Time has come to purchase my first rifle. Always been a shotgun guy with limited rifle knowledge. Plenty of time shouldering a rifle but always borrowed one.
Want something that will be capable all round, hogs, deer and varmint.
I guess what I'm asking is for personal experiences, recommendations and especially for some direction on good reading on ballistics etc before I make any purchases. I like to read/understand myself before getting involved in anything.
Bolt action, shoots well off the shelf by is a good platform to customize later on, I always messed with synthetic just because of durability but then I don't know any better.
Not interested in AR platforms as of yet.

Tikke T3, Rem 700 would be good first options (not a Savage fan, but they shoot pretty good, also). Caliber, it's hard to beat a 308 Win or 7mm-08 for general purpose hunting in N. America, or something based on the 308 case. The 308 Win would be a great first cartridge to work from.

...Well framed search ??'s so far JE...

I suspect there's gonna be lots of good info responces...but based on the limited reference of you having handled a couple of rifles...lemme ask a couple ??'s before the peanut gallery chimes in...

What brand and caliber rifle have you had ANY experience with and was that particular rig satisfactory for your needs? or just gooder enough to whet your appetite for what else is out there?

Final Figure Budgets available? IE: Scope/Rings & Rifle total $'s available?? Do you own or use more than One Shotgun?

Gonna have any other users for this rig ...ie...wife/son/father/ brother/cousin etc

Do you have family/friends who's opinions you'll have to satisfy or be subject to their approval and influence...and WHAT rifles and calibers do they shoot?

At this point it all depends on your Total Dollar Budget for brands ...buty I'd suggest a bolt action of some sort...in the bigger than a 22 Centerfire cal & smaller than a magnum caliber from say 243 to 30'06 and probably one of the core 4-5 most popular calibers that provide the cheapest and most available factory ammo...ie 243/270/308/30'06 or mebbe a 2nd group of 25'06, a 6.5 something (260/6.5 CreedMore) & 7-08.

I like hunting bullets that weigh more than 120 gr's with the 120/130 gr'ers through 165gr's being the most common weights I've used, and are capable of 28/2900 fps or better out to my comfortable hunting ranges of 3-400 yards. 90% of ALL the game I've shot at is usually uder 150/200 yards....but then I'm Old School trained and ingrained with my 1st WTail kill in 1967 at 23, at a bit under 200 yards.

This may sound funny since I've never owned but one or two...but IMO the best Do All for your needs is probably a 308, as has a lifetime of use in a 270, that has never failed me, given the parameters I've referenced. ...but neither would have a 308 or a 30'06 either....but they are not the sexiest most exciting Joe Cool at the Campfire choices either.... just plain jane reliable with the lowest cost and most available ammo. Have fun!
Ron

Caliber debate you will get all sorts of answers. Off the shelf the top 3 are probably the Remington 700, tikka t3, and savage but I wouldn't rule out a weatherby vanguard or a Thompson. Being you want an all around gun I'd probably steer towards the 308 for the bullet variety.

All experience has been with .243, maybe 200 or so rounds punching paper with a Tikka T3 and a Sako Quad. Both were heavy varmint set ups. Not exactly friendly for lugging around. But used both for long range (250 yards) fox shooting and several roe and fallow deer.
Just me using it. Not interested in satisfying anyone else's taste or preferences, I'm pulling the trigger.

I did like the tikka, a T3 in .308 sounds appealing. It's where my previous experience lies.
Right now it's finding something that I can get comfortable with at the range using factory ammo. Everything else can come further down the road.

I'd shoulder a few and get what feels best. Learn to shoot it comfortably and spend money on ammo. Everyone has a preference and that would be a great choice

I'm also a .308 fan. Remmy 700, tikka, Savage, TC, weatherby will all be just fine. Figure on spending atleast a couple hundred on a decent hunting scope, and 50 on scope rings.

I'd figured about $1200 all together. New rifles can be had for $3-600 depending on what you want. I'll spend some time looking and playing with some.

How important is the varmint hunting aspect of your decision making? BTW, rifles are like potato chips. You'll find it very difficult to stop with one.

Realistically, 2-3 trips a year for varmint. I sold 14 shotguns when I moved from England to Texas.., this is just the first of many I assure you.

A decent compromise might be the .25-06. For anything short of Nilgai, you should be in good shape. The .308 has the cheapest, best and most common ammo, but isn't really the ideal choice for varmint hunting. It will certainly do the job, though.

https://youtu.be/eQO5k3iOC-c

Mandatory video of red deer culling with a .25-06.

If i didn't just buy a a few shotguns, I'd have bought this...

http://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/6332332/Searchpage/1/Main/506959/Words/tikka/Search/true/Re:_Tikka_T3(Trade_options_add#Post6332332

You'll get lots of good info here, as you've seen already.....here's a different approach: spend a day with Fireman JG (you can shoot his rifles) and then go from there. A wealth of knowledge he's eager to pass on, even if he is stuck on the mil/mil thing.

P_102