Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles All Purpose Rifle

Its Pappy for the win. This is really good advice.

I agree. When I read the op, I kept thinking a rifle like my boat paddle stocked stainless Ruger m77 mkII 30-06 would be just the ticket. 30-06 level of recoil has never bothered me and I've been shooting one since I was 12. I guess for some its a little too much, but ive always seen it as pretty tame. Not much beats it as a good all arounder for NA hunting.

Amen. Those guys always looking to blame their pizz poor shooting on something too. Its funny

In a lighter weight rifle a 30/06 can be a little snappish for a young or inexperienced shooter.
Also a 270 win can as well but it's all relative a seasoned shooter with a 458 win. and 500 gr loads at a bench is going to say ouch after a few rounds. I prefer something bigger for moose and brown bear but a 7mm08 will work with the right bullets in the right place will and does work as long as everything goes smoothly.

Pretty much any 24, 25, 26, or 27 caliber will work fine.

These are 2 of my Fav rifles to hunt because of light weight and balance.
I have posted plenty of pix with these and dead deer.




Right -- T 3 Lite SS 270 W with Tikka Rings

Left -- T 3X Lite SS 7 RM with Warne bases.

Recoil isn't noticeable to me. Maybe the Tikka composite stock. An 06 wouldn't punish anyone ESP with factory ammo.





I ain't the only one knows or says this. Stock design and fit has A LOT to do with perceived recoil.

Jerry

My Uncle Karl lived near Spearfish, South Dakota for most of his adult life. Worked as an electrician. His sole rifle was a lever action in 300 Savage fitted with a 4X Redfield scope. Uncle Karl hunted mulies, whitetails, and pronghorn antelope in South Dakota but headed west 40 miles to hunt elk in Wyoming. He introduced me to elk hunting within the Bear Lodge Mts. No animal was safe when he touched off his 300 aiming for the chest organs. What is my point? 300 Savage has considerably less recoil than 30-06 yet hits hard within reasonable distances. A modern hunter can learn from my Uncle Karl. Find your animal with quality binoculars and make a plan to stalk within 200 yards or less. This is a strategy that really works quite well, indeed.

Sherwood

This is critical information. If you decide not to ask him, then get something that's easy to feed off of the shelf in a big-box store. I'd say 30-06, but I chronographed a ton of 30-06 ammo in the few years before the pandemic and it's a lot closer to the 308 than the ammo makers would have you believe.

That said, 308, 30-06, and 270 would be my choices. There are still a few Remington 700 Package rifles available in those calibers and they're quite the bargain. Just replace the scope and mounts and you're good to go.


Okie John

This ^^ for exactly the same reasons,,,,

If I were buying today for my two son's, it would be a matching pair of 6.5 CM's.
A 7mm-08 would be my second choice.

The OP says that his son isn't really a gun nut.... he can buy great ammo cheap, for the CM and he'll enjoy shooting it.... my $.02

Out of the three pages of replies this is the best one. You are forecasting buying him a rifle for something that you, or he, may never do. If what he is using works for him then don't change what's not broke just because "you think" he may need something different. Something that he likes and is comfortable with more than makes up for the extra power of the 30-06.

Oh by the way - there are a lot of elk killed with the 243 around my part of the country, and this is elk country, so when it comes to elk or bear what the 243 does the 257 will do just as well.

drover

A lot of the old timers I hunted with as a youngster killed a lot of elk with 6mm Remington and 257 Roberts, including my father. A 100gr (and certainly heavier ones would work more better) always required one shot to kill elk. But then, these guys weren't just flinging lead. They hunted, then they shot the vitals of the elk. I'd carry a Bob as an all-arounder. I've carried a 243 and 257 for elk plenty of times. I haven't stacked up the kills with those cartridges that the old timers I hunted with did though.

Yeah, bigger works too, but a good 25 cal bullet in the right spot is going to kill just as well as a 378 WBY with a good bullet in the right spot. Once you figure that out, you realize it ain't the cartridge that does the killing; it's the hunter.

Kinda what I was thnking.

Perhaps he's like a guy I know. He's a scruffy-looking man but is probably the best hunter I've ever known. He stalks everything from the ground, has the patience of Job, and is rarely skunked. He has absolutely NO INTEREST in what kind of gun he has. Last time I saw him, he had a beat up old Remington 870 pump gun with duct tape holding the stock on and no bluing left, and that was in rifle country. His interest is the hunt itself, and if he can't stalk within slug range, he hasn't done his job. Interesting guy.

308 Winchester and all it’s siblings. I wish I had a Remington 700 BDL in 243 Winchester, 260 , 7-08 and 358 win. Not sure they made a BDL in 358.

Yeah I think if your boy wants a new rifle a good ol 30-06 (along with several other cartridges) would be impossible to beat for an all-around rifle cartridge. Im not into if you hit an Elk/Moose in the right place with blah blah little bullet it will do the job, there are too many capable cartridges to go half ass...A Tikka T3x Superlite 30-06 would be mighty hard to beat for the money..Good luck....Hb

Just push the Easy Button-6.5 Creed or 308 Win, Ruger American, Kimber Hunter, Tikka or Mauser 12 and 4x Leupold for glass

x 2

ya!

GWB

WELL said ! !


Jerry

That’s the way. I have four boys. I start them on a encore .223 and .243. The. two older ones (16 & 18) have personal rifles one a 6.5CM, the other a .308. Easy to shoot, easy to feed when ammo is normally available. Later I’ll let them have their pick of what’s in the safe for a second gun.

Although the OP combo of a .257 bob, and a 30-06 wouldn’t be bad. At least the kid didn’t start out getting his teeth rattled with the -06.

Back to the question of one all purpose rifle. A stainless synthetic bolt gun in .308 no question.

Agree, no flies on the 257 Roberts......



Or a synthetic stainless 308...