when to buy a new rifle

Jeremy · 04-15-2003, 10:30 AM

Im sure the time is always right to buy a new rifle. But in my case this will be my first deer rifle purchase. I have my eye on the Savage 30.06 w/ scope package at bi-mart, and i know this gun goes on sale closer to deer season, should i buy it now for the extra money or wait till it goes on sale in the fall?

Ryan Pultz · 04-15-2003, 10:51 AM

wait

skein · 04-15-2003, 02:52 PM

Jeremy,

My feeling is you should go ahead and get that rifle early, and here's why. The dollars you save will not be as valuable as time with the rifle/scope between now and hunting season.

Sure, you can get it right before season, get it zeroed in, and run a box of shells through it, but that won't give you the same feel for it that you will need in hunting conditions.

If you get it now you will have time to experiment with different ammo and how it performs at different distances. You will have time to shoot it off-hand, kneeling, sitting, or prone, instead of just a few rounds off a bench at known ranges. You can actually go out in the woods with it, carry it around, then throw it up and acquire a target and see how well it settles in for the "shot."

I could go on and on, but obviously I'm a big believer in knowing your firearm before you head out hunting. That can't be accomplished if it's setting on the shelf at BiMart.

Ask yourself this: How much do you stand to save? How much is familiarity and confidence worth?

Sorry to be so long-winded, but I think you asked an important question and I wanted to give you some food for thought. Good luck whatever you do.

Skein

nerta · 04-15-2003, 03:12 PM

:grin: I agree with Skein buy now and get to know your weapon. Shoot it until everything is second nature from loading to cleaning. :grin:

Rock Stick or Fish · 04-15-2003, 03:14 PM

Go ahead and get it now.
1) everything that Skein said.
2) That money will just be spent on ammo. =)

Of course Don's has the Remington 70BDL deluex embellished 7mmRUM for $423. Very pretty gun. Mine doesn't shoot(it only goes click) but it sure is pretty.

RSF

I really wish I was joking about the Remington. :depressed:

6wapiti6 · 04-15-2003, 03:43 PM

Any day that ends in "Y" ... :grin:

blacktail · 04-15-2003, 04:02 PM

I agree with getting it asap, but if it's the same combo I think you're talking about, I would look for a decent used rifle.

Savage rifles are known for good accuracy, but not their workmanship. I also think that particular scope is a lower end model.

No doubt you can kill game with it, but for probably another $100.00 you could get a better quality used rifle and scope.

Mike

DAB · 04-15-2003, 04:19 PM

SKEIN is right buy it asap. and SHOOT- SHOOT _SHOOT till it is second nature. Don.t do all your shooting off a bench.
DAB----Don Bench

SeanD · 04-15-2003, 05:52 PM

How much is the rifle? Bi mart down here in corvallis has had a plastic stocked 30-06 savage for $239, and its been on the shelf for months! Im sure they could ship it to you. A savage is a fine rifle (really it is!), but the scope and rings that come with the package deal is absolute junk. Id look for a deal on a used one, or have bi mart ship the one down here to you, save the rest of the money for a good scope. Leupold vx1 is as cheap as id go on a hunting rifle (and its not too spendy at $170!!) :grin:

SeanD · 04-15-2003, 05:57 PM

blacktail,
my experience with savage and a couple of new winchesters recently, is that the savage is a much finer rifle as far as workmanship. And i dont know if remington, as much as i like them, is any better, with what guys that have bought them recently have been saying. If you want a nicer rifle, they cost a lot more, and if you just want a better hunting rifle... they do too! :grin:

Chukrchaser · 04-15-2003, 06:05 PM

What Skein said -- absolutely no substitute for for time spent with the gun in your hands -- Most the sales are only $30-50 -- so time spent getting comfortable will reap much more --

Also give blactail's suggestion a lot of thought -- as I remember your earlier post on this you will be upggrading at some time in the future -- why not spend some time looking at some used guns -- Browning, Remington,Ruger, Winchester-- there are a ton of them out there and many have very few rounds through them -- worth a look -- and you find something that will not have to be "upgraded". My first Big Game gun was a Winchester in -06 that was used -- but it's still killing deer in Missouri for my son --

Good luck--

Chuck

Grantspastor · 04-15-2003, 08:15 PM

Skein's got it right

Gooseman · 04-15-2003, 11:26 PM

Jeremy, not sure of the model, but I've got a scoped 30.06 in the safe that I haven't used in 10 years. Has maybe 1 box of shells shot through it. Might be willing to give you a good deal. I'll e-mail you with more information if you're interested.

pdxkevin · 04-16-2003, 07:13 AM

Yep, get it now and get out and practice. Try to get in as much 'real life' situations as possible. You want the mechanics of shooting to be natural to you so you can concentrate on everything else out on the hunt.

Shop around with the other Bi-Marts too. You never know what one place has collecting dust on thier shelf that they would be willing to give you a better deal on.

Jeremy · 04-16-2003, 07:19 AM

Thanks for all the info, it sounds like i might be stopping at all the bi-marts on the way from roseburg to portland this weekend, i will let you know what i see.

Firedog · 04-17-2003, 04:06 PM

Jeremy, a buddy of mine had a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight 30/06 for sale awhile back. I think he still wants to sell it. Has a Leupold Vari X-II on it 3-9x40 Was asking around $600. Let me know if you are interested and I will get you his Number.

Jeremy · 04-23-2003, 07:32 AM

Update: I decided to buy the Savage 111FCXP3 at bi-mart in 30.06 this is the one that has the simmons 3-9 scope on it, synthetic stock and clip for $339. I will let you know how it shoots when i get a chance to take it out. Any suggestions on a good factory load to use for deer this season i was thinking Remington 150 grain. Thanks for all the info

Joe · 04-23-2003, 07:40 PM

If you can afford just a few bucks more per box I would go with Federal Premium ammo. I shot Remington green box ammo for many years and would NEVER switch back.

You have to play around with different bullet types to see what works in your gun but its worth the trouble. I found their Sierre Boat tails perform the best for me. The most expensive ( Barnes XLC ) don't shoot well out of my .270?

SeanD · 04-24-2003, 07:35 AM

Fereral premiums in 180's are the ticket for elk if you dont handload, but for deer, the remington corelokt 150's are great. The perfect deer load, in my opinion. There isnt any advantage to going with a controlled expansion bullet for deer in the 30-06, i think the standard corelokts perform better in that application.

sinker · 04-27-2003, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Any suggestions on a good factory load to use for deer this season

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Start hittin the range and try all the ammo out. I once had a Savage 110 in 30.06. Good gun, wish I still had it. :depressed:

Some ammo was all over the target, Finally settled on some Federal, can't remember which now but it made for tight, tight groups. I'm talking less than 3/4" at 100 yards. The others were getting out there to a few inches.

Don't go so much by what bullet it is but by what your gun likes. That sweet deer bullet won't do much good if the gun can't put it where you want it.

willametteriveroutlaw · 04-27-2003, 03:20 PM

I ended up with a couple of short loads when I got federal premium High energy. Since then, if I am low on hand loads, I shoot hornady light magnums, They group decentlu out of a cold barrel. (it throws them after 4) but the down range is phenomnal.

James in Idaho · 04-28-2003, 07:17 AM

Do yourself a favor and start reloading! All you need is a powder scale and start watching Ebay for a Lee Loader (not the press, the little hand loader). I'd bet you could get a set up for about $30. '06 stuff is everywhere, any you will end up reloading for a fraction of the cost of factory loads. So that is more shooting. For deer you will have a hard time beating the preformance of 165 grn. bullets. I usually shoot Nosler Partitions at game (overkill on deer), but I think the balistic tips would be great too. If you are chasing elk and deer at the same time, the 180 Partition is the ticket. If you have questions about reloading, post here, I'm sure there are a bunch of us here that have been "rolling our own" for many years.

SeanD · 04-28-2003, 10:12 AM

James, i agree! The benifits are many... including more time spent working with the rifle (more practice developing loads) and finding loads that shoot well with the bullet you decide on.

Sinker, i agree shooting different factory loads to find which one shoots best is wise. And with deer almost any load will work great. For the bigger stuff, id trade a little in the accuracy dept for a quality bullet if factory loads were all i had to work with. It makes sense to increase the accuracy potential of your rifle, but not at the expense using an inferior conventional bullet. The truth is, most hunters with rifles that shoot 2 moa off the bench would be MUCH better served with practice from field positions. Accuracy is a combination of your skill shooting from field postions and the accuracy the rifle is capable of, and truthfully most hunters are horrible shots if they dont have a benchrest. Hardly anyone practices without a rest, and they should!

ICHTHYDEMON · 04-28-2003, 01:21 PM

If you don't handload I'd try a box of Federal Premium Nosler ballistic tips. They work well for deer and similar sized game and are one of the most accurate bullet designs on the market. Some folks will say they don't hold together very well and don't penetrate,that's B.S. I've shot ballistic tips for a long time in my .270,and have never recovered a bullet from a deer I've shot. I think they are a little lightly built for elk and such,but are probably the best deer bullet on the market IMO.