Adding a Rifle to the Stable

As the title states, looking to add another rifle to my arsenal. My primary hunting rifle currently is a T3 Lite Stainless in .270, and that will still be #1 on deck for my big game needs, but I would like to add a short action (308, 7mm-08, or 260) to my lineup for a couple reasons.

1) To have another rifle that would be capable for deer/bear/elk sized game
2) To have something that would be a little friendlier for my wife to shoot, or my daughter once she gets to that age
3) A long(er) range plinker. Reason I’ve been looking at the three calibers listed is the large variety of high BC bullets (I reload, so box ammo cost/availability not an issue). Eventually, either one of these options will be getting thrown in a chassis.

The three rifles I’m looking at are:

1) a VERY lightly used Tikka CTR (20″ barrel) at my LGS in 308 for $500. Thing is in great condition, and honestly aside from a small scuff on the barrel you can’t even tell it has been shot.
2) Tikka T3x Lite SS or Superlight in either 308 or 7mm-08. My old man has a T3 in 7mm-08 and that thing is a dream to shoot, so that is why I threw that caliber in there. Cost of either of these at my LGS is $749.
3) Howa 1500 Hogue in either caliber listed. $575 at my LGS. I know WAY less people who have Howa’s vs. Tikkas, so if anyone on here has one and could chime in that would be great.

Thanks for any advice. Ideally, I’d just some home with all three but the FW wouldn’t be to thrilled about that I imagine..

I’m not a huge gun enthusiast as others might be but consider the 6.5 creedmore.

You say your wife or daughter. 6.5 is very accurate and deadly and great out at distances. Below is a nice little chart regarding recoil and as you can see, the 6.5 fairs very well.

Another thing to consider, light guns kick more. I love the tikka t3 lights, good for driving and long walks or hiking. but if your gonna be in a stand, maybe the little extra weight will payoff over the extra recoil of the lite. One of the worse things for young hunters is shooting a gun that’s too big for them. Honestly, I was 15 when I got my first rifle, a 30.06 and thought 180 grain would be good. It took YEARS for my to correct my bad flinching and be able to shoot good.

https://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

I have 2 Howa 1500s
1 25-06
1 223 both are sub 1/2moa with good loads
I’ve roag the gong at 1500 yds with the 25-06
and killed yotes out to 575yds in SD. WITH THE 223

How about 6.5 PRC?

tornadochaser wrote:

How about 6.5 PRC?

I would love a 6.5 PRC, but I don’t believe Tikka chambers them. I know you can find Howas in 6.5 PRC but they’re few and far between. Should call the LGS and see if they can get one!

.260 REM Is what I would pick out of those three calibers

waldo9190 wrote:

My primary hunting rifle currently is a T3 Lite Stainless in .270, and that will still be #1 on deck for my big game needs, but I would like to add a short action (308, 7mm-08, or 260) to my lineup for a couple reasons.
1) To have another rifle that would be capable for deer/bear/elk sized game
2) To have something that would be a little friendlier for my wife to shoot, or my daughter once she gets to that age
3) A long(er) range plinker. Reason I’ve been looking at the three calibers listed is the large variety of high BC bullets (I reload, so box ammo cost/availability not an issue).

The .308, 7-08, and 260 are all so close to the 270 that there is no practical difference between them. Either in performance on targets or big game, or in terms of recoil for that matter. You’d be hard-pressed to point to any solid difference, all are good chamberings, all can get the job done on the game you mention, all will kick about the same in a similarly configured rifle.

If the goal really is lowering the recoil level, I think you might be better served looking at the 6 MM / .243 or any of the massive crop of 6.5 chamberings now available.

The .243 is an often overlooked choice, but in terms of recoil per unit of performance, it is steller. And it is absolutely PLENTY of gun for deer and black bear-sized game. Of the last 2 deer I shot with the 243, one dropped literally in its tracks, the other made it less than 20 yards and fell over stone dead. All of this with recoil so low that it’d be difficult to find less in a centerfire deer-capable rifle.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is tremendously popular and I believe a big reason for this is that a lot of guys came out of the magnum-crazed 80s and 90s and suddenly woke up to the fact that it doesn’t take a bazooka to kill a whitetail. Toting a fire-breathing, shoulder-mangling magnum is kind of silly if your average shot is expressed using two digits in front of “yards”. The Creedmoor is both capable AND it’s pleasant to shoot and it is enough for everything in North America with the exception of the grizzly.

I agree the PRC is an interesting choice, and I’d like to try the big brother 300 PRC, but as you say the key is finding a rifle chambered in that cartridge. Simply much more difficult to find compared to the Creedmoor.

Grouse

I guess my inner “don’t want to be like everyone else” was steering me away from the 6.5 Creed, but it is definitely on my radar given the vastly larger number of rifles that chamber it vs. the 260 Rem.

Grouse nailed it. IMO, magnumitis is a huge reason yu see lots of guys at the range with high dollar rifle/scope combos that shoot 3-4” at 100yds. Personally, my 270 is my favorite gun for hunting. Light, recoil is very manageable, and i just flat out like the gun….lol.

Timmy wrote:

Grouse nailed it. IMO, magnumitis is a huge reason yu see lots of guys at the range with high dollar rifle/scope combos that shoot 3-4” at 100yds. Personally, my 270 is my favorite gun for hunting. Light, recoil is very manageable, and i just flat out like the gun….lol.

Oh I totally agree. Unless I were to ever have an opportunity to hunt one of the big coastal bears then I won’t need to buy a big game rifle chambered in anything with more mustard than my 270. I absolutely love that thing.

Too many people buy one of the larger magnums and try and justify it with “well, if I make a $h!t shot at 400 yards it’s more forgiving”…..or how about you hunt with a rifle that you’re capable of shooting well at that distance?

As mentioned, all are similar to the 270win and yet all have their distinct differences. I do not like the 308. Never understood the popularity of it when poking out at longer distances. Of the few 308s I load for, none of them perform like they should on paper.

The 7/08 and 260 are about a coin flip. Either will perform outstanding with the right load. I personally like the 7-08 almost as much as my 22-250 for shooting. Just a comfortable round for a day of shooting when you want to reach out there.

I have an assortment of HOWA and Tikka. The tikkas are lighter to carry and as mentioned, kick a little more. For someone who shoots frequently, you would notice a significant difference.

All of my Tikkas and howas are sub moa. As for longevity, I would have to lean towards my howas. My 22-250s like it hot and fast. My “almost worn out” 250 still delivers a hell of an accurate shot. I have over 10k rounds down the tube. And I still poke Pdogs at 500meters plus. My newer 250 on the bench is delivering 2.5”ish 10 round groups at 725 meters on a nearly perfect day.

I shoot next to nothing less that 200 meters. My range is set up for 250 to just under 1000 meters. My forte is the 600 to 800 meters and I see a lot with loads and different rifles at those distances. That’s the point where you see the performance differences in different Bullets and loads. For hunting the average Midwest Whitetail, about all you really need is A moa rifle in any centerfire. If you have the intent to start reaching out for speed goats or other game at longer distances (or just a target plinker) I would probably go the 7-08

Randy Wieland wrote:

All of my Tikkas and howas are sub moa. As for longevity, I would have to lean towards my howas. My 22-250s like it hot and fast. My “almost worn out” 250 still delivers a hell of an accurate shot. I have over 10k rounds down the tube. And I still poke Pdogs at 500meters plus. My newer 250 on the bench is delivering 2.5”ish 10 round groups at 725 meters on a nearly perfect day.

That is great feedback on the Howa rifles, Randy. Thank you!

Just a thought for your daughter and wife. My buddy can’t afford another gun. Two years ago he used the reduced recoil .308 loads for his 11 year old daughter to deer hunt. What a difference. Same poi at 100 yards compared to his other loads. All good in hitting power out to 200 yards. I was so impressed I got some for my Dad last year. He is 94 and still hunting.

Hodag Hunter wrote:

. He is 94 and still hunting.

Stopped by my LGS yesterday and they happened to have a Bergara B14 Hunter in 6.5 Creedmoor in stock, and man was that a sweet rifle. Seems that Bergara pretty much too the 700 action, and made it better. I think that is the route I’m going to go. To be honest, yesterday was also the first time I’ve handled one of the newer T3x Superlights, and for some reason the stock didn’t feel as sturdy as the synthetic stock on my older T3. Maybe it was just me? Without being able to pull the action out of the stock it is tough to confirm construction.

Buddy just bought a Bergara 6/5 PRC from Scheels . Expensive! He has a Howa in a 300 Blackout silenced sweet low recoiling round .

Any howa modelS that really shoots better than others? I think they have a standard and precision line in 6.5 CR

Ross Gunderson wrote:

Any howa modelS that really shoots better than others? I think they have a standard and precision line in 6.5 CR

Ross, the base Howa is the M1500 action. Its been around for a very long time and prett6y much bullet proof. Like any action, its had minor modifications over the last 30+ years. I really like their trigger adjustments for both tension and creep. From there, barrels and stocks are the variable. I have the older thumbhole sportsmen and they are awesome. I don’t see them listed anymore. The last few builds that I have done with M1500’s have been barreled actions and I set them in aftermarket stocks. From the factory, some are pillared and bedded and that influences cost.

precision line = A number of years ago now, H-S Precision was building custom rifles on the M1500. If your not familiar with H-S P. they are a remarkable builder and have one of the best group of guys I have ever met. H-S is best known for their stocks and custom barrels. With the success H-S has with the use of the builds on the M1500, HOWA partnered with them for some of their line ups in rifles.

waldo9190 wrote:

I guess my inner “don’t want to be like everyone else” was steering me away from the 6.5 Creed, but it is definitely on my radar given the vastly larger number of rifles that chamber it vs. the 260 Rem.

How’s about a .25-06? The King of the Pronghorn cartridges. Fast, flat, and I would rate the recoil as very similar to the 270, perhaps less, but certainly not much if any more.

I think this is a tremendously versatile and often-overlooked cartridge in many parts of the country. Sighted at 200, it drops only about 18 inches at 400. That, my friend, is freaky-flat for a .25. Really a fun rifle to play with for the handloader.

I would agree, I bristle at this idea that somehow a flat-shooting, >.22 caliber rifle cartridge didn’t exist before the Creedmoor Craze. I believe it was Randy who posted an excellent comparison between the Creedmoor and several other old school cartridges and the bottom line with the Creedmoor was nothing new to see here. The Creedmore may shorten the required action for like performance, but the performance itself was available long, long before the Creedmoor showed up.

Grouse

Grouse, interesting you brought up a 25/06. Last outing at my farm, my uncle pulled his out was was plinking a 4” disc of steel at about 500yrds. I wish I had pictures of the dimples in the steel. That steel disc was previously shot up by a Creedmoor. Same Barnes tax Bullets anD the 25 was distinctly deeper

At 500 yards, a .25-06 is still delivering roughly 1150 foot pounds of energy with a 110 grain bullet. At the same distance, the Creedmoor will deliver only 950 food pounds and that is with a heavier 120 grain bullet, obviously traveling much slower than the .25 at that point.

I’ve always loved the .25-06. Just tremendous performance and IMO a really under-appreciated cartridge. You can go faster with the .257 WBY and others, but going overboard on the overbore comes at a significant cost in terms of price and recoil.

Grouse

Dang it, Grouse…I never really considered the 25/06 until looking a bit deeper into it’s ballistics.

25-06 would be a nice light recoiling for everything you are looking for. This spring I did a rifle for my wife and that was one of the calibers I had picked but went with a 6.5×284 because of the overabundance in bullets I have.

Ended up settling on a Weatherby Vanguard Wilderness (B&C stock/fluted barrel) in 25-06. Will most likely order it up in the next week or so after checking around a few sources.

Thanks for the recommendation!

For me, if you have a 3006, 308,270, 243.223, 22mag, and a 22lr ,what more do you need you buy ammo anywhere. I can kill any dang thing that walks crawls , or climbs with those. my 2 cents. But if you like to reload well have at it.