Help picking out a Christmas rifle for My Boy coming back from deployment

[jeffro]

Another vote (2) for the Browning Safari either 30/06 or .300wm.
I own the .300wm and love it. It’s my wetside brush gun for anything.
Open sights, super accurate, look though scope mounts, glass of choice for sniping and there you go.

Or your X Bolt, which may be more endearing,
but he’ll own that one, some day, anyhow right?

[KFhunter]

https://www.savagearms.com/content?p=firearms&a=product_summary&s=57043

[kukusya]

Big gun for big boy is Ruger Guide gun in 375 RCM

[elkrack]

You can’t go wrong with the Tikka rifles. Really reasonable priced and excellent shooters. The 300 win mag is the all around caliber IMO. You can go fairly light bullet weight or heavy with good ballistics. I love your idea of surprising your son with a new rifle. 

[KFhunter]

You can’t go wrong with the Tikka rifles. Really reasonable priced and excellent shooters. The 300 win mag is the all around caliber IMO. You can go fairly light bullet weight or heavy with good ballistics. I love your idea of surprising your son with a new rifle. 

great choice, t3x hunter comes with open sights, 300 win mag and detachable box magazine.


hard to find that combination without going into the dangerous game models

[slowhand]

So much info. Thanks to everyone.
I agree it's hard if not impossible to find everything He would want. I think I will have to accept letting the iron sights go.
At this point I'm impressed by the savage 110 high country and the x-bolt hells canyon.
I agree he's not a boy anymore, LOL. That being said he's still young and I think the look of those two guns would have a bit of a flash wow factor I'm looking for in a special gift.
I'm not against the Tika but would like to put all three of the guns in My hands and check them out.
As for giving him MY x-bolt
#1 I have more than one boy that hunts and I could see some hurt feelings from the other boys.
#2 The boys will all end up with the guns when My time here ends.
#3 The big one My Wife would be convinced that I was just trying to get an excuse to buy a new more expensive rifle. And She would be correct. LOL

So Now that I have it narrowed down to three possible rifles I need to chose the caliber.
I like both the 7mm rem Mag and the 300 win mag. My Son and I have talked about the 300 Rum a few times and how I have never shot one and would like to. So that's also an option.
I'd like to ask for some pro's and con's of each caliber. I'm open to opinions also.
Thanks to all that have taken the time to pass along their recommendations. I appreciate it.

[Magnum_Willys]

X-bolt 300 wsm will take deer / elk to 700 yards and is light and moderate recoil with the brake.  Put on turret scope.

[Rob]

I personally have settled on the 7mm for my go-to rifle.  big enough for everything in North America - moose might be a stretch...

Good ballistics/flat shooting with moderate recoil.

300 WM is good too.

I started with a 300WM on my go-to rifle and had it re-barreled to 7mm RM.

either are solid choices.

[Magnum_Willys]

Browning Hells Canyon Speed - I bought one for my son in 300 WSM and he liked it so well I bought the same gun in 270 WSM for myself. Less than 7 pounds, drop mag, three lug bolt and factory muzzle brake. Everything you're looking for. I bought mine through Sportsman's Warehouse and I think paid around $925.00 - with your budget you could top that with a nice mid-grade scope and really set him up.

 

[gundogr]

So much info. Thanks to everyone.
I agree it's hard if not impossible to find everything He would want. I think I will have to accept letting the iron sights go.
At this point I'm impressed by the savage 110 high country and the x-bolt hells canyon.
I agree he's not a boy anymore, LOL. That being said he's still young and I think the look of those two guns would have a bit of a flash wow factor I'm looking for in a special gift.
I'm not against the Tika but would like to put all three of the guns in My hands and check them out.
As for giving him MY x-bolt
#1 I have more than one boy that hunts and I could see some hurt feelings from the other boys.
#2 The boys will all end up with the guns when My time here ends.
#3 The big one My Wife would be convinced that I was just trying to get an excuse to buy a new more expensive rifle. And She would be correct. LOL

So Now that I have it narrowed down to three possible rifles I need to chose the caliber.
I like both the 7mm rem Mag and the 300 win mag. My Son and I have talked about the 300 Rum a few times and how I have never shot one and would like to. So that's also an option.
I'd like to ask for some pro's and con's of each caliber. I'm open to opinions also.
Thanks to all that have taken the time to pass along their recommendations. I appreciate it.

My $.02 - I have owned many of the rifles and calibers mentioned and the 'right' rifle/caliber is always a personal thing. Either of the three you are considering are great choices. Being a sort of Browning 'guy' I would lean that way but my Tikka 30-06 is my go-to for most everything nowadays. On calibers (and I know I might get in some hot water for the 7RM lovers out here (there are many).... My main point would be that if 7mmRM is your choice it is a great caliber. However, you can do most anything with an ottsix ballistically you can do with the 7RM plus you have all the range of bullet weights afforded the 30 caliber versus 7mm (but 140gr in 7RM are nasty). And for long range shooting you may want to have all those projectile options. So having said THAT, I would go for ottsix or .300WM and chose the rifle you think your son would most love. Hope it helps. This would cover any hunting in North America and most any long range shooting practce using your hunting rifle as your platform.

[KFhunter]

Here's another option on open sights

https://www.newenglandcustomgun.com/sight-and-scope-mounting.php


buy the perfect gun without iron sights then have them added on,  opens up a ton of options.   Then you can get a quick release scope mount setup, or shoot through scope rings. 


The problem with this is he'll have to really crunch his cheek weld to see through the scope rings to use the iron sights, or he'll have to hold his cheek up high to use the scope.  Or remove a cheek pad?  Or get quick adjustable stock?

Most stocks are designed with a higher cheek comb for scopes since they quit coming with iron sights.     I have an old interarms mark x that has a low cheek comb and came with open sights,  I might just put those sights back on and make it open sights only   hrmm

[KFhunter]

So much info. Thanks to everyone.
I agree it's hard if not impossible to find everything He would want. I think I will have to accept letting the iron sights go.
At this point I'm impressed by the savage 110 high country and the x-bolt hells canyon.
I agree he's not a boy anymore, LOL. That being said he's still young and I think the look of those two guns would have a bit of a flash wow factor I'm looking for in a special gift.
I'm not against the Tika but would like to put all three of the guns in My hands and check them out.
As for giving him MY x-bolt
#1 I have more than one boy that hunts and I could see some hurt feelings from the other boys.
#2 The boys will all end up with the guns when My time here ends.
#3 The big one My Wife would be convinced that I was just trying to get an excuse to buy a new more expensive rifle. And She would be correct. LOL

So Now that I have it narrowed down to three possible rifles I need to chose the caliber.
I like both the 7mm rem Mag and the 300 win mag. My Son and I have talked about the 300 Rum a few times and how I have never shot one and would like to. So that's also an option.
I'd like to ask for some pro's and con's of each caliber. I'm open to opinions also.
Thanks to all that have taken the time to pass along their recommendations. I appreciate it.

My $.02 - I have owned many of the rifles and calibers mentioned and the 'right' rifle/caliber is always a personal thing. Either of the three you are considering are great choices. Being a sort of Browning 'guy' I would lean that way but my Tikka 30-06 is my go-to for most everything nowadays. On calibers (and I know I might get in some hot water for the 7RM lovers out here (there are many).... My main point would be that if 7mmRM is your choice it is a great caliber. However, you can do most anything with an ottsix ballistically you can do with the 7RM plus you have all the range of bullet weights afforded the 30 caliber versus 7mm (but 140gr in 7RM are nasty). And for long range shooting you may want to have all those projectile options. So having said THAT, I would go for ottsix or .300WM and chose the rifle you think your son would most love. Hope it helps. This would cover any hunting in North America and most any long range shooting practce using your hunting rifle as your platform.

My tikka ottsix is my bread and butter gun, it just gets it done and I can find a box of ammo at just about anywhere and it'll shoot it just fine day in and day out.   If I could only have *one* gun, it would be this.  It ain't sexy, it ain't modern, it doesn't scream look at me! 

but it puts animals down

[2MANY]

Just gonna throw this out there.

My buddy who shoots a $7500 gun scope combo bought a 6.5 Ruger american and scoped it up.

It shoots as good as his custom gun. (bullets in same hole basically)

His buddy bought one..............................same result.

His buddy bought one..............................same result.

Cheap, durable, etc.

[Rob]

Add one more to that list of 6.5 Creed on a Ruger American Predator that shoots sub MOA with anything it is fed...

[opdinkslayer]

Pretty hard to come up with a rifle that meets all your criteria. Personally based off your description of his likes & wants, I’d get a X-bolt HCLR or MaxLR in a 7 mag or one of the 30’s offered. If you want something with the capability to build on in the future but light & accurate, get a Tikka.