Partizano

Hi all, I' ve been reading these boards for a few days now and I must say you all guys really know your stuff. I' m in a rather unique situation right now and I was hoping to get some of you expert advise.

Due to work I am moving to the Northern most part of British Columbia, Canada into what many regard as the best Hunting area in the world. Within an hour of where I' ll be living there is world class Moose, Elk, Mule Deer, Stone Sheep, Dall Sheep, Mountian Goat, Black Bear, Grizzly bear, Timber Wolf, Lynx, Wolverine and woodland Cariboo hunting.

I' m a very avid angler but I haven' t hunted since I was kid with a .22. I' ve done a ton of reasearch on the net on which gun to buy but I what I really want is some advise from guys with hunting experience. I imagine what I read on paper is most likley very different in the field.

Here is my basic criteria for a rifle and my short list. I was told to buy a light kicking gun as this will be my first centerfire rifle. After shopping around I decided on a Tikka T3 . The price is great, I' ve heard great things about the accuracy, the synthetic stock is good for the harsh climate I' ll be in and it' s nice and light for the rugged terrian.

These are the 3 that I can buy in my area.

#1 tikka t3 - 270 win 22.5 inch barrel - 150 grain bullet ---- seems like a very good gun on paper just not sure if it' s got enough killing power for some of larger game at long range.

#2 tikka t3 - 308 win 22. inch barrel - 150 to 165 grain <---- leaning towards this , lightest recoil and I can use many different bullet weights. I' m just worried about the range on it.

#3 tikka t3 - 7mm Rem Mag - 24 inch barrel - 165 grain < Best on paper but it' s going to be much more heavy then the .270/.308 and I' m worried about the recoil.

NOTE -- I' m worried about 4 things, Recoil, Grizzly bears, long range shots and weight.

The Grizzlies in this area are the size of big black bears, it' s the east side of the Rockies and they are much smaller then their alaskan cousins that feed on salmon all the time. I' m not going to be hunting them but this is very very wild terrian and I want enough gun to stop an agreissve bear. Lastly I' ve heard that world class sheep are very hard to get and 250+ yard shots are common.

Thanks in advance guys and I' m sorry for my long winded post!

PS - not to worried about moose either, from what I' ve been told they are easy to get up there so I imagine I' ll be targeting more difficult quarry.

Tree climber

My personal would be the 7mm mag. for those long shots and have the power out to the 400 yard shots. second would be the 308.
Just from my experence.

Vapodog

If the .30-06 was an option, I' d be going for it....however the 7MM mag is a fine choice as well.

stubblejumper

I would go with the 7mmremmag over the other choices and over the 30-06.It has plenty of energy and recoil is quite manageable for most people.The tikka is a good choice.

skeeter 7MM

7mmRM would do what you want of the choices you mentioned.

plainsman

I agree with dog about the 30.06,wider selection of bullet choices, more than enough stopping power and greatfor ranges out to 400yrd. Of your three choices, I' d go with 308 but would go up to 180gr. as it' s plenty for all game you' ve mentioned and more than accurate enough for long shots.

You are concerned with grizz? 308. can handle them, as with any cal. shot placement is the key.

Weight/recoil? Sorry to say,they go hand in hand.A light rifle will kick harder than a normal 8 pounder. My advice, spend a few bucks on a good sling.

7mm. is a good cal. but is limited when it comes to availability, not every little hick town general store carries 7mm and if they do, is it going to be what your already sighted in for?

I' d still stick to 3006,it' s just way to versitile and easy to buy for[8D][8D]

Partizano

Thanks for the input guys! Seem like most of you are leaning towards the 7mm mag and a 30-06.

I can get the 30-06 in a 22.5 inch barrel but I was worried about the recoil on it with such a light rifle,, it' s like 6lbs. From what I' ve read on here the 30-06 kicks like a mule!

PS - I' m not a wuss but how bad it the recoil on a 7mm rem Mag? I just want something that is easy to shoot, I don' t want the hell kicked out of me.

PPS - Wouldn' t a .308 be pretty well the same as a 30-06 but with less kick?

Thanks again guys.

Vapodog

the difference in recoil between a .308, a .30-06, and a 7MM Mag will be small.....possibly indistinguishable.

The performance differences are small as well. You won' t go wrong with any of them. However, in the end the .30-06 leaves you with choices of bullets from 110 grains to 220 grains (and more). It' s not by accident that it' s nearly on it' s second century of service.

akbound

Hi,

I certainly do NOT consider myself an expert.....but in response to your questions....I concur with those that made a case for the .30-06. I know it was not on your original list either. And as far as recoil, it certainly would NOT be any worse than the 7mm Magnum. Realistically with similar bullet weights it will very much resemble recoil from the .308. Frequently if the .308 is a " short action" and weighs a few ounces less than the .30-06.....the recoil from either will be the same, and in some cases as in very light .308' s, the .30-06 may recoil less.

The advantages of the .30-06 over nearly all of its competition are numerous.

1. It is very probably the most popular, (therefore the most available), sporting caliber in the world! You can probably find .30-06 ammo in the smallest, most arcane, locations in the world. If a shop is selling " any" centerfire rifle ammo....I' d bet it carries .30-06.

2. If all else fails and you are separated from your ammo, and there is no where to buy any, and you are in the company of other hunters.....there is a better than fair chance that at least one of them will be shooting a .30-06.

3. It is probably factory loaded by more companies, with more choices of bullet weights, than any other cartridge.

4. If you are really concerned with recoil you can start out by shooting the lightest factory bullet weight you can find, (probably around 130 grains or so), and slowly work your way to heavier bullet weights. (I know there are lighter factory loads...but sometimes they are difficult to find!)

5. The .30-06 will handle a heavier bullet than any of the three other calibers you mentioned. (Before someone tells me you can shoot bullets over 200 grains in the .308....which you can.....show me who factory loads them.) This last consideration might matter if you decide you would like to have some good 220 grain factory loads available in case you encounter truculent bears. And nearly every manufacturer loads a 220 grain. (Some specialty ammo makers even load a 250 grain bullet...and handloaders can as well.)

6. You say you don' t need bullets that heavy....well that' s fine. Remember nearly every manufacturer that produces .30 caliber bullets....has more than a few different bullet weights, shapes, etc....that were " purpose made" to best work at .30-06 velocities! (For example: Looking for an extremely flat shooting long range round? Look at Hornady' s Light Magnum with the 165 grain SST. Just don' t start with that load!)

All in all...considering everything you asked.....and the concerns you addressed in the original question. I would say if ever there was a perfect opportunity to recommend a .30-06....it would be in response to you!

Whatever you decide to buy...start with the light bullet loads...get use to them...and work your way up! Best of luck in your decision making...and on your move!

P.S. Felt recoil is often subjective and due to different factors, stock shape, weight of gun, weight of bullet, effective pad or not, etc. But the speed of the recoil impulse is inversely proportional to the velocity of the bullet. Which is just another way of saying the faster the bullet exits the gun....the faster the recoil will hit you! It is possible to actually have a heavier bullet, shot at a lower velocity, not " feel" as hard a " kick" as with a lighter bullet exiting much faster. (Which is why the 7mm Magnum seems to kick harder shooting 160 grains than most .30-06' s shooting 180' s.) But like I said, it is subjective. Stock shape and how well the gun fits, or doesn' t fit, play a large role. Between all of the cartridges you mentioned, and the .30-06, probably only the .270 Winchester may be a " little less noticable" , but not appreciably! So, if you do consider the .30-06, just start with lighter bullets, and you' ll probably NEVER feel a difference!

stubblejumper

Lets look at those supposed advantages of the 30-06
1)ammo availability-If you take a couple of boxes of ammo with you you have enough to resight your gun if necessary and still take your game.If you have neglected to plan and did not bring enough ammo the 7mmremmag is very popular and ammo is available at all stores that I have seen that sell ammo.
2)If for some reason you lose your ammo again do to bad planning on your part-most of the people that I hunt with use the 7mmremmag while only one uses a 30-06.The 7mmremmag is actually more common in my area
3)The 7mmrem mag is available in 10 loadings from remington,7 from winchester,11 from federal,1 from speer,9 from hornady and 2 from norma for a total of at least 40 different loadings several of which would work well for any application
4)you can also shoot lighter loads in the 7mmremmag if recoil is a problem.Since most 7mmremmag rifles are slightly heavier the felt recoil is very comparable to the 30-06.
5)The 30-06 is available in 220 gr bullets but they are seldom used as the 165 to 180 gr bullets are used by the vast majority of hunters.Carrying some in your pocket will be of little use if you are attacked by a bear because you won' t have time to reload your gun anyway.
6)as mentioned earlier the 7mmrem mag is loaded in 40 loads which include hornady' s heavy magnum loads that offer incresed velocity and energy.