npaden

Okay, thanks for the replies so far. I didn't really think I would get a resounding "you need to buy this brand and this caliber" response, but you never know. I haven't even heard of a T3 so I guess I will need to research that a little more also. I guess I'll go see how they feel.

Folically Challenged

I'm sort of in the same boat with you. I want to get a 7mm-08, and I want to get a Savage, since I've heard many good things about them, and because the Savage rimfire I bought this Fall is a great little gun. But I go to the gun shop, and I hold the model I've been eyeing,and it feels "clunky" in my hands. It's not grotesquely objectionable, mind you, but it just didn't "do it for me". Then I pick up a Remington Mountain Rifle, which I've always wanted, and it was far better - it just flew right up to my shoulder.

So, for sh!ts & giggles, I have the guy hand me a Remington 700 CDL, and it's PERFECT! It's as if the gun was made for me by the friggin' Gods! It fits all my nooks & crannies (and folds, and rolls, and...) just ever so. So why don't I get one? Because that's what I already own, onlyin a .30-06! Why get the same gun in a different caliber? I feel like I'm back to square one!

The first time I ever went to a real gun shop, with a ton o' selection, I was amazed. I asked the counter lizard why there were so many kind of guns ineach caliber. He calmly replied, "beacause there are so many kinds of people". I wasn't expecting to get sage advice from the whippersnapper-du-jour behind the counter, but I have to agree with him. If the gun doesn't fit you, you'll never be really happy with it, and the "two of you" won't perform to your capabilities. Like it or not, you & your rifle are a team.

On sites like these, you'll find all of us zealots extoling the virtues of the models we like from the manufacturers we like, while positively slamming all the other companies. If you think about it, though, the only objective information you can get about which companies are best, is to look at which ones are still in business, or are growing. Apparently, Savage, Remington, Marlin, Tikka, Sako, and many dozens of others, are still making guns that many people can reliably kill animals with. So, you might as well choose what works best for you, and let the posters excoriate you, or praise you, as they will.

As for me, I kind of like the looks of the CZ 550, but it comes in 6.5 x 55, and not in 7mm-08. If the gun fits me like a dream, I guess I won't have too bigof aproblem going to a different caliber. I just think it's a b!tch that the longest story I'll ever be able to tell the kids about thisgun, if I can ever make a choice,is how friggin' long it took me to pick it out!

Best o' Luck!

FC

npaden

Okay, so I read up on the Tikka T3 and now I'm even more confused! Sounds like an excellent rifle right in the price range I'm looking at.

Only drawback is that I doubt any of the local stores are going to have a Tikka that I can try out to see how it feels.

chr103yod

You cant go wrong with a Rem 700. For a little less money Savage makes really accurate rifles. They may not be as pretty but they shoot great. I have both a 7 mag and a 30-06. Bullets for the 7 mag run almost a dollar a piece. You can pick up cheap 30-06 bullets for $10-$12 a box. The ballistics between the two guns aren't THAT much different. You can also get anywhere from 45 gr acelerator rounds to 220 gr bullets for the 30-06. It's big enough to drop and elk and you can still buy small enough bullets for antelope. I could never see buying a Zeiss or Leica scope for any of my guns. The thought of putting a $1000 scope on my $500 rifle just doesn't make sense to me. I think I would buy a middle of the road Leupold, Burris or Nikon and spend $300-$400. When I look through a $1500 scope and a $300 scope I just don't see $1200 worth of difference.

npaden

Where is this deal on the Burris Fullfield II? Anyone else have any comments on it?

We've had one bad experience in our family with a .270 and elk. My brother shot a nice bull low in the brisket and itleft leaving a blood trail that ended after about a mile. Probably wouldn't have made much of a difference with a 7mm Mag or 30-06 but he always blamed the gun. I loved my .270 as a kid, they are really easy shooting and are pretty good on deer but I was thinking they are a little small for elk.

I found a local gun store that has all 4 guns I'm interested in stock and I'm going to go over and check them out tonight I think. Their prices on the Browning A-Bolt, Remington 700 SPS and Ruger M77 Mark II are within $50 of what I've been seeing but their price on the Tikka T3 is $150 more than the link I had to the ozark online shop. I'll have to see what feels good. Compared to the Mossberg I grew up with, they are probably all pretty nice rifles.

seattlesetters

Here's a link:

http://www.bearbasin.com/catalog.htm#burr_scopes

And...you're right about that shot. Same thing would have happened with a .300 Mag, too.

npaden

Okay, thanks for the link. I have no idea if the burris scopes are good or not though, I've never heard of them before.

Looking through there the Fullfield II 4.5-14X 42mm (AO) Matte (Ballistic Plex) (Inc. Landmark 12-24X 50MM Spotter) for $339 and free shipping looks to be a pretty good deal since I actually could use a spotting scope but already have some decent binoculars. Would that spotting scope be worth having?

I guess I'll start researching scopes. Before I posted this I had never heard of a Tikka T3 rifle and it sounds like they are pretty good so maybe the Burris Fullfield scope is good.

Thanks again everyone for the comments so far!

npaden

Okay, reading some more on the Burris scopes. What do you guys think on a scope - 3-9x or 4.5-13x? 95% of the time the 3-9x is going to be fine right? The only thought is that sometimes when you are out walking a lot with just you and your gun the better scopes can come in handy in doubling up as a spotting scope.

I found another site that has a promo going on the Burris scopes that they throw in a cheap garmin gps that normally sells for $70ish. That may end up being more useful than another set of binoculars or a cheap spotting scope. http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=BU2 00162GPS&src=ba381

I'm over reading in the optics forum now!

seattlesetters

Have you taken a look at the Ruger All-Weather in .280 Rem? That would be a very nice rifle for what you're going to be doing.

onebadf250

I don't know why the Tikka T3 would be more than the Browning or the Ruger. I can understand it being a little more than the SPS. A black on stainless t3 is $150+ less than the Brownings around here. I would print the price from Ozark out and take it to your local shop and see if they would match it. I only paid $605.00 tax tag out the doorfor my Camo SS t3 300wsm a few months back. My black on black .308 was $470.00 tax tag otd.

Any of the afforementioned are great guns. Get what feels good, slap a good scope on it and it will last you forever.