Best Firearm For Hunting

So I am looking at buying a new hunting rifle. I have been doing a lot of reading I am leaning heavily towards a 300 win mag for its capabilities. I want to hunt for Elk, Big horn sheep, Mule Deer, and Bear. From my reading this round has done an outstanding job at covering all of them well. I am not made of a ton of money so I figure if i can spend a decent amount of money on one gun with a nice optic and be able to use one that feels good and I am very comfortable with. I am open to other rounds if you guys have suggestions. I currently own a 30-06 and a 308 but both beat the hell out of me. I am a smaller frame guy and I used to hunt with a 300 and it never gave me that pummeling. I know certain guns with help prevent the beatings. My buddies Ruger American 30-06 was very nice to shoot and didn't hurt in the slightest that's why I am asking opinions. I have been recommended to Bergara by several gun stores I have been to and they feel great. But I know absolutely nothing about them other than they used to be a barrel maker and now they make firearms and seem to have high regard. If you have any knowledge on them that would be nice as well. I don't want to drop a grand on a gun and hate it. But I do like how they use the same mounting hardware as a Remington 700. Looking for the input of you seasoned veterans that have done a lot more hunting than myself.

I would think a 30-06 would handle all of those game animals, but I have not hunted them. Have you looked into threading your rifles for a muzzle break or adding a limbsaver or pacmeyer recoil reducing butt pad? The 300 win mag is going to hit your shoulder harder than both the 30-06 and 308, simply because it launches a heavier bullet faster.

A muzzle break will take a crap ton of recoil off of your shoulder. It does make the rifle louder so make sure you have ears in. Several companies make electronic ear plugs or muffs so you can still have situational awareness while hunting and protect your hearing. Orrrrrrr..... suppress it if your state allows for suppressed hunting.

So all of the firearms i have been looking into have had a muzzle break intentionally for that fact. Thats what my buddies 30-06 had and im sure it played a huge part in helping mitigate the recoil. Both of my current firearms arent very nice firearms and would require a decent amount of work to get them to be where im comfortable to be shooting at an animal. My 30-06 would require a restock and a recoil pad at a minimum because of the weight and probably a muzzle break as well. The trigger is nice but past that its not a very nice firearm my 308 is in need of a new stock it was my grandfathers and somewhere in its life was dropped or something and has a large crack. I used to hunt with a 300 win mag so i know if i get the right one i can handle it just fine. The one i used to hunt with was my uncles and i dont have a clue what model or who it was made by and it was sold years ago so no way of knowing anymore. I am not opposed to any caliber like stated im mainly looking for recommendations towards brands and calibers and things of that nature.

Sorry sir,but I am having a hard time understanding how you find a 308Win or .30-'06 recoil harsh but a 300Win mag's recoil acceptable. Remember Newtons Laws of Motion.
Is it simply the ergonomics of the stock ?? --- SAWMAN

Well I am mainly saying i have shot that firearm and had less recoil than my lower end 30-06 and 308 that i currently have. I am having a hard time typing that out. I am open to any caliber that will cover all of those animals. Looking for a good brand that other hunter like to look at so i can look at it and see if it fits me well and see if i like it. Trying to find suggestions at this point. My Brother has a 300 wetherby magnum and it has a muzzle break and a a really nice stock and doesnt hurt near as much as my 06 to shoot by shear physics it shouldnt work that way either but it does. So just looking for suggestions. My current gun is a very accurate gun but everyone that shoots it complains about it beating them to death it only also weights like 4.5 pound so near nothing. no muzzle break and the butt stock has next to nothing to it. its also a gun i bought off a buddy for for 150$ he bought from walmart for 400$ shot three times and hated. I was with for the purchase and every shot. But couldnt pass the deal.

300 win mag would fit the bill perfectly for what you are wanting to do. I have no personal experience with the Bergera rifles. I myself would look at savage or browning. Mid priced rifles that have always shot exceptionally well for me. They make models with muzzle breaks, but those are usually on their higher priced rifles. You could get one of their standard grade rifles and try it out, if it kicks too much you can always have a gunsmith fit it with a muzzle break.


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I have the Bergara hmr in 6.5 creedmoor. It's very nice. Action operates super smooth and trigger is very crisp. I too would think 300 would have more recoil than 308 or 30-06. Maybe your talking about "felt recoil" which can differ depending on the rifle a particular cartridge is being shot from. Anyhow, as for the Bergara b14 hmr in 6.5 cm, it seems well made and my 9yo shoots it.


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As stated above,a good choice,and worth a look,is the Savage line of firearms. Nowadays they have excellent barrels.
The most accurate rifle that I ever owned was an older Savage 112J chambered in 220Swift.
Unless you are already set up to reload,you just might want to read up/study up on other chamberings that will accomplish what needs to get done. Maybe 25-06,280,260,or default back to the 30-06 or 308 with a different bullet and load.
Is a 300Win Mag a must have ?? Hell . . . I'd have a 7mm Rem Mag before a 300. --- SAWMAN

I was actually looking at a Tikka T3x in 7mm today. I am open to any caliber I looked at a Bergara B-14 Timber with the wood stock and cheek rest in 30-06. It felt amazing and had good weight. I also looked at a Bergara Ridge Rifle that has a threaded barrel. It like the b-4 timber was a heavier firearm around 7 pounds where the Tikka was under 5 which makes me nervous. The Tikka did have a fluted barrel though and a really thick nice butt plate. I just dont like the fact you cant fire the darn thing before you buy them to see if you really like it or not. I dont know much when it comes to these hunting rifles. I primarily used a marlin 30-30 growing up or my uncles 300 win mag which was amazing to shoot and had no recoil somehow but it was way to big for white tail deer so he sold it. ( he won it from gander mtn in a raffle) I wish i had the opportunity to buy it. I just want a firearm that is capable of more than one game animal and im comfortable with.

Weatherby vanguard line of rifles are another choice without breaking the bank. I would suggest maybe a 270 win for caliber. There is nothing wrong with a 30-06 or 300 win. The 270 is pretty flat shooting and pretty low recoil in most rifles of 8 pounds. What kind of bears are you hunting? Black bear are not as tough as a grizzly or as big. I have a couple of vanguards the 300 weatherby is pretty stiff in the recoil department without a brake.


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I was going to try for grizzly or brown. But it all depends i have to do more research on what areas and everything i will be able to access and all of the differences so i probably wont be doing bear this year. But i was going to try for a bigger bear if possible. I am very torn on what i would like to buy at this point. I wish i had the cash to just buy like 15 of them. lol In time my collection will grow but for now i am just reading a lot of reviews and hoping i make a good decision. And everyone's comments is definitely helping to sway my decision.

I would go as big as I could and still take the recoil. I've never hunted big bear so maybe someone that has chimes in


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I’ve never hunted Big bears either, but I’ve always read, 300 magnum or bigger.


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If you come down to NW Flah-Dah I will let you shoot my 416Rigby or my 10ga "carbine". Anything else will be peanuts in the felt recoil department. --- SAWMAN

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Originally Posted by SAWMAN

If you come down to NW Flah-Dah I will let you shoot my 416Rigby or my 10ga "carbine". Anything else will be peanuts in the felt recoil department. --- SAWMAN

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Lol. No doubt. Personally if I'm near hunting i won't use anything under a 45/70.

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See ive never shot a 45/70 and havent really put much thought into it. Im leaning to a Bergara Ridge rifle because it has a threaded barrel allowing me to put a muzzle break on it if i should need it without having to have it threaded and its also around 7.5 pounds to help with recoil. Im leaning to either a 7mm or a 300 win. I was talking to a guy there that has one and said it recoiled like a 243 without the brake because of the weight and his was a 300. the next thing to consider is cost of ammo and cost to reload. I appreciate all of the tips thus far. I have zero intentions of hunting with a brake on but to get more range time in the brake doesnt really have much effect on accuracy and i can get dialed in good and then remove it make the slight adjustments and head off. I want to get a lot of rounds down range not just 20 so I want to be comfortable shooting this thing.

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Originally Posted by 300blkoutguy

See ive never shot a 45/70 and havent really put much thought into it. Im leaning to a Bergara Ridge rifle because it has a threaded barrel allowing me to put a muzzle break on it if i should need it without having to have it threaded and its also around 7.5 pounds to help with recoil. Im leaning to either a 7mm or a 300 win. I was talking to a guy there that has one and said it recoiled like a 243 without the brake because of the weight and his was a 300. the next thing to consider is cost of ammo and cost to reload. I appreciate all of the tips thus far. I have zero intentions of hunting with a brake on but to get more range time in the brake doesnt really have much effect on accuracy and i can get dialed in good and then remove it make the slight adjustments and head off. I want to get a lot of rounds down range not just 20 so I want to be comfortable shooting this thing.

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First it'll depend on the rifle whether you'd enjoy a 45/70. While the Marlin is a good gun it does give a good thump. I've heard that a Winchester isn't as bad. It's because of the design of the stock from my understanding. If you can find one a Browning high wall does really well. I've had one of those as well as a Sharpes reproduction which has less recoil of them all. It's heavy but extremely accurate. I don't know the weight of the lever guns or the high wall but the Sharpes is around the 11lb mark. If you get the Quigley rifle it's about 13lbs. For deer I used a 405gr bullet and for bear I used a 500gr. Both were cast. Very fun to shoot and hunt with and good at long ranges as well. Yes there's others that may be considered better but it does work and has been proven. I've heard to many first hand stories where a high velocity bullet doesn't put down a grizzly and it pretty much pissed the bear off is why I suggest the 45/70. I'm a 45 nut anyway but I do have other calibers. I'd also suggest contacting some of the companies that have guided bear hunts and ask their recommendations for a bear gun. After all they have the most experience doing it. It'll all boil down to what you feel comfortable using. Good luck in your research and hunting.

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