Beginner hunter. Entry level .308?

[proforguns]

Anybody own a Remington 770 in .308 Im looking to get into hunting and found this gun cheap .If this gun isnt any good can anyone give me some suggestions on one that is?Ill probably get into it but want to start cheap and then maybe upgrade later if my wife can stand me shooting bambi.Thanks

 

[Dawico]

I had a 710 in 30.06, if that helps any. They are a good place to start for an entry level gun. I prefer Savages myself, so if you care to, look at their Stevens line for other entry level guns. Remember though, a taken care of gun will last well beyond your lifetime, so it is better to save up for a higher end gun. If you have limited funds and need a gun now, go for it.

 

[Texasjack]

The Remington is a good quality gun that tends to hold value. There's nothing wrong with the .308, either. It does a good job and there is a nice variety of bullets available. They also don't have the nasty recoil of magnums.

I would suggest that you try several different bullets to see which ones your gun "likes" best. I had a Rem. 700 BDL that did best with heavier, slower loads (e.g., 180-gr), and a .30-06 (the parent cartridge to the .308) that would eat anything I put in it. Find the best load and the .308 is a very accurate rifle.

I spent a few years freezing in upstate NY and met some retired guys from the Remington factory at the shooting range. They explained to me that companies like to use their dies for as long as possible, so they really push the max. and min. barrel diameters. If you get a barrel made near the middle of the run, it will shoot best. I also met the Remington factory shooter, and he used to get a whole trunk load of guns from the factory and shoot them to see which ones had the best accuracy for his competitions.

 

[Bear8u]

i've got the 770 in .308 but i took the bushnell scope off and put a better pentax on it. it is a great shooter and my small frame wife can hit a 5" target at 200yrds every time. it loves the cheap federal power shock in a 150gr, this is a easy round to find and dirt cheap at walmart. i would recommend it as a cheap way to get into hunting.

 

[HuttoAg96]

take a long look at the marlin xs7 in .308. fabulous gun for the price. haven't seen a less than glowing review yet.

 

[proforguns]

Thanks everybody I spent the weekend watching an American Classic 2 (inexpensive 1911) shoot circles around my Kimber so I guess every once in a while you can get a good gun cheap Im 37 and just got into the WHOLE prep for stink hit the fan scenario Im looking forward to taking my first deer

 

[Texas1911]

I would suggest that you try several different bullets to see which ones your gun "likes" best. I had a Rem. 700 BDL that did best with heavier, slower loads (e.g., 180-gr), and a .30-06 (the parent cartridge to the .308) that would eat anything I put in it. Find the best load and the .308 is a very accurate rifle.

.300 Savage is the parent case to .308, it was basically an attempt to copy the ballistics of the .30-06 with a shorter case.

I personally would recommend saving for a Remington 700 SPS.

 

[dobarker]

Savage will also be selling a new rifle called the Edge. They've got good reviews but I can't say anything about them.
As far as the marlin XS7, I give it two thumbs up over the 710 or 770 any day of the week. If you can find a Remington 700 adl in .308, they run only 50 or so dollars above the 770 and are an amazing rifle with tons of upgrades, spare parts, and available work that can keep it working whenever you get there (20-30 years from purchase.) Just my .02.

 

[majormadmax]

Savage will also be selling a new rifle called the Edge. They've got good reviews but I can't say anything about them.

Yep, been keeping an eye on the new Edge myself; as I too have been thinking about picking one up in .308! They are not easy to find right now, and I have yet to actually hold one; but I am in no rush and don't mind waiting for what appears to be a great rifle at a very inexpensive price!

Cheers! M2

 

[kfog]

entry level? marlin xs-7, great gun for a great price. in my opinion it smokes the others in that price range.

 

[Texasjack]

.300 Savage is the parent case to .308, it was basically an attempt to copy the ballistics of the .30-06 with a shorter case.

A case could be made either way. All three cases have the same diameter, all three have different lengths and shoulder angles. The .300 Savage pre-dates the .308 by about 30 years and was developed to produce performance similar to a .30-06 in a medium length action. The .308 was developed for the same reason and adopted by the military as a replacement for the longer .30-06.

 

[Hotshot12]

I held one of savages new edges the other day. They handle amazing. I haven't shot one yet but from what I hear about the it is awesome. Also savage is known for accurate, well made, and cheap rifles. + 1 for the savage

 

[majormadmax]

I just ordered a Savage Edge XP from Bud's, just under $300 with a scope and I've been wanting a .308 for a while! Everything I've read on the new Savages has been positive, and I am looking forward to seeing how accurate it really is!

Cheers! M2

 

[proforguns]

Here she is boys and girls a Savage 10FXP .308 Wally world $384+tax thanks for all the advice now off to the range this weekend to sight her end and find some way to convince my wife it needs a better scope lol
View attachment 4117 View attachment 4118

 

[dobarker]

^^^I bought one just like that for my sister last Christmas. Just an FYI, if you handload for it, I managed to get 3 shot one hole accuracy at 100yds with Nosler 150gr. ballistic tips over H4895 in a once fired neck resized case.

With Winchester standard Super X 150 gr. I was annoyed at it for only throwing 2.5" groups (sighting in ammo).

 

[M. Sage]

2.5 inches at 100 yards is acceptable deer rifle accuracy.

 

[dobarker]

2.5 inches at 100 yards is acceptable deer rifle accuracy.

It's very true, but after the eye opening experience of handloading was learned I've become very anal about accuracy. It was good kill accuracy but with it being a gift I wanted to tailor it to be all that it could be, to date it's taken 4 whitetails and one 250+ lb axis.

But groups out of the stock rifle with low cost factory ammo, like M.Sage said, there would be no problem hitting the kill zone on a deer at 100yds.

 

[M. Sage]

What kind of procedure are you using to load accurate ammo for it? I just got some .223 dies today.

 

[dobarker]

What kind of procedure are you using to load accurate ammo for it? I just got some .223 dies today.

Lots of hands on stuff. I load on a single stage RCBS JR.3, Take the once fired brass, lube it and run it through the neck resizer/decapper with the adjustment set to just touch the shoulder but not alter it. Trim each case mouth to the exact same length for each one, debur, chamfer case mouths and clean the primer pocket. Hand-seat each primer, using a digital powder scale measure out each powder charge, then measure it again, if there is any variance, do it again. Seat bullet 0.001 inch off of the lands ( a dummy load covered in permanent marker helps on that). Finish by putting a modest but not overly heavy crimp on it, I use a lee factory crimp die for that part. If using in a semi-auto then go firm crimp.

If you need any suggestion on how to get the bullet seated just to the lands let me know, I have a method I learned out of an old Sierra manual, as well loaded cases should be measured by the ogive, not OAL.

 

[M. Sage]

Lots of hands on stuff. I load on a single stage RCBS JR.3, Take the once fired brass, lube it and run it through the neck resizer/decapper with the adjustment set to just touch the shoulder but not alter it. Trim each case mouth to the exact same length for each one, debur, chamfer case mouths and clean the primer pocket. Hand-seat each primer, using a digital powder scale measure out each powder charge, then measure it again, if there is any variance, do it again. Seat bullet 0.001 inch off of the lands ( a dummy load covered in permanent marker helps on that). Finish by putting a modest but not overly heavy crimp on it, I use a lee factory crimp die for that part. If using in a semi-auto then go firm crimp.

If you need any suggestion on how to get the bullet seated just to the lands let me know, I have a method I learned out of an old Sierra manual, as well loaded cases should be measured by the ogive, not OAL.

I'm going to be loading for semi-autos, so it's going to be a full-length size with RCBS small-base dies. Also got the Lee factory crimp die because I'd heard that it was a must, especially for autos.

I'll probably have a little more set-back than that since again this is for autos, and unless I decide to cook something up for my rifle especially, I'm sharing resources with someone else, so it's got to work in 2 or 3 different rifles.