Ultimate Wet-stern rifle

[GoldTip]

Personally for what your talking about I would go with a custom built 6.5x55 swede shooting 140gr bullets out of a light weight 22" tube.  Everything metal would be stainless and everything else would be synthetic.  Would top it with one of the 2.5x8 lightweight leupolds and lightweight rings.  There is not a deer on the wet side (or on this continent) that would stand up to that combo with low recoil and light weight, short barrel with easy handling.

[jackelope]

Don't know why you'd want a 16x scope in the jungle here either...to each his own I guess.

[quadrafire]

Jackelope did you wake up Cranky this morning

[jackelope]

no...not at all. I'm just curious more than anything.
These are legit questions on my end.

[quadrafire]

Just "Josh"ing you

[Rainstorm Hunter]

Tikka T3 lite in 300 WSM topped with a leupold 3-9x40mm scope

[PolarBear]

.338 Lapua, 30" barrel, tripod, stainless, synthetic, 50 round magazine, 20 power Swarovski scope, target turrets.......

[grundy53]

.338 Lapua, 30" barrel, tripod, stainless, synthetic, 50 round magazine, 20 power Swarovski scope, target turrets.......

  and a wheels on it to roll it behind you?

[jackelope]

.338 Lapua, 30" barrel, tripod, stainless, synthetic, 50 round magazine, 20 power Swarski

Now we're talking...put a gun turret on top of the house and you wouldn't even have to leave the house.

[high country]

keep it sub 16 pound if you plan on hunting ID

[PolarBear]

Oh, I forgot that you need a spotter to help with ranging distance, wind etc.

[jdb]

Don't know why you'd want a 16x scope in the jungle here either...to each his own I guess.

im gonna have to agree sir.

[JimmyHoffa]

Just use variable power.  I use 6-24 power during the high buck season on the west side.  6 power in the jungle and crank it up to 24 once I'm up in the alpine.  I find the darkest areas on the west side to be the low areas with the really tall trees, but the thickest area tends to be the sub-apline fringe.  The transition zone seems to be the area where a scope(or even rifle) is almost useless.  I just sling the rifle and switch over to the revolver in that zone.

[thinkingman]

I already have it.
Tikka S/SS 7-08.
Light, weatherproof, enough cartridge for anything without claws inside of 250yds.
I would switch out my Burris scope for a Bushnell Elite 6500 2.5-16x42 with Rainguard on a deadnutz mount.
$1200.

OK...I edited it for anyone who missed the point...
The OP said out to 300yds and I like being able to see details at that range.
A 90lb blackie isn't a very big target out there.

[JackOfAllTrades]

There are some great ideas here.. But you don't really need such custom gun for the wet side. A couple of you mentioned a lever gun!

Marlin 338MXLR would be my base.  If I have to spend money... then disassemble the action, have the bolt face trued to the chamber. Have the chamber polished. If there's a 338Marlin equivalent in Ackley Improved, ream it first or develope one. Take each part out of the action and mill the reciever so that there are no casting marks. Then build up all pivot and pin points, redrill/mill as necessary, blueprinting the reciever to 2% better than factory spec. Take every moving part and copy to be 1% larger with CNC machine, then shot peen every part with respective sized pellets. If here are any MIM or cast iron parts. Replace them with 440 stainless customs. Polish every piece with water blaster. Hand fit every piece using your only tool to be a CNC mill until the action slides like graphite in synthetic oil. Heat temper the sear and hammer. Might not need a trigger job at this point.. But what the hell. Black gunkote the reciever and barrel. Williams peep sights!  I love wood, but I'd have to look for some sort of composite stock and Packmeyer Decelorator recoil system.

Some of you have absolutely no imagination!

-Steve