Buying that first rifle (UPDATE with Pics)

[jokester]

Well, it's finally time! I've been meaning to get a new rifle to use for deer & elk here in the PNW. After doing some research, i've decided on the Remington 7600 30.06! NOW, the question is...do I want synthetic stock or wood grain? I like the looks of wood grain and i'm leaning towards buying it, but I know that synthetic will hold up better as far as dings & scratches go.

Thus...I pose a question for all you rifle owners out there. What's your input on the stock/forearm pieces? Using them in the field, is it better to have one or the other? This will be a gun that will see it's use out in the field not hung up on a shelf or wall for 5 years without firing it! If you had it to do again, would you purchase the opposite of what you have now ? Thanks in advance for all your help!

-jokester

[ 02-21-2004, 06:41 PM: Message edited by: jokester ]

[jr sherwood]

I have a Rem. Mod. 700 30.06 i bought in 1969. It looks as good today as it did the day i bought it. All wood. Don't lean the weapon against your truck tire and drive away, don't drop it while going down rim rock . [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img] Wood looks good! jr

[ICHTHYDEMON]

I bought my first rifle in 1991 when I turned 18. I fell in love with a Winchester M70 Featherweight in .270Win. It was my first and last wood stocked rifle. We hunt in the NW,where its always wet and nasty during hunting season.IMHO the NW is a perfect place for a synthetic stocked rifle. I still cringe when I look at the scratches and dents in the stock of my baby.

[Bait O' Eggs]

I will never buy another wood stock rifle.

they get beat up if you use them (at least like I do) wood breaks, I know, a buddy tried to club a coon one night with my rifle and busted the butt stock full length :depressed:

If you plan to hunt it, get synthetic IMHO.

[Rauly]

I agree with BOE get synthetic.

BOE tell your buddy to try and shoot the coon next time. That is what the rifle was made for.

Rauly

[Washington Hunter]

A rifle with nice wood looks good, but a hunting rifle isn't for looking at. The fact that wood can get scratches and dings is not that big of a deal, but what is a big deal is the wood can swell up when hunting in the rain. This will change where your rifle shoots, and that's not good. So I'd say if you plan on hunting with it, get the synthetic stock.

[id. painter]

I wouldnt own a synthetic. Im an artist and that black plastic is just too ugly for me.
I have hunted all of my rifles a ton.
I glass bed the action and barrel. They stay sighted in always rain or shine .
I do put a scratch on one now and again. I dont use them as walking stick , but for hunting they are fantastic. After enough scratches you can always refinish the wood or get a new one.
Pretty is important to me. id. painter

[Radke]

some of those synthetic stocks look pretty good any more. Not as pretty as a nice wood perhaps, but given the benefits, I'd go synthetic. Then top it with a SS barrel and action.

[BigFishFever]

I personally, really like the look of a nice wood stock on a blued rifle..I own several
of them, however the next rifle I own will be a synthetic/stainless model.
I tend to fall down and get dings in the stock every year in the woods...and then spend the rest of
the year sanding/refinishing the wood stock...to much work.
A nice synthetic stock/stainless action and silver scope is awful easy on the eyes as well.

[salmurai]

With your choice of the 7600, I doubt if you really have to worry about the swelling of the stock to make much of a difference in changing the point of impact, as you would if you chose a bolt gun. I personally, would go with the wood stock, it's just easier on the eyes. With reasonable care and average use, it should last you a lifetime. Good Luck.

[Ragnar]

Jokester,
One of my first rifles was the Rem. 7600 30-06.
While I love the 30-06 aspects of it, I quickly became disenchanted with the heavy auto-loader qualities along mechanical jamming problems.
The conditions here in the N.W. are quite nasty (rain, snow, ice, mud, sand, dirt, grime, and debis) at times, as we all well know.
I've hunted clear-cuts, brush, timber and open country and have come to my personal decision to go with a bolt action (positive feed-claw extractor) in stainless steel/composite topped the very best optics you can afford. The animals you kill will thank you for it (the optics). And dispite how good of a shot we think we are.... I've been humbled lately by my lack of actual marksmanship compared to how I thought I was.
I was wishing for better optics myself this last hunting season.
I guess I'd better get those tax returns taken care of.

This bolt action-stainless-composite comination, is a total no-fail system. No rust, chipping, swelling, cracking, added weight of an automatic or worries about the Fashion Police coming to arrest you for not using the most choice English Walnut for your shock.
You can run over these things with a truck practically without damage.
Sorry for getting a little off topic here, but anyway....
there's my 2 cents.
Ragnar

[jokester]

Thanks again for all the replies! Keep em coming!

-jokester

[sunshinefisherman]

Please buy stainless and synthetic. This will be a working gun for you as is my own Winchester classic 30-06. Wood stocks are OK for working guns as long as you hunt in dry weather and you can accept that they will get banged up. If you will be doing long range shooting (200 yards+) a wet wood stock can change your point of impact by deflecting the barrel.
As to a scope; if your budget allows it, Leupold has a great product and awesome customer service. I recommend the Vari-X III 4.5 - 14 40 mm with either a heavy duplex or an illuminated reticle.
Good hunting!

I own both SS and blued rifles.

SS is not nearly as strong as steel so they are generally heavier than a steel rifle.

SS will corrode but not as fast or as bad as steel.

Synthetic stocks are good but ugly and if you leave one in the back of you car or truck on a hot day they WILL warp. Fiberglass will not do this. Fiberglass stocks cost big bucks (I know, I have several) and can look allright.

Synthetic stocks can be noisy.

Wood stocks look and feel nice but are susceptible to moisture (unless you do what I have done and they are impervious to moisture.

Wood stocks are usually quiet.

Steel rusts if not protected.


If you are hunting in wet country a steel rifle can be protected from moisture by putting Johnson’s Paste Wax on the wood and metal.

My wood stocks are all routed out on the inside and FULL-LENGTH glass bedded, with a 3/8 channel down the length filled with glass (makes them ridgid). I put the stocks into a vacuum chamber filled with Woodlife and linseed oil and left them there for a week or more. Then I rubbed in many coats of linseed oil. The barrels are free floating.

I hunted in an area that got 168" of ran a year and never had problems with rust or wood swelling.

If it were me I wouldn't get a semi-auto. Browning BLR or a bolt action will be a better choice.

What to do, what to do

[jokester]

In the happenstance I decide to go with synthetic and an SS barrel, is there any more glare off of a silver finished scope compared to the gloss or matte finishes?

-jokester

Matte silver reflects less than gloss black.

I have matte black scopes on all of my rifles, including the SS and NP3 plated ones.

[ 02-12-2004, 10:36 AM: Message edited by: Keta ]

[ICHTHYDEMON]

If you go with a SS rifle,you don't have to put a silver scope on it. My Ruger MK77 All-Weather is SS and synthetic. I put a matte silver scope on it,and I don't like it as much as I thought I would. I just put a matte black scope on a SS,synthetic rifle and I think it looks good together.

[James in Idaho]

MHO, black plastic stocks (and off the shelf ones tend to be noisy) and stainless are butt ugly. Wood and blue is pretty, and I like pretty things. A 7600 (that's a pump, right?) in stainless or blue is going to be extra work cleaning wise no matter what. The trigger group pops out just like a remington shotgun, so that's pretty easy, but cleaning around the bolt is a pain. All but one of my rifles are over 20 years old, all are blued/wood, and all are in excellent shape. If I was real worried about wet weather, I'd build a rifle, and not mess around with off the shelf stuff. Fiberglass over foam core hand laid stock (Brown makes 'em), Mauser action, Timmney trigger, good barrel and a Nixon scope. I would have the metal all covered with the black teflon type coating in a matte finish, except the bolt would be left bright. For a 7600, I'd go wood and blue. Buy some Balistol, and learn how to take it apart to clean and you'll be fine.

[ICHTHYDEMON]

Here are two examples

[BrianMaguire]

Everyone has good points. I have both 2 wood/steel and 1 SS/Syn. I have a 30-30 for hunting thick brush, I like the carbine and its quick to shoulder in tight spots, 2 '06's both Rem 700's, one is a classic BDL and the other is a Mtn rifle.

You have to ask yourself what are you going to be hunting primarily. If you are going to be putting 10+ miles on your feet each day then go synthetic and use a recoil pad (save the weight) wood gets heavy. If you are not traveling long distance with the gun then you may want a wood stock and have the barrel free floated.

Also with the scope there are trade offs between big high powered zooms and weight. You are the one that has to carry it and the rifle/scope combo is so heavy you have it in a sling all day then you are probably going to miss game.

[ 02-13-2004, 12:32 AM: Message edited by: BrianMaguire ]

[Chrome Bumper]

I have an old wood and blue 740 pump 30.06. Got rusty where I touched it and stored in a humid place (my bad)and the cat peeing on the case didn't help. I would prefer a synthetic stock over wood. Wood is looking crummy since I carry it around in the rain and it seems fragile. Got a Simmons 2.5-10x45 scope after spotting elk with my 4 power at +/- 300 yards several times and not being able to draw a good bead. Not really used to the scope yet but it does not seem very bright in the darkness of thick cover. Sporty at Claskinie sold it to me, he has a huge collection, didn't cost a lot though. It seems like a bolt would be nice because you can chamber a round quieter. The 740does cycle reliably (knock on wood)and it did fill my cow tag Sunday. Missed my aim point by several inches. I need to burn a box or two of shells shooting standing and sitting to improve my aim and sight-in before winter cleaning / lay-up. The elk don't seem to want to stand still long enough to find and hunker down on a good rifle rest.

[Elkhunter]

Do you want it to look pretty or be as durable as possible. It's a tool, think of it just like a hammer. Stronger, lighter, won't scratch, won't swell, ect. Looking pretty doesn't help it shoot any straighter. I actully like the looks of the synthetic, ever seen the Weatherby stocks?

[jokester]

Well, I made a stop by Sportsman's Warehouse today and look what I had to take home :grin:





Remington 7600 30.06 with a Leupold 3x9 40mm VX-II scope. Look out big game...jokester's got himself a new toy! I can't wait till deer and elk season start! I'm hopefully gonna get to break it in at the end of this March on a big boar up in Washington! Thanks to all who gave me their input

-jokester

[The Overfishin Condition]

Between my dad and I we have 3 760s, two 30.06s and a .270, my uncle also has it in a .308. Gotta love 'em! Congrats on the first one!

[Buck50]

Ok jokester, now that you got the new toy. Don't forget the May 15th controlled hunt deadline! Get yourself a copy of the regs and/or a tag guide. It's time to figure out what you're gonna use that new cannon on!
Have fun and good luck!

[jokester]

Ok jokester, now that you got the new toy. Don't forget the May 15th controlled hunt deadline! Get yourself a copy of the regs and/or a tag guide. It's time to figure out what you're gonna use that new cannon on!

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Already on it! I've been pondering over them for a month now :grin:

-jokester

[Small Fry]

Jokester
I have an .270 and a 06 like the one you bought. Your going to like shooting with it. Good choice and good luck hunting.

[winterkill]

I use the same exact rifle and I even have the same scope too. It is a great gun and I have taken many game with it. There is one thing you can never forget with this gun: CLEAN IT, CLEAN IT again, and when you think you have cleaned it enough, take out the gun cleaning kit and clean it again. When I first got the rifle, I didn't know it hadn't been cleaned in a long time. Then during elk season I found out that it was too dirty to fire the hard way; A herd was walking single file past me at about 50 yards, I raised up to shoot the first spike, the gun wouldn't fire, after a couple of cows go by here comes another spike, another "dud," eventually one more spike and two branch bulls went past and I couldn't get a shot off because of all the dirt in the gun. I found out the hard way, hopefully you don't have too.
Ian

[SPAZZ]

Synthetic stock :grin:

[BrianMaguire]

&gt;&gt;&gt;end of this March on a big boar up in Washington!

OK first I have heard of this. Any details? Boar hunting sounds like fun. Is it draw or OTC on the tag?

Thanks

[Dr Strangelove]

Cabelas sells synthetic stocks for that gun. Seriously consider them. The PNW rain will eventually crack your stock. Keep the wood ones around for off season show and resale value.

[SHOUGALNITE]

[jokester]

OK first I have heard of this. Any details? Boar hunting sounds like fun. Is it draw or OTC on the tag?

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Brian,

PM'd you some info because of the "rules and regs" on promoting non IFISH sponsors. I've been looking at this hunt for the past few years at the Sportsman Show. Decided this year that i'm gonna head up there and give it a try! No tags neccessary on these guys, so it's an OTC thing. From what I understand, it's a spot and stalk hunt until you find the one you want! Give the guy a call sometime and ask him some questions.

-jokester

[KalamaSpark]

i have 3 m77 s.s. rugers .243,.270,338mag they put up with all the weather,herenin the rainy northwest. I won't buy a new blued gun

[Customstox]

I am on the other end of the spectrum. I have 15 or so rifles, all blued with wood stocks and most of them slow rust blued with no stainless guns and won't have one. :smile: