Everyday Rifle

[NavDoc]

I know my handguns pretty well and am now interested in obtaining an everyday rifle. I inherited a 22 Win Mag but am looking for something in a bigger caliber. My local gun store guy recommended something in a 308 since 308 is is a pretty generic caliber and there is a lot of different ammo made for it. He recommended something like a Remington 700 in 308. I am not a hunter. I'm just looking to prefect my rifle skills. Suggestions please.

Thanks,

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[mcp1810]

I think that would be a fine choice. I didn't have Remington $$ when I was shopping for my .308 years ago so I got a Savage. Not as pretty, but it gets the job done.
One area of concern though would be the .308 caliber. Since November (maybe before) there has been a run on military cartridges. The logic of buying a military caliber rifle has been so universal that now everyone has them, and is trying to ensure their ability to feed them if new taxes are imposed. What you might want to do instead is go with something that is popular but not chambered in a service rifle.
It is of course a trade off. The very thing, the expected ease of access to ammo, that has made certain weapons very popular, has now sort of reversed itself. My Bass Pro had no .223 brass last night. Lots of .222 brass though. No 30.06 but plenty of .25-06.

[Siafu]

I know my handguns pretty well and am now interested in obtaining an everyday rifle. I inherited a 22 Win Mag but am looking for something in a bigger caliber. My local gun store guy recommended something in a 308 since 308 is is a pretty generic caliber and there is a lot of different ammo made for it. He recommended something like a Remington 700 in 308. I am not a hunter. I'm just looking to prefect my rifle skills. Suggestions please.

Thanks,

I just picked up a Ruger M77 Mark ll in .270 Winchester. I basically scored the deal of the year but from what I understand they are quite good and an excellent value. BTW: I paid $160 for this rifle.

[Ram Rod]

The .308 Winchester is also a nice cartridge to start reloading with. Used the model 700 in the Marines, but I love my Savage 110FP. I don't buy much ammo for my .308 since I make my own, but what I see available for ammo other than surplus, the supply hasn't been affected much.

[SIXTO]

I agree with the 700 in 308. Its a good solid platform that could be made into anything.

[bmcgilvray]

Another fan of the .308 here. Accurate and powerful, effective for most any reasonable task. One of the premier cartridges for hand loading fun for obtaining little tiny groups. The Remington 700 is as good a choice as any for a .308 rifle.

[edr9x23super]

+1 on the Savage, Ram Rod; I mean to pick up one of those in the near future. I had the chance to shoot one of the tactical models, and shot a Remington PSS as well in the same sitting. The Savage was every bit as accurate, shot for shot you could not tell one group from the other, the major difference being the Savage was less than half the money that was in the Remington....

[atctimmy]

Any Bolt action will do from the major brand. I'd suggest shopping around a bit and seeing what feels right and fits you well. With that said I have a rem 700 bdl in .308 and it is fantastic! I also love the size and fit of the rem model 7 carbine. Savage makes a decent rifle but is the Hundai of gun companies. Cheap and ugly but sound. The thing about Savage is that due to demand they are not nearly as cheap anymore. I'd spend a few more bucks and get a Remington, Ruger or Winchester.

[mr surveyor]

Every Day Rifle = 30/30 lever gun

[sgtD]

.308 is a great choice and is capable of doing anything you are likley capable of doing with it. Just look at some ballistics charts and compare it to the 30-06, then compare muzzle blast, recoil, and the size of the rifle and cartridge and you will see that the .308 was the first of the "short magnums". It is very efficient per grain of powder. I'll leave it at that, becuase I don't want to start a caliber war.

I too have a Savage and am going to get another one soon.

Commercially made ammo is easy to find, yet not as cheap as say 30-30 or 30-06 in most cases. Surplus ammo availability always varies according to many factors. As has been discussed here on previous threads, popularity of certain calibers seems to follow certain local trends that may affect availability of ammo in some ways. The .308 is not as nationaly ubiquitous as the aforementioned cartidges, howver that is not necessarily a bad thing. Here, the .308 is popular enough to be stocked in quantity in stores, yet not so popular as to be sold out like 30-06 sometimes is just ahead of deer season. Of course, simply stocking up ahead of time avoids any of these issues.

Another upside is that .308 is likely what many of the UN/NATO troops will be carrying if they ever invade your town to extinguish a horde of zombies. lol

[BlackJack]

I hate to go against the crowd, but….

If your goal is to perfect your rifle skills and you are not interested in hunting then I would recommend a good .22LR rifle. Maybe something along the lines of the Ruger 10/22. Using a .22 will allow you to practice your skills without having to deal with the recoil of a heavier caliber in addition to the benefit of being able to practice more because of the much lower cost of ammo.

Now, if you are looking for a “general purpose” rifle things are going to be a bit different. Something in .308 would make a good general purpose rifle covering needs from target use to hunting. The .308 will also give you reasonable range with most decent rifles giving you a 200 – 300 yard range and the better, more accurate, rifles giving you a range out to 500 yards or better. The only drawback to the .308, in my opinion, is the cost of the ammo.

Somebody also mentioned the .30-30 as a good “every day” rifle. The .30-30 is a good round and will also cover most needs, but it will limit your range. IMHO, and I think most people will agree, the .30-30 is only good out to 150 yards or maybe a bit more if you are a good enough shot.

All three rounds (.22LR, .30-30 and .308) will be available just about anyplace you go. Even if you do decide to go with the larger caliber rifle, you might want to consider a .22 for practice, if you do this try to get a .22 with the same style sights as you get on your larger rifle.

[NavDoc]

Thanks to all for your responses.

I have a 22 WinMag and a Browning 61 22LR here at the house. I'm pretty good with them. I just want to move up to something a little bigger with more range.

To all, today, I was shown a Mossberg 100 ATR with a scope for $299. It is the same price either in 308, 270, or 223. Would this be a good starter rifle? I was also shown the Remington 700 without a scope for $439.

I'm in no hurry. I'm just doing my research. Oh, by-the-way, what is the difference between "short action" and "long action"? The Mossberg 100 ATR shows that it is available in both.

Thanks again.

[Gideon]

Hi NavDoc, will this ever be used for hunting? And if so what...

Or is this just for range time and plinking?

308 is an awsome round and VERY expensive to shoot.

A lever action in .357 would allow you to use .38 or .357 magnums. That would allow less costly shooting (.38) plus have the ability to shoot a magnum round for SD (.357) or you could use it for deer or other game if you kept the distance in check.

If you're looking for a bolt action and want traditional wood I'd recommend you take a look at the line of CZ rifles. They make a 452 american in different calibers that's a wonderful value.

One champered in .223 would be great fun for the range and the ammo is cheaper. And ammo should be more plentiful if we really do start to draw down in Iraq....don't hold your breath there thought.

There's a lot to figure and it all depends how you'll really end up using it.

bolt's are accurate and fun but so are levers'. Auto's cost more and you tend to burn through more ammo with them.

A good Remmington 700 in caliber of choice (.308/.223) is also a very good value and is an excellent weapon.

Many choices....good luck

[Eagleks]

Pick a gun you like and the type of gun you like and want. Then figure out the caliber you want. Lever action, bolt action, semi-auto, etc.

A .308 is a good all purpose and will do about anything you want to do. However, it's not the one I would pick to go out to the range and shoot for 'honing shooting skills'. I'ld pick something with a less expensive ammo.

You can get lever actions that will shoot .38, .357. 40, .44, .45's....

Or... other than the obvious .22 LR, the .223, .243, .270, .308, 30-30, 30-06, etc.

[threeLegDog]

M14/M1A1 (if you can find one)?