- Joined
- Mar 3, 2024
- Messages
- 279
- Reaction score
- 300
Yes. I plan to handload. I have most of everything except powder. A freind just scored 500 large rifle primers. BUT, most of my firearms are european and may have different primers. Berdan and Boxer?If you are going to hand load, and want good rifle to plink with it out to 300, there are tons of great cartridges.
But the best weighed by dollars paid vs performance out... That you can also hunt most anything in north America with would be: .308 Winchester
Ton's of other flatter shooters with more sexy press lately... Or more powerful... But you just can't beat the affordability of the 308 vs performance. If I owned one rifle only (and could hunt with bottle neck cartridges) it would be a 308.
If you just want the hottest flashy new thing... That is a whole other problem.
If you said that you wanted a great lightweight hunting rifle and hand load: any light weight modern bolt gun in 280 Ackly improved (280ai) would be my choice. I have a light weight stainless Ruger 77mkII in 280 with the black 'boat paddle' stock that shoots sub 1/2 moa. I love it. I would only tease it for a similar rifle in 280ai.
If you don't hand load... Probably the same rifle but in 7mm rem mag as you can probably get ammo any where.
As for scopes... Good old Leopolds have been more than enough for me to hunt with.
But target shooting at distance absorbs and radiates all sorts of expensive preferences.
I have
9.3x74R
9.2x72R
8x57R
7x65R