Rifle dilemma

[Janno05]

I am seeking guidance on what to do for a general white tail rifle with a max range out to probably 400 yards or so. I am primarily a bow hunter, but decided this last year to fill my tag with a rifle and took a nice 8 point buck. Unfortunately I had sold off all of my hunting rifles to build a long range 6 creedmoor off of a bighorn TL3, which was terrible to carry in the field.
I ended up picking up a savage 110 storm in 7mm rem mag, but I am concerned that it's too much gun for whitetail in my range limitations. Now I am debating getting a 20" .308 barrel for the tl3 or selling the savage and getting a tikka in .308 or 30-06.
I have had several hunting rifles in the past that would fill this role perfectly, but I tend to get inpatient and sell them off to fund other projects. I want to just have a rifle set up in the safe that I can grab if I don't fill my tag with a bow, and just stick with it. Is the tikka worth it over the savage? Am I foolish to not utilize the awesome action I have set up with a great trigger and scope? Why can't I buy them all?

 

[pburton]

There are two ways to look at this in my opinion. If you are looking for an excuse to buy a new rifle, by all means go for it. But, you also have a great platform already, and in a cartridge that would do great on whitetail out to 4-500 yards or further. Have a carbon wrapped barrel spun up in 6 Creedmoor. This will decrease the weight of your current set up. You already have the brass, bullets, and powder for this round, and finding components for another cartridge is going be difficult right now. You can look at places like Straight Jacket Armory, who will build you a prefit Proof barrel for that action.

That being said, if you do not want to rebarrel your current set up, a Tikka is a good light weight option. I have had very good luck with them over the years. They typically shoot very well right out of the box. I have never been a big fan of Savages, but it is definitely personal preference. Good luck with your decision.

 

[QuietTexan]

If you like carrying it and like shooting it, keep it. Nosler makes loaded 175gr Partitions and 160gr AccuBonds that are on the heavier end for the caliber if you think it's too fast.

300 Win Mag is very commonly used on whitetails inside 300 yards. The 7mm Rem Mag can throw a 5gr lighter Partition 100-300fps slower. Not too much gun. It's a good caliber if you like what you have that shoots it, I wouldn't change because of the caliber.

 

[Janno05]

I have had several savages and they all shoot, they are just so clunky after playing with the bighorn. I had planned on making it into a switch barrel when I put it together, but the idea of having a rifle that's already zero'd and ready to go kill something is appealing. I am set up to load all of the calibers, and the recoil on the 7mm doesn't bother me.
I think I am just reading too much instead of shooting. I have only shot one deer, which was a 200 yard shot with a Remington 125gr reduced recoil 30-06. I had taken my .300 blk after getting sick of lugging around the 15lb creed and I didn't trust the caliber at the distance, had to grab my father in laws rifle to shoot my buck. It did far more damage to the deer than I was expecting.

 

[Treeslug]

I am seeking guidance on what to do for a general white tail rifle with a max range out to probably 400 yards or so. I am primarily a bow hunter, but decided this last year to fill my tag with a rifle and took a nice 8 point buck. Unfortunately I had sold off all of my hunting rifles to build a long range 6 creedmoor off of a bighorn TL3, which was terrible to carry in the field.
I ended up picking up a savage 110 storm in 7mm rem mag, but I am concerned that it's too much gun for whitetail in my range limitations. Now I am debating getting a 20" .308 barrel for the tl3 or selling the savage and getting a tikka in .308 or 30-06.
I have had several hunting rifles in the past that would fill this role perfectly, but I tend to get inpatient and sell them off to fund other projects. I want to just have a rifle set up in the safe that I can grab if I don't fill my tag with a bow, and just stick with it. Is the tikka worth it over the savage? Am I foolish to not utilize the awesome action I have set up with a great trigger and scope? Why can't I buy them all?

You can't buy them all because you are poor like me. If you had the all money the other guys on this forum have, you could buy them ALL. Everyone else on LRH is independently wealthy.

I love the 7mm mag, but about the Savage rifle, I will have to pass. I have never owned or shot a Savage rifle. There are many Savage fans here that can give you first-hand info for Savage rifles. But I still think you should inherit a bunch of money and buy them all. I would.

 

[FrogFire7]

If you want a new rifle, go for it!

I personally like pburton's suggestion about a new barrel. I'd probably just get a sporter weight steel barrel, because I'm cheap and I think that's probably the lightest option anyway.

If you don't want to do either of those, my suggestion is get you some Hammer bullets and kill away without all the meat loss. They just flat work, clean an efficient!

 

[wv270wsm]

Go buy you a couple new rifles don't be so limited! Plus keep what ya got .

 

[mwkelso]

If you like the 7mm and it shoots, why fix what isn't broken?
I totally understand wanting to step up on a rifle though... I'm still trying to break that habit my wife is trying to break me of it too!

Seriously though, it isn't too much gun. There are guys who say "it shoots too fast", which befuddles me. If it shot too fast, then they could down-load it or up their bullet weight.
I've killed whitetails with the 7mag, 270win, 300wm all inside of 200yds and have had zero issues.

 

[QuietTexan]

Everyone else on LRH is independently wealthy.

That's one explanation for my love affair with factory Rem 700s and Athlon scopes.

 

[Janno05]

Thank you all for the opinions. I think I might just stick with the 7mm and see how it goes, it will definitely kill everything that I would ever consider hunting and is plenty accurate for my needs.

 

[Flatbow]

If you like the 7mm and it shoots, why fix what isn't broken?
I totally understand wanting to step up on a rifle though... I'm still trying to break that habit my wife is trying to break me of it too!

Seriously though, it isn't too much gun. There are guys who say "it shoots too fast", which befuddles me. If it shot too fast, then they could down-load it or up their bullet weight.
I've killed whitetails with the 7mag, 270win, 300wm all inside of 200yds and have had zero issues.

This!
And possibly go with a monolithic bullet as they typically cause less meet damage due to not being so explosive as a lead core bullet.

 

[bgouin]

Thank you all for the opinions. I think I might just stick with the 7mm and see how it goes, it will definitely kill everything that I would ever consider hunting and is plenty accurate for my needs.

My 1st rifle was a 7 mm RM. After 50 years it has taken game from steenbok to elk. I have taken it to Alaska, Africa, New Zealand, and never needed any more or lesser rifle to take game.

 

[ThrdKllr]

Stick with the 7 mag. I've hunted with 1 for the last 20 years or so aI have never felt over gunned. The extra power and heavier bullets could come in handy when the buck of a lifetime presents himself but not at the ideal position. You'll have to pass on fewer bad angle shots plus you may get an opportunity to get out West where the game is bigger than whitetails. Guides out there like to see hunters show up with rifles they've been hunting with for years that are capable of taking the intended game.

 

[FatOldMIHunter]

I am extremely happy with a Ruger American Rifle chambered in .308 Win. It shoots accurately out to 400 yds. I haven't tried it past that but I will when I get my range extended out to 600-800. The RAR didn't feel as clunky as the Savage 110, but I'm sure these two rifles would both shoot equally well. You might also look at a Howa 1500. All three of these should beat Tikka on price. I would be sure to break in any new rifle carefully to keep it from getting so copper fouled that it can't show its true potential. My RAR 308 shoots sub MOA groups with the reloads I developed for it.