$4,000 budget

[Ranger Rick]

Since you added elk and knowing your budget, I'd recommend a Remington 700 5R Gen 2 in 300 win mag (I switched to the better 300 PRC, but the 5R is not offered in 300 PRC). $1,000 store price. Add an APA Gen 2 Fat Bastard muzzle brake at $195 and a TriggerTech Rem 700 Special trigger at $190. 300wm has a great selection of hunting ammo and can be purchased easily in all 50 states.
For a Range Finder, I like Leica's CRF 2400-R. Has great 7X glass. I also use it instead of binos. $550
For a scope, I'd recommend a Leupold VX-5HD 4-20x52 CDS Scope with the illuminated reticle (legal in most states). $1,800. The custom turret is an easy, quick and accurate way to be on target way out there.
Seekins Picatinny rail And rings = $250
Total = $3,985

 

[Aoudad shooter1975]

I'd buy a fun gun to shoot...2506 creedmoor, 7-08,308 in the 800-1200 range sig range finder, go to shooting school like badlands...shoot and learn and go on a hunt or two...if you get serious about killing stuff and see what your taste sways...then get you something more specific.

 

[Montana'eer]

Since you added elk and knowing your budget, I'd recommend a Remington 700 5R Gen 2 in 300 win mag (I switched to the better 300 PRC, but the 5R is not offered in 300 PRC). $1,000 store price. Add an APA Gen 2 Fat Bastard muzzle brake at $195 and a TriggerTech Rem 700 Special trigger at $190. 300wm has a great selection of hunting ammo and can be purchased easily in all 50 states.
For a Range Finder, I like Leica's CRF 2400-R. Has great 7X glass. I also use it instead of binos. $550
For a scope, I'd recommend a Leupold VX-5HD 4-20x52 CDS Scope with the illuminated reticle (legal in most states). $1,800. The custom turret is an easy, quick and accurate way to be on target way out there.
Seekins Picatinny rail And rings = $250
Total = $3,985

You can get a 5R a lot cheaper. Grab-a-gun has good prices on them, and when I bought mine at end of year I got the serious discount AND a $75 rebate for each rifle.

I'm pretty happy with this .308- bone stock with 30 or so rounds through the tube- working up load development and I got this-

I'm pretty darned happy with an out of the box rifle on deep sale and the rebate.

 

[Buck Fever]

If I had hindsight and $4,000, I would buy a $250 Kestrel Sportsman, a Sig Kilo3000BDX LRF binocular, wait for the new line of BDX scopes to come out, choose the most appropriate and then spend the rest on a good factory rifle in an appropriate caliber and barrel profile.

You probably wouldn't have to spend all $4,000 to get a nice setup and the BDX would make it like training wheels.

If you feel the need to upgrade later, it probably won't be the Kestrel or LRF so you won't be spending twice on those unless you are a glass snob. If you want top tier glass instead of computerized firing solutions, there are plenty of nice high end scopes to choose from. If you want more accuracy than your factory rifle, you might be able to upgrade with a prefit barrel and trigger or just trade up to a custom.

Trying to optimize before you know what you like is difficult.

Some people might hate this plan but I would have fun with it.

 

[Trm82]

Zeiss V4 6-24 and what ever rifle you can afford with in budget and a sig 2200 mr range finder. Should be doable under 4K

 

[Ranger Rick]

You can get a 5R a lot cheaper. Grab-a-gun has good prices on them, and when I bought mine at end of year I got the serious discount AND a $75 rebate for each rifle.

I'm pretty happy with this .308- bone stock with 30 or so rounds through the tube- working up load development and I got this-

I'm pretty darned happy with an out of the box rifle on deep sale and the rebate.

Great shooting!
Grab a Gun's current price is $993.99 I have the 6.5 Creedmoor, it is indeed a shooter. IMO a great out-of-the-box rifle even at ~$1,000. I have two other 700's and all three shoot .5MOA or better
Today's price on Grab a Gun

Remington 700 5-R Gen2 Sand Color With Black Webbing 6.5 Creedmoor 24-inch 4rd

Gen2 Model 700 5R Series 6.5mm Creedmoor 24 Inch Fluted 5/8-24 Threaded Barrel With 5-R Rifling Black Cerakote Finish Tactical Bolt Knob H-S Precision Sand Color Stock with Black Webbing 4 Round

grabagun.com

 

[archangel485]

@Jawbone I made an incorrect statement earlier, some smith's are actually offering shouldered prefits for Tikka. I am amazed, although Tikka rifles are amazing. This would probably be a less costly way to go, especially if you use the one you already have, downsides are less trigger and stock options. Plus I've heard the factory barrels can be really tough to get off, never done it myself though.

 

[BrentM]

So many good off the shelf choices right now. My neighbor bought 2 Savage's with the proof barrels, 1150.00 I believe he paid each. Creed and PRC. Add a 2000.00 scope and 1000.00 range finder and you are good to go. I'd look for a good used scope on here or if you are LE/MIL you can get excellent discounts at sightron and leupold. I'd probably opt for a vx5 and then look at sig 2400 or something similar with a ballistics app. You pay a bit more for the ballistic range finders but they really nice when it comes to how much crap you have to pack around and how quick you need solutions.

Me:
savage proof - 1150.00 est
Leupold vx5- 700.00 est
Leupold vx6- 1250.00 est
Sighton s3- 700.00 est
Sig 2400- 1400.00 est

savage, x5, 2400 = 3250.00 That leaves some left over for bipod, anticant, wind meter, scope cover, rifle cover, or eve better, a suppressor.

 

[Jawbone]

For what it's worth... I've got a Custom 28 Nosler coming from one of the best smith's (IMO) in Montana in the next month or 2. I'm fairly certain I'm not going to keep it for prioritization purposes. Will probably be a pretty good buy.
.25 moa on my last custom from this guy.
View attachment 197144

Thanks for the reply..
Send me info.
[email protected]

 

[Jawbone]

Let me say, some great informational posts on this topic. Many thanks to you all. I am seeing patterns of likes and similarities most of which I have never heard. I am looking up recommendations because its alot of foreign language to a beginner ofcourse.
This has been good. Thank you all.
JAW

 

[BrentM]

Let me say, some great informational posts on this topic. Many thanks to you all. I am seeing patterns of likes and similarities most of which I have never heard. I am looking up recommendations because its alot of foreign language to a beginner ofcourse.
This has been good. Thank you all.
JAW

Tons of choices for sure. I started into true long hunting with a 650.00 rifle and 2000.00 scope, so 2650.00. ZERO regrets. Rifle shot lights out, shot my first 4" group at 1000 with it. I have a 7000.00 rifle now and it shoots about the same. I still have zero regrets.

 

[RYEWSKY25284]

If you had a $4,000 budget for a rifle, scope, range finder to hunt and enjoy, what are you buying?
What the best utilization of your money?
Jaw

not sure $4k will cover it.
But what the heck... a Bergara 6.5 PRC NF SHV 4x14x50..... That'll kill $2K then a nice Range finder ....
$1k...ish... not sure what kind of hunt you can get for a grand.. maybe self guided for speed goats.

That won't count for Tags/License, travel, hotel, butcher and maybe a taxidermist.
Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Kmccord]

I would look at a Bergara HMR Wilderness in 7mm Rem Mag, you can purchase one for around 949.20 from TSS Warehouse. I own the B14 HMR in 7mm Rem Mag and it shoots .5 MOA with my handloads, the Wilderness series has the Cerakoted barrel and muzzle break. The 7 mag will get you anything in North America, the barrel will last you a good while and you can find ammo every where in case you leave home without it. As for scopes, check out the new Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25x56, you can purchase one for 699.99, that puts you at 1650.00, then just decide which RF you would like.

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