Ok
I friend coworker called he duck hunts quite a bit deer hunts in Michigan
I helped him a bit in the past decide to buy a Ruger American 450BM
For straight wall areas here in MI that’s easy 70 % of people in the area use them
Going to hunt PA this fall wants a necked deer cartridge

He does not really follow current rifle trends
Just wants a tool to hunt
Looking for a good value in a gun and scope
Not looking for heirloom type rifle
Looking for guidance

I have made a few suggestions
Some I feel strongly about but not trying to let my idea dictate

What say you rifle, caliber and optics

Very curious
Hank

All he needs is a break over riflle with a el cheapo Otasco scope! It’ll rust in his closet!

Well I would start with his budget.

Marlin 336 in 30-30. Doesn't need to be a collector type. Ammo is easier to find than most and if he doesn't want it any longer, resale will be easy enough.
A decent fixed 4x should work well enough.

Good luck.

He'll quickly find out in PA that his 450 Bushmaster would've covered his needs

If the triggers were good, most shoot well enough. Put a good scope on it. Can't see can't shoot. Rifle part really doesn't have to be much for most uses.

Thats the flaw of the 30-30 too, heavy triggers.

Not sure what the mossberg or savage type group of rifles is these days but usually better triggers at least. Have shot stuff onto about 700 yards with a number of those cheap junk rifles...

If it was important I'd say Tika or bergara at the moment. Ruger American. I finally saw one that didn't shoot all that well the other day. Of course everyone knows I have personal issues with ruger but I think the American is probably a better version of the Rem 788 of years ago mostly.

I like short action guns. .260, .284, .308 etc... I would suggest any bolt action rifle that is pleasing to his eye that shoots a bullet 125 grains or bigger. Most shots in PA woods are 100 yards or less and deer aren't hard to kill.

Winchester, Remington, Ruger and even Savage all make rifles that fit the bill.

Easy. Something in .308 Win.

Triggers were mentioned Ironically he bought a Timney for the American and I stuck it in for him

Yup, always good to know what he wants to spend before you can help him spec out a purchase.

New or used?

Action type?

If he likes the RAR in 450BM, anothe RAR might be worth considering.

What does he want to kill with it, and with what bullet? Then add budget to the equation.

howa mini, 6.5 Gren

For woods hunting in PA a 6.5 or 7/08 of his choice or your recommendation of action type will cut a tag. I'm of the feeling a short action case more than suffices for woods hunting.

I live just North of the PA border so I hunt pretty close to where you're asking about. I'd say keep it simple. Tikka T3x in .308 with a Burris 3-9.

I won a Howa 270 with a scope in a raffle once.

I do all my hunting with it now.

I like Howa triggers.

This^^^

Great for Pennsylvania and anywhere else he wants to go. Tikka T3x is like the Glock of rifles. Can’t go wrong.

I'd say it better be chambered in .308 if he wants to buy any ammo for it any time soon..

Ruger American in any legal short action cartridge. I prefer 243 or 308 with 260 coming in a close third. For a scope take your pick

+1

availability will be the deciding factor...but it does look like some tikka rifles are available presently

I am not a gunsmith or even a gun nut. But I have been hunting for sixty years. I look for accuracy and durability in a rifle. So, any rifle that I buy is American made and it is guaranteed by the manufacturer to shoot MOA out of the box. I prefer synthetic stocks because they are ugly to begin with and you can beat them up and you don't care about looks. All Weatherby rifles meet that requirement and the Vanguard Synthetic is affordable.

I prefer classic calibers that have proven their value by remaining popular for decades. For deer hunting in PA, .270 will do just fine but 30-06 will be more versatile.

Leupold gold rings scopes are IMHO the best value in scopes. You can pay less but you will get less. You can pay more but you can't buy a better scope at any price.

In a Savage or Ruger American for the value part.

If he already shoots an American, then that's the platform.

So, 270, 308, 30-06.

Pick one.

If he's not a gun guy, wants to keep it cheap, that's the ticket.
No sense changing guns, and those calibers are top shelf for his use.
Why not go tried and true, and with something that's normally available
everywhere. And sold at the cheapest prices during the pre season ammo
sales.

Weatherby Vanguard is a Japanese Howa. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s not American made.

RAR in 308 and a bushnell 3200 3-9x40. basic and highly effective

I have and use exactly this ^ entire package was $500.
Cheap, effective and accurate with about any 150gr. econo-ammo I feed it. (Hornady whitetail 150 IL load shoots tiny groups and flattens deer)
Plus he already has a RAR. Familiarity is a good thing.

You should tell him to join this group and use our rifle sub-forum to ask rifle questions.

Tikka.

The Ruger American , 308 will get done whatever he needs .
Accurate , acceptable trigger , plenty of punch .
I like the compact gives up nothing but weight .
Kenneth

Tikka 308 though I would personally choose 7-08

Tikka makes a compact too. I just set one up in 6.5 Creedmoor to fiddle with. 20” bbl weighs in an ounce or 2 under 7lbs. Hoping it makes a nice little woods gun.

Great info guys Thanks you


Most of it not too far from my thoughts

Hank

Nothing wrong with a new rifle but if he isn't a gun nut then what's wrong with his 450?

Truth ^^

I don't know the 450 BM, but if he sights it in 3" high at 100 yds, how far out does it cross zero again? How far is it until it is 3" low?

Probably as far as a new hunter should be shooting at game anyway.

YMMV

Not a .450BM guy, but I do shoot the .458 SOCOM... pretty much identical math.

Would I shoot a dear at 300?

Hell yeah...

Might even push 400 if I was feeling luck on holdover.

As for a "Normal gun"... Get a .308 or .30-06 and 2-10 glass... whatever your budget can afford. Ruger American to a Tikka... as for glass... ask Doug... he has never let me down.

30/06 or 308
Remington pump for hunting in Pa

Well first and foremost... there's no deer in PA... just follow along a couple PA forum threads.

The hunters here mostly piss and moan about how few deer there are so stay home and save your $.

Now that I got that out of my system...

Any basic 7mm08 is a great choice.
As is 243, 30-06, 270, 280...

Any old savage, tc, or Ruger American will do just fine..

Good luck

Thompson Center Compass or Venture or CVA Cascade would be my first choices. All have synthetic stocks, good triggers, are hunting accurate and are chambered in many good deer hunting cartridges. If he doesn’t mine the 450BM then he could shoot any of the chamberings in these rifles.

He may want to see what ammo is available too and then buy a gun to go with it. Best way to decide though is to handle a lot of rifles and then buy the one he wants to keep handling. Some will just feel right and its the gun he’ll have to have. That’s what the CVA Cascades and TC Venture are to me.

With see-through rings!

308 ammo was available recently when others weren't.

Since he has a Ruger American already, stay with the brand and model,

450 BM will work, of course, if he just wants something else, then 308 or 7/08. Nothing fancy, just get 'er done,

30-30 has been tough to find around here the past two years...

If he’s interested in accuracy, steer him away from Ruger.

Why would my buddy call me to tell me you want to buy a new rifle?

I don't even know you, and doubt he does, either.

Stick with the 450

That’s funny

This is the most logical solution

drover

boatboy - have your friend get a savage axis II in 308win. cheap, works every time, and he can find ammo most places. i believe the axis II is the package that comes with a scope. best of luck to you both.

There is nothing easy about finding 30-30 ammo in PA. With that said I see a couple boxes every few months. I haven't seen a box of 30-06 in going on two years. Luckily I already had at least 10 boxes

Went for it to lunch w/ a friend Friday. He has a pair of Rem 700s; a .30-06 he purchased as a junior higher and a 300 RUM his groomsmen bought him as a wedding present. He never shoots or uses the RUM and is thinking about selling it and replacing with something that’s more fun and less expensive to shoot with lots of factory ammo available.

He wants a smaller big game cartridge, doesn’t reload or intend to ever start, and really likes walnut stocks.

I suggested a Ruger American Predator or Howa 1500 in 6.5 Creed and a custom-ordered Boyd’s stock.

.577 T Rex in a H&R Handi Rifle platform!!!
Have a Smithy do it up right!!!
🤪🤪🤪🤣🤣🤣


Or just one of the accurate inexspensive .308,s on the market.

In today's supply climate I'm a little surprised at the recommendations for the 260 and 7mm08.

KC,

I'm a heavy Leupold user and have been for a long time, but that's a bit much.

DOn't tell him 6.5 PRC unless he wants to pay 80 bucks or more for a box of it.

Lots of good info

Thanks to all
Hank

My vote, as others have mentioned, tikka in 7-08. With a used Leupold 3-9.

I have a PA10 with the Bushnell Elite 3200 SA 2.8-10. It does the job on deer.

Haha. Throwback Thursday maybe?

RAR in .308 with a 2- 7 or similar scope

I'd love that if he handloaded but who can find 7-08 ammo?

granddaughter hit some keys

I true Pennsylvania deer hunt is not complete unless you are carrying a Mennonite Machine Gun or Amish Automatic (AKA Rem 760/7600). Any caliber is acceptable, but for the true authentic experience I would go for a 30-06 with 150gr Corelokts.

As others said, a cheap 3-9 scope with see through mounts is absolutely required. Get a spare magazine, as the one that’s in the gun will inevitably fall out. Plus most deer require 4-9 follow up shots in rapid succession.

Clothing is equally as important. I suggest a nice fluorescent orange camouflage jacket and an orange knit hat.


And remember this motto - if it’s brown it’s down.

I get asked this question by someone around here about once a year. I always tell them to buy a tikka t3 in 7mm08 or 270 and a VX3 variant 3.5-10x40 scope. I figure they wont have much trouble getting that to shoot. But, they go to the Bass Pro Shop and show up at camp with a Savage in 6.5 with a Vortex long range scope.

As much as I love and I use the 150 Core-Lokts for everything here I know the correct answer for PA is the 180 Core Lokt Round nose because back when every other hunter carried a 760 that was their load