buying a new rifle question

[KidWalleye]

I am buying a new rifle and would like some of your input. I know ther are alot of knowledgeable people on the site. The gun I'm thinking about getting is a Ruger M77 MarkII 7mm rem mag. I want to use it for deer and elk. Someday I would like to go elk hunting and I don't want to buy another rifle. Also some help on a scope would be appreciated. I've looked at the Leopold 3x9. Thanks for the info, Kid

[CAJ]

I think you have made a good choice on Rifle and caliber. The 7mm mag is very good on Elk and very good for Deer. An excalent coice for long or short shots. I've used one for years and with very good results. 3x9 scope is good for what you want. 3 power for close or woods and the upper power for long or still shots Good luck on the hunt in the future. CAJ from Montana

[Eye Slayer]

Kid, you are basically looking at the gun I deer hunt with. Instead of a 7mm, I shoot a .30-06 though. I love it and love the Leupold 3x9-40 I have mounted on it. It shoots very accurately with a 150gr Remington Core-Lokt. Frankly, I wouldn't hunt with another gun.

[lawdog]

I'm a 30-06 guy, but the 7mm is a great choice and the two guns are really quite comparable. I have a ruger in all weather stainless and its been a great gun that I've shot TONS of shells through (.223 for prairie dogs and the like).

For scopes, I too agree 3x9x40 is a great all around choice. The bigger 50 millimeter objective lens could be nice in some places, but its certainly not necessary. I have a Leupold Vari X-II and honestly I've not liked it since the day I bought it. I'd trade it in two seconds for a Nikon Monarch UCC. I've gone to all Nikon optics now and think they are about the same or better quality for similar if not usually less money. Talk to Nick from Optics4hunting as he's a site sponsor here!

[KidWalleye]

It's nice when you hear good things about your choice. I've settled on the rifle. I'm still checking out scopes, so all suggestions are welcome. Thanks again, Kidwalleye

[FarByondDrivn]

Nice thing about Ruger is that you get the rings with the gun. I think they retail for arounf fifty bucks.

[Cooter]

For the money($200) I think the Burris Fullfield II in 3-9X40 is tough to beat. I'd recommend that as the starting point($200 range) and if you can spend more, thats great - I myself wouldn't spend more than say $350 unless you're gonna hunt A LOT. Have fun with the purchase, bud!

[Gissert]

I can find no fault with your choice. Plenty of gun for both elk and deer. Just find a load that shoots well with your gun. For elk, use a good solid bullet like Nosler Partitions or Barnes. Once you have that done, practice a lot with a 22 and you will be ready.

For a scope, I have a Leupold Vari X II 3 x 9 on my 338. I have shot three elk with it now, and lots of deer. I love that glass, no regrets. 50 MM glass is nice, but not necessary.

[xedge2002]

I have the same gun only in a .270 and I love it. I also have a Leupold Vari-X III 3-9x40 and it is an awesome scope. When I look through mine then look through other scopes there is a huge difference. Looking through my Vari-X III is just like looking through a window. It is crystal clear and very bright. The Vari-X III are a little more spendy but after shooting with one I don't think I could shoot anything else.

[Rotwieler]

i don't own one but that is exactly my choice on the new rifle im gonna get. same caliber and scope

[Code-Man]

I have a M77 Ruger All Weather. Got two does this season with it. I have a Scheels 3.5-10x 42 mm Riflemaster. 200 bucks and I love it. I can get nice paterns with it and that extra zoom helps out. If you can check out a scheels and see what you think. My buddy has a leopold but likes mine better. But leopolds are hard to beat but the price is high. 7 mm is nice but I saw a 7 mm WSM holy crap that is a fat shell.

[KidWalleye]

I ordered my 7 mil yesterday. I have 2 weeks to decide on a scope. I'm leaning towards the Leopold

[Whoaru99]

OK, I'll be one of the lone dissenters...

There is nothing wrong with the 7mm Mag, but IMO it really does not offer any significant advantage unless you are regularly shooting =>300yd. It does, however, seem (at least to me) to have lots of extra "bark".

I shoot a .270 (that happens to be a Ruger M77 w/Leupold scope) and it's a very good shooter. However, if I were to do it all over again in a mid-range (power wise) rifle, me thinks I'd go with a 30-06 if for no other reason than the huge variety of different loads available. I'm not sure there is any other cartridge that offers as much overall versatility.

[KidWalleye]

Whoaru99, I actually had a 30-06 picked out but from what I can gather the 7mm is a better elk gun. I plan on doing some hunting out west in the coming years. I do like to hear the other side of this discussion though. Even though I already bought the 7mm. Thanks for the info guys, Kid

[almostthere!]

Leupolds are good quality scopes. Compare it side by side with Burris and you might switch your mind. Make sure you get at least a VX-II in the Leupold; if you can afford it, get the VX-III.

[ccarlson]

Exactly what is the difference between the VX I and the VX II?

I purchased a new set up this fall and spent about 3 trips into reeds deciding between scopes. They let me take them outside where I was able to look through woods where it was darker, across a lake etc.

I narrowed it down to the vx I, vx II and the Nikon Monarch series, all in 3-9x40.

Both Leupolds were hands down better than the Nikon in terms of brightness and edge to edge optical clarity.

But then I really spent time comparing the vx I to the vx II and I could not see any difference in optical clarity, brightness, edge to edge clarity etc. I opted to save the $100 and go with the vx I since I couldn't see any difference. It seems to sight in and maintain accuracy. Both have the same lifetime warranty, nitrogen filled etc. Still, I wonder if I should have spent the extra bucks and just gotten the vx II and I still may at some point depending on what I experience and hear about the two choices.

The salesman really pushed the Nikon until I pointed out how blurred the Nikon was on the outside of the view compared to the Leupold. He checked several and they were all the same.

ccarlson

[ddp]

my 2 cents..

Long story short, our motorhome was broken into last year and unfortunatly we had our guns in there. Collectable 30-30's passed down from grandparents Great brush gun!

I purchased a Browning 300 WSM A-bolt (micro) Great little/big gun. My father got the same gun but 270. I had that same question in my mind. I wanted a multi-purpose gun just in case I were to go for the Elk, etc. I hunt the big woods north of two harbors and the longest shot is 100yds if your lucky. I made the wrong purchase. I personally would go for the gun that is for your typical hunting situation and if the opportunity comes for an elk hunt, deal with it then

[Hitman54]

Since you have already decided on a gun and caliber I will comment on my experience with scopes. I do think the 7mm mag is an excellent all around hunting rifle for medium to large game animals. As is the 30.06. The best information I have found about calibers in "The Target Book for North American Big Game" by Percentage Tags. This book is full of ballistic information for many different big game calibers and is a great resource when deciding on a new gun purchase. As far as scopes go I own three Leupold’s and one Nikon. I have two VX II and one VX III on big game rifles. All are good scopes but the VX III is a little clearer in low light conditions. The Nikon I have is also a good scope for the money. It is clear and crisp but it is just a 4X on a .22. I think you should not skimp on optics. Buy the best scope that you can afford. With optics I think you get what you pay for. Just go to Cabalas or a similar store and look through some different scopes. I wish I could afford a Swarovski or a Schmidt & Bender because their clarity and light gathering capabilities are amazing! IMO I would not buy a $600 or $700 gun and put a $100 scope on it and expect it to be able to perform up to its capabilities.

[perchking]

I have the EXACT set up you are talking about... I have a leupold 3x9 VX-III on mine and love it. Put as much money into the scope that you put into the rifle..

Just my .02 cents.

[CommonSense Guy]

Buy it. I have one but in 30-06. It's light and shoots great. You can take the bold right out easily.

[iffwalleyes]

Since your gun is selected I wouldn't comment on that looks like you have it covered. The M77 is a great gun I have hunted with one myself. For scopes I would look for something with a 50MM objective and somthing with a higher than 9 power option since you want to go west with it. I discovered this myself with my .270 when pronghorn hunting this fall my 40mm 3-9 worked but a bigger objective and more power would have been nice. I myself love leopolds and have nothing bad to say about them what so ever. Nikons are good I personally don't like them as well. But a Zeiss scope would be really nice they are so clear it is amazing.

[walleye vision]

Kid, if you are looking for a place to buy, check out midwestoutdoorgear (Contact Us Please). they'll beat any price, just a new start up, but it's good

[almostthere!]

Quote:

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Kid, if you are looking for a place to buy, check out midwestoutdoorgear (Contact Us Please). they'll beat any price, just a new start up, but it's good

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Just checked their website and the price they are quoting is the manufacturer's suggested pricing. I can go into Joe's or Cabela's and purchase the scopes with tax at a cheaper price.

[quackersmacker]

I have a 243, 30-06, and a 7mm rem mag. In my opinion the 7mm rem mag is the best shooting gun around. If you want a gun for deer and an occasional elk or moose hunt ou west this is your gun. It is a flat shooting gun that has been around forever.

[Bassboy1645]

Tikka T3 lite stainless is what i bought this summer.....i got mine in .270 Mine is topped wiht a 3-9-40mm buckmasters scope from nikon. Good scope for the money. I love the rifle. it is perfect weight fully loaded and slung for my hunting style and its fairly small and compact compaerd to some simalar rifles. I shot a doe wiht her this fall and grazed a nice buck when my bullet defelcted through a tree. My buddies give me some bs though. He bought a Ruger 77 and loves to bash the foreign " junk".......they say Tikka: Teeks u off lol....i love em all

[USDA3]

I second Bassboy's Tikka comments, I use a T3 stainless lite also, but in the .308. Very dependable and straight shooter out of the box. I have a Leupold 4-12X 50 for low light conditions. At first I was a little worried about it being a light model, but after shooting no regrets what so ever.