So far the general consensus is:
• M700
• Savage
And I really like the idea of an M70, isn't that what Hathcock used?
I'm going to start hitting the local stores to see what's around. But honestly it sounds like I can't go wrong with any of those 3.
I hate asking this question but, I've seen allot of people recommend .308.... Is there really that noticeable of a difference?
Thanks to all who have chimed in, you guys are great!
To take your questions back to front: No, there isn't a significant ballistic difference between .30-06 and .308 Win.,
for hunting purposes; if you go with Remington stay away from the SPS series. The stock is a hollow synthetic and weighs next to nothing. The result is brutal recoil even in the calibers you are considering. Look for a good used BDL with a wood stock or one of the "police" tactical series with HS Precision stocks. Easy to find in .308; the M70 that is offered by "Winchester" today is a very different animal than the true Winchester Model 70 of Hathcock's era. I have worked on several to correct mechanical and grouping problems. It doesn't help that I have a four digit Model 70 in .30-06 that my dad purchased as a young man to compare them against. It kills mule deer and pronghorn antelope as neat as you please to this day.
Since you mentioned range time, can I make a suggestion? After you get a rifle you like, if you hunt in open country that could offer shots to 500 yards, take it to the range and sight it in at around 250 yards. That will mean you are no more than 4" high between 0 and 250 yards and about 38" low at 500. Your mileage may vary slightly. If you don't reload, ALWAYS use good quality commercial ammunition from the same manufacturer and with the same series name and projectile weight. (168 grain Federal Premium Ballistic Tip is very consistent across different lot numbers.) Once you are sighted in buy an inexpensive range finder and try this drill with a friend on weekends.
Go for a hike somewhere that you can shoot. Hike for a bit, then have your friend call out a target - something like "that white rock next to the trunk of the big pine tree". Your job is to find the target and tell your friend what you think the range to it is. Then take the shot. Your friend can range the target while you shoot and tell you where you hit. Have him/her pick out targets about four to six inches square, since that is the size of the kill zone on most large game. Also tell him/her to vary the distances from 100 to 500 yards or so.
If you miss, have your friend tell you what the range really is and where you hit, then retry the shot. If you hit with the first shot, have him tell you the range anyway so you can compare against your original guess.
Keep hiking and repeat the drill eight or nine more times with no more than two shots on any one "target". If you are both shooting, alternate who spots the target and who shoots.
This is one of my favorite drills. My son and I both hunt deer and elk at or above timberline. Shots tend to be long and relatively fast so range estimation has to be second nature. We go out together and run this drill at least six or eight times during the summer. You get experience at both skills during a pleasant day in the woods and you move closer to that old saying, "beware the man who owns only one gun."
