dhunterinla

Hi Barry, welcome to the forum and thank you for your service to this great nation! Personally, I use a Remington .30-06 that I bought used in a pawn shop last year. I use 150 grain noseler ballistic tips and have fired 4 shots from that rifle since a friend and I sighted the scope in. All 4 shots were killing shots and the deer dropped immediately on impact. Again, welcome to the board, you'll find more info here than you know what to do with.

jepcho

First off, Welcome to hunting and to the boards. Stick around here and most questions you have can be answered. As far as books, Walmart has a good selection of those basic learning books available by hunting species, or you can look on amazon.com. If you have any specific questions go ahead and ask. Good luck and enjoy hunting, it is the funnest thing I do throughout every year!

skeeter 7MM

Welcome first off!!!

As to the choice in chambering of your rifle, the 7mm rem mag will do nicely. It is my choice for an all arounder cartridge which has harvested moose, elk, deer and antelope in my case with ease. Bullet choice is very good due to the 284's popularity. If you plan to by OTC factory ammo you'll find it almost everywhere, good selection of bullets/styles and not to hard on the pocket book.

As to rifle both Savage and 700's are good choice, it boils down to personal preference and actual fit. The savage has a idiot proof self trigger adjustment in the accutrigger but 700 can be equally touched up by a component firearm owner or cheaply by any gunsmith as well to feel great. No doubt the savage is accurate/solid and of great value. The 700 is still known for strength and is usually pretty OofB accurate. I am not sure what model of savage but to me a blind(internal) box mag is it's only fault, as savage uses this on a number of their rifles. I did notice they do offer some DM's now though. The 700 is available in 2 mag types DM or Hinged floor plate both IMO are better than a internal, so slight edge goes her for me(again that is personal). The one thing I will caution you on in your choices is the muzzlebreak, first off the 7mm rem mag is not mild but is tolerable by most shooters in recoil and most importantly a muzzle break is extremely loud (it should never be fired without hearing protection used unless you don't value your ears!). If recoil presents a problem you can install an aftermarket recoil pad like sims or decelerator that will help emmense in felt recoil. In fact some of the new rifle come with the new SIMs factory installed so you may want to consider this while sorting through the various models as well.

As far as technigue just hang on this board and you'll learn a ton...lots of great/well versed hunters of varying locations and game animals willing to embark their thought/knowledge/experiences.

I disagree about the GPS as well, having used most of them I still find the Garmin product the best for ease of use/features/power consumption...being in the military you are probably more versed on this application then me, so chalk it up to personal difference of opinion.

Jacobi

Thanks for the input Skeeter.

As for the rifles, now it's between the savage and the new Rem. 700 XCR. Apparently they don't make the bdl ss anymore because it's not on their site. Anyways, I like the XCR much more. The main difference is price. The Sav. is $661 while the Rem. is $893. The muzzle break on the Sav. is adjustable so I figure I could use it at the range and not in the field. I would like to save the money and get the Sav. and be able to get a nicer scope, but if the Sav. won't hold it's own, and be dependable for years, I don't want to mess with it.

As for the GPS, the new Explorist series is top notch, do some research on it. We use a handheld Garmin on the boat as a backup for a backup for a backup (it's mainly just a toy) and I haven't been happy with it in the slightest. The new Explorist 600 has SD card expandable memory, USB computer hook-up, rechargeable battery, compass, barometer, altimeter, and with the expandable memory you can load as many points of interest as possible (the 1 gig card can load about 90% of the US).

Hunter06FlKy

Hey everyone. little new here. but i would have to say that if i wanted an all around big game or general hunting cartridge i would want the 30-06. you can use the mid-weight (125,150 and 165)stuff for deer and elk and such. but then you can load it down to the accelerator(55) and hunt yotes and varmits. then you can use the 220 on moose and anything else in north america and a good bit everywhere else.

skeeter 7MM

Jacobi you also have another choice in the remi the Model 700 SPS SS, it is basically the 04' BDL SS but has a few changes worth noting - floor hinged plate mag(this in a change to ADL not BDL really) and SIMS R3 recoil pad factory installed. It comes in a 7mm rem mag -26" barrel and on rems website suggest list is 619.00.

Don't worry about the Savage any, it is every bit a solid rifle it just depends on how it feels and personal opinion of features. Like I said if internal box mag I don't care for it but other could care less about this feature. Internet research is great but never make up your mind till you shoulder/cycle/touch/feel any rifle!! You may find a few that will do but I am willing to bet one that you just can't leave without. FWIW, your theory is extremely sound and agreed upon, when working on a budget save the money on rifle and put towards optics/rings/bases is a very good idea. Many feel (I agree) that a gun is only as good as it's dress (glass) and also confidence is IMO another huge factor. That's why I feel interms of rifle the fit/features, optics and mounts you can trust are worth the price or saving a few more months to get what you truly want. Best of luck!

GPS like I said is just my opinion, mine is plenty as I don't need maps uploaded, it is strictly a tool to get instant info, safety reasons and save locals. If I need a topo map I much rather prefer a larger scaled map that I can actually read and interpert but again everybody has their use, likes and dislikes..it don't have to be the same to be right just as long as your happy and it fills your needs, then go with it!

Best of luck!

skeeter 7MM

The same can be said about the 300 mag and IMO it is better choice if you want to chuck and get the advantage out of the 200 gr plus lead. I would feel confident and have on using my 7mm rem mag upto Moose sized game. Their simply isn't anything it won't due with 160 or even 175 gr bullet that the 06 will with 180 or larger. For large bears or dangerous game neither would make me feel to great toting, the 300 wim mag would be the smallest but in truth I'd much rather have 338 win or larger in that case. As to varmits the 7mm with proper bullet will work fine but if truly interested I think a specialized rifle for varmits is the way to go. Long and short many appear to crossover and may work to a degree, however in reality few will truly suffice for everything in NA. Good news it just means we all need a few guns in our cabinets...now tell me where the down side is..LOL! Not saying the 06 isn't a great choice for an all arounder for NA Biggame needs upto the big bears and the odd yote/varmit but I disagree it has any advatange over the 7mm rem mag or a few others for that matter either!

Not being a jerk just stating my opinion!

stubblejumper

The 7mmremmag is certainly a fine choice as an all around cartridge.You can use 140gr to 160gr bullets for game ranging from pronghorn to moose as long as you choose your bullets wisely.There is really no need for heavier bullets for these animals.There is absolutely nothing other than the largest bears that I would not hunt with the 7mmremmag.For the largest bears,I would want at least a .338win mag or perhaps even more.Good luck and good hunting.

North Texan

Howdy and welcome to the forums, Barry!

I agree with pretty much everything everyone else has said on the board. The .270 vs. 7mm vs. 30-06 debate has raged on for years, and will probably continue to be argued for years to come. Any of them will serve most people well. And both the Savage and Remington are fine arms that would serve you well. Like others have mentioned, your hunting success depends on your weakest link. Don't let it be your optics. If your going to skimp, skimp on the rifle and not the scope. I would also recommend a good set of binoculars. When stalking and scanning, good binoculars are worth their weight in gold. I've known some people that don't carry binoculars, they look through their riflescopes. Bigtime safety issue IMHO, because the rifle looks where the scope looks.

As far as hunting techniques, study the animals you plan to hunt, and know their habitat, food, habits, etc. Always be aware of the wind, and use it in your favor. Camoflauge color isn't a big factor, but how well it breaks up your outline is. Most game animals are active during the early morning/late afternoon hours, so I find the first few minutes during sunrise and the final minutes during sunset to be the most important.

Good luck and good hunting.

Hunter06FlKy

i know what you're saying skeeter. i'm not trying to step on your toes about the 7mm. the 7mm and '06 are both great cartridges that can take on most everything in na. its just a matter of personal preference in my opinion.