>>1746605Pretty disappointed in all these responses honestly....
Ok, so you break key hunting bullets into two categories (oversimplified to be sure) and thats whether or not you want to shoot really flat and accurately, or knock them down hard with kinetic energy. The flatter family of rounds would be 243, 270, 7mm Remington Magnum. The knock downs are 308, 30-06, and 300 Win Mag.
All very common rounds so you can get them for decent prices anywhere, just choose which family fits your comfort. The 300s will kick harder due to higher weights and powder of the rounds in general.
What distance do you want to be lethal at?
7mm RemMag, 300WinMag: can touch 1000 yards with the kenetic energy to kill deer, 1500ftlbs of energy at 500 yards to kill elk. OP within 100yards for sure.
270 / 30-06: 350yards (pending weight) will have the kinetic energy for elk, plenty for deer at 500. Solid all around rounds.
243 / 308: Perfect for anything within 200 yards.
I do public land backpacking hunts as well in WA state.
The guns I have had are in these price catagories:
$1000 - Browning Hells Canyon Speed. Worth every penny for a super comfy shot even in 7mm Rem Mag thanks to it coming with a muzzle break and excellent recoil pad.
$700 - Tikka. Fantastic rifle, cant go wrong.
$450 - Remington 700. If you can find an older one, these are excellent rifles, but anything past 2010 have had horrendous quality control. I have personally experience bullet casings getting stuck in the barrel and i need to use my nails to eject. Customer service is also shit. Fuck Remington.
$300 - Thompson/Center Compass. I wont lie, this rifle is actually good for the price. The stock it comes with is a bit soft though and its bolt is a bit loose but effective, but if you wanted to upgrade that i would just hold out for Tikka.
Got the T/C Compass on SportsmansOutdoorSuperstore .com with a Vortex Crossfire II scope for $300 on a sale so its a steal.
