Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Looking for advice on a new rifle

I am going to buy a new bolt action rifle and would like some thoughts on both caliber and brand. I am thinking .243 or .25/06 primarily. Here are my requirements:

*Flat shooting and accurate (did I really need to say that??)
*I do not reload
*Ammo must be available fairly easily and relatively inexpensive would be nice (I dont want an obscure caliber)
*Workable for a kids gun (I have 3 kids coming up)
*Will use it for coyotes and deer.....maybe a kids elk gun???? but probably a little light for that I am thinking....do I want to bump up a little for elk? What caliber would that be? .270 seems a litte more than I want.

Brands I am thinking about are a Browning Abolt or Xbolt or a Sako A7. I have a scattergun to trade in so I am thinking something from one of the major mfgers.

I would sure appreciate some thoughts and advice both for and against.

I own both a 25 06 in a Browning A-bolt and a 270 Win in a Savage 110. Either of these calibers could meet your needs and any of the manufacturers you listed would do well. In addition; a 260 or 7 08 should merit consideration. Life is too short and budgets too limited to dwell on all the possibilities.

243

243 ,Remington 700,Tika T3 lite,savage axis ,you could bump up to 7mm08 and still fairly readily available

my wife and daughters love their Remmington Model 7 Youth in 7-08......if it wasnt for thefact elk was on the table i prolly would have went with a 22-250 or a 243.....and they all love that short lil Model 7 youth....

260

so is a 25/06 enough for elk? I like how it ballistically compares. As this is very likely going to be used by kids, any rifle that does not come with a bolt release lever is out. I dont know if Browning does or not. The Tikka is out because of this but the Sako A7 does have it.

How about the new Winchesters? Worth looking at?

The Tika has a bolt release lever

if you put the bullets in the right place a 25-06 will kill an elk fine, especially with todays premium bullets.....i dont think its ideal but ive taken my 260 out chasing them and in all reality there is a hairs breadth worth of difference between them in the field....

When did that change? My dad's Tikka which he bought in 08 doesnt have a bolt release lever.

I sent you a PM.

.i was going to vote 243 for :

Good for deer and coyote
Easy two find and relatively cheap

The elk thing though nixed that however. I'm sure many elk have been killed by a 243 but I would probably think about moving to a 7mm08. If elk were heavy on my mind.

243

My T3 lite probably dates early to mid 2000's it's on the left side of receiver almost all the way to the rear

It seems your criteria pull you in different directions. (Deer and coyotes + kids gun) pulls you toward burning less powder, while (possible elk gun) walks you the other way. And it's hard to tell in advance which rifle will best fit a kid, much less three different kids.

I guess you could apply the old maxim that if you can afford to do an elk hunt some day, you'll probably be able to afford a new rifle for it when the time comes. As such, I'd suggest getting a 223 now, providing it's legal for deer where you hunt.

If you're really set on 1 cartridge, I'm partial to the 7mm-08. To me, 120's in a 7mm-08 don't kick much more than 100's from a .243, and they make a bigger hole. Also, those 120's wouldn't drop much more than anything from a .25-06 until you got out to ranges where kids really oughtn't to be shooting, anyway. If you go for elk, 140 TSX's are competent medicine. And ammo availability has been surprisingly good, in my experience.

Food for thought. Hope it doesn't give you indigestion!

FC

Based on your considerations (save for elk), I'd vote for a Remington 700 Stainless Synthetic of some sort; most likely in 243. A nice quality, versatile, forgiving rifle in an easy to shoot, readily available, and cheap caliber. It also shoots flat, and has little recoil. This combo would be great on coyotes and deer. I also like that the 700 has a pretty fast twist on the 243, that allows it to better stabilize the heavier 243 bullets.

From what you describe, I bet the 243 would be the place to start. Later if you want to hunt elk it'd be a perfect excuse to buy a second, more powerful rifle and begin to build the collection.

My limited experience with A Bolts was not great, and the two I've had both went down the road. I've shot and A7, and own many Sakos. They are great guns, and I'm sure you'd be happy with it.

Good luck!

243

Winchester model 70 in 7mm-08. It will give you the added safety of a three position safety and CRF would be nice as well.

.243. There's a wider variety of more easily available and, often, lower-priced factory ammo. The recoil's more kid-friendly, and so is the shorter bolt throw. If elk do come up, a .243 will kill any elk a .25-06 will.

The brands you mention will all work, but so will lower-priced rifles. Since just about every centerfire bolt action is available in .243, the options are almost endless.

Do you mean a bolt release as the lever you push to take the bolt out of the rifle for cleaning, or do you mean a three-position safety that allows you to cycle the bolt with the safety on?

Tikka T-3s have a two-position safety and a bolt release on the left side of the receiver.

Not trying to be a jerk, just trying to clarify.

Anyway, I love my 7-08, but since you don't handload I'd go 243.