Help me decided on the last hunting rifle I may ever purchase

Made the decision to consolidate my safe and cull some of the rifles I'm ambivilant about.

I am keeping a .22-250 for lighter work, a ruger M77 in .270 for a "deer rifle" and my .257 wby accumark.

My domestic whitetail hunting has evolved to guiding my kids or wife, on the occasions I do go by myself I ambowhunting.

I'm looking to find a rifle they will suit my needs to the western style back country hunting I'm doing more and more. I love a good wood stock but I am hard on my rifles and feel another synthetic stock gun will be the best option for what I'm using it for.

Here is what I'm looking for and why:

Something lighter weight. Not an ultra light per say, but lighter than the 11 lb accumark I've been lugging around. This season it got heavy and after an afternoon of carrying my wife's Camilla up the same mountains I am convinced that maybe an accumark isn't a walking gun after all

Stainless steel/cerakote synthetic stock rifle. My adventures would best up a woodstocked gun. This isn't a heirloom gun it's a tool to make things fall down across a wide range of conditions.

Something in a magnum caliber, unless someone can convince me otherwise. I would like something with a bit more "pop" than my .257 wby mag. As good a caliber as it is, and I love it, after shooting a handful of animals with it I'm not entirely convinced it kills any better than my .270. Looking at a 7mm R.E.M., .300 wsm, .300 win or maybe a .26 nosler/6.5-.300 wby for this chambering.

Now for the rub......I'm left handed and I want a left handed action.

I'm a Weatherby fanatic but the only chamberings they offer in the mark V ultralight are .257, 6.5-.300 & .300 wby. Recoil is concerning me on the last two.

I've looked into Montana rifle company and they offer a nice rifle in a lefty For a reasonable price. Cooper does not have a lefty in the synthetic models from what I can find and Dakota makes one but I can't find any info on them.

If anyone has any other options or avenues I'm all ears.

Basically I'm looking for a gun I can use for elk, mule deer, mountain goat, moose, black bear and sheep.

Budget around the $2k mark or under

With elk, bear and sheep thrown in there I would say 300 WSM

$2k ?

Rebarrel a Tikka T-3 lefty into a chambering you want.

Keep the stock.
Cut rifled barrel.
Gunsmithing.
Red Snake bottom metal.
Hand load.

Thread barrel, add muzzle brake, it will tame recoil a lot!

Harrel's Precision muzzle breaks.
Slim profiles available for slim barrels.

I've seen the T3 and handled them some

What would be the benefit to me taking this route.

My Sako TRG-S sporting profile with muzzle brake in 30-378 Weatherby Magnum kicks about like my 30-06, but it is not cut back. Very accurate.

Smith can get rid of the half mile of free-bore. Then you can tune bullet relation to lands, instead of being forced to sticking with mag length, no matter the jump.

The barrel quality, and the machining will far surpass the factory barrel. I can tune a hand load for a factory barrel expecting 3/4 MOA, but with the re-barrel I expect better than 1/2. You decide bullet, then decide twist rate, barrel contour, and finish length.

Run the factory trigger, and the stock DOES NOT need to be bedded. EGW makes one piece pic rails, if you are so inclined.

I'll bet you a steak dinner, if you go this route, and develop a tight hand load, it will be your favorite rig.

I'm not sure what you mean by a 7mm R.E.M. but if you mean a 7mm Remington Magnum, then that's the way I'd go and with a rifle and scope not to exceed 8 pounds.

I’m a fan of the .300 in either WM or WSM for what you will be hunting with it. I agree with you on the recoil issues once you get into the .300 Wby mags - they are pretty rough in a 7-8 lb rifle. Heck, a .300 Wby Mag is rough as a cob in just about any rifle. And I’m not a recoil wuss.

My problem is I’m not up on what’s offered in a left handed rifle and what is not. It’s a shame those are your only choices in the Wby you like.

Quick searches make it clear to me that several of my candidates are not offered in a LH rifle. Looks like the choices are Tikka, Ruger, Browning, Savage, Remington, Thompson Center.

Tikka T3 is always a good option. My BIL loves his LH Tikka T3 .300 WSM. If I were a lefty I’m pretty sure that’s the rifle I would have. I’ve heard good things about the MRC rifles but have no experience with them. I’m personally not a fan of the others. I wish I were more help.

How would one start this process?


I'm partial to the model 70 action that Montana uses

Sako Finnlight in caliber of your choosing. Assuming they offer ghey handed version though.

Do you know what bullet you want to run?
Do you know how fast you want it to go?

Those are steps 1 and 2, build the rifle around the bullet. Once those are known then pick the appropriate twist rate. Decide how much meat you want the barrel to have. www.bugholes.com has plenty of barrels to choose from. And Greg has the manufacturers contour charts listed.

Can a LH mod 70 actions be found?

My MRC 300WM in SS/wood is heavy to me but that may be/is due to old age. At 72 lots of my guns have gotten heavy.

Based on your criteria, I would look at a Nosler 48 in some of the Magnum or Nosler chamberings.

https://www.nosler.com/m48-liberty-rifle/


Edit- Only the custom is available for a lefty and it's musher higher than $2,000.

Were it me I'd go with the 300 Weatherby. 150-165 grain Nosler Partitions and you got your whole list covered.

Browning Hell's Canyon is 26 Nosler seems to fit the criteria. Even has a McMillan Game Scout.

http://www.browning.com/products/firearm...-left-hand.html

Buddy of mine that hunted with me earlier this year has a Hells Canyon in 26 Nosler. I like everything about this rifle except for the twist rate of 1-8. I would prefer it in a 1-10 giving me a little more variety in bullets. 3500 fps and a 125 grain Partition would be a sweet combo. I'd take a serious look at the 100 grain partition also.

I don't see why 1:8 would preclude the use of lighter bullets

No way I would handicap any 6.5mm with a 1:10.

Not a huge Browning fan, but that's a nice rifle!

That doesn't surprise me at all, I clearly explained that I prefer lighter faster bullets in the 6.5 thus making the 1-10 a more user friendly twist for my applications. I'm not out to push the heaviest bullet I can find or bang steel at 1000 yards, I have no interest in that. I hunt and damn near every shot I fire is at a critter within the 400 yard are closer range and usually have very few seconds to get the shot off. Elevation and windage are not a concern with the fast movers I shoot until I get out around 500 yards and beyond. Pushing a 140 grain round at 3200-3300 fps second is boring when I can push 150 grain at 3500 from my Weatherby. I'm watching the same thing happen to the 26 that happen to the 264 and we seen how that ended. The insistence on shooting and loading factory ammo only in the 140 grain range killed the 264, the 7-Mag just walked off and left it. At least they gave the 264 a 1-9.

Didn't you say up thread to find a bullet and build your rifle around it? Would you shoot 100 grain and 125 grain bullets from a 26 with a 1-8 and expect good results at the far end of it's velocity capabilities with that bullet?

I wouldn't shoot a 100 or 125 gr 6.5mm in the first place. With all the powder charge available from a 26 Nosler, a 147 gr, is what I would load it with, it can do more.

My 7 Rem Mag is loaded with 180's on a 1:8.5.

Once the barrel is done (I'm almost halfway there) it will be rebarreled for 7-300, with a 1:8, and shoot a 195 gr Berger EOL, that can do more than the combo I have now.

I still find it funny, those that think I never shoot animals. Hogs and coyotes are a weekly occurrence. The last three weeks I've made kills from 20 yards to 750 yards on both animals. 750 yards was no problem for the 180's. I don't want to say "well, it was out of range".

So there ya go, that's all you needed to say. I specifically said I like 100's and 125's so I'll ask again. Would you shoot 100 grain and 125 grain bullets from a 26 with a 1-8 and expect good results at the far end of it's velocity capabilities with that bullet? Let me rephrase that. Would you recommend a 1-8 twist for someone shooting 100 and 125 grain bullets in the 3500 fps range for a 26?

I would not recommend that twist, for that bullet, at that velocity. Good chance it would spin the jacket off. But it won't do that at the far end of its' path, it is going to do it before it made it 100 yards. The mid-air "poof", is a sight to see.

I have a Savage LH in 300 WSM. Will do anything I ask and am capable of myself. Synthetic with accutrigger. Mine prefers 180 gr. accubonds. Not too heavy. Have carried it up and down in AZ and NM. Don't use it much here in Texas, but I would not part with it either. Have taken it to 500 yards on targets with great success. Not much for game over 400 myself. I think one like this would fit your needs well. Just put good glass on it and go.

Thank you! I wasn't trying to argue just pointing out why I would prefer a slower twist, just me and my addiction to the fast movers. Our needs differ.

Another straightforward question about hunting rifle options sidetracked into a rifle building thread and, finally, fuss.
Again.

You don’t have to make every rifle buy a construction project if you don’t want to. Buy a good rifle (Tikka, for example) and see how it shoots. It’ll probably shoot as well as any plumbing project you spend 3-6 months and a bunch of time messing with.

Out of curiosity what twist would you recommend for that combo?

Hwy,

a 125 - 130 6.5 will work fine in a 1:8”, especially bullets appropriate for elk and bear as mentioned by the OP.

I’ve gone elk hunting exactly once, so take my comments fwiw. I hunted with a friend that guided for elk for more than 30 years. His view was most modern cartridges were more than adequate for elk, bullets are what mattered. His list of preferred bullets were Partitions or Barnes, although Accubonds were acceptable, end of list.

Having said that, he asked what rifles I owned, and said bring my 308 and 300 Win Mag Montana Rifle Company rifles. The 308 was plenty for elk, but he had a bad experience with a sow black bear a couple of years before. Because of that close encounter, he wanted me to carry the 300 Win Mag MRC with the Barnes load I had worked up (165 TTSX). He did not trust the 185 Berger to reliably penetrate on a bear at point blank range.

We hiked a lot of miles in rain or sleet everyday except for one. The adverse conditions did not bother the rifle at all. The scope is a Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x42.

I have three Montana Rifle Company rifles, 260, 308, and 300 Win Mag. that have been shot quite a bit. All have been very accurate and very reliable right out of the box, nothing further required.

The three position safety blocking the firing pin, the gas deflector blocking the left raceway, and the large bolt shroud which is another gas block are design features I really like. I have seen a factory rifle round split in the body in a R700. The shooter let out a yelp and had powder particles on his face, so it is a factor to consider. Paul Mauser lost an eye to gas blowback, which led to his classic design.

Their barrels take about 40 - 60 shots to really settle down. They are very well built, very durable and reliable. Definitely can give them a recommendation.

For chambering, 7 Rem Mag or 300 Win Mag of the choices you listed, although the 270 with a good bullet should work fine.

But if he’s earmarked $2000 to spend on his perfect hunting rifle, why not get the best rifle he can. This is a forum, not a Q&A page. It’s expected that ever topic is going to stray a little bit. Would be a pretty boring place to be with no personality if everybody just answered his question with their favorite brand. It’s a discussion.

Personally, if I wanted a light to mid weight rifle, I’d find somewhere to handle the kimber cooper and montana rifle companies offerings then decide if they would meet my needs. I think you’d get more value for your money if you had a semi custom rifle put together.

Or just buy this one.

https://aprifles.com/collections/ready-to-ship-rifles/products/apr-maverick-7mm-rem-mag

he's a lefty, other than that, perfect choice. some forget the greatness of the 7mag.

Oh yeah. Forgot about that part.

I like browning, but hate that stock.

I would love a hells canyon speed but it only comes RH

A couple good resources here, for this very topic. Scroll down to "twist rate chart"

http://riflebarrels.com/calibers-and-twist-rates/

http://www.shilen.com/calibersAndTwists.html

how is the quality of the Montana Rifle Company rifles? I mean the fit and finish?

We, as lefties, are often bound to build, or highly modify to get what we want. For instance, I searched high and low for a LH Tikka Varmint .223, nope, not available in left hand. If it were available I would not change a thing about the rifle, just develop a load, and run it. Instead, I again, had to buy a donor rifle, and buy a barrel, and get those parts to my gunsmith. I will have an additional $600 invested over what a RH shooter would. However, my end product will in fact be better. A higher quality barrel, with much tighter tolerances during machining.

It is just the price that has to be paid as a LH bolt action shooter.

I am not interested in building a rifle, however not opposed to having someone build it for me.


that Alamo precision rifle would in fact be perfect if the bolt was on the opposite side of the receiver.


i'm not a long range (400 + yard ) shooter, and won't ever be. I'm not all that concerned about the ballistics of a bullet when it hits at 750 yards i'm concerned about what it does when it hits hide, meat and bone at 150-350 yards. I also wont have time to set up the rifle on a bipod, get a wind reading, etc. My elk I shot took about 30 seconds from him coming out of the woods, putting glass on him, getting the rifle up and me to start shooting. Most of my game is shot very quickly by most peoples standards. animals just don't hang around very long for me

i'm not gonna judge a rifle negatively if I can get 3/4"-1/2" MOA from it.....hell I don't know if I had a true 1/2" MOA rifle if I could shoot a group that tight.

Looking for something in the 6 1/2-7lb raw rifle weight, in a 7mm, .300 wsm or a .300 win.


the .300 wby is just too much gun for what i'm wanting. if I want to get beat up like that when I pull the trigger I would get a .338 win mag

If they had the Mark V ultralight in .270 wby or 7mm wby mag I would already be done shopping

Fitting of parts is excellent. Finish on the X2 is matte bead blast, so not high gloss like your Weatherby rifles. The matte finish is good for hunting to prevent reflections and shine, also it hides rough use better.

The Montana Rifle Company really is a resurrection of the pre-64 Model 70 with significant safety improvements. The MRC also uses the original M70 trigger which generally is regarded as one of the best and most reliable ever made.

TT85,
since you like Weatherby products, also look at the Vanguard.


The 270 you already have shooting 150’s is another option to consider.

The Tikka would fit your bill fine IMO. It’s light and they shoot fine. I don’t mind spending whatever on a rifle I want, but if I were a lefty I would get the Tikka in .300 Win or WSM, put a high end Leupold (probably a VX5 or 6 HD) on it, and go hunting.

The MRC would be probably be a good choice too if you like the controlled feed action. Jeff likes them and that’s a pretty good testimonial.

Nothing wrong with having one built if that’s what you want to do either. Lots of folks enjoy getting one built to their specs. It’s just up to you.

Getting a rifle/ load shooting as tight as possible is the removing of factors that cause a missed shot. Removing rifle, ammo, base, rings, scope as factors, leaves only the shooter as the last factor. Once all the equipment is nailed down solid, all one has to do is put the reticle where they want it, have edge to edge clarity, maintian good trigger control/ follow-through and the bullet will go where he wants it to go.

At 400 yards and under, on an under MOA rifle another 1/4” or even 1/2” isn’t going to make a bit of difference or cause one single missed shot.

I would go with this and call it good. Save the money for some nice glass.

https://www.eurooptic.com/JRTXB470-Tikka-Tikka-T3x-Lite-LH-7MM-Rem-Mag-S-S-SYN-243--ba.aspx

I cant bring myself to buy that rifle. They just don't do it for me.

I’m predicting the MRC may be in your future then.

ah, smart man

Talked to them and that is most likely the builder I am going with.

The caliber selection is incredible

I don't think you would have an issue if you are using Partitions or Accubonds. They aren't varmint bullets that will spin apart. If I had any concerns, I would email Nosler. They designed the cartridge and the bullets and they would know best if there are any concerns.

Buzz, never bad mouth the Tikka on the THF!

ok so Montana rifle company is able to build me a rifle within my budget in pretty much any caliber I want.


the real question is....what caliber do I get?


I can get a 26 nosler, 28 nosler ( which I don't know much about buy the 28 nosler looks interesting) a 7mm rem, 7mm ultra mag, a .300 wsm, .300 win mag or .30 nosler.


part of me says go with a .300 wsm or .300 win mag. The recoil of either round is tolerable to me and I can shoot them well. Before its spins off on a tangent, no i'm not gonna load up 210 grain bergers or whatever else the long range guys shoot so the smaller case capacity of the .300 wsm isn't of much concern to me.


What is the consensus here? i'm hesitant to go with a .26 caliber anything because I don't see it as a big advantage over my .257 wby, but I could be wrong.

Hard to go wrong with a .300wm. Lots of factory ammo options available.

26 Caliber will not be more effective than your 257 Weatherby if you are using light bullets. I always looks at brass & ammo availability so I would lean towards the 7mm Rem Mag or 300 Win mag.

I’d have to go with the 28 Nosler. STW like performance without the belt. Load up some 175 ELD-X bullets and never look back.

"Hard to go wrong with a .300wm. Lots of factory ammo options available."

this!!

What is your budget

Around $2k

With all the info you've given us and the fact that you already own a 257 Roy you kind of put yourself in the same boat I was in. I have a 257 and a 300 so in looking for a nice balance in between I choose the 270 WSM. Of all the WSM's it's the only one that really does something other older cartridges don't already replicate (270 Roy being an exception but doesn't have much of a following). Just tossing that one out there.

Price the 26 or 28 Nosler brass and let us know what you tjink about it.

300 Win Mag, .300 WSM, 7Rem Mag, 7 SAUM, all good choices.

For whatever reason I am thinking .300 wsm or .300 win mag. I can order one with a brake and it would tame it down considerably

I like speed but the price and availability of the .257 wby ammo is a downside....I think I would be in the same boat if I went with a .28 nosler


Hwyman,

The .270 wsm is a great round, but already owning a .270win with superformance ammo I can duplicate the velocity of the short mag

.300 Win Mag gets my vote. I love my long range rig chambered in 300WM, and am looking at adding a Tikka 300WM for a lighter weight elk rifle in the near future.

300 Win Mag would probably get my vote as well.

For $2k, you could build a sweet semi-custom on a LH Tikka action that would be stupid accurate and smooth as butter. I know factory Tikkas don't do it for you, but if you dumped everything but the action, that part is certainly hard to complain about.

Maybe a 6.5saum? Easy to shoot in a lightweight rifle. It's proven to be an elk hammer.

Kinda like souping up a Honda Civic

Ever cycled one of those actions?

The appropriate car comparison would be buying a base Corvette and then adding a supercharger.

Tikka is not the Honda Civic of the bolt gun world. Not even close.

I've shot the Tikka and handled them.

They are ok nothing special

I would quit limiting yourself and build it the way you want, the length you want, the color, the caliber , the bullet. It's worth it as much as you hunt.
Just sayin

The Montana rifle pretty much covers all those bases

The only thing I am "giving up" so to speak is fancy fluted bolts and barrels. Everything else I can have done to my specs. I don't think you can flute a controlled round feed bolt amyway

I'm gonna check one more place but the Montana rifles covers a huge spectrum

I'm hung up on the caliber though I'm about to say eff it and just order a .300 win mag and be done with it

Anyone know anything about fierce rifles?

That would be the Remington 700

Yep

Looking at fierce now.

Tad more expensive but built on a sake action.

Carbon edge looks like a bad mofo

Buddy was shopping for a up to $2000 gun. Looked at the cheap Christiansen , fierce, Seekins havak.

The Havak hands down but they don't make it in your flavor. The fierce was next but I liked the $2600 one much better.

which one was the $2600 one?


I forgot all about christainsen arms.......I am going to see if they make a lefty

If you got $2600 you should build imo. You'll be much happier with the best parts

Was said 7 pages ago. You might as well save it.

My thoughts also. About the only thing that I found acceptable was a workable trigger and weight.

You sound as if you know what you want and will be patient until you find "it."

Was surprised to see Cooper didn't offer LH's with their synthetic models. Must be a demand thing.

He is bff's with chital so I get it

TT85, pull up the MRC home page, enter your Zip code, click on the "within 200 miles button" and look for a supposedly stocking dealer.

Only guy I recognized was McBrides in Austin, and mebbe the guy on Hwy 287 north of Foat Wuth who's name escapes me right now.

Go SEE & FONDLE a MRC before you buy one.

I saw one years ago at Best Pawn in Sherman, right after they went to thr ASR program, as proposed with my background of selling SAKO's for 6 years I could help them get started with establishing a stocking dealer base. Got a not ready yet answer, then heard they had had a management shakeout, and forgot about trying to get back into the Gun Rep bidnizz when I heard the guy on the phone say they were not going to establish a On Hand Inventory overhead within the nexrt couple yaes for a rep to sell from, ar be able to promise delivery's at under 90 days or offer extended billing paymnet like the big boys di with deliverys all spring & sumer and Billing Due Dates in the fall. THAT means a dealer lives on the Mfg'ers Line of Credit and is how the Mfg'ers control their dealer base's who want to stop stocking a given brand, or not participate in new caliber/model rollouts in some brands...BTDT when I a Stocking Distributors Rep for 7 years prior to going to SAKO....and one of the reasons I Still hate Big Green so bad for jamming us with &^%$# products that they sold to Chain Retailers cheaper, eating up our Lines of Credit.

Everything I read or have heard about MRC's lately sez
1. they are well finished out now that all the start bugs have been resolved,
2. All the old complaints about not being well finished are gone 'cause the Company was originally started as a Sold to a GunSmith Only marketing plan, that got altered when CZ USA ordered a Bunch of the Model 3 CZ's in WSM calibers only ummm mebbe 300 in each caliber is what I was told, with the stocks done by a high end guy
and 3. gave MRC's ownership the idea that there might be a market for an American STANDARD Rifle type product, using a Boyd's Prairie Style stock with a little better than average wood quality, priced under and NOT competing with the Kimber's version of a M70 design that had just been bought out and moved to New Yawk City with lots of problems that generated the name "playing Kimber Roulette" when you bought one...instead of just the full custom bidnizz they had been doing starting the bidnizz from scratch that competed with Cooper/ Dakota etc price points...ie Lots of growing pains and changes in directions that not Everybody On Hand was on board with.

FWIW MRC uses the same casting company that Ruger does ....and owns ...as a stand alone business, called Pine Tree Casting as I recall, which is also the largest golf club metal head maker in the US or mebbe the world by now.

So, go put hands on one or more of these and then decide what is your best course of action. They are many miles down the road from when I talked to them years ago, but have survived when other startups have not...the ASR base prices have gone up 25-30% commensurately from the Under 1K MSRP's they started with and they have added new models beside the basic Blue & SS Wood guns they atarted with....and fit nicely UNDER the Cooper's et al of the world for a STANDARD rifle with definitive upgrades to the M70 action...at about what a new Winchester Super Grade cost's...and I would buy a Base ASR over a M70 Super Grade all day every day with the upgrades in the receiver.

You mightt also think about buying a finished action only too and spend the balance of your $Nut having someone do the finish out.

GB last nite had more than a few national dealers listing ASR's at full pop Retails too....and NO used ones for sale.
Have fun...JMHO & YMMV
Ron

4 pages of it was derailed by target shooting and Berger bullets

I asked if you can find a Win 70 LH rifle, and you never answered.

I was going to suggest you buy a donor rifle, Win 70, rebarrel it, and change the stock if you desired.

I guess you were busy inventing target shooting, with Berger bullets, since I don't recall anyone ever mentioning it.

I can't find a left handed Winchester action unfortunatly.

Talked to Montana rifle this morning.....they have a long lead time. 8-9 months possibly.

Might try and have the rifle shop up the road build me a .300 win mag on a 700 action

Not trying to be a Tikka fanboy, but what do you like better around the Rem than the Tikka? I can see how you would use Rem if you already had it. But why would you buy a new Rem and then spend a bunch of money to make it as good as a Tikka is right out of the box?

I don't like the narrow loading port or the bolt handle

I like the 700 action and the way it locks up

They enlarged the ejection port on the T3x and there are a zillion aftermarket bolt handles/knobs for next to nothin.

I think you answered your question on the previous page. Find your bullet for the .270, use Superformance or hand load, put a light synthetic stock and a good scope on it, and go hunting.

I have well over a dozen rifles. A matched pair in .243 and .308 would likely do anything I have left to do, but I'm getting a little old and shakes and would rather keep my shots a good bit closer than 400.

Jack

I could but it would ruin the rifle as it currently is which holds a great amount of sentimental value. I've had it for 20 years

what makes the tikka action better than the 700?


is there any reason why ya'll are touting it so?

How old are you that you are thinking this is the last rifle you are going to buy? Just curious.

70° bolt throw, as opposed to 90° (huge deal if you have never felt it)
Better extractor design
Factory trigger is fine (Rem 700 is not)
Run way smoother than any 700 I have shot.

I have several custom, semi-custom rifles, whatever you want to call them. 3 on Tikka actions, 1 on a Rem 700. Each time I cycle the Rem 700, I wished it was a Tikka.

Left Hand 300 WSM on a shelf ready to go.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/731500655

LH Tikka T3 300 WSM for $629 - https://www.hyattgunstore.com/tikka-t3-l...3-8-barrel.html

Leaves a lot of $ for some good glass. Or rebarrel, pic rail, bolt handle that appeals to you, and some good Bottom Metal

That's a pretty good deal there

This thread has lots of good ideas. My opinion is that for a factory rifle Tikka is hard to beat. Even if you just wanted to rebarrel to a Bartlein. You're still in it pretty cheap. If you have 2k to spend then you might as well save another grand and call up Alamo or another smith and have them build a full custom with the best parts money can buy.

If you replaced everything but the action on a Tikka with the same parts plus cerakote, threading, fluting. You would still spend near 3k. Unless you have connections that most of us don't have.

I think this thread is fascinating.

He has stated several times doesn't want a Tikka or to build a custom off a Tikka action but people refuse to stop recommending them.

The elk won’t know it’s not a custom build when that 30 caliber bullet hits them. At least nothing I’ve ever shot has. As long as it shoots well and doesn’t weigh a ton, there’s about 30 critical components to every successful hunt - and about 28 of them rank above what particular rifle is in your hands.

Telling, isn't it.

More like

Rifle $600
Barrel $350
Gunsmith $500 (machining and cerakote)
Fluting $150
Stock $550
Bottom metal $200

(Bottom three, optional of course)


I know a guy. I'd put that combo up against any other, with equal hand loads.

Put it up against anything else? Hmmm...what are the judgement criteria?

I hear that Tikkas are very accurate out of the box. That may be so...but in my opinion, there's much more to a hunting rifle than raw accuracy. There's aesthetic appeal, ergonomics, perceived quality (very subjective, no doubt), handling, and favored features. And probably more I can't think of at the moment. Once a rifle reaches a certain level of accuracy, it will suffice for general typical hunting. A 2-MOA rifle, properly sighted in and shot by someone who knows what he's doing, will hit within three inches of the intended POI at 300 yards, and just about any rifle you buy off the shelf will shoot better than 2 MOA.

Accuracy is good. Extreme accuracy is very cool and I like it just as much as the next guy, but it's just not necessary for most of us for general hunting purposes.

Judgement criteria is ergonomics and performance.

I appreciate fine lumber, and I have a shotgun and a lever action wearing it. None of my bolt actions do. See reasons above.

Can nice lumber perform? Sure. It tends to cost more to get it to perform equal, and can be heavier.

To the op I feel like your a person who appreciates quality and nice things. The overwhelming impression I have been left with every time I picked up a tikka was cheap. Not saying they are poor quality but they sure have the feel of it, I didn’t like it.

Dad has a wood stocked rem 700 mountain rifle in 280 rem it’s been a great rifle and is very light and easily carried. I shot several of my first deer with it and like it a lot. It comes in other calibers but bet the 280 would do whatever you need.

I wish the Sako Finnlight came in LH. I think you would really like it.

I love wood stocked rifles too, but IMO synthetic stocks offer too many advantages to ignore for a mountain rifle.

Yes, I agree with you on the tikka. It can shoot great and no doubt it does, but it feels like a toy rifle and I don't care for them

And yes, a .280 is a great caliber. But I own a .270 and want something I would really feel comfortable shooting any 4 legged critter in the lower 48 with.

Dad’s is old enough synthetic was not an option, but it now is also offered in synthetic and with a detachable magazine if I remember right.

Yes but I don't think Remington offers them in left handed


Basically the Winchester stainless, the remington mountain rifle, kimber ascent, would all be suitable for my needs. But since none of them come left handed I'm having to build my own

I'd go with a LH Sako in 300 WSM with great glass and maybe restock it.

Sako doesent offer a LH to my knowledge. Tried that route too

Who cares what he thinks...people are out to tell him all the reasons why he is wrong...even though he is entitled to spend his money how he wants


To the op one thing to think about is ammo supply. Are you going to reload or buy? Where do you buy ammo? Some stores don’t sell particular calibers. For example I see more win mag than wsm. Just a thought

I know the Sako 75 came in left hand, I believe the 85 does now.

Every time.

Maybe I should just buy a tikka....

Here you go. Finer than frog hair. Just not synthetic but if you handle one I bet you leave with it.

https://www.eurooptic.com/sako-85-hunter-left-hand-.300-win-mag-jrs1a31l.aspx

Visited a few gun stores today. The wsm popularity is fading fast and lots more options with the reg. Magnum.

Gonna go with the .300 win for just that reason

Dang that’s pretty.

I'm pretty sure MRC sells bare actions. If that's the action you like and if your going to have something built... I doubt there is much lead time on a bare action.

I love sako rifles.


but from what I see they don't offer left handed in a synthetic stock

I'm fine with him picking whatever he wants. Just doesn't make any sense to pick something that is blatantly inferior like a 700.

I wonder who has been doen this road many times before and recommended the few options available.

"Nerve racking sonsabitches, it's like I'm playing cards with my brother's kids or something."

proof research and christnesen arms builds off the 700 action. So does Rifles inc. and Jarrett


what well known custom builder uses the tikka action again?

Heck, I can’t stand brakes, but if you’re gonna put a brake on it anyway just get the Weatherby 6.5x300 and be done with it.

J/K.

The only reason to worry about that is to spend more money to feel like you got more.

Pure emotion, no logic once the trigger is squeezed.

i'm looking into that as well.....my concernt with that is it the bullet isn't heavy enough.



that and $109 for a box of ammo sucks

Have you considered learning to shoot right handed?

So you're telling me that gunsmiths like actions that need gunsmithing work to be decent? I'm shocked.

It's not that you can't make a 700 shoot. But it will cost more and still be inferior. Your money and your gun though - no skin off my nose.

That’s my concern too - which is why I added the J/K. The .300 Wby might work if you are going to brake it anyway. Those things sure are hammers though.
I wouldn’t worry about ammo cost too much if you’re not a shooter.

Now we’re getting somewhere.

More than you’d think. I’ve talked to quite a few.

Dane Miller / DMR, LLC - Las Vegas
Mark Gordon at short action Customs
Chad Dixon at LRI
George Gardner at GA Precision
Derrick at Horizon
Eric Smith at ES Tactcal — Proof research sends a lot of their business to him for guys wanting tikkas
ZG Customs

http://lrhmagazine.com/l/iUeValgcoYwIzNOa6892ZNsQ/mKhnN8ZzTSGrXpa0nMr5XA/SHyp93L763kuJtDTlzDdqoVA

http://lrhmagazine.com/l/iUeValgcoYwIzNOa6892ZNsQ/bg6wDZXuyy4vqzb76fWTTg/SHyp93L763kuJtDTlzDdqoVA

http://lrhmagazine.com/l/iUeValgcoYwIzNOa6892ZNsQ/SZDilJiMZgOmOSAZXff5GQ/SHyp93L763kuJtDTlzDdqoVA

As the buyer you should feel free to buy whatever you want, for whatever reason you want. Great by me.

As a guy who owns a few semi-customs built on 700 actions, and a guy that has been shooting Tikkas for 20 years now, there is no comparison between these two actions. Tikkas are smoother, stiffer, near bulletproof, and is but one simple reason they are so accurate.

If you like screwing around with developing loads ( I do to a degree), tweaking tgriggers, bedding, etc then buy something else. If you like out of the box accuracy with nearly anything you can possibly feed the thing, Tikka hands down. Go to the Mcmillan site and buy one of the T3X stocks in inventory for $500'ish if you wish, but even then it won't shoot any better than a stock Tikka. Very few (including mine) expensive rifles shoot any better, or as good, as a stock Tikka.

I have bought a couple of Tikkas. I like them just fine, especially for the cost.

But if y’all like Tikkas, you must absolutely adore Sakos.

They don't get the same love on the THF as Tikka for some reason but I love my Sakos.

Sako is the same company as Tikka. 3 lugs, 60° throw, more money. Never owned one, but have handled some. Fine rifles, no doubt. Evidently they are not available in LH, which turns me away.

you can get a few models, just not the finnilight or other synthetic models

I've owned 2 wood stocked Sako 85's, sold them both. Both were well under MOA shooters but they were much too pretty for me and they were never shot. They both have great homes now. One to my hunting buddy, the other to a prominent member here on the THF.


and yes, I miss both of them. Sorry, got this thread of topic as JG states, no lefty.

Most folks on here have little familiarity with them. Sakos have largely flown “under the radar” in the states. I own/have owned dozens of rifles. My four main hunting rifles (deer, light mountain, medium-heavy mountain, DGR) are all Sakos. The mountain rifles are synthetic Finnlights and the other two are wood. I’m done buying hunting rifles.

I have either owned or handled just about every rifle-maker’s synthetic offerings that are out there (including the custom/semi-customs) - IMO the Finnlight is as good or better a rifle as any of them.

Why not got with a TC encore or Pro Hunter... then your not limited to one caliber... I got an Encore last year and have .308 and 22-250 for it.. it has been growing on me like I never dreamed a single shot would

sako's are not as popular due to the price point. a Sako is the European version of weatherby in terms of quality.


Sauer is another really nice rifle.



if it was going to be a deer rifle/general hunting rifle I would buy a wood stocked sako no doubt. The rifle I am building may be on a snowy aspen ridge one day and a month later be layed in a pile of loose rocks while glassing for mule deer.

I need a synthetic stocked rifle for this job

Yeah, I know. Sorry for the sidetrack.

Love Sakos as well, especially the L61's from about 40 years ago. No better factory rifle has ever been built. I had 4 of them and wound up selling because I personally don't like wood. My rifles are simply tools, as I don't buy them to oogle over or sit there and stare out admiring their beauty. Would love to have a 75, but they won't outshoot any of the Tikkas I have....same barrels.

The DSC show is coming up in about 10 days. Just about every factory and custom/semi-custom gun maker in the country will be there. Including the overseas makers.

If you could make your way there and spend a day or two handling rifles I’m betting you would find one that would fill the bill. Just a thought.

Really sound advice and excellent suggestion.

I buy rifles for both reasons. That said, I don’t mind hunting with a pretty wood-stocked rifle. Especially Texas hunting where they don’t get much abuse. My 85 is going on 40 years old now and it still looks about as good as when I bought it as a 15 year old kid. The main “battle scars” came from hauling it up and down AZ mountains on my desert sheep hunt a few years ago. At 9 1/2 lbs it was about 2 lbs too heavy - but that’s the rifle I wanted in my hands for a once in a lifetime shot.

that would be like sending a recovering alcoholic to the distillers convention.....I would come back broke, confused about what happend and very guilty.

You mentioned that you really like Weatherby products.

Why not have their custom shop make what you want?

YOLO.
If you decide you want to go, PM me. You can bunk at my house and we’ll go together.

buy a single shot

Winchester 1885

ambidextrous, pretty

that's being considered as well

they are very nice rifles, as well as the ruger no.1's, but a lot of animals require follow up shots and its hard to do with a single shot rifle.

the last 2 animals I killed were hit perfectly but still on their feet so I shot them again.


once you get outside the relm of whitetail hunting over a feeder a lot of game requires multiple shots to anchor I have found

SAKO is the surviving PARENT Company of Tikka. They were merged togther in 1984 when the Finnish Gvn'mt wanted out of the commercial rifle bidnizz at their machine gun factory, that had been producing less expensive rifles under the Tikka or LSA Ithaca name. BTSEEN That in '84 when they added the Tikka name to the SAKO logo on the historical stone tower overlooking the plant grounds in Rihimaaki.

SAKO was later sold to Beretta, who they had been selling actions to for Beretta to turn into their own rifles for years, when NOKIA wanted out of the small $$ volume gun bidnizz and concentrate on building Cruise Ships, Computers, Voice Communication systems aka Telephones, 75/80% of all Volvo parts, and world wide heavy construction projects like the Aswan High Dam in Eygpt yadda yadda.

FWIW SAKO continued to use the Swedish iron ore called Bofors that has a higher heat resistance than average iron ore - and used by the US Navy for the WW II and later anti aircraft ship board guns called "POM POM's" , long past the mfg'd rifles that carried the "Bofors" name (to avoid paying a royalty for the use of the name) that were inmported into the US by Firearms Int'l, scrollmarked as Impt'd FI, Washington DC, and later by Garcia Corp, Wash DC, prior to Nokia's joint venture in purchasing Stoeger Industries to be the Importer of Record.

If any of ya'll go to DSC or SCI and look up a tall skinny old guy from West Texas at the Tuff Pak booth, I'm sure he could give you far more chapter and verse of the minutia concerning SAKO's 100 Year+ history than I ever could, as I was only at the plant the one time for 10 days in October '84 for a plant tour and moose hunt. This guy's spent probably a couple years worth of time at the Rihimaaki Plant, until Beretta got involved...and has owned hundreds+++?? of SAKO's over the years he was making a business at GunShows of buying and selling any and all SAKO product's that had been imported to the US or hand carried home by US Servicemen as personal property from mfg'ed from about 1948 to about 2000??.

My old friend and mentor, and another SAKO collector guy from Whitewater Kansas, are who created the SAKO Collectors Assc, and spent several months a year for a couple years scouring the plant to locate all the remaining parts from the disc'd Finn Wolf lever action CF rifle, and had SAKO build the odd parts not found to finish out the Limited Edition run of 308 & 243 SCA labled matched pairs of rifles...and paid for them out of their own pocket. That kinda fun is where you find it and can afford it....and long gone forever these days.
Ron

Pretty rifles are dumb... get a solid reliable working machine that requires less cleaning

you bow hunt don't you ?

similar to bow hunting

just drop the lever and drop another cartridge

you be surprised how fast you can do it in a real hunting situation

(have that second round ready )

I'm going Thursday if I'm not hunting, then whenever I get back. I'm scope hunting, want to handle them all

wish I could with the Lotto (it would have to be the POWERBALL to play there) before I go.

oops, sorry, sidetracked again...

Or I could just shoot a repeater

TT,

so after all of this discussion, which way are you leaning on rifle selection and chambering?

Either the X2 Montana, a Weatherby ultra light or an apache rifleworks christensen arms copy of the classic model in .300 win across the board

I like the carbon barrel on the Christensen arms though for me it's probably just for asthetics

That's a sound and versatile choice.

It is easy enough to load it comparable to 308/30-06 or turn up the volume with the heavy and/or high bc bullets.

Also, ammo and components are always available.

Interested to see what you settle on.

is this thread still alive?

just buy the dang thing

Wait, wait I have some more opinions..........

Does it involve a tikka action?

Lots of options on this build. Met with Paul over at Apache rifle works in comfort.

Hell of a nice guy.

It's between their souped up version of a model 700 or a Mark V ultra light now

Easy choice for me, Weatherby Mark V.
There are other variants of mark v that weigh the same as the ultra light.

Yes but none offered in left handed

Can’t you buy one of the LH offerings and just rebarrel it to .300 WM? (I’m thinking the Ultralight.)

I assume I could.

But I'm looking into having them do it

IIRC the .300 wby has a magnum length action not a long action like the .300 win and .257 so I'd have to use the .257 action

those guys are great, hope you buy from them. range report needed

Get a Tikka.

Well... someone had to do that.

Montana rifle company has a long long lead time and they are charging a premium for a muzzle brake and cerakote

I'm leaning towards a Weatherby or Apache rifle at this point

My suggestion is that you live another 30-50 more years, and purchase many, many more rifles. It's the only way to keep peace on the forum.

maybe I will buy a tikka in 6.5 creedmoor and use it to gut shoot hogs that are running from black panthers on high fence properties over indian corn.


then I should be covering all the bases on the most hotly debated topics. Oh, and to get to the ranch ill drive a jacked up crew cab 3/4 diesel pulling a crew cab UTV of some sort.

Just kiddin, bro. You're GTG.

And the winner is a Weatherby ultralight in .300 win mag.

Everything I want, nothing I don’t and within my budget.

Hit walls everywhere I went. Being left handed I expected it. Really liked the lightweight kimber rifles but no lefty

Found out Christensen arms is gonna make a left handed rifle which I really like but their start date is unknown, so I passed on them. They were my 2nd favorite and would def. consider them if I buy another rifle. As it sat I would have to provide them with an action, then add another $1500 to build the rifle, which I thought was fair

I’m gonna like this Weatherby and can’t wait to shoot it, should be ready in about 6 months


Really dissapointed after talking to several “custom” makers, they all want $2k plus for a pretty stock looking remington 700 with some fluting and a oversized bolt knob

Many people will pay up for fancy fluting and big knobs.

Yes, yes they will

Is this the Mark V Ultralight that lists for $2300 and weighs 6 3/4 pounds?

Congratulations!

Look forward to hearing a range report, should be nice to carry in the mountains.

Are we still talking rifles or women.....

Nice choice, I'm sure you'll be happy with it.

Yes it is

"the last one"

ha ha ha

i'm gonna focus my funds on hunting trips not a safe full of high dollar rifles. a handful of rifles I have now should serve me for anyting from rabbits to moose and maybe a bear in a pinch once this .300 comes in.


Now onto the scope. i'm thinkin a Swarvoski Z5 in 3x18

Hold on tight!

And a barrel, and cerakote, and stock, and trigger, and bottom metal, and trued action, and recoil lug, and threading, and done exactly the way you want it, and etc, etc....

You are getting a lot more than a stock 700.

Maybe but not $2500-$2600 worth of rifle.

I can buy a Christensen arms ridgeline for $1899 at cabelas right now. If they made a lefty I would have gone that route and been happy....I love the way those guns look, esp. with the bull barrel.

But Weatherby has been good to me and the mark V’s are a gun in a league all their own.

This will make the 5th Weatherby in the safe and I’ve enjoyed all their products immensely. My accumark in .257 is by far my favorite rifle to carry and shoot

So my rifle came in. Mark V left handed Ultralight in .300 win mag.

Today I walked into a random gunshop and picked up a VX-6 Leupold 3x18x44 at a killer price. Has a funky reticle (windplex) but for the price it couldn't be beat. Has the firedot and adjustable turret on top.


Can't wait to get the rig in the field.

Good choice on scope. I like those.

Yes, great choice, I have two of them. I bought the Swaro Z5 you were considering and sold it to buy the second VX-6HD. Let's see some pics of that bad boy.

let me get the scope on it first

You caved! All that talk about no dots, hashes or turrets! I want a simple duplex! People nearly got banned over that thread!

for what I saved on this scope....I will put up with ridiculous windage hash marks. I'm convinced that's why it did not sell.

TT,
as long as the marks are there, a few minutes reading the instruction manual might add a helpful tool to the toolbox, especially for hunting in the mountains and wide open spaces of the west.

I skimmed thru the Manual but didn’t really understand it

I need to send the turret to Leupold and have it calibrated to my caliber and load

Where do you live?

If you happen to swing by Austin, send me a PM and I will be happy to help.

The turret as it sits is a simple moa turret. Unless you’re going to find one load and shoot that always having a custom turret made is a tough decision. Plus a turret made for Texas sucks in the high country. Just food for thought. You had no intention of dialing to start with so I don’t know that my statement has any merit.

ok....so say I have my rifle sighted in dead on at 200 yards. I take a shot at an animal at 300....at that distance my bullet would be 6-7" low of point of aim.




Do I set it 3, 6 or what?





This is just for conversations sake I don't need a turret to hit an animal at 300 yards with a 18x scope

1 moa @ 300 yards is 3.141" (1.047" x 3). If your bullet drops 6", then you need to dial up 2 moa, or 8 "clicks" (6" / 3.141 = 1.91 moa, round it up to 2 for the closest 1/4 you can). I hate the term clicks, because what's a click? A click is different for many scopes, so call it what it is. In your case, it's moa. So you dial up 2 moa. If the turrets are 1/4 moa, then it's 8 clicks up. But call it like it is, 2 moa up.

If your bullet drops 7", then 7 / 3.141 is 2.22 moa, which would be rounded up to 2.25 moa come-up.

Wasting your time, Chad.

I tell shooters all the time, learn moa (or mils) and you will NEVER go back to inches again. Inches are confusing and you have to do the math to convert it to moa or mils. And when shooters get it and understand it, it's like a light bulb moment. Their face lights up, they smile, and then say, "Why didn't I learn this sooner!"

Myself as a long time shooter, I'm telling you straight up, once you learn how to use moa (or mils), you won't go back. It's so easy I teach many kids on how to use it.

Maybe so.

Did you read the other 9 pages?

No, I guess not. I just jumped right on in.

Lol go read them, pretty entertaining.

pulled the scope out, one "click" (as its described on the turret) equals 1/4" MOA



Im just asking because i'm wondering how it works. No, odds are I won't use it, but I would like to understand it.

This might help.

https://www.nssf.org/shooting/minute-angle-moa/

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php...OA-is-Important

http://www.shootingtimes.com/optics/optics_moast_040407/

https://www.ssusa.org/articles/2016/11/14/making-sense-of-moa/

https://www.gunmart.net/scopes-and-optics/scopes/rifle-scopes/racknload-moa-for-dummies

https://www.nssf.org/shooting/minute-angle-moa/

If you understand it, you will use it. I'm telling you straight up from a shooters perspective, learning moa will make your shooting much easier and understand drop much better. I've been doing it a long time, and when someone talks in inches, I have to calculate much more numbers to convert it back and it sometimes confuses me.

Corrections are made by raising the shot with measurements made in degrees/angles. Think of raising the point of aim one degree above the target. At these relatively short distances the bullet does not drop even one degree. So, we use the next smaller unit of measure for an angle. One degree is broken down into 60 minutes. So, measurements are made in minutes of angle, the subpart of one degree. As an aside, one minute of angle is broken down into 60 seconds, which is why latitude and longitude are reported in degrees, minutes, and seconds.

Using software in advance, punch in the details for the bullets ballistic coefficient, which is roughly similar to aerodynamic drag factor and its muzzle velocity, distance, and wind, to generate a table as shown below.

The table will show the correction needed in minutes of angle, which matches the units on the turret.

Corrections can be made by adjusting the knobs, i.e. dialing the turrets, or use the hashmarks like a ruler and hold off the appropriate amount. The scopes adjustments are made to bring the shot up - which is correcting elevation - as measured in minutes of angle rather than inches. That is the knob on top. Wind blows the bullet sideways, which is often not understood by many shooters, but a very real issue. The knob on the side corrects the shot right or left, which is called windage. It too corrects in minutes.


The general rule is dial elevation, hold for wind.

That is the basic concept.


“mils” is the same concept, just using the standard international unit of a radian instead of degree. A milradian or milliradian is 1/1,000 th of a radian, and shortened to just “mil” for convenience, but it still measures angles.

Chad posted some good links while I was pecking on the phone.

Corrections can be done in advance. Instead of doing a 200 yard zero, always keep the rifle zeroed at 100. Then adjust to fit the circumstances. It takes about 1 second for me to adjust my scope to a 200 yard zero in the field if that is what best fits the situation. I typically leave it with no correction, and then adjust as needed if a longer shot is needed.

This table is taped to the side of my rifle for quick and easy reference. After years of staring at it in the field while waiting for a deer to show up, I can do the corrections to 500 yards without thinking about it.

The table is distance, elevation, 10 mph wind from 90 degrees, and then lead for a 3 mph walking speed. The table was printed on regular printer paper, and then covered with clear packing tape. The measurements are in minutes of angle, the units on the turret. So, there is no guessing about inches at longer distances. With just a minimal amount of practice, it is very quick and easy, and produces far more reliable shot placement. More reliable shot placements equals better terminal results. DRT is much easier than tracking. That table is wrinkled from being taped on the rifle for years now, but the ten cent solution still works fine, and it is always there.

How have you been sighting in before this 1/4 MOA per click scope you have now? Many of them state "1 click=1/4 MOA or 1/4 inch at 100 yards" so that anyone can sight it in, or am I missing something?

I don't know that's why i'm asking.


so once the scope is "zero'd" I am supposed to lock it in. it has 18" ( 1/4" click increments" ) of elevation.


my question is how do I calculate what to put it on, say, if I had a 7" drop at 300 yards?


manual doesen't say

Zero at 100 yards. If target is 300 yards away and drop is 7", turn turret up 9 clicks. As Chad said, it's better to look at it in MOAs rather than inches. If an MOA is 1 inch at 100 then 1 MOA is 3 inches at 300. You want to go up 7 inches at 300, that's just over 2 MOA, remember each click of the turret is a 1/4 MOA adjustment.

Disclaimer: You're better off watching the videos Chad posted than taking advise from me.

"IF" your scope is zeroed at 100 yards and then for each movement or"click" it will move your impact 1/4" at 100 yards up or down also left or right. Now if you are asking what you will need to do to move it 7" at 300 yards you have to understand that moving your turret up or down one "click" will raise / lower your impact 1/4" at 100 yards. So each "click" up raises impact 1/4" at 100 yards- 1/2" at 200 yards and 3/4" at 300 yards so if you want to adjust your scope to elevate your impact 7 inches higher at 300 , you would move it 9 "clicks" up which would raise your impact 2.25" at 100, 4.5" at 200 and 6.75" at 300 yards.

OK, garyrapp55 bet me to it.

Get your rifle zeroed and sit down with someone with experience. A face to face conversation can have you up and running in 5 minutes. Guaranteed. Promise. 100% you’re money back!

I tried understanding by reading stuff but it didn't make sense until I went out and shot at distance with someone that knew it well. I spent enough time shooting with Chad and Jason, which was about an hour, and I went from a 100 yard shooter and holding high past that to understanding MOA or MILs and even now, preferring MILs.

Don't tell Jason but I'm also leaning toward a FFP for when I get my CTR.

shooting distances make a difference with the 30-378

Here she is....

looks great!

That is one sweet rig!!!

Very nice!

I like the way you set it up. I would to hunt with that in a heartbeat! If you take the time to learn and understand your new scope, I think you will really like it. As you stated, you don't need to dial to take animals out to 300. If you decide to try your hand beyond 300, if you know the range and wind, and learn the corresponding drop and drift, you might amaze yourself with what it will do.
Congrats on the new rig. It is sweet.

Very nice looking rifle TT.

Glad to see the brake on it, as a lightweight 300 Win Mag sounded like a handful.

What bullet are you thinking of using?

Fixed it for ya.

Mr. txtrophy85, you have good taste in rifles if only you didn't shoot it backwards. Pray to Allah and he will cure you of that disease.

i'll shoot to around 400 yards on big game. never taken a 400 yarder on a coyote but I have gotten out to 370 yards

im leaning towards the 180 grain accubond although the 165 grain TTSX is intriguing me

Nice!!!

I settled on the 165 TTSX at 3080 for my 300 Win Mag. The TTSX’s have worked well for me in the field in a few rifles. They are accurate, produce reliable terminal effects, and do not tear up too much meat even with high shoulder shots. The TTSX needs about 2000 fps at impact to open reliably, which is true for most hunting bullets. I now use TTSX’s for most of my hunting and find they work well. My comments are specific to the TTSX, and definitely not the TSX.

Just for consideration with your new scope, here is a table for the 165 TTSX out to 500 yards, which still is above the 2,000 fps desired impact velocity. If your rifle is zeroed at 100, then just turn the elevation turret to match the drop in MOA, easy to do. The same table can be run for a 200 yard zero if preferred. Inches are included because you mention them, but for the purpose of adjusting the scope, ignore the inch column and adjust the turret according to the MOA column. The basic concept really is that simple. There are other variables that can come into play, but just trying to help with the fundamental concept since you asked. Hope this helps.

That is a good looking rig. And do send your info to Leupold and have the CDL turrets made. They make it easy.

Get an APR in .264 Win Mag

Browning X Bolt in 7mm Rem Mag.

if Browning made a Hells Canyon Speed in a left handed action I would have been all over it. but lately browning has been chincy with their left handed offerings

Check out the Sako Black Wolf