What would you do? Deer/Antelope rifle decisions.....

[finnman]

So I have been looking at making a new rifle purchase. My goal was under 6.5 pounds dry, 22"-26" barrel, bolt action, accuracy guarantee brand, composite stock, no wood, caliber from 243 to .284,  mag or none mag, flat shooting up to 3,000 fps with a good penetrating bullet.

I had my eye on Weatherby's new offerings, a Christensen's Arms Mesa, a Kimber Montana, Browning A-bolt, Tikka T3.

I was really leaning toward the Mesa.

However, i just stumbled into a guy who offered to sell me his 20 year old Weatherby Mark V Ultra Lightweight in .240 Weatherby Mag with about 250 rounds of 100 gr. Nosler partition hand loads, another 100 pieces of once fired brass, topped with a Nikon Monarch 3 3-12x42 scope for $1,250.

So with the rifles listed above, and knowing that the plan was for a deer/antelope rifle package, is the .240 Mag the way to go?



What would you do?

[Stein]

I have been kicking around the same idea, getting a dedicated deer/antelope rifle with more range than my 30-06.

From my experience, 20 year old rifles are built well, often cycle more smoothly and overall better fit and finish but are not nearly as accurate as apples to apples with a current version.  I might get flak for that statement, but you can get a sub-moa factory rifle for $300-400 now quite easily.  20 years ago you didn't pick a rifle off the rack at the store expecting that accuracy.

After that, it's all personal choice.  I'm looking hard at a 6.5 CM or more likely PRC, but there are tons of good options.  .243 is going to be pretty limited if you don't want grenading bullets.

Personally, I wouldn't consider a 20 year old rifle, but it's all personal and some guys really like shooting the older guns.

[jstone]

I took my Savage LR .243 to Montana 4 years ago Antelope hunting. Shot my goat at 278 yards and dropped in his tracks.

[jrebel]

At the rifle weight desired.....I would be looking at a rifle with a carbon fiber barrel.   This gives you better accuracy with more shots.  I owned a Kimber Mountain Ascent with a pencil barrel and the groups would be opening up on the third shot.   In most cases, you won't need more than one or two shots....but in a rare case that you do, the pencil barrels become very problematic. 

I would look hard at the Savage ultralite in 6.5 prc or 6.5 creed.  If you want speed the prc would be the ticket, though I am pushing 124 grain hammer hunters at 2850 fps out of the creed.  I personally own two Savage Ultralites and both shoot sub 1/2"....one is a 6.5 creed and the other is the 300 wsm.  The 300 wsm shoots 180's at 3000 fps if you want a little bigger and faster bullet.  If you purely want speed you could probably push a 150 grain bullet at 3200ish fps. 

[huntnphool]

 You might check out the Cooper Backcountry.

[jrebel]

You might check out the Cooper Backcountry.

   

Coopers are nice rifles.   

[finnman]

You might check out the Cooper Backcountry.

Yep. Very nice and over my budget.

[finnman]

" I owned a Kimber Mountain Ascent with a pencil barrel and the groups would be opening up on the third shot.   In most cases, you won't need more than one or two shots....but in a rare case that you do, the pencil barrels become very problematic."

This is interesting. My uncle had a .270 WM in an Ultra Lightweight, he could get 2-3 shots to group tight, then the next one always flew. It drove him crazy trying to get it resolved, but in the end i think its simply as you stated, the thinner barrel warms up and it can't hold p.o.i.

[johnbmyersii]

I'd go with a Tikka T3x Superlite. I have one in 6.5CM with a Zeiss Conquest HD5, weights less than 7 pounds fully loaded. I shoot Hornady Precision Hunter 143gn ELD-X and the rifle shoots 3/4 MOA. So far I've dropped a whitetail in its tracks at 125 yards and dumped this bear at 150 with a neck shot. A friend killed a cow elk last fall at 300 yards and put a golfball-sized entry hole. That load kills $hit dead. I dont buy into the mythical powers people on the internet claim the 6.5CM has, just my experience but if you're a good shot and have reasonable expectations on range, you'll be able to hunt every game species in the state. Plus, very little bloodshot waste.

[finnman]

Nice bear man!!!
Good info thanks!

[Stevewazfishing]

I also have the tikka super light in 6.5cm. It has been my go to deer rifle for the last 3 years. I also shoot the 143gr eldx and have had excellent results on the three deer and bear I’ve shot with it. All deer were a little over 200 yds and bear was at 60. All shots were complete pass throughs. I’ve shot 5 or 6 different types of bullets through that gun and they’ve all shot extremely well. Can’t go wrong with a tikka.

[brew]

I thought you bought that 270 weatherby mag from another post on the thread ?

[Alchase]

Since I saw no price range, my obvious choice would be a Sako Finnlight, in the caliber of your choice.
Guaranteed  to shoot less then 1 MOA.
I have two, one in 7 MM Mag and one in 300 Win Mag. Both came with proof of Accuracy singed by the shooter. Neither was more then 0,65 MOA.

 https://www.sako.fi/en-us/rifles/sako-85/85-finnlight

[finnman]

I thought you bought that 270 weatherby mag from another post on the thread ?

Sssshhhhhh, I did. But it weighs in at 8.3 pounds dry. its not a pack rifle for sure. I might try and find some ways to reduce weight but until then i will use it when not in the mountains.

[Ironhead]

Sell a couple of the rifles you aren't using and get a Cooper 92 Backcountry.  6.5 x.284 is right at  7 lbs with Leupold VX6. Guaranteed 1/2" out of the box.

[C-Money]

The Mark V sounds like a good deal to me...

The A-bolt in 7mm-08 would be my next choice

[finnman]

The Mark V sounds like a good deal to me...

The A-bolt in 7mm-08 would be my next choice

I am having a hard time turning away from the Mark V. With ammo at $75-100 per box, and he has 250 loaded rounds to go with it.....yep its very hard to look away.

I did look at the Sako Finnlight ll, that rifle fits the bill for sure.
The Kimber Montana is a great one as well and about $1,000 less than many others. Only 5 lbs. 12 oz. too.
The Cooper looks amazing.....about $1,200 more than max budget though.

[HUNT JR]

I have sorted through this question myself multiple times. I think I would probably end up with a Tikka in a 6.5 PRC. The CM is fine, but the PRC is going to give you better results at longer distances.

For me the Tikka is an excellent starting rifle, but the aftermarket support is really good as well. I would eventually use the tikka action to build a rifle off.

[Taco280AI]

KISS

T3x (Lite or SL), 6.5 Creed, 127 LRX. More than enough for deer and speedgoats

[Bob33]

The Mark V sounds like a good deal to me...

The A-bolt in 7mm-08 would be my next choice

I am having a hard time turning away from the Mark V. With ammo at $75-100 per box, and he has 250 loaded rounds to go with it.....yep its very hard to look away.

I did look at the Sako Finnlight ll, that rifle fits the bill for sure.
The Kimber Montana is a great one as well and about $1,000 less than many others. Only 5 lbs. 12 oz. too.
The Cooper looks amazing.....about $1,200 more than max budget though.

You make a good point about ammunition. That's 12 boxes worth. At $75/box it would be $900. If the gun shoots well it might be a good way to go.

[bobcat]

In your situation, I couldn't resist the 240 Weatherby. Can't imagine a more ideal cartridge for antelope. But, I like older guns. It would be an easy choice for me.

[thinkingman]

I have 2 Tikkas and would absolutely buy another, 6 or 6.5 Creed for what you're describing.
In re the Weatherby, that cartridge is a barrel burner and if this guy reloads, you have no idea how smoked that barrel may be.
Plus, there is a school of thought that you should only shoot reloads THAT YOU'VE LOADED.
Not saying the Weatherby isn't a good deal, just be aware....

[finnman]

The Mark V sounds like a good deal to me...

The A-bolt in 7mm-08 would be my next choice

My wife shoots an older Weatherby mark V stainless standard carbine. It is a 7mm-08 with a 20” barrel. Very accurate, weighs 6 lbs dry. Excellent rifle.

[finnman]

I have 2 Tikkas and would absolutely buy another, 6 or 6.5 Creed for what you're describing.
In re the Weatherby, that cartridge is a barrel burner and if this guy reloads, you have no idea how smoked that barrel may be.
Plus, there is a school of thought that you should only shoot reloads THAT YOU'VE LOADED.
Not saying the Weatherby isn't a good deal, just be aware....

That’s always great advice. My first question is what load does he favor and how many rounds do you fire per year? If he is like most guys and only shoots 20 rounds per year, I am probably okay. But if your shooting max loads and shooting varmints and coyotes and targets, then some concern is needed.
I will know more this weekend.

[swampbear]

I have a Fierce Carbon Fury .300 rum, Christensen Mesa 7mm rem mag, and Kimber 84m Classic (wood stocked) 6.5cm. All are light (until you put a nice optic on them). All are sub 1 moa (recently zeroed the .300 rum at 200 yards and it’s 1/2 moa), and more accurate than the shooter. The Kimber gets hunted with the most. Just a great all around rifle. Comfy to hike with all day. The Christensen gets used the least for some reason. It’s a great rifle. We were easily shooting 8” steel out at 500 yards with it. The Fierce is fairly new. Really enjoy it so far.

[jasnt]

240 all day

[finnman]

The dangling carrot got bit. I picked up the .240 Weatherby yesterday. Took it to the range today. Easy shooter, my wife shot it and said it has less recoil than her 7MM-08. We got it sighted in at 200 yards. Not a great group but good enough to kill a buck at 400 yards. I really look forward to carrying it in the wilderness in about 3 weeks. Best part is I have ammo for about 6 years!
Thanks for all the opinions and advice. It’s appreciated.