# New to all this



## Cool Breeze331 (Jul 13, 2011)

Hi I was wondering if anyone can help me out i am getting a 300 dollar scope from my Grandfather and im looking for a gun thats about 300 dollars and bolt action any suggestions? thanks


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

Opening your range up to $500 or a little above will increase your selection greatly. $300 will put you in the used market for the most part and probably the well worn and used market.

There are quite a few options from a little over $400 to about $550. It all depends on what type of gun you are looking for, caliber, intended use, etc. More details would help greatly with lots of guys giving you advice.

If you were looking, say, for a 270 winchester, open land deer hunting or a 22-250 or 223 for varmints, or any other variation of use/caliber it makes a lot of difference.


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## Cool Breeze331 (Jul 13, 2011)

well all i have is $300 and im just starting to get in the hunting field and i want a decent not to expensive caliber


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

Not sure where you are located, nothing in your profile. Start looking in the classified sections of hunting forums, often a few rifles posted in those, there are a couple on this site. other than that hit some sporting goods stores and look at the used racks, watch you local news paper for garage sales, sometimes good deals can be found.

A bolt action is a good choice, any major brand will do what you need it to. I prefer Savage, but Remington, Winchester Ruger, Browning all make good rifles. What you intend to do with the rifle will dictate your caliber choice. Need more info to make any more than generalized recommendations.

Welcome to the site!

huntin1


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## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Welcome to the site Cool Breeze!

Give us some more details like caliber, what you plan to hunt, what type of terrain you hunt, etc. Lots of smart gun guys on Nodak and they can help you out a ton!


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## Cool Breeze331 (Jul 13, 2011)

i want to hunt a variety of things such as whitetail deer coyotes fox and possibly even Pronghorn, Moose, Elk, Bighorn Sheep, and Mountain i want a universal caliber that will do the job for all these animals without having 15 different rifles idk the terrain yet i guess just the state of ND


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

With the range of game that you want to hunt, I would recommend one of these three calibers, 270, 308, 30-06. Any of these will take the game that you intend to hunt. You may have to change bullet type when after elk, moose, etc, but, there is a wide range of factory ammo available for all of these.

Huntin1


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

About the only choice you have is a Stevens from WalMart. Although the trigger is a little stiff I doubt you will be disatisfied for the money. It's available in the calibers huntin1 mentioned, and I would agree with him. Smaller calibers you can't hunt what you want, and you will just have to put up with big holes in small animals.


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## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

Cool Breeze331 said:


> i want to hunt a variety of things such as whitetail deer coyotes fox and possibly even Pronghorn, Moose, Elk, Bighorn Sheep, and Mountain i want a universal caliber that will do the job for all these animals without having 15 different rifles idk the terrain yet i guess just the state of ND


For ND, itd be tough to beat a .243 for an all-purpose cal.

Worry about moose and elk when/if you get a tag. :wink:


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## Cool Breeze331 (Jul 13, 2011)

so .243 is a good universal caliber ?


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## Cool Breeze331 (Jul 13, 2011)

what about the .270?


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

243 is a good caliber for most of the animals you mentioned, the only reason I didn't mention it in the previous post is because of you mentioning elk and moose. 243 would be marginal at best on these animals. 270 would be better and the 30 calibers better yet.

huntin1


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## Cool Breeze331 (Jul 13, 2011)

So would a Remington 770 in .243 or .270 a good choice for a cheap gun? :sniper:


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

Personally, I would go with a stevens or marlin XL7 long before a 770 remington. It has been beat to death, but there are quite a few issues/reviews and reports stating the common problems with the 770.

Also, while the 270 is a great caliber(I own 2), for all the game mentioned (specifically elk and moose) I would say the 30-06 probably has the advantage due to the ability to step up a lot higher in bullet weight, and it doesn't give up much in range to the 270. The 270 could get it done though, just a little more margin of error with the 30-06 and a heavier bullet when going after the larger ungulates. The 308 is also a fine 30 cal all around rifle known for accuracy.

Both the 30-06 and 270 are highly popular, highly available quality ammo and will serve your purpose.

The 243 would be a little light in my opinion for the largest animals on my list, but that isn't saying it couldn't be done with very selective shots, ranges and the right bullets.


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

I would go Stevens or Savage Edge in 7mm Rem Mag. Can do every thing you want, and with the180gr VLD is superior ballistically to pretty much any thing the 270 or 30-06 can put up. That would work nicely on elk or moose. Lighter bullets for smaller creatures. If you can find one in 7WSM that would work too.


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## Cool Breeze331 (Jul 13, 2011)

7mm rem are expensive im looking for cheap ammo like the .270 or cheaper like the .223


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## KurtR (May 3, 2008)

.223 not going to get it done for what you want. .270 is 19.99 for a box of core lokt and the 7mm is 23.99 for a box of 20 so the price is not that much differnet. the 7mm in the long run will do more


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

Trust me, for the amount you will shoot in a year, the 7mm Rem Mag won't cost much more at all. Plus it is ballistically better. I know that doesn't mean it is always the best choice, but it is damn hard to beat! Put the .223 out of your mind completely. The .243 is a good choice since chances are you will only get one moose or elk tag ever. 30-06 is a better choice than the .270. Maybe take a look at the 7mm-08. I hand load all my stuff, so I don't look at ammo prices very often. Not sure what they cost per box.


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## Cool Breeze331 (Jul 13, 2011)

well see the other point i would want the .270 is because its a little smaller round and i dont have a flinch with that round


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

Flinching is why I chose not to mention the 7mm Mag or the 300WM, both of which would be better all around. They both have considerable muzzle blast and more recoil than those I mentioned. For experienced shooters it is not that big of a factor. But, for someone choosing their first rifle, IMO they are a bit much.

I still think the 270 would be a good choice for what you want to do. It it were me though I'd go with the .308 just because it is my favorite caliber.

The Savage Edge or the Stevens would in my opinion be a better choice of rifle than the Remington you mentioned.

huntin1


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

With the same rifle and similar bullet weights you won't be able to tell if it is a 270 or a 30-06. Might be a bit more with the 7mm mag, but not much. Depends maybe on your shooting style and your physical stature. 308 and 30-06 are better choices than the 270.


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## Cool Breeze331 (Jul 13, 2011)

I am a fan of The Savage edge in .270 but im afraid of the .308 and the .300 of me not being incredibly accurate with them because of the recoil


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

The 308 will have less recoil than the 270. The 270 is basically a 30-06 case necked down to take a 27 caliber bullet. The 300WM on the other hand, will have more recoil. But also keep in mind that particularily with new shooters, flinch can be caused by not only the recoil, but the muzzle blast as well.

What I'm trying to say is that if you can handle a 270, then you can handle a 308 and likely would not have a problem with a 30-06 either. Just stick with the lighter bullets in the 30 calibers, 150's should do everything you want until you get ready for elk or moose, then you may want to go with a heavier bullet.

But it you have your heart set on a 270, go for it. It will handle what you want to do.

huntin1


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## Cool Breeze331 (Jul 13, 2011)

why would the .308 have less recoil?


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

The 270 has a larger case, more capacity for powder. But, alot will depend on the bullet and the weight of the rifle, but to keep it simple, if you use a 150 grain bullet in each, the 270 will have about 17.4 ft lbs of felt energy, the 308, 16.6 ft lbs. Not a lot of difference, some will notice it, others won't. Even jumping up to the 30-06 you don't get much more recoil as long as you keep the bullet weight the same, you do get more muzzle blast. Which can contribute to the flinch that new shooters develop, in some cases more so than felt recoil.

Now, if you drop the bullet weight in the 270 down to 140 gr, and raise the 308 to 175 gr, the 308 will have more recoil, 16.6 for the 140 gr 270, and 21.1 for the 175 gr 308.

These are rough figures and will vary according to muzzle velocity and the weight of the rifle.

Bottom line here is that you will likely not notice the difference in the recoil between the 270, 308 or even the 30-06 if you keep the bullet weight and the weight of the rifle the same.

huntin1


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

If new is not a necessity then you will have a variety of choices to look at in used rifles of which you can find some very good quality guns in that price range. Most rifles in the 25 cal and up will not have a lot of rounds through them. Also many of them will have been traded in not because of being a bad rifle, but because the previous owner got a case of Magnumits!

Was looking for a used .22 around town today and I found a number of .270 30-06 rifles on the shelves. These two calibers are tried and true and will always have a good and ready supply of ammo to chose from at the local vender's of ammo. You should be able to find a good used Savage,Rem,Weatherby Vanguard and even the Brownings which I am not a fan of in that price range.

If you go new, look at the Weatherby Vanguard, Stevens and Marlin. I have also heard good and bad regarding the Mossberg ART with the Accutrigger in them. I owned a .243 Mossberg for a short time and it flat out shot great groups using the package scope that came on the gun with just about any ammo I put in it. I sold it to a guy that needed a rifle and did not have a lot of cash.

Caliber choice is really a personal choice. Light guns and bigger calibers produce felt recoil period. For beginners recoil causes bad habits! If you decide on a 06 for example they make reduced recoil loads that I would highly recommend for getting use to shooting the rifle.


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## KurtR (May 3, 2008)

The recoil on the .308 is not bad at all my 6 year old son shoots it with proper form and insruction it is a very enjoyable cal to shoot and get proficient with. The .270 will do what you need to i just seem to have an affection for the short actions. If ammo price was not a big issue i would say look at the 7-08 or .260 both great cals but can get dicey finding ammo every where.


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

Not trying to be a jerk here, but you asked for us to tell you what we think. You have been given .308, 30-06, .243, and 7mm RM, but you keep throwing in 270. No one has said they would go with the 270 for their first choice(as of this time any way)and you still seem to want the 270. If you want the 270, just go for it, but know that it has no advantage over the suggested cartridges.

If you are a new shooter and/or small and recoil sensitive go with the .243. It will give very good performance on deer down to PDs and even take an Elk or Moose at decent range(I wouldn't, but that is just me). That is the go to deer rifle for many hunters I shoot with, and it is a great "all around" chambering. Go with a 1:8" twist barrel and you can even shoot 105-115gr bullets out to long distances for target if that interests you. You could always get a rifle with a muzzle brake if you are seriously bothered by recoil, but that will usually mean more muzzle blast, which may or may not cause you to flinch also.


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## Cool Breeze331 (Jul 13, 2011)

yes i know i just wanted info on the .270 from experts and honestly i want a cheap round that wont cost a lot i like federal cuz they are cheap and accurate but if you have any suggestions on who makes a cheap .308 or .243, .3006 or 7mm rem


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

Sorry, I am into accuracy and usually that is not cheap. If you want to look at ammo prices check cabelas.com, midwayusa.com, and others. You can do your own search without waiting for us to give you the info.


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## KurtR (May 3, 2008)

federal makes a cheap .308,.243 rounds. Cheaper than .270 with the .308 you can even get cheaper mill surplus. If i were you i would save and buy a reloading kit as you will be WAY ahead in the long run if you are into cost savings and quality ammo. Look at it this way you buy 200 rounds at 17.99 a box that is 10 boxes of 20 10x 17.99=179.90 you can damn near be set up to roll your own with just a little more savings. Once you start reloading the savings will be more and more down the road you will understand the rifle and ammo and in the end you will be a better marksman and have so many more options opened to you with being able to reload the bullet you want for the task. Saving is hard i know i am impatient but the wait is worth the return. If you have a local range go and talk to shooters there alot will let you fire a few rounds and maybe that will give you a better feel what you want. In the end only one person has to be happy that is you if you want the .270 go for it practice and it will serve you well. good luck with your decision dont over think it, its not brain surgery there is no "wrong" decision.


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

KurtR, is that really you? Did you get some feel good meds or some thing? I didn't expect any comments like that from you! :lol:


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## KurtR (May 3, 2008)

I think it is the heat or some thing. i want to go shoot today but for the next person who asks what is better bsa or braska i could get heat stroke :wink:


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

So which one is better for my tacticool longrange snipper gun. I'm thinking barska, but them NcStar's look pretty cool too. :wink:

huntin1


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## Savage260 (Oct 21, 2007)

The Barksa Swat Tactical is bada$$!!! I was shooting zombies in the head at 1000yds with my .204 a while back. Had to use the mildots and illumination because every one knows zombies only attack at night.


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## KurtR (May 3, 2008)

The truth is countersniper is the best they have a berillium tritium calcium infused reticle and a mildot in a mildot. Thanks to the govt over run you can get these 1000000 dollar scopes for only 99.99 plus s&h of course. Now all you need is a ruger mini 14 and 1000yds is childs play. :beer: was going to go to the range at 8:30 still 98 out and it is monday tommorow work always seems to get in the way of things


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## AdamFisk (Jan 30, 2005)

I feel your pain Kurt, with the damn heat.....I'm thinking snow in the forecast wouldn't hurt my feelings all that much right now.


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