Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles If you were buying a new rifle today for antelope, deer, and elk...

Brokeback!

The rings look very nice on my "too expensive rifle".

Good!

Thanks,Brad. My thoughts exactly.My 06 is in a Bansner and I've owned several.Looks like that's the deal!

Way too freakin funny...! I spit diet dew all over the screen on this one...

Dober

depends on location...............fairly cheap to hunt all three on a fairly regular basis here........would assume its the same way through most of MT, WY and CO thats a large chunk of land. i know plenty of ppl around here who do it with a Savage rifle and trashco scope...........

Wonder what Brad is spitting...........

.280 Rem, .30-06, or a 7mmWSM. Just my preference.

.30-06 has to be the best all-around caliber you could get.

that being said, my all-around rifle is a .270. i'd use it to hunt any of the game listed. so far it has only accounted for whitetail deer, but it has worked flawlessly. i prefer it to the .30-06 for whitetail, because it has a little less recoil, and a little flatter trajectory.

my other rifle is a 7x57 ... i'd use it w/ full confidence on any of the game mentioned as well. however, it's definitely a handloader's cartridge (i handload). you can purchase factory ammo for the .270 that will do whatever you want.

.270 Win.

Don't leave out Western Or and Wa and all of Id. Yep, it don't cost much to hunt that combination out here. I can gas up the truck and hook up the horse trailer and be hunting elk and mule deer on the same day within 75 minutes of my house and with a REALLY good spotting scope Momma could sit on the front deck and see me do it. I have to pay for the drawing and drive a couple hours if I get an antelope tag.

It is a tossup as to which costs more, the resident license and tags, or filling both fuel tanks on the truck with diesel.

Out here it is very common for folks whose budgets allow them one rifle in the $600 to $700 price range including scope to hunt both deer and elk every year, and many of them hunt most days of the season. With antelope, they can only hunt on the year they draw a tag, unless they take up archery.

And that brings us to another point. I know a lot of hunters who buy archery tackle instead of a second rifle. Id allows them to hunt during the archery season for deer, elk and antelope. If they do not fill their tag during archery season they can then hunt during rifle season for deer and elk.

Sandwiches for the trail are cheap, and the only other expense is gas for the fifty mile drive.

i'd try the rifles available in the price range i could afford...

buy the rifle that fit me best and choose it in a cartridge that's adequate, from a fast .25 up..... john w

Sounds like a perfect set up for a 7mm Rem Mag. Pronghorn taken way out there with 120 grain affairs at 3,500 fps; mulies way out there with 140 grainers at 3,300 fps; and elk at 400 yards with 160 grainers traveling at 3,100 fps. All game above present hunting conditions made to order for the likes of a 7mm Rem Mag.

I know the 30-06 is a great all around cartridge, but IMO it is not as versitile as the 7mm Rem Mag. There are very few situations a 7mm Rem Mag could not handle and for the game posed above, it is ideal. It has great attributes for shooting extremely flat and delivering humane one-shot kills.

Rossi:Could not agree more!Of course,you could shoot everything with the 160-3100.Cannot think of any soft-skinned game that is not fodder for that combo.Will do anything a 30-180 at the same velocity will do.

Bob, like you in the 7RM I'd choose the 160 at around 3,000 for everything... the idea of different bullet weights for different game looks good on paper but doesn't work out very well in the real world IME.

I'd load up a 160 NP or TSX and kill everything with it.

7mm saum.

A 165 at 3000 works good too. And is pretty easy to get out of the old 06. The 7mm rem mag and the 30-06 are completely interchangeable for hunting purposes. Unless you are going after game on which a 200 gr or heavier bullet might be advised, then the 06 wins hands down.

Stainless tupperware 264 with a 26 inch barrel. Only option I see!

going cheap a Howa in 30-06, even cheaper a Mossberg ATR, not to cheap I will choose Browning A-Bolt a bit higher Sako or Weatherby Mark V

I would go with a 300win. The 300 win mag is about as versatile a cartridge made. It can be loaded up with 200 grainers that will take everything in North America and can be loaded light for a fast varmint gun.

7 WSM. It's a lot of fun!