Next Gun(s)

[PulsatingBeaver]

Im trying to narrow my choices for my next firearms, i plan on getting them both but, i want to know what i should get first. Im in the market for a good hunting rilfe in .308win, my budget would be about $800 for one. the second firearm i want to get is a tactical shotgun for HD in 12ga, my budget for this is about $500. For the hunting rifle i want something that is light and proven, for the shotgun i was leaning towards the benelli supernova. thanks in advance.

[SDChop]

With that budget, you have great options. First lets take the hunting rifle. You said 308, is that what you WANT or are you open to other options. Also do you want a bolt action, semi auto, or pump. I would strongly suggest a remington 700 sps with good optics. The rifle will cost probably 5 and change. Then optics you could go with leupold vx i or vxii from 229-299, plus rings. If you did not want to drop that much on optics, i like nikon buckmaster series scopes too. Little cheaper then the leupold but great optics for the cost. A remy 700 in 308, 30-06 what ever with a nice 3-9x40 is great deer setup, cant go wrong. As for a HD shotgun I can only say 3 numbers... 8 7 0. I have had experience with different shotguns and love the 870. There is a reason LE uses them and why it was voted 2nd best of all time. If you want a semi I would go 1187 P, otherwise 870 is my pick. I would spend 300-350 on a 870 that will NEVER fail you and spend the rest on optics for your 700 hunting rifle you picked I personally have 3 870's. They are great for any senerio

[SHMIV]

I'd go for the shotgun. I like them better for home defense.

[PulsatingBeaver]

With that budget, you have great options. First lets take the hunting rifle. You said 308, is that what you WANT or are you open to other options. Also do you want a bolt action, semi auto, or pump. I would strongly suggest a remington 700 sps with good optics. The rifle will cost probably 5 and change. Then optics you could go with leupold vx i or vxii from 229-299, plus rings. If you did not want to drop that much on optics, i like nikon buckmaster series scopes too. Little cheaper then the leupold but great optics for the cost. A remy 700 in 308, 30-06 what ever with a nice 3-9x40 is great deer setup, cant go wrong. As for a HD shotgun I can only say 3 numbers... 8 7 0. I have had experience with different shotguns and love the 870. There is a reason LE uses them and why it was voted 2nd best of all time. If you want a semi I would go 1187 P, otherwise 870 is my pick. I would spend 300-350 on a 870 that will NEVER fail you and spend the rest on optics for your 700 hunting rifle you picked I personally have 3 870's. They are great for any senerio

thanks for the thorugh answer. 308 is my preferance but im open to any and all suggeestions! as for the rem 700 sps i could use the tactical version ie this http://www.snipercentral.com/spstactical.htm. Could .223 in a hunting rifle be useful for hunting big(er) game such as Bucks or Feral Hogs, and the 2 legged variety? A remington 870 is a great choice im going to have to some more resaerch first.

[SDChop]

If you choose a 700 I would personally go with a 30-06. From there I would be open to a 7mm rem mag, 308 and so on. Get a little better ballistics with a 30-06 over 308 i believe but honestly 6 in one half a dozen on another... In Va you must hunt deer with 23 cal or above so no 223 rem. You can fin 308/7.62 military ammo if you wanna just shoot for the hell of it for cheaper. As for the 870, yes i believe the research is a must. I can also bet its the least amount of research you do

[PulsatingBeaver]

If you choose a 700 I would personally go with a 30-06. From there I would be open to a 7mm rem mag, 308 and so on. Get a little better ballistics with a 30-06 over 308 i believe but honestly 6 in one half a dozen on another... In Va you must hunt deer with 23 cal or above so no 223 rem. You can fin 308/7.62 military ammo if you wanna just shoot for the hell of it for cheaper. As for the 870, yes i believe the research is a must. I can also bet its the least amount of research you do

Damn, i was thingking .223 so that later when i get an ar i wont have to get another calibur. That being said they do make .308 ars.

[SDChop]

sure do, ar10. Buy one lower and 2 uppers. That way you swap the uppers between 223/5.56 and 308/7.62 hahah

[grumpyMSG]

sure do, ar10. Buy one lower and 2 uppers. That way you swap the uppers between 223/5.56 and 308/7.62 hahah

That dog won't hunt. A .308 upper will not fit on the .223 lower, there is too big a difference in the length of the rounds a .223 round is 45 mm long (a little over 1 3/4") and the .308 is 51 mm (a hair over 2"). Colt supposedly has a .308 that can be converted to .223 in the works, it was at the SHOT show this past spring, but I don't think they have ironed out all the kinks yet.

If you were to go with an AR, there are multiple other caliber uppers available including 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC and .30 Remington AR to name a few.

[SDChop]

sure do, ar10. Buy one lower and 2 uppers. That way you swap the uppers between 223/5.56 and 308/7.62 hahah

That dog won't hunt. A .308 upper will not fit on the .223 lower, there is too big a difference in the length of the rounds a .223 round is 45 mm long (a little over 1 3/4") and the .308 is 51 mm (a hair over 2"). Colt supposedly has a .308 that can be converted to .223 in the works, it was at the SHOT show this past spring, but I don't think they have ironed out all the kinks yet.

If you were to go with an AR, there are multiple other caliber uppers available including 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC and .30 Remington AR to name a few.

Yes I did write that wrong. The sizes for the 308 are different. I believe you can fit the 7.62x39 upper on a 223 lower which it what i was meaning to say. Along with the 6.8 SPC the 6.5 Grendel, 30 AR, 458 socom, 450 bushmaster, 50 beowulf

[sbr4141]

You simply can't go wrong with a Rem 700. The commercial on their web-site claims it is the most accurate rifle there is straight out of the box. They were not kidding. Just bought a Rem 700 sps Tact and mounted a Millot 5-24 power scope on it. It is a Tack-driver, if only the trigger actuator was as good as the rifle. Bennelli is another great choice, I would opt for a M1 or M2 model but those run about a grand. Mossberg 500's are another good choice and are well priced.

[bryanrheem]

My Rifle: Remmington 700 w/ Nikon scope in .308

My HD Shotgun: Mossberg 590

[jrswanson1]

Just about any new bolt gun out there now will work, you just need to figure out which one suits you. I personally own two Remington 700s that are worlds apart in looks and features. I'd go looking for a used bolt gun, there's at least 10 on vaguntrader.com.

$500 for a 12 gauge? You can get a good semi-auto for that much. I spent $550 on my 11-87P, which is the police version of the 11-87. If you can find a used one get it.

[jrswanson1]

Check this, one of the other members is selling his 700 http://vagunforum.net/firearms-for-sale ... 10335.html

[PulsatingBeaver]

that for sale rem 700 looks amazing but i too want one in .308

[PulsatingBeaver]

My Rifle: Remmington 700 w/ Nikon scope in .308

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My HD Shotgun: Mossberg 590

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I am so jealous right now, where did you pick up that mossberg 590?

[gunderwood]

For a hunting rifle there are tons of good options and opinions. I currently hunt with a Marlin 1895 SBL and an Aimpoint T1 reddot. Very effective to say the least. I took 4 deer last year and 3 dropped immediately and 1 went about 10 feet with massive blood loss. Not all of my shots were "perfect" as two were on running deer (of the 4, I took two at a time and got the second on the run). That was the first year I used it for hunting, but I love it! It's short, light, and simple.

Anything that you can shoot well and delivers a good bullet will work fine. Get what floats your boat.


As for HD shotguns, I prefer the Mossberg 590. The Remington 870 is a very good gun too, but I prefer the bolt release location on the 590. Check them out and see what appeals to you. If you don't mind the weight, the military grade variants are very nice. However, they can be a bit long/heavy for smaller frames. I personally like the Federal 12ga Low Recoil HP LE Slug. Faster follow-up shots, minimal recoil, reduced risk of over-penetration, but extraordinarily effective!

With the right load you could use the HD shotgun for hunting. Just a thought.

[bryanrheem]

As for HD shotguns, I prefer the Mossberg 590. The Remington 870 is a very good gun too, but I prefer the bolt release location on the 590. Check them out and see what appeals to you. If you don't mind the weight, the military grade variants are very nice. However, they can be a bit long/heavy for smaller frames. I personally like the Federal 12ga Low Recoil HP LE Slug. Faster follow-up shots, minimal recoil, reduced risk of over-penetration, but extraordinarily effective!

With the right load you could use the HD shotgun for hunting. Just a thought.

I love my 590a1. But it's just for HD. For one, the barrel can not be swapped out for a different longer hunting barrel. Second, it is HEAVY. Fully loaded with the light and bayo and it weighs a ton. I like it though as it helps with recoil and is built like a tank.

They do sell Mossberg variations that come with multiple barrels so you can use one shotgun for HD, hunting and trap with a swap of the barrel. I initially bought the Mossberg because of the safety location, but since I put the pistol grip on it, it's kinda out of place. I picked mine up at the Chantilly gun show a few years back but I know local places keep them in stock like NOVAArmament and VA Arms.

[PulsatingBeaver]

For a hunting rifle there are tons of good options and opinions. I currently hunt with a Marlin 1895 SBL and an Aimpoint T1 reddot. Very effective to say the least. I took 4 deer last year and 3 dropped immediately and 1 went about 10 feet with massive blood loss. Not all of my shots were "perfect" as two were on running deer (of the 4, I took two at a time and got the second on the run). That was the first year I used it for hunting, but I love it! It's short, light, and simple.

Anything that you can shoot well and delivers a good bullet will work fine. Get what floats your boat.


As for HD shotguns, I prefer the Mossberg 590. The Remington 870 is a very good gun too, but I prefer the bolt release location on the 590. Check them out and see what appeals to you. If you don't mind the weight, the military grade variants are very nice. However, they can be a bit long/heavy for smaller frames. I personally like the Federal 12ga Low Recoil HP LE Slug. Faster follow-up shots, minimal recoil, reduced risk of over-penetration, but extraordinarily effective!

That marlin is it a lever action? I lover lever action but i could never get one becasue ammo prices for lever actions is expensive.

With the right load you could use the HD shotgun for hunting. Just a thought.