranny of North America, then I could easily duplicate it in any of a dozen or more cartridges.

I’m pretty sure that the rifle is about perfect for my needs—now I just need to find the perfect optic(s).

Also, if anyone can explain how to get an actual image to show up in a post instead of link, I'd be eternally grateful.


Okie John

For a weapon that's only for killing game, the Ruger SR762 is probably the "Ideal" rifle.
Military grade for ruggedness and reliability. Accurate and powerful enough for use in 98%of the hunts anyone would ever use it for.

For a weapon that is used for enjoyment of the hunt more than about any other it's probably this one for me.
My Rifle 3 by Steve Zihn, on Flickr


You see, "best rifle" is a matter of opinion. The word Best" is also.
If the mission is killing only, I have to argue that a rifle made as something good enough to go to war with is "best".

If the mission is to enjoy the hunt the most, a classic rifle or even a handgun is "Best"

Great question Coyote, I have also pondered this criteria question Myself and My list looks like this:
1. Got to shoot MOA or better
2. Relatively light weight (under 7lbs bare rifle)
3. .300 Win
4. Stainless barrel/action
5. Synthetic stock
6. Short bolt lift (70 degrees or less for much better scope/bolt handle clearance)
7. Adjustable trigger ( I like mine a little heavy compared to most at 3.5lbs)
8. Integral locking lug built into the reciever
9. Free floated barrel
10. Push feed with either AR15 or Sako style extractor
11. Screw to reciever scope mounting system, no Sako Optilok clamp-on systems for me Of course there is no rifle that features all these criteria but it would be fantastic if such a bolt action rifle did exist.....Hb

Sako’s. 7 mags or 264 Win mags. Here is a pair of 264’s and a 7 mag

Slender and lightweight stainless synthetic with a compact low mounted scope and a clean fluted barrel. For me, 22" .243, 21" 6.5 Creedmoor, or 20" 7-08.

I know this will get laughed at, but I’d take a Browning X-Bolt Stainless Stalker in 6.5 Creedmoor with a Zeiss Conquest HD5 3-15X42 Rapid Z 600.

Easy to load for and great factory ammo. Super-accurate rifle. No extraneous BS.

Whilst I own far, far then I need I could easily whittle it down to two for the world. My tweaked Kimber Montana 270 and my tweaked SS Win 375 H&H M70.

A semi-auto in 7mmRM or 30-06. I'm a waterfowl hunter by nature and I love semi-autos. So maybe a BAR or Benelli R1

This Husqvarna would be my perfect big game hunting rifle. It is a 30/06, it's as light as I want it and shoots into an inch or inch and a half at 100 yards. The stock is comfortable and walnut, two of my requirements for stocks. I'm not going to change a thing on this one.

It has to be:
Mauser
C-ring
Integral mounts
One piece bolt
Simple open trigger
Safety that locks bolt
FEED-EXTRACT-EJECT perfectly
Lightweight to carry with one hand
22" or less barrel
Perfectly balanced

I have two BRNO ZG-47 in 30-06.. close as I have come to perfection.

I like that, especially the integral mounts and of course the feed,extract, eject perfectly part. Open trigger design is one of the reasons I prefer the Winchester new haven actions.

I have one of those in the safe, .308 Win, 16.1" barrel. Blued, not stainless, so, while not quite perfect, it is pretty close. Whether an 18" barrel would get it a smidge closer is debatable.

I swapped the heavy laminate stock it came in for the Ruger synthetic and it comes in at 6.25 pounds according to Ruger. Also bought two synthetic mags, 3- and 5-round to replace the 10-round factory mag. Have only used the 3-round since and it should reduce the weight even further. After some polishing the trigger is very good. I also swapped the factory flash hider for a brake. My hunting buddy, who has problems with recoil due to diabetes-induced shoulder issues, said "It has no recoil!" Not quite true, but less than my Marlin .30-30.

All the GSR needs is a good fixed-power in the rings. I bought a heavy variable LER scope for cartridge development and test, but it isn't something I would want to carry all day.

If my house burned down and I lost everything, I would buy a Winchester Featherweight in either 7x57 or .30/06. There isn't much in a mans life that it outside the capability of either one and they have never been improved upon for design and function.

My perfect rifle is a near clone of Brad's SS 308. Mine is a 1st year production of the EW in an Edge stock instead of a 1990's Classic. I bought it used in 2009 or 2010. I picked up the Edge stock used in the classifieds here a year later. I've had 3 different scopes on it over the years and it currently has one of the Cabelas Euro Instinct 3-9X40's on it. Cabelas had those on sale last year for $250 and I bought 2. Same scope as the old Zeiss Conquest. With a Leupold on weight was 7 1/4 lbs. This scope adds a couple of ounces, but is worth it to me.

It shoots anything I feed it very well, not picky about ammo at all. I can't think of anything I'll ever hunt that it won't work for.