I'll be in the market for a new hunting rifle here soon. I was wondering what everyone's thoughts about a good rifle for mainly deer and hogs. Let me know what you all think.

budget?
style of hunting?

Every one needs a 6.5 Creedmoor.

unless you reload I would be looking to see what ammo I could find...
It's not going to get better anytime soon

7mm08
308
243
6.5 Creedmoor
270

all great Texas deer calibers available in a lots of rifles and different loads..

As an old hunter once told me, if your going to have one hunting rifle make it a 30-06. And now that I’m that old hunter, you never can go wrong with a 30-06. It will take care of about anything in the lower 48.

Truth, my dad told me that when I was going to buy my first hunting rifle as an adult..
Even though he didn't use one as I recall.. sure he had one at some point

30-06 been on every shelf of the gun sellin stores I’ve been in..

I got into guns and hunting as adult in my mid-20's. I heard this wisdom and got the ubiquitous Remington 700 in 30-06. I actually now think the 308 is a slightly better choice to 30-06 for the vast majority of beginning hunters. I know this is a hot topic for years but here's one newb's rationale. Btw, I have a huge bias as I've recently reloaded and shot a bunch of 308 and love it.
- you can have very similar velocities from 308 and you do 30-06, especially if you reload, for the same bullet. The difference I assume is negligible on game performance, terminal ballistics, at some yardage, let's say 500 yards. Which people rarely shoot at game that long, especially not beginners.
- The ammo availability is roughly the same, if not 308 might have a few more options in terms of the exact bullet being loaded for hunting.
- plenty of good rifles for both BUT 308 can possibly have a lighter weight rifle. That apparently is the huge selling point of a Remington 700 short action receiver, because it's actually a smaller and lighter action than the 30-06 long action receiver. BTw, not true for Savage and Tikka rifles. I don't know about others.
- Purely subjective: the kick on 308 seems easier/softer than 30-06 shooting the same bullet.

I used to recommend other newbs to 30-06 but now I suggest 308.

What is your shooting experience? Are you upgrading or is this your first centerfire 'big game' rifle?

What is your budget? $350? $650? More?

Like others have said we will need to know your budget as there are a ton of options out there.

I think we are in a great age for hunting rifles. With our current technology even a “budget rifle” these days is capable of excellent accuracy.

Not 3006

Korean Redneck savage does offer short and long actions. As you stated Tikka does not. .308 would also be my caliber of choice.


Budget minded rifle: Savage 10,12,14,16 etc
Ruger American

For a few dollars more : Tikka

There are less expensive rifles and I feel you definitely get less, as well as more expensive rifles where the gain is negligible or non existent over the Tikka.

Based on your question I would assume you are relatively new to the sport and that’s a good thing. Keep an open mind, my opinion is only one of many.

Even if your budget is way higher than the Tikka I wouldn’t start higher. You still have to learn your personal likes and dislikes as well as your priorities. The Tikka is arguably the best bolt, trigger, and accuracy combination available for the money. A good place to start. Knowing the equipment is up to par takes a lot of frustration out of the learning curve. The Savages and Ruger mentioned are also quality products at a friendlier price, both are accurate, just not as refined.

Welcome to the forum.

How much $$$

In the absence of more information, a Tikka T3x in .270. Why? The Tikka is most likely to actually work correctly, and, because the .270 is not regarded as a "self-defense" round, you can still buy ammo for one just about anywhere, and for reasonable money. It will also kill any hog or deer in Texas without difficulty.

My honest suggestion is to do a 6.5 creedmoor because it’s light recoil and high accuracy coupled with sectional density that will penetrate almost any game animal length wise with the right bullet.

30-06 is really a hard kicking round, I did say it in a previous post only because I saw ammo for it in every store I was in.

Unfortunately it’s hard to suggest anything because availability is slim.. kinda late to the party by 6 mo or so.

308 or 30-06 or 270

a 308 is probably best for a beginner

30-06 or 270 is a toss. both still available on the shelves and both of them are still perfect hunting calibers for deer and hogs.

Buy a cheap rifle. savage ruger etc $300-$400

but spend twice that amount on the optics. Your optics are really more important than your gun.

I recommend 3-18. I know a lot of guys say 3X9 for hunting but if your eyes arent that good it is best to have a clear close up picture of what your target actually looks like. Especially if you need to pay attention to legalities of deer horns.

Tikka in what ever caliber suits you . my 2cents would be 308 ( you can shoot also 7.62x51 mil spec in a 308 chamber, gives you another way to get ammo)

Pro for tikka - Accurate/ adjustable trigger / smooth action/lite weight - basically add a scope and adjust trigger to desired weight and your done

Scope is very important - for me most of my scopes cost more that the rifle . i would suggest starting a new thread after you pick a rifle

If this is your first hunting rifle, I would suggest something in a caliber that makes it easier to buy a box of ammo when you find yourself without any in some out-of-the-way place. No telling how many deer and hogs have been taken with a 30-30 lever action. If you want something that works well beyond 100 yards, a 30-06 or .270 would be my choice.

Tikka T-3 Lite, 7mm-08

I am looking to spend in the 400 range and thought about getting something chambered in 30-06 family.

Sounds like a Ruger American to me.

San Angelo has some good sporting goods stores, along with the big boxes, but even then your selection might be limited. I would start by looking at Academy, to get a list of guns, and prices, then look at some of the pawn shops and gun shops for used prices. Then decide, and start at Field and Steam, and other gun shops. Prices can be stable or all over the place.

Ruger American in 30-06

Hetman, you are not wrong about that. I would need a very nice scope for sure.