I’m on the search for a new hunting rifle and the CRF 308 thread got me thinking that a 308 would do everything I need a deer and pig rifle to do. I’m just having a hard time making my mind up as to which rifle.

If you were wanting a .308 for still hunting whitetail, box blind pigs and banging steel at the range and not being limited to CRF; what would you choose? How would you scope it, and what bullet would you choose for the 3 tasks? I’m leaning towards a Tikka and 165NBTS

I love CRF rifles, but all the good ones are old. Now days you can get by just fine with a pushfeed rifle like Tikka, savage and others. Here's one I bought 2 weeks ago:


I paid $549.99 just the way you see it. No need to buy a brand spanking new rifle, when you can find great deals on used ones right now...and yes, it shoots great. Installed a stainless recoil lug and freefloated the barrel. Shoots 5 shots into a ragged hole...

Weatherby vanguard is what i chose. 3 to 9 by 40 scope of your choice. And then target or game bullet of whichever flavor you prefer...seems to be a lot of good bullets and very few which won't do what they're designed to do.

M70 Extreme Weather for me, dropped mine in a McMillan Edge with a VX3 2.5-8x36 in Talley LW. It’s one I’ll probably never sell.

Sauer 100, Mauser 18 or a Tikka.

Tikka t3 varmint
Or
Bergera hmr

More than pleased with my recently acquired $500 Mauser M12 308 Win. Todays first outing. I am not sure if Standard Mfg. has any more.



Cheap, old Weaver CV9.

If i were right handed it would be a Kimber of some sort and Tikka for pushfeed. Im left handed so if i want CFR about the only viable choice is Ruger and its the route i went.

A Tikka is hard to beat but if you want something a little more all around that can be configured for different applications I'd look at the Sako S20 .308 Precision model with a 20" barrel. Weight will be around 8lb 4oz and it will be accurate, a 10 round magazine is available, and a suppressor on the end would make for a great package. The barrel is 1:11 which is good for just about any cup & core bullet in most temperatures but it wouldn't be ideal if you want to shoot a 175gr LRX in cold weather.

https://s20.sako.fi/global

Well, I did....I decided I needed a .308 for a general use hunting rifle. A trip to Walmart yielded me a 700 ADL, a phone call to AG Composites got me a stock, Redhawk sent me some Grayboe Bottom metal, and a buddy had a brand new 10 twist Remington tube. A set of Talley LWs, and a placeholder scope until the LRTSi gets here Friday....


Its about perfect for what I want. All in, with a suppressor, I am right at 10lb. Light enough to carry all day, heavy enough to shoot. Just about exactly what I was after!

Out of interest, what do you think you've spent on that build?

Tikka T3x Lite or Tikka T3x CTR

Ruger Hawkeye or Winchester 70 FWT. I'm happy with both and if my old Rem Model 700 ever stops shooting bugholes I may start using them more.

g

I don't know, probably one that's got a threaded barrel between 16-20" long to use my suppressor on.

This

Yes. If CRF isn't a requisite, you aren't going to beat the bang for buck on this one. At $499, it's essentially between 50 and 65% off, depending on when/where you see the original prices. Very well put together rifle.

That said, if you are going the CRF route, I disagree that the only nice ones are old. The new M70 FWTs have outstanding fit and finish and all three of mine have been very smooth and very accurate.

ADDED: the rail that comes with the m12 sold by StdMfg costs a pretty penny as well. So when you factor that in the deal is even better.

Well, I can get pretty close

The 700 was $413, sold the scope, rings, mounts and stock for $50, so ----------$363
DBM ------ $130
Stock (I actually lied, I bought this one on Snipershide not AG Direct, new never mounted) ------- $500
Talley Rings ---- $35 as an Amazon Warehouse Deal
I did splurge and ordered a Timney Elite Hunter ----------$130

The Barrel was free, as was the mounting.

All in, not counting the glass, I am right at $1200. Not cheap, but not bad for what I got. I could have bought something as nice or nicer for the money, but its what I wanted. I like 700s, and I figured I would build one last rifle on a 700 action. So far I have been quite happy with it.

Thanks. It's good to know what a custom like yours costs. If you had to buy the barrel and pay to have it chambered and installed you could easily add $600 to $1,000 to the cost depending on the barrel.

That works!

Easily. I have a couple of other 700 based builds, and you're spot on. Even my 22 Creedmoor, which has the cheapest CM tube that Shilen sells, cost considerably more.

Mauser M12 Impact

I have three more shipping on Monday. Really a nice piece for twice the price.

I like the Tikka T3x but not chambered in a short action cartridge, a .308 Win in a long action sort of defeats the purpose of the short handy .308 Win bolt action rifles I love...My first choice would be a Kimber Montana or Adirondack model with My second choice a Model 70 EW but they are a little heavier than my ideal as i am a "weight Nazi" when it comes to rifles....If I was to chose a push feed rifle I would look hard at a Bergara Premier Mountain 2.0, these use Remington 700 base with 8-40 screws which is a nice touch that gives you many mounting options....Good luck....Hb

a Browning BLR, and any 150-165 grain bullet that shoots well.

mine shoots 165 SGKs into less than an inch

Don't forget about TC,'s. The Venture comes with a Houge stock, nice trigger, safety next to the 60 degree throw bolt and shoots inside 3/4". Threaded barrel is standard, with the weather shield metal around $5 hun.
The cheaper one is the Compass but also had just a plain hollow plastic stock, but both these rifles really shoot well.

Not sure there’s a bad choice for this, but each of those uses requires a different kind of rifle so I’d look at which of those you’ll do the most.

For still-hunting, I’d avoid flyweights as they tend to be hard to shoot well offhand. I’d get something that balances well and isn’t too heavy like a Remington 700 ADL Package rifle. Upgrade the optics to a fixed 4x or a good compact low-powered variable.

The box-blind rifle should be shorter than the still-hunting rifle and could be heavier. Any compact rifle would be fine, as would rifles sold as youth models. I’d suppress this one, so I’d look for a 18-20” carbine with a threaded barrel. A low-powered scope would handle most of your shots, but this rifle will be used a lot at dawn and dusk--if not at night under moonlight--and those scopes have small objectives which means a smaller exit pupil, so I’d get a 3-9 with an objective lens bigger than 40mm and keep it on 3x.

The steel-banging rifle depends on how far you want to go. Any decent sporter should get you to 500 yards. To go farther, add weight, length, and money. See the long-range forum for how much of each. The little bit of steel shooting that I’ve done has been addictive so don’t be surprised if you end up focused on this. Sky’s the limit on glass, but get ready to spend some serious cash for the precision and repeatability you’ll need to play this game well. Also get ready to invest heavily in loading components and time spent at the loading bench.

Any good cup-and-core from 150 to 180 grains would be fine for deer and hogs, but I’d favor the 165 Partition. Use whatever your rifle shoots best for the steel rifle.

For one rifle to do all three chores, any economy-grade rifle would probably be fine: Mauser 18, TC Compass, Winchester XPR, Remington 770, Ruger American, etc. Twice the money gets you a different mix of esthetics, features, materials, and technology, not necessarily more precision. In that price range, I’d consider Tikkas, Model 70s, Model 700s, a Barret Fieldcraft if you can find one, Kimber Montanas, and the Bergaras.

If you just want one scope, then I'd get a 3-9 with repeatable tracking and a mil-dot reticle.

If money is no object, then go full custom and get one rifle/optic for each use. The 308 will do all three chores with ease so how well you do that is up to you.


Okie John

I’m happy with my Marlin X7 in .308. If was to buy a new .308 today, I’d lean towards a Tikka T3x or maybe a Mauser M12 or M18. My issue with the Mauser, I’d like to get my hands on one and try it out before I bought one. I have no desire to have another .308 at this time and my Marlin barely gets used the past two years. Maybe I’ll take it out caribou hunting in August, but I doubt it.

If I am stand hunting with short distances to walk in, I would buy a Kimber Open Country, Ruger Scout, Browning X-Bolt, or Tikka in that order. Three mag-fed options to match magazines already in the safe and one blind. I think all of these rifles have a good weight and balance, are proven precision platforms, and require no fussing out of the box, but enough do-dads and aftermarket triggers exist to satisfy a garage gunsmith's desires.

For bullet selection, I have been very satisfied with Hornady's GMX bullets. Last year's hunting season resulted in a dead Sitka blacktail, whitetail, a medium black bear, and a few coyotes. All shots were inside of 250m and nothing moved from where it was shot. (Bullet impacts: Sitka=lungs/liver; whitetail=high shoulder/neck; black bear=top of neck/base of skull; coyotes=from tip to tail) I have also used the GMX bullets in a 7mm-08 and had similar results on rocky mountain elk spikes, cow elk, mule deer, and of course, coyotes. I have not recovered a bullet yet, but I have two freezers in the garage.

I have to say, though, I really dig the Mausers with the compartment in the stock. I'd like to see if I could stuff some Black Ovis game bags in there with a Havalon Piranta and a hunting license.

Kimber 84 (what I have), but wouldn’t be opposed to a 70 Featherweight or Ruger Hawkeye.

Nothing wrong with the other offerings out there, those are just the 3 I’ve gravitated to and enjoy.

M 70 Featherweight with a 3x9 scope.

Another nod for a Tikka.


Mine wear a 3-10 Nightforce SHV.
Load is Varget and 150 Accubonds at 2915.
I have a safe full of rifles and this one has become the first one I reach for.

My Bergara B14 Hunter is sure a nice piece! Conservative styling and shoots as well as the shooter can hold it.

I really like that one - I'd say it's about perfect. I'd been contemplating a 308 for quite a while and yours is about what I was envisioning. Then a 'fire' member posted this for sale (his pic, not mine) - I couldn't resist and am pretty happy with it.

My favorite is my Kimber longmaster followed by the Montana . Gotta throw in the Springfield M1A Scout for shyts and grins.

IMO this would do nicely.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...450/1/repost-ruger-hawkeye-308-with-pics

308 Winchester’s:
I have a Winchester FWT M70, three or four Remington 700’s, two TC Encores & my current heart-throb, a Sako 85 Finnlight II. All of them are more accurate than me & are a lot of fun to shoot.

A 308 will do all the Whitetail & hog duty you can throw at it. Chose a 308 for my first rifle as a kid & been hunting with it ever since. Never felt like I needed more. I have more but don’t need it, just wanted it.

It’s a half inch. *shrug*

Good advice.

My all around .308 Win rifle for hunting, steel and fun is a Kimber 84M in an AG Composites stock, 22" and 24" Proof barrels (shown with 24"), EGW 30 moa rail, CDI Precision bottom metal with MAGPUL 5 and 10-round magazines, TriggerTech Field trigger, Titanium bolt handle, adjustable cheek riser, and a Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50mm FFP in Nightforce Ti rings. I have a PT&G t-latch arriving tomorrow. The 84M is the top one in this photo and as shown with the SilencerCo Harvester suppressor it's under 9lb.

wood win 70 supergrade plastic montana

Cheap Rem 700, upgrade the stock & bottom metal.

Of length of action.
Travel is blocked so stroke is same as short action.
If seating length becomes an issue, travel is easily lengthed.
The rifles are already lighter than some short actions,
And stiff as heck.

The only drawback is literally 1/2" overall, and the idea that you can bitch about it.

I am incredibly happy with it thus far. I snagged a 4.5-18 LRTSi that should be in today, and I think that will be a very good fit for this gun.

I don’t have a 308. SometimesI think I should remedy that.

Fly weight- I’d get a Kimber Montana.
Mid weight- I’ve always kinda liked the LVSF. Maybe put it in aTi sock. I like the Tikka super lights too. You could get a chassis for either and have a tacticool rig as well as the hunting stocks to swap back into. Bergara makes a nice rifle.

Tons of good choices!

I aint bitchin as I could care less, I am a CRF guy anyway...sounds like your the one thats "butt hurt" about it and tryin to justify a long action rifle chambered in a short action cartridge....😁....Hb

This: https://www.steyr-arms.com/us/steyr-scout

I got to shoot one a decade ago, and it still leave an impression on me. As far as ammo, a 150 gr. Sierra for deer and steel. I know nothing about hogs.

Remington 7600.

I'll just rub the Prep-H on and heal.


I normally would agree, on actions that are heavier.
And don't offer the adaptability of an easily modified
slide stop, and a simple purchase of an (expensive, plastic) magazine.

I have both a Tikka T3x and a Browning X-Bolt and I like the X-Bolt better. Great ergos, better feeling stock, flush fitting detachable mag and can be had in a real short action.
As far as the scope goes, a Leupold 2.5-8x36 would be a nice match.

I rarely see anyone refer the X-Bolt, but I will. I've had one for about 10 years, composite stalker, the basic model. It is light, ergonomic and very handy. Because it is so light, it comes back pretty hard, much more than my brother's 700 in 270. I've shot a variety of rifles, no Dave Petzel I, but I've shot a few and I really like my X-bolt. Superb trigger and terrifically accurate. The drop magazine is done as well as any drop mag as I've experienced. The only improvement I'd make is make the finish less rough. Its a Matte finish but that makes it more sensitive to abrasion wear. And for deer, the 308 is a bit much. I wish it was a 260 or 7-08. I'm shooting 120-150 pound white tailed deer. I don't need a 150 grain bullet going almost 2900 fps. That's 270 energy that people kill elk with, not deer behind my brother's farm.
A 165 gr bullet would be nice to bore through the armoured shoulder of a big boar, though. I'd take my 308 X-bolt for that for sure.

I'd keep an on on GunList and buy a pre-64 mod 70 ftwt,,,,,

I agree the X-bolt is a very good push feed rifle, I have owned Several of them and every one functioned flawlessly, I really like the tang safety and out of the box accuracy was second to none 👍.....Hb

Were I to move to 308 I would hunt up an early Brno 601 with an integral peep sight, put a Leupold 2.5-8 and a non set trigger on it and never bother buying another hunting rifle.

I use to hunt with a guy that used a BLR in 308. If I was going 308 I would want one of those. I always liked the looks and handling. He had a B& L scope on his. I would opt for a trimmer scope.

Like this one in a mcm hunters edge?

I.ve been very happy with my Stainless Ruger Hawkeye in .308 Win. As an extra bonus it's CRF.

Yes sir!

How does it shoot? Never heard much except praise for the lvsf.

Beat me to it.
I have both tikka and sauer and both are top notch.
Tikka is lighter, but the sauer holds 5 rounds vs 3 and has 3 position safety while tikka is 2

This would be it!

https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...tom-classic-308-win.cfm?gun_id=101457804

Never seen a M22 Custom Classic under $2,400.

BTW, the day ain't over yet!

ya!

GWB

I have and like my model 70 Featherweight. Chambered in 308 Win. The bullet I shoot in it the most is a 150 grain Combined Technologies. I push this bullet with Varget Powder and a Federal 210 primer. I have a 3.5 X 10 Leupold scope on Standard Talley mounts and rings.

That is the deal of the day. That is well below what should be asked for it.

drover

Pretty gun, but it has no magazine. The M22 is a single shot.

Persactly!



One Shot! (OK, sometimes two)



One Kill!



ya!



GWB

Everyone needs a 308 Win. or six of them.
They just seem to follow me home or that Gunsmith will make them for me.

I've yet to know a person who has a .308 and they dislike them.

Take care

Tikka T3x in a Superlight configuration would be my starting spot.

CRF 308 thread gave you your perfect answer. The new Winchester model 70 featherweight is the answer. Best of both worlds.

Maybe if I were looking for CRF only suggestions.

Thanks I guess?

That’s about perfect.

Very well. My son's 7mm-08 shoots great, too.

Thanks!

I cannot believe anyone would want a 308. They're like an all terrain tire, not really good at anything.

Sweet

Here's another vote for the underappreciated Browning X-bolt. Mine is the CF version with a fluted stainless barrel and an easy to grip stock. It's topped with a Leupold VX5 2-10 that has a fantastic field of view at 2x. The rifle is light, weather resistant, easy to carry and very accurate. The stock appearance is a little weird but it didn't take me long to get over that.

Surely that’s tongue in cheek.

Yeah, they suck. Values are in the toilet 'cause no one wants them.




Please PM me any .308 you wish to sell and I'll help you unload the danged thing.

To try something different, I recently bought a Bergara Wilderness Ridge with plan to further cut it to 16” to run a Nomad Ti in the shortest Combo possible before having to pay the NFA tax.
It will hold .75 with FGM168 for 5 shots in its factory configuration.

Great looking build!

If I go looking for a 308, I'll end up coming home with a 300 Savage. I can't help myself.

Bergara ridge with a leupold 4-12. It’ll do everything I’d need it to do.

Old70

Tikka T3x Superlite: picked one up on a whim last year and it’s quickly become a favorite to shoot. Replacing my long loved 77 RL tanger in 308 as well.

I have the ultimate 308. Sako finnwolf

New to me in the last week. A Christensen Arms MPR in 308 with a 16" barrel. Crimsontide had one at the campfire hog hunt earlier this month and I fell in love and had to get one for myself. The folding stock is sweet when there's 5 guys in the guides truck and at 23" using a can it'll work well in a tight blind.

Pulled the Zeiss V4 off the CTR for now as I plan to use it for an Axis hunt in May but have a LRTS waiting in the wings. Going to the range on Friday. Woot!!

I'll see your Sako Finnwolf and raise you a Win 88. Oh wait- fold

I should have grabbed one of those a long time back!

If you don’t have a Tikka, I’d recommend giving one a try. The two I have in 6.5CM shoot stellar for factory rifles.

I have a soft spot for the 308 and was recently looking to get a short factory offering for suppressed hunting.
Ended up with a Bergara Wilderness Ridge SP and I’m digging it. Currently developing a load for the 155 Scenar. Once load development is done, the rifle will either wear a S&B 3-12x42 P3L or a NF 2.5-10x42 Mil-R.

Awfully tough to beat a tikka!

Nice , did you shoot it first to see if you actually gained any accuracy with all the cash outlay for custom stuff'? What maybe 1/4" smaller groups?

If I were getting a new .308 today I’d probably get one very similar to my 7mm08. Winchester M70 Extreme Weather, top it with something lightweight in the 3-9 or 2-10x40 range, using Talley Lightweights. Load a 150 TTSX or 150 or 165 Accubonds or Partitions, and begin filling the freezer.

For me, I went with a Christensen Arms Ridgeline and swapped the stock out for McMillan Game Warden. You could save a few bucks and go with the Mesa and stock to your preference.

I have
2- Rem LTRs with Mk4 scope
1- Tikka varmint with Sightron
1- Tikka T3 with Meopta
All shoot 155 scenar less than 1” @ 100 yds

Hard to beat a Kimber Montana.

I feel bad looking at all these nice 308's. Me with my only sporter weight being a 1974 vintage Rem 788. I paid $125 for that in 1982. But to her good she can still stack 3 165 grain bullets touching.

My first 308 was a 788 back in ‘87. ‘‘Twas a great rifle. Traded a Mini14 for it that patterned like a shotgun.

If you were wanting a .308 for still hunting whitetail, box blind pigs and banging steel at the range and not being limited to CRF; what would you choose? How would you scope it, and what bullet would you choose for the 3 tasks? I’m leaning towards a Tikka and 165NBTS

[/quote]
When I gave my grandson my dad's .308 M88 I didn't have one around the house. I went with a Ruger Scout rifle. First a blued 16.5" version and sold it to a buddy. Then I got the SS 18.3" barrel version. I put a synthetic stock on it to get it lighter, changed the scope rail to an XS sight version that I had kept when I sold my 16.5" version.
The scope I have on it now is a 2-7x32 Burris scout scope. It is OK but I will likely change to a 2.5-8x36 Leupold conventionally mounted.
I went for this setup as it already has iron sights, is reasonably light in weight, is threaded for muzzle brakes, a flash hider and a supressor, the stock L.O.P. is adjustable so I can adjust it depending on what I am wearing. I almost went for a Hawkeye UL All weather to match my .223 but I couldn't find one. Going to the 18.5" barrel lets me get a bit over 2700 fps with 150 grain handloads which was chancy with the 16 in tube.

I see no advantage in a CRF in a 308.

Depending on how deep your pockets are, I think the best rifle for the money right now might be a Howa. Though I prefer walnut, myself.

You can buy 700 Remingtons with plastic stocks for $500 on Guns International.

If I had to have a CRF, I'd consider building one on a good Mauser action - I did so with my 375 Whelen AI. But as I said I see no reason for a CRF in a 308. CRF rifles are over-rated.

I own/have owned a number of .308 rifles over the years. Current favorite in my Mauser M18. Also good are my Savage M10, Ruger American carbine, Remington M600 Mohawk, Rem M700 stainless DBM cut to 20", TC Venture carbine. All are good shooters. My Rem 788 is a little fussy, but puts its first 3 shots around an inch with a load it likes.
Long gone .308s are a M88 win, a M70 short action lightweight, and a M70 short action lightweight carbine.

Yes, but more than adequate at most everything. Been shooting 308s for 60+ years. They work for me...

Got the bug again and just added another 308 - Christensen Arms Mesa this go-around:

Tikka T3 or T3X have been meeting my needs and jumped to the top of favorite rifles for those that don’t kick hard. I have a 300 WSM in the Tikka T3 and put a limb saver on it to tame it some. I know a guy that has one in 300 WM and it rattles him pretty good. In a .308 or .30-06, I live the Tikkas.

The CRF thing would go to my Ruger RSI in 308 set up for eastern treestand hunting. Without CRF my NULA 308 or a Tikka get the nod.

The Ruger:

Just did my first 308. I started with a new 700SA, fluted the bolt, 3 pos safety, and Accu Tig tigged bolt handle. It has an Obermyer 11.25 twist barrel at about 22". I like Shilen triggers on my hunting rifles. The Grayboe stock has an aluminum bedding block, but was bedded also. Finished it up with black cerrokote.
I don't have a clue why I waited so many years to build a 308. It is accurate beyond my expectation.

My last 308 I bought was the Ruger GSR. The Tikka scout or whatever it’s called would be high on the list now.

The only.308 I own(or have ever owned, I think) is a Ruger 1B. It shoots around an inch, good enough for anything I’ll do with it. I bought it because it was a No. 1 that was waved in front of me for a good price. There are other calibers I’d have preferred, but it’s served me well.

I’ve loaded for and shot a couple BLR’s that were good shooters but I could never warm up to that rifle.

If I felt I needed a .308 as an all around hunting rifle today, I’d probably get a Sako 85 in one configuration or another.

Nice, I have two similar set ups, one with a walnut ultralight stock and Leupold 1-5 and the other with the same stock as yours but with a NECG peep sight.

I'm not certain but, I think the only reason the 308 was invented was the General's were bored with the 30-06.

I changed my mine, if I was going out today I would purchase a BLR take down.

The more compact case of the 7.62X51 NATO was better for fully automatic weapons while giving just about all of the '06 power.

Ruger American Predator, if they come with an AR style mag, would be loading it up to 30/30 equivalency..

1.5 x 6 scope on top.

Money no object a Springfield Waypoint. More budget conscious then a Bergara HMR.

There just isn't anything better for the money. And if you like (puke) plastic guns, they that option as well

This would be tempting to me if the bolt were on the other side. In the campfire classifieds.

WTS Cz 550 .308 win NIB Lots of Pics

Winchester Model 70 Featherweight

Another nod to the Tikka.
Have a safe full of rifles and anymore my T3 light with a 3-10 NightForce is the one I reach for first.

Model 700

I agree on the gun but, the Fleur-de-lis checkering really sucks. What were they thinking? A standard diamond pattern would have been classic.

probably either the ruger gsr or ruger american predator. for looks/handiness its hard to beat the ruger rsi but mine tends to open up after the first shot. first one is dead on though. i have not messed with the end cap or barrel channel at all yet. its on the list of things to do at some point. it doesn't get a lot of use these days since my son switched over to levers.

This!

I could not agree more. Not a fan in the least of fluer checkering.

Standard diamond for standard grade then offer a supergrade with better wood and wrap around checkering. Maybe even a ebony tip instead of the schnabel.


And while I’m picking nits, lose the swept bolt handle and put one on that is straight down. Oberndorf style.

Been a while since I’ve owned a .308. Bought a Kimber Adirondack recently for a good price. If I don’t like it I can sell it and make a couple of hundred on it.

Savage Impulse straight pull

To be frank I would immediately chase up a Brno ZKK601 with a pop up rear peep in 308 and call it good.


I would also not bother buying another rifle after that purchase.

Might get a dsa58 para for a woods rig LOL

Hmm, how about a short light 308.

https://christensenarms.com/modern-precision-pistol/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPliK0tB1TQ

I love blue steel and walnut, and my choice there would be an M70 Featherweight.
Though I'm not really a fan of stainless and synthetic, I find myself more and more grabbing for one of the Montanas at right around 6# all up.

Get a Kimber 84M when they become available (Montana or Mountain Ascent) or if a bit more frugal, a Tikka T3 Lite.

Would go Tikka.

Kimber Montana

If I were buying a 308 today it would most certainly be a donor..............

Ended up with an LVSF in a McMillan edge....

Shot like crap so I took it to Douglass barrels and had a #2 installed at 22". It's off getting cerekote now....

As I am going through this list, the manufactures I wouldn't waste my time on is a much shorter list than who I would buy. I said Savage Impulse because AFAIK they are the only American made straight pulls and I do not yet own a straight pull.

Of the rifles I would not bother with is really down to late model (not the very new ones) Remington 700's. The ones produced just before the bankruptcy. Post bankruptcy shows a lot of promise to going back to the quality that made the 700 the icon it once was. And for the record, If someone gave me a late model 700 I would swap out the trigger; bolt body; stock; and swap out the barrel for a Remage setup and maybe get it blue printed. Basically, strip it down and restart. I mean why waste a good giveaway.

My little T3 .308 in a McMillan Edge would be the last hunting rifle I would sell.

I have a very nice Winchester New Haven SS M70 in 308 in a McEdge stock, but if I wanted to buy a 308 today, I would not think twice. Tikka T3X lite or Super Lite. The Tikka's are not a project in a box. You can take it out of the box, mount a scope, sight it in and go hunt or shoot with superb accuracy. RJ

I'd go Kimber MT for a lightweight or Winchester 70 EW for a midweight.

I don't know, all these are 308's, Sako A7 Long Range Hunter for the box blind, Tikka Superlight, LAW Professional, Ruger Precision Rifle, TC Venture WeatherShield, a sweet custom built on a Remington 600 action and I have a Seekins Element on order for 2 months now! Tough decision. Almost forgot, I just inherited my father's 1971 Browning BLR.

I’ve got a Model 70 Classic FW stainless in a McMilan stock that will never be sold. It points great, it shoots great and currently places 130 or 150 TTSX in nice little clusters.

Steyr CLII SX half stock......like to check one out

Pretty good advice

Build. Thanks Shaen!

Just got it back from being cerekoted, haven't shot it yet.

Betting it shoots much better though.