For my brother what caliber

[StumpGrinder]

I have had a Sako 25-06 and Loved it!! I still kick myself for letting a friend talk me out of it. But I understand that ammo is getting expensive for it and hard to find. You could neck down 270 if you reload or one of the other 06 variants but if the price of the gun is an issue then so will the ammo. I plan on getting a 7.62x39 Ruger Ranch even though I don't need it just because its so cheap to shoot! You got to be able to afford to practice with whatever you decide on. Anything you can do with a 30-30 you can do with 7.62x39 only 50 to 100 yds farther.

 

[Rep 284]

Since you reload and you can load for your brother. I would say as many already have that the 7-08 would be my choice, mild recoil and so many bullets available in a wide variety of weights that would cover him for any thing he wants to shoot. Savage makes a very accurate and reasonably priced rifle that is great for first timers, that's what my youngest son shoots and he is deadly with it. Good luck and happy hunting. Enjoy this family time together cause it goes by fast

 

[Ranger1994]

Since we both live in NC, I presume the bear hunting you mentioned is black bear, and not an Alaskan brown.

That said, there have been some good recommendations so far — and some I would not consider.

• Don't even consider a magnum anything for NC hunting. I prefer to have something to eat after I shoot a deer. A 7mm Rem can leave you with half a deer shredded to bits. They are great where shots are 300 yards+ on 300 pound deer, but that's not likely to happen in NC.

• The 30-06 and .270 are great all-round cartridges but more than is necessary for anything in the Carolinas. People use them because their grandfather used them. I would only recommend then if this rifle may do double duty on other hunts.

• The .308 is a good round but the 7mm-08 blows it away ballistically, it's flatter shooting with less recoil, and has greater down-range energy.

• The .25-06 may be the perfect Eastern whitetail and black bear cartridge. It has mild recoil, shoots as flat as the 7MM Rem mag, will easily drop a deer out to 500 yards, and not destroy a deer if you get a close shot. (If you handload, the 6.5-06 has better long-range potential, but factory ammunition is impossible to find.)

• The .260 Rem is a great round, slightly more powerful than the 6.5 Creedmoor, with mild recoil and great accuracy. The only limitation of the .260 Rem is that few choices of factory ammunition are available. (The 6.5 Creedmoor is a slightly better choice for extremely long range.) If you find a good deal on a .260 Rem, look at it seriously.

• The 6.5 Creedmoor is a great round, and currently the most popular in the lower 48 states. This correlates directly to lots of ammunition choices. This round will kill anything he's likely to hunt, and do it well. It's extremely accurate, with mild recoil. It doesn't shoot quite as flat as the .25-06 out to 500 yards, but is available from almost every gun manufacturer. The only reason I don't own a 6.5 Creedmoor is because I already own a 25-06, a .260 Rem, and 2 .243s.

• The .243 is a great cartridge that should not be scoffed at. Some consider it light for deer & black bear, but it's killed a lot of each and can do double-duty on coyotes for off-season hunting. The .243 is not recommended for animals larger than black bears.

Great rifle choices already made:
• Used Tika T3. These guns seem to always shoot phenomenally.
• Mauser M18 in 6.5 Creedmoor: https://www.eurooptic.com/Mauser-M1...thetic-5rd-Mag-Bolt-Action-Rifle-M18065C.aspx
• Savage rifles are scoffed at by many because they are not pretty, but they are inexpensive and I've never seen one that did not shoot well.
• Used rifles are often a GREAT BUY. It's been a long time since I bought a new rifle, occasionally new scopes but used rifles because used can mean more for my money.


I have a Remington Model 7 in .260 Rem with a Nikon Monarch scope that I should sell as it hasn't been hunted with lately. Let me know if you are interested. I'm in Orange County, not far from you.

What he said.
Also being from Eastern NC i know our great dane sized white tails don't need anything magnum and a 2-300lb black bear would be a "bigun". 6.5 Creed seems to be all the talk, probably would be a good choice. 30.06 is what my son and I shoot. 150gr. pills will knock down anything we have here and recoil isn't bad, my son uses them in factory loads. I prefer my own loaded 165 Nosler Partitions. Nice thing about 06 is ammo availability and bullet choices for reloading, should he decide to venture away from the farm.
Have your looked to see what ammo is available right now? That would be a good indicator.
Good luck on making your decision.

 

[StumpGrinder]

This is true and because of the silencer craze many rifles are coming out with threaded barrels stock. I have a 338 wm with a muzzlebreak and it feels about like my 243.

 

[turkeyguide]

308 or 30-06 are always good choices, ammunition is readily available practically anywhere, if recoil is a problem then I would consider a 270 Win. or a 7mm-08 or a 6.5 Creedmore. 270 ammo availability is much the same as 308 or 30-06. I haven't personally tried my 6.5 Creedmore on Bear but is is more than adequate for deer. Lots of great rifles available, Savage, Remington, Winchester, Browning, Ruger, Tikka. Pick one that fits and is in your price range and go hunting. Good luck.

 

[SamuelBerryhill308]

The 308 Winchester is a great choice and you should look at the Ruger American rifle; I have several and love them; they are inexpensive and available in 308 or 30-06. But the 308 is light, handy and low recoil but hard hitting. The 7mm-08 is a great choice too but it's somewhat limited in rifle availability. Ruger American is somewhat limited in caliber choice but it is a great rifle for the money. Might even find a 6.5 in that rifle

I've had two of the ruger American in 308 one in 1st generation and the one I have now a go wild version will not shoot under a inch neither would the 1st one I had but I only shot factory ammo back then not sure how there other calibers are

 

[SamuelBerryhill308]

He never mentioned where he was hunting bear at.
Black and Grizzly bear supposedly coexist. Creed might not be a wise choice based on where he is hunting.

He would be hunting them in nc mountains

 

[LVJ76]

Ruger All Weather Light, 18" barrel, now 7lbs 5oz with Leupold glass. Originally ~ 7lbs with factory stock and Sightron scope.
Got rid of the *** plastic stock. Put it in wood, havent made the time to bed it yet.
Putting it in wood tamed the recoil quite a bit so its more like a hard 308.
Mind you, all JMO, my 7 mag recoils about the same as my buddy's X-Bolt 30-06, but friends I have let shoot it massage their shoulder after 1/2 a box.

Yea some of those stocks just dont help and the short barrel also will increase recoil.

Some people can handle recoil and some can't. Two Sundays ago I hit the range early to try several loads on my 7mm-08's and my 7mm Rem Mag. Went through little over 40 rounds of my 7mm Rem Mag and close to 80 with both 7mm-08's. At the end of the day I felt it in the shoulder and realized how much I had missed it Lol, hadn't shot anything in 3 months. Felt it but not painfull.

My brother's Model 7 in 7 SAUM with the original wood kicked like a mule, he put a Boyd's At-One on it and it helped quite a bit.

Stay safe

 

[StumpGrinder]

I missed the part about you being from NC. I would definitely recommend 7.62x39 in the Ruger Ranch. I live in the piedmont myself and can tell you any gun that will take our whitetail will take our bear. I've lived hear 20 years and most of my deer have been taken at less than 100 yds. 7.62x39 is good to 200 to 250 depending on bullet selection. Get a stainless steel barrel and you can shoot surplus ammo. You still will have to clean it like a Blackpowder rifle but it will be much more durable. Heck since NC took away the caliber restrictions about 5 years ago, I've taken a dozen or more with 22lr!!! Under 50 yds just hit em in the head! As for bear, If your concerns are for self defense, carry a pistol as well. I never leave home without!

 

[Boneafide]

Hello all I'm asking this to better help my brother he is looking to buy his first rifle which will be for huntin white tail and maybe bear if hes able.hes not sure what caliber or rifle to go with and what I've recommended to him hes not sure on yet.hes looking at couple different rifles but he is on a tight budget of 500 just for rife but me and my dad will help with little more cash if he finds something he really wants.the caliber he is most interested in is different 6.5 cal,,270 win and maybe 308.he has shot and hunted with either my dads 308 or 30-06,270 or 50 cal muzzleloader.he wants to have his own rifle he is 17 right now and I'm not sure how he is on recoil any help would be greatly appreciated thanks

6.5 creedmoor all the way. Gun's ammo light recoil

 

[Paper boy]

Hello all I'm asking this to better help my brother he is looking to buy his first rifle which will be for huntin white tail and maybe bear if hes able.hes not sure what caliber or rifle to go with and what I've recommended to him hes not sure on yet.hes looking at couple different rifles but he is on a tight budget of 500 just for rife but me and my dad will help with little more cash if he finds something he really wants.the caliber he is most interested in is different 6.5 cal,,270 win and maybe 308.he has shot and hunted with either my dads 308 or 30-06,270 or 50 cal muzzleloader.he wants to have his own rifle he is 17 right now and I'm not sure how he is on recoil any help would be greatly appreciated thanks

308 with a muzzle brake. Can't go wrong!

 

[preventec47]

I dont remember the OP saying his brother was a sissy, so no need to offer weeny guns. Besides even if is a weeny, can always pick the ammo options that recoil lighter. Several years ago soon after shoulder surgery, I loaded 7mm Rem Mag with 110gr Barnes and MIN load of powder as speced in reload charts. It was still a very lethal flat shooting load. This was out of my Rem 700. Also, at age 17 it dont matter if the rifle weighs 15 pounds. A young lad can still carry it all over creation. Nothing helps recoil more than a heavier rifle.

 

[SamuelBerryhill308]

Since we both live in NC, I presume the bear hunting you mentioned is black bear, and not an Alaskan brown.

That said, there have been some good recommendations so far — and some I would not consider.

• Don't even consider a magnum anything for NC hunting. I prefer to have something to eat after I shoot a deer. A 7mm Rem can leave you with half a deer shredded to bits. They are great where shots are 300 yards+ on 300 pound deer, but that's not likely to happen in NC.

• The 30-06 and .270 are great all-round cartridges but more than is necessary for anything in the Carolinas. People use them because their grandfather used them. I would only recommend then if this rifle may do double duty on other hunts.

• The .308 is a good round but the 7mm-08 blows it away ballistically, it's flatter shooting with less recoil, and has greater down-range energy.

• The .25-06 may be the perfect Eastern whitetail and black bear cartridge. It has mild recoil, shoots as flat as the 7MM Rem mag, will easily drop a deer out to 500 yards, and not destroy a deer if you get a close shot. (If you handload, the 6.5-06 has better long-range potential, but factory ammunition is impossible to find.)

• The .260 Rem is a great round, slightly more powerful than the 6.5 Creedmoor, with mild recoil and great accuracy. The only limitation of the .260 Rem is that few choices of factory ammunition are available. (The 6.5 Creedmoor is a slightly better choice for extremely long range.) If you find a good deal on a .260 Rem, look at it seriously.

• The 6.5 Creedmoor is a great round, and currently the most popular in the lower 48 states. This correlates directly to lots of ammunition choices. This round will kill anything he's likely to hunt, and do it well. It's extremely accurate, with mild recoil. It doesn't shoot quite as flat as the .25-06 out to 500 yards, but is available from almost every gun manufacturer. The only reason I don't own a 6.5 Creedmoor is because I already own a 25-06, a .260 Rem, and 2 .243s.

• The .243 is a great cartridge that should not be scoffed at. Some consider it light for deer & black bear, but it's killed a lot of each and can do double-duty on coyotes for off-season hunting. The .243 is not recommended for animals larger than black bears.

Great rifle choices already made:
• Used Tika T3. These guns seem to always shoot phenomenally.
• Mauser M18 in 6.5 Creedmoor: https://www.eurooptic.com/Mauser-M1...thetic-5rd-Mag-Bolt-Action-Rifle-M18065C.aspx
• Savage rifles are scoffed at by many because they are not pretty, but they are inexpensive and I've never seen one that did not shoot well.
• Used rifles are often a GREAT BUY. It's been a long time since I bought a new rifle, occasionally new scopes but used rifles because used can mean more for my money.


I have a Remington Model 7 in .260 Rem with a Nikon Monarch scope that I should sell as it hasn't been hunted with lately. Let me know if you are interested. I'm in Orange County, not far from you.

PM sent

 

[StumpGrinder]

He can build an AR on the cheap and then buy uppers in diffrent calibers. I bought an M&P 15 and got a 7.62x39 upper for it under $200 from Midway. I also got a 458 socom for it that will HAMMER a black bear!!! It's like a semiautomatic 45-70. I reload my 7.62x39 with barnes tsx bullets. If you put it in the right place nothing walkes away!