I started hunting big game with a 7mm Rem Mag as a 30-06 wasn't available to me at the time......but the guy in the store said it was as good (not knowledgeable back then) so I bought it. It was a Rem 700 and with the 24" barrel it was long and heavy, but didn't notice it that much in the excitement of youth.
I started handloading then and only ever used 175gr bullets for hunting and over the next 10 years bagged a moose near every year along with some b-bears. It was a real good shooter and kept it in the safe for another 10 years then sold it off.
Over the years I collected more rifles than I used so about 7-8 years ago purged the safe and decided on two stainless synthetic rifles for hunting. One is a 30-06 and the other is a 9.3mm. The idea being one for the light stuff and one for heavy game.
Both rifles are Sako 85's and are light enough and portable and can be used in all conditions. The 9.3 is a thumper on game and the shooter, the 30-06 very user friendly and has taken game big and small, it works so well that I have to purposely decide to use the 9.3......the 30-06 is the default hunting tool.
As others will attest the 30-06 is boring, has probably the widest range of bullets available in factory loads, will kill any animal at normal hunting ranges, doen't beat up the user physically or financially. And , in a quality rifle are as accurate as any other round in real world conditions.
There are a lot of choices, check the ballistic charts they will give you a good comparison on power and trajectory..........and then mount a fixed 6X scope, Leupold 6x36 or 6x42 are good choices.
Good luck on your search, don't forget that there is a lot of good barely used rifles and optics out there.
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Originally Posted by BCBRAD
B.C., PRE-NDP, formerly the best place to play! Cogito, ergo armatus sum!
A couple of things, if I were hunting the little coastal blacktails I'd be tempted to go with 4-14X for the extra magnification on those little guys at longer range; and with all the rain I'd definitely go with Bushnell Elite 4500s or 6500s or Swarovski rifle scopes...both have a lens coating that lets you see much better in the rain. IF and only if your budget is so tight that you can't afford to pay attention after buying your rifle, knife, and binos, then get the Bushnell Legend HDs...the glass isn't as good as the Elites nor is the light transmission at dawn and dusk, but it does have Rainguard and they'll be adequate in most situations. I'd get a cheaper knife and bring a sharpener, buy a used Husqvarna 1600 and glass bed it into it's old stock for .5 moa, get the Nikon Monarch 7 10X42 binos for $400 instead of Meoptas for $800-1000, and use that money on a better scope. It has to give you a clear picture of where you need to put a bullet at sometimes long range, in dim light with brush in the way, and is a very key bit of kit!
