• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Rifle suggestions, your choices?

A

Arnthugo

Private
Minuteman
Mar 1, 2009
24
1
Hi (just makes it clear im a newbie with the rifle)
Im a fresh hunter at the moment and am wondering about to getting me a rifle...
Wondered about some of you with some experience could give me any good tips? Im looking for more something that i can use on the size of a moose and smaller. But in same time im looking for one that can be used on long range. For use on reindeer at the mountain. A kind of more allround rifle. A solid and loyal rifle i hopely can have rest of my life, would be nice with a caliber with wide accession of bullets etc. for homeloading=)
And of course a tactical one with adjustable stock etc.

Sorry with bothering you with this kind of question, but it would make me very glad if you could tell me your opinions.
I would also like to know about any manufactors/sellers that got a wide overview of tactical rifles.

Thanks from your little alliance norway=)
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ArntHugo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hi (just makes it clear im a newbie with the rifle)
Im a fresh hunter at the moment and am wondering about to getting me a rifle...
Wondered about some of you with some experience could give me any good tips? Im looking for more something that i can use on the size of a moose and smaller. But in same time im looking for one that can be used on long range. For use on reindeer at the mountain. A kind of more allround rifle. A solid and loyal rifle i hopely can have rest of my life, would be nice with a caliber with wide accession of bullets etc. for homeloading=)
And of course a tactical one with adjustable stock etc.

Sorry with bothering you with this kind of question, but it would make me very glad if you could tell me your opinions.
I would also like to know about any manufactors/sellers that got a wide overview of tactical rifles.

Thanks from your little alliance norway=) </div></div>

Hunting Moose? North American Moose are BIG creatures that can be very dangerous and should not to be pissed off with little guns. You want a hunting rifle and a tactical rifle all in one? I would choose one of two very well established cartridges that have been widely accepted and won't go away any time soon.

I have very high respect for the .338 Lapua Magnum. It is an extremely well designed and very accurate cartridge. I've shot a few hundred rounds conducting load developement for a friend's SAKO TRG-42. That is a dream rifle to shoot, excellent for hunting and tactical shooting and extremely accurate. If I were ever to get a magnum rifle for both big game hunting and tactical shooting, that is the rifle I would choose.

If I were to choose a different magnum for hunting and tactical work here in North America, I would choose the tried and true 300 Winchester Magnum. It's been around for a long time and tactical units all over the world have proven it's worthiness. Ammunition is available world wide so you won't have to look very hard for it. The same rifle, the SAKO TRG-42, also comes in 300 Winchester Magnum.

So my answer is get a SAKO TRG-42 in one of the two calibers it comes in. You won't go wrong.


 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

There are lots of choices here. The 338 Lapua is an excellent choice as is any of the 300 magnums. I am a Weatherby guy and wouldn't trade my 300 for the anything. It has become my all purpose rifle. I will say that the 338 offers a better selection of high BC bullets then 30 calibers do. However I don't know that I would try hunting white tail (for meat) at under 300 yards with a 338. But that is just me. Basically pick your poison because you can't go wrong with any of the above mentioned calibers.

What are your plans for the rifle? Are you looking to buy a factory rifle off the shelf, have a custom built, or modify an existing rife? All of these come into play here also. If you are having a custom built then the sky is the limit and you can do anything you want. On the other hand if you are working on a budget, modifying and existing firearm, or buying a factory rifle then there will be some limitations.
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

I'd go with a 300 Win mag , plenty of good bullet out their for both hunting and long range shooting , the 208 A-max is said to be showing some serious promis on game and its BC is perfect for long range shooting.
A 7mm mag would be another good option , moose are big animals yes but their not realy that hard to kill like elk and whitetail deer are. The 168-180 class bullets are awsome at long range and the weapon won't beat the hell out of you as bad as some other bigmags.

I've heard alot of folks in Europe talk about killing most of their game with a 6.5x55 with 140gr bullets including moose and smaller bears
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

thanks, well the normal range here is usally max 150m for moose, and the law demands at least 9g bullet and 2700 Joule at 100m. I dont know the size for the moose in North America but i think a male is around 360-600kg usally here. Most popular cal. 308.win but that is at range around 80-150m.
Never heared about its so dangerous as you says. The biggest danger is to be shot by another hunter, statistic says its around 1 death accident each two years if we count all hunting in norway.

Anyways i will take a search and look a bit around.
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

I guess it will be a factory rifle, because im taking education, and hopely will do that 2 years as civilian and the 8 others in the army. A custom rifle is usally more expensive, and i guess i need some competanse to build one by myself, it aint something you just can read by yourself and do it well i guess, for my own and other security=)
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

My ideas will probably not be the same as the majority here. I favor a lighter package for uses that are more generalized. Most folks seem to favor a heavy rifle for tactical applications and a lighter one for hunting. I think the lighter hunting rifle, if the rifle and shooter are both competent, serves the combination of applications better, especially in the mountains, as you suggest. I also prefer longtime proven and popular calibers that are most likely to be available more widely in a reasonable choice of loadings.

I like the .30-'06, and my light tactical/hunter is an M70 .30-'06 that wears a lightweight B&C aftermarket stock. Looking at Savage, which is my favorite manufacturer, I find a package rifle, the Savage Model 111fcxp3 to be very close to my M70 setup, and relatively affordable. In essence, the rifle compares similarly to the M96 Swedish Mauser and M1903 Springfield rifle in weight and size, and the scope sighting would be an improvement over those rifles. In my opinion, the lighter weight is essential to ease of carry, and the .30-'06 is the best compromise between recoil and terminal performance.

There are definitely more beautiful and capable rifles out there, but as a hunter with some pretenses of tactical performance, the price and versatility of this package would appeal to me very highly.

Greg
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

Hard to beat the versatility of the 30-06! The guide I hunt with in Canada prefers a .270 for Moose and bear, its all about bullet placement and selection. Buy what you shoot the most comfortable. If you are new to the sport and leaning toward a Magnum caliber, I would try to find someone who has the caliber you are interested in and set up a "test drive". The 300 win mag and 300 wsm are great calibers as is the 7mm rem mag. I have all three of these mags and I usally deer hunt with the 30-06,
25 wssm,or 7mm 08 and I bear hunt with the 7mm rem mag. I have never hunted moose.
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

IMHO, 300 win mag properly loaded can be quite effective even out to beyond 1200 yards. (I am NOT saying that it has enough powder still to take down a moose-- unless it is a well placed shot). That is for the long range target/tactical scenario you were talking about. The rounds are cheaper to load and shoot. I prefer the 300 win mag over the 300 WSM, because of the ability to use the longer bullets (over 200 grains).

If money is not an issue, you can't beat the 338 LM. Very accurate to long range. It is chambered to the tone of $6 dollars per shot (unless you reload). It is capable of taking any gameand then some, in the North America.

I love both of my 300 win mag, and 338 LM.
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ArntHugo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hi (just makes it clear im a newbie with the rifle)
Im a fresh hunter at the moment and am wondering about to getting me a rifle...
Wondered about some of you with some experience could give me any good tips? Im looking for more something that i can use on the size of a moose and smaller. But in same time im looking for one that can be used on long range. For use on reindeer at the mountain. A kind of more allround rifle. A solid and loyal rifle i hopely can have rest of my life, would be nice with a caliber with wide accession of bullets etc. for homeloading=)
And of course a tactical one with adjustable stock etc.

Sorry with bothering you with this kind of question, but it would make me very glad if you could tell me your opinions.
I would also like to know about any manufactors/sellers that got a wide overview of tactical rifles.

Thanks from your little alliance norway=) </div></div>

Moose are not that difficult to fell, its a myth and every year here, moose are dropped with 7-08. The most used caliber in the bush for caribou is 243. Many Anchorageites have magnumitist as I, still love the 338 with large magnum champagne cases.

I would recommend a 700 SPS Stainless is either 308 or 300WSM due to the short action for lighter weight or 06 is just fine. Bullets selection is best with 30 cals. Have it rebarreled someday to a slightly heavier contour with flutes and swap out the stock. Stick on Seekins alloy rail and rings with 4-12x44ish sight. Swap out the trigger. It is my guess this would be ideal for both hunting and range work.

Good luck!
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

I most agree in the fact that everything here is good tips and everything has something positive and negative.
Could i ask about any know a good online dealer with package offers with the TRG 42 and some of the other rifles you have told me about? I got experience that its much cheaper in the states than in Norway. So far i have seen only the rifle alone cost around 5610 USD in Norway (TRG 42 .300 Win Mag). And the dollar is high at the moment.
I do also wonder why is the green version more expensive than the black? Nearly so much as 1000 USD. Any one know the reason for that?
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

Money strap? Grandaddy or forerunner of the TRG's is theFinnish Mosin Magant 28/76,7.62 X 54R,target and match Markmanship Rifle for $995.00.available at 1 888 748 5252 Aimpoint Surplus here in American. You could have a gunsmith stick a scope on it ,be one hellof a weapon for a few dollars! Last batch of rifles were made in the 70's or 80's too.Ammo is right up your alley too.
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

The .338 rum gets pretty much the same fps as the lapua but cost less than half as much on ammo or reloading stuff.I got the .338lm just for the cool factor but if I were new and basicly just wanted a moose rifle I'd just get the rum.
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

Remington Ultra Mag family is based off the 404 Jeffery case necked down to 338, 30, 7mm IIRC Harold.
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

Greg Langelius we are thinking alike again on this one. For packing across open range or carrying all day in any terrain a light weight quick and maneuverable 1903 or 03A3 30 06 is hard to beat. It's less punishing to shoot than any of the magnums, lighter over all wt., and has terminal ballistics that brings down Moose every year. When I was in Alaska saw more Moose killed with cars than guns. Nasty sight usually comes through the front windshield. They just stand too tall to get caught in the front grill.

My O3A3 got a new B square mount with Bushnell halo-sight like Eotec. Works great for aging eyes and 200-300 yd shots are a snap.
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

A good .308 is accurate, easy on the wallet to feed, and will handle most real hunting scenarios.
you need to decide only if you want a walking around stalking type rifle, or a prone/beanfield type.
for an all around rifle, a good bolt action sporter from remington, tikka, savage or winshester come to mind.
put a good scope, (spend at least as much on the scope as the rifle)
on it with steel rings and bases, and you should be good to go.
.308 along with 30/06 .243 are all good choices

Once again, the .308 reigns supreme here in the ammunition selection.

You need to decide a few things, then do your homework, handle a few at the gun shop, or better yet, the range.

A good rifle will last longer than you, so spend your money wisely and then have fun.

welcome to the hide.
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

Given the short range you state(<150M), the 308 or 30-06 should be more than adequate. Guess it depends if you have your heart set on a magnum or if you are a more practical type.
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

I'm going to go ahead and say plan on doing 2 rifles. One for hunting, light weight, accurate and one for your long range target/tactical. The Tikka T3 lite for hunting and a T3 super varmint for tactical would be a good pair, I'm just going with tikka because IMO they are one of the best deals going for an accurate factory rig, and I have no idea what else is available in norway
smile.gif


They are very different games and ideally require different tools. You can use them for either, or build a compromise for both but neither will be ideal. For a pure hunting gun I don't want it over 8lbs total package. If you do serious hiking at elevation you will be very happy you went lighter. Yes you can carry a 7kg rifle anywhere a 3.5-4kg rifle will go, guys carry 20kg loads all the time at elevation but it will make a huge difference if you can reduce your overall load by that 3kg. For hunting the first and maybe second shots are all that count, if you need more than that the rifle isn't the problem. You don't need a big bull barrel for that kind of work.

Caliber wise again I'm not sure what is popular in Norway but here I'd recommend the 30-06' for it's easy to find ammo for, and it's very versatile in bullet selection. The 300 win mag is another good one. So in that case you may need to defer to what is popular/available there.
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

Oh my goodness, I never noticed you're asking from Norway.

A Swedish Mauser M1896 with the longer barrel, in good condition, will probably serve your needs very, very well. I imagine there are some relaible scope mounts available in your locale, and some sort of midrange cost variable scope like a Weaver V-16, woudl do the job nicely. All sorts of good ammo for a number of applications should also be available.

Greg
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

What about a Savage in .308? From what I've read on this site barrels are easy to change out. Just buy and extra barrel for long range shooting and something like a Bell & Carlson stock and switch them out depending on what type of shooting you are going to do? Or is this more complicated than it seems?
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

I have been reading about the .300 Winchester Magnum in my reloading book. It looks like a "dream bullet" for everything.

The main reason im very careful is that the damn politicans have reduced the number of firearms for hunting you can own to 6 or 4 i think. Guess it will be even lesser in 15 years, at least i wont be surprised.

But the Tikka Tactical is much lighter than the TRG that was suggested earlier. And my condition at the moment would be very glad to go down to the weight of the Tikka.
And it should be accurate for a longer range than standard hunting rifles if i choose .300 Win Mag, right?




 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

Hi again

I didnt make to be me a rifle last year because of some economic reasons.
Now im wondering about i should choose the Tikka Tactical or Benelli R1 (semi auto).
Is anyone that can tell me what presision i can achive with this two rifles?

Greetings from Norway
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

I use a Tikka varmint stainless (virtually the same as the tactical but without the black finish, rail and cheekpiece) for hunting and target work and can vouch that it serves these purposes well.
The Tikka is really excellent for the money - first shot out of a cold barrel is always bang on, its light enough to hunt with yet the heavy barrel works well for targets. My hunting loads have consitantly achieved between .5 and .75 MOA at up to 500 yards (this is in .270). Must admit I don't use it that often for targets as I've got other dedicated target rifles to use, but if I had to have just one rife to do both it would be the Tikka.
 
Re: Rifle suggestions, your choices?

If you plan to use this rifle for large game less than 200 yards I love the 450 marlin lever gun! I have one and it shoots great, easy to handle, put some warne QR rings on it and you still have the ability to use your open sights if need be. Over 200 yards you can't beat the 30 cals. I have a 300WSM and I believe this rifle has more than enough energy to take moose out to 300-350 yards. Just my .02
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

StocknRock
Prs rifles beginner/budget and if the remington 700 is worth getting off the shelf in 2024?
Replies
78
Views
2K
EscapeVelocity
EscapeVelocity
W
  • Poll
Rebarrel Choices
Replies
14
Views
525
WeiserBucks
W
KevinWood44
Choose your rifle and ammo if....
Replies
17
Views
570
Trigger Monkey
Trigger Monkey
M
Looking for advice on a precision rifle
Replies
3
Views
355
mjwilcox38
mjwilcox38
ut755ln
Rifle Help, I will be specific with background
Replies
3
Views
150
Secant
Secant
Top Bottom
Back