You've got a great setup....Deer won't know it's a 7 that killed them! By no means too much for Deer.....but me....I'd just buy another with as good an excuse as you are laying out!
Rifle dilemma
- Thread starter Janno05
- Start date
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imyourhuckleberry
Well-Known Member
Hey Janno as another lefty shooter you have every option available to you. I prefer to use rifles the other kind of people use...you know the righty's. For me I find it easier to work the bolt with the right hand while maintaining your cheek weld and your finger next to the trigger for a quick follow up shot if needed.
I've used two rifles all my life for hunting, a savage 110C and a Tikka T3 lite both factory rifles shooting sub-moa at 200 yards with 165 grainers both in 30-06. I would say that if I ever wanted to change to a different caliber it would be the 7mm magnum it is a great caliber . My other choice would be a 7mm-08, very low recoil compared to your 7mm and capable of getting the job done at the distance you want up to 600 yards on deer and about 350 give or take a few yards on elk.
You want to honor your ancestors, hunt with 15 pound rifles like they did, use what you have already. Tikka is a great crazy accurate rifle out of the box and lite. min rifle weight a little over 6 pounds plus the 9 power scope.
I've used two rifles all my life for hunting, a savage 110C and a Tikka T3 lite both factory rifles shooting sub-moa at 200 yards with 165 grainers both in 30-06. I would say that if I ever wanted to change to a different caliber it would be the 7mm magnum it is a great caliber . My other choice would be a 7mm-08, very low recoil compared to your 7mm and capable of getting the job done at the distance you want up to 600 yards on deer and about 350 give or take a few yards on elk.
You want to honor your ancestors, hunt with 15 pound rifles like they did, use what you have already. Tikka is a great crazy accurate rifle out of the box and lite. min rifle weight a little over 6 pounds plus the 9 power scope.
Just read I'm a lefty post you put up op. Get you a tikka in 7 mm08 and go kill a truckload of deer . And don't look back . The 7 mm08 kills deer like lighting out as far as you want to for sure and it'll put it on bigger game for sure too. And as far as it being a tikka those are some fine rifles for the money from what I've dealt with them
My personal choice is a Tikka T3 in 7-08 and I think it is perfect. I have shot several deer with a 7 MM mag it is great but be sure to use fast expanding bullets for deer. A 30-06 is great as is a .308. I have switched to 7-08 for accuracy and less weight and reduced recoil. All will kill deer at ranges beyond 400 yards but in my experience that's too far to shoot deer unless you are a perfect shot and use fast expanding bullets. I have shot deer with .223 and 6 MM. In my opinion they don't have the energy or velocity at long range. Great under 200 yards. BTW I hunt in Minnesota and have shot deer over 300 lbs. with a .223 as well as many other calibers. High velocity expanding bullet work best. Even big deer are thin. I have shot them end to end with a 7 MM mag.
Oh, I'm sorry! I knew there was someone else in Texas that wasn't rich. That must be you!
Jon Bischof
Well-Known Member
I know from reputation that many guys shoot Savage rifles and are happy with them. But I never could get past their appearance. I suppose I might feel differently if I were to shoot one that was great but there are plenty of other rifles that shoot great also and do it without all the ugly pipe-fitting look of the Savage rifles. Life is too short to hunt with a rifle that looks like a do-it-yourself plumbing solution to something under the house.
I think I agree with you on reading too much and not shooting enough too. I had a Tikka T3 Hunter 30-06 that I really tried to like. Killed a couple deer with it; but I didn't enjoy shooting it. It was a decent looking rifle aesthetically too. But I sold it last year and bought a Sauer 100 30-06 and now I could not be happier with the way it looks, shoulders, feels and works. Shoots much better too.
There are a lot of rifles that will fill your needs and freezer out to 400 yards. Just find one you love instead of one you might like. And that endeavor need not be very expensive either.
I think I agree with you on reading too much and not shooting enough too. I had a Tikka T3 Hunter 30-06 that I really tried to like. Killed a couple deer with it; but I didn't enjoy shooting it. It was a decent looking rifle aesthetically too. But I sold it last year and bought a Sauer 100 30-06 and now I could not be happier with the way it looks, shoulders, feels and works. Shoots much better too.
There are a lot of rifles that will fill your needs and freezer out to 400 yards. Just find one you love instead of one you might like. And that endeavor need not be very expensive either.
Go with the 7mm. The savage is a good hunting rifle .
Allow me to throw another wrench into the mix, I picked up the savage as a package deal with a 111 xp in 25-06, which I had thrown on gunbroker but it didn't sell. I was planning on staying with a stainless gun, but I could always use this and get rid of the 7mm.
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Mike Matteson
Well-Known Member
Got that right. If shooting a duplex 2 x 8 @ 8 power bring the transition at the heavy vertical hair at the transition to the top of the back at 500 yds.
kolob10
Well-Known Member
.270 Win or .308 would be fine. I have shot deer and elk with both. Never fired more than one shot per animal. Stay within 400 yards or so and you will be fine. If you move up to bull elk, I would go with the 7mm mag or 300 Win mag. Good shooting!
I like my 6.5 Creedmoor for everything from 100 yds. out to 3-400 less recoil than a 308 and I've experienced the same knock down. I actually have a Ruger American that I put a Boyds Stock on and love it. Still looking at a Bergara B14 but the Ruger has been on for white tail. I reload and the Ruger has been sub moa with 140 gr sst
