JKlad

Hey all!

Just joined a new hunting club & need to get myself a good .308 bolt action rifle (will probably be buying used with a scope included, as my budget is only around the $900 mark max).

These guys do a lot of range practice and recommend the .308 as ex-army surplus rounds for it are cheap & plentiful here and perfect for range use; they also occasionally hunt large alpine deer that require a .270 as a minimum however they prefer that members joining hunts for these carry rifles chambered in at least .308. All my previous hunting has been feral goats & pigs using my trusty old .243 BSA Sporter and my little .22 Henry lever for the bunnies, so I don't have any prior experience with the .308 cartridge (have fired off a few rounds of my cousin's old Enfield .303, but that's about it).

I understand that with the more powerful .308 cartridge there is a trade-off between weight and recoil/accuracy, so while a heavy benchrest rifle will absorb some of the recoil & shoot nice tight groups with its heavy barrel you don't want to be hauling the thing up a mountainside for miles on your back tracking a prize sambar. Same thing with some of the new lightweight "lite" rifles; easy to carry around in the bush but they kick a lot and lose a little accuracy on the range once the lightweight barrel heats up.

Obviously the guys in the club have their own ideas about what I should get (mainly because they want to sell me their old rifles) however I thought I'd ask here to get a different range of opinions from experienced hunters here.

Thanks in advance!

jeremyh2os

I just got a remington 700 varmit. It does have a heavy barrel but it is not bad

JKCowBoy

I think Savage makes a great rifle for the money. Nice groups and super trigger pull.

Imrahil

Check out the Savage and Remington rifles, you can usually pick these up used (their higher end models) in the $400-$650 range here in the US. Can't say about prices since you are in Australia and I never had reason, or ability, to buy a gun when I was there. The Leupold VX-II is a great scope that would keep you around the $900 mark, but I would not ever suggest to buy a used scope unless you know 100% of the background on it. Don't forget to check out the Nikon's, they are producing a good scope for the money. Always keep in mind that no matter how good your rifle, ammo, and skills are they can never compensate for bad glass.

The recoil from a .308 is extremely easy to deal with, in fact my 45kg GF shoots mine quite often. The bull barrel will provide two main benefits to accuracy that aren't directly shooter related, and that is that it will stiffen the barrel giving you better harmonics and it won't allow the barrel to heat up as quickly. Increasing the surface area gives much better cooling properties, so if that is what you are worried about then you can also look at a fluted barrel to do both of those things, cool it faster and stiffen the barrel.

I wouldn't worry about recoil while hunting because with the adrenaline during a hunt you aren't likely to notice the recoil. I also wouldn't worry about barrel heat changing your POI because you shouldn't be firing more then every 5 minutes. 5 minutes is the standard for allowing your barrel to cool completely and return to the state of a cold bore shot. If you are still worried about recoil you could always have a muzzle brake installed, I have one on a 7 Mag and I can hold it with my fingertips instead of shouldering it.

As for the range, well the heat is actually pretty easy to deal with by simply letting your barrel cool. Give it 3-5 minutes between shots and it wont matter how thick or thin your barrel is. One trade off that I have found for my own hunting/stalking rifle is to use the Remington 700 SPS Tactical in 308. It has a 20" bull barrel (doesn't build as much velocity as a longer standard length barrel) with a Hogue Overmold Stock (lightweight, rubberized stock that feels great but tends to flex a bit too much for extreme accuracy). I love it, shoots plenty accurate for hunting (.5 MOA out of the box with factory ammo) and is light enough that I don't have to fear taking it out. The shorter barrel also makes it quite nice for moving around in brush and trying to get it in and out of vehicles.

Edit: Here is a review
snipercentral.com/spstactical.htm

Trowber24

Tikka T3 Lite. Most accurate out of the box rifle under $1k. Extremely smooth action.

jpkjk

Love the 308 an hav used since I was knee high to a grasshopper. As for what brand ? Everyone has a opinion an u Jus need to find the best fit. If I was u I would worry more about the glass ur gonna set on top of ur rifle cause n some cases it will code u almost as much as the rifle.

littlecricket

What he said

I have a t3 270 and when I go to 308 I will keep the same. Best section of any bolt rifle I've had my hands on.

MADMAX07

Check out the Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle. It has good reviews. If I was in the market for a .308 this is what I would get.

JKlad

Thanks for the input guys! Done a little online research with your recommendations so at least I know what direction I'm going in.

Since I'll be doing a fair bit of range work (the club's range program requires 35 rounds minimum per shoot, including some rapid fire matches) I'll be looking at something with a decent heavy barrel; time now to hit the gun shops & check them out in the flesh. And yeah, as regards comments on scopes I think I'll definitely invest in a decent new one & toss or sell the one that comes with the rifle (most of the second hand ones I've seen advertised come with scopes fitted, so not many bare rifles to choose from) since, as has been rightly pointed out, you never know how the used one has been treated. I've actually heard it said many times that you should spend as much on the scope (particularly a variable one) as you do on the rifle so I'll save my pennies & get something decent.

Thanks again for the help!

MrDillClinton

Remington 40xb