UNDECIDED HUNTER!!

[Bill Sweetman]

Hi guys I've sorta posted this elsewhere before , but got only a few hits!!

I like the Varminter STYLE guns like the heavy barrel (maybe fluting) I really appreciate the accuracy and love the look. A friend of mine has a 30-06 with a thumbhole stock I fired the rifle and REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLY liked the stock , comfy as all get out and is a real joy to shoot. Ever since I WILL not buy a rifle without this.My wish list is as follows: 30 cal. , thumbhole stock , heavy barrel , bolt action , a repeater , laminate or really atactive synthetic , a good crisp trigger , and as accurate as possible.

I hunt in Eastern Canada for deer and moose and MAAAAAAAAAAYBE bear. All from stands so weight is not really a concern. The only stalking will be to and from the stand as far as my 4-wheeler. I have been looking around and found only one gun that suits all my criteria but no price , the 40 xb from Remington's custom shop.

What is your opinions on this .Am I better off just getting a rifle built? How much should I expect to shell out. Optics , another ball of wax!!! I am partial to the leupold brand so far but night-force is right there!!"Low light" is a concern.

So guys please give your opinions I would really appreciate any and all input!!

Bill

[old semperfi]

bill,first i want to tell you that the thumbhole stock it really great......for a target gun.i have a 10-22t ruger that i probably have over a thousand dollars in stock and scope included.i also have a 50 cal knight disc extreem with thumbhole stock and i thought it was the greatest thing since fire.i ground hunt for deer and the first time i had a shot far to my right and couldnt turn i tried shooting left handed.to do this is no big deal for me because i shoot both rt hand and left hand rifle and pistol.WRONG.......you cant hold a thumbhole stock in any comfortable way to shoot opposite hand.i lost that deer and yes it was huge.the other thing is resale,you must sell it to a right or left handed person depending on the stock.the last thing i will suggest is for a long time savage rifle had one of the best barrel you could buy,their triggers sucked.however that is all changed.the new accutriggers they have are fantastic.give it some thought and maybe save yourself a couple of two hundred dollars. old semperfi

[fritz]

Originally Posted by old semperfi

bill,first i want to tell you that the thumbhole stock it really great......for a target gun.i have a 10-22t ruger that i probably have over a thousand dollars in stock and scope included.i also have a 50 cal knight disc extreem with thumbhole stock and i thought it was the greatest thing since fire.i ground hunt for deer and the first time i had a shot far to my right and couldnt turn i tried shooting left handed.to do this is no big deal for me because i shoot both rt hand and left hand rifle and pistol.WRONG.......you cant hold a thumbhole stock in any comfortable way to shoot opposite hand.i lost that deer and yes it was huge.the other thing is resale,you must sell it to a right or left handed person depending on the stock.the last thing i will suggest is for a long time savage rifle had one of the best barrel you could buy,their triggers sucked.however that is all changed.the new accutriggers they have are fantastic.give it some thought and maybe save yourself a couple of two hundred dollars. old semperfi

I agree, really consider a new savage with the accutrigger. As far as scopes go, both are great, I personally like Leupold, Nightforce scopes are nice but are pretty heavy and a little over priced in my opinion. For the money and quality you cant go wrong with a Leupold.

[AngelDeville]

If you have the means for a custom then by all means get it!

But yes a thumbhole stock would be a pain for anything other than a target or varmint gun.

AND another ++++ for the Savage accutrigger.

[Bill Sweetman]

Thanks guys for all the responses!!..........................as far as t-hole stock is concerned I have mulled the pros and cons over and have made my decision , I MUST have one!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only thing that sorta bothers me is the wide fore-stock , but I guess some concessions MUST be made.

A dollar figure would be nice , I figure 1-2000 bucks canadian (bare rifle , no optics) is roughly what I'm looking at. Any thoughts? Am I nuts? or close??!!?? Please if I am totally out to lunch don't be shy , tell me .............. at least I'll know what to look for and how much more I have to save!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanx

Bill

[308 at my gate]

The Remington 40-xb is a great rifle. If the extra weight is not a problem I say go for it.

[Bill Sweetman]

A gun-shop I frequent has just recieved a Browning M-1000 Eclipse Boss in .308 it states its bedded , the barrel is heavy and floated , and has a t-hole stock to boot!.................I have only fired a Browning twice (newer a-bolts) and I can honestly say I liked the rifle overall but I wasn't crazy about thier trigger.

I guess my ? is . Seeing that the M-1000 seems to fit the bill of what I want and the price seems to be good (1200 CDN tax in ). Should I wait and save up for an xb or should I buy the Browning? Is the xb worth that much more than the browning?

Bill

[zkovach]

Bill i have a rifle that suits all your needs. its the same one i deer hunt with and love it to death. its a howa m1500 varmiter thumbhole supreme. has a bull barrel as well, .308. I have taken many deer with it and is the most comfortable gun to shoot. It groups amazingly. i bought it without researching howa and have been very impressed over the years. More and more people are accepting howas as a go to rifle. you really should take a look. they are also priced well. just google legacy sports international they are the main distributor.here is a pic

[Bill Sweetman]

Originally Posted by zkovach

Bill i have a rifle that suits all your needs. its the same one i deer hunt with and love it to death. its a howa m1500 varmiter thumbhole supreme. has a bull barrel as well, .308. I have taken many deer with it and is the most comfortable gun to shoot. It groups amazingly. i bought it without researching howa and have been very impressed over the years. More and more people are accepting howas as a go to rifle. you really should take a look. they are also priced well. just google legacy sports international they are the main distributor.here is a pic

Thanks a bunch!!!!........I knew I was not crazy (o.k. o.k. maybe a little or a lot) but people do hunt deer and other big game with varmint STYLE guns. As for Howa I WILL MOST DEFFINATELY check them out!!!

Thanks again,
Bill

[zkovach]

Originally Posted by twangy

Why settle for the lack of a fast second shot? Does Canada prohibit the use of a Remington autoloader? I'd get it in 308, for the cheap milsurp practice ammo, then use Nosler Partition softpoints for the hunting. You can need to finish off a cripple, and you can need to deal with attacking men, or with, say, a pack of dogs. A bolt action can't handle much of any of those challenges. Plus, a used Remington 748 or similar is $450 US.

With a well aimed shot and accurate rifle u don't need a follow up shot. I believe if u get a good rifle, maintain it, and of course practice with it you'll never need a follow up shot. I have hunted round dogs bears etc. I always bring a bolt-action.

[Bill Sweetman]

Originally Posted by twangy

Why settle for the lack of a fast second shot? Does Canada prohibit the use of a Remington autoloader? I'd get it in 308, for the cheap milsurp practice ammo, then use Nosler Partition softpoints for the hunting. You can need to finish off a cripple, and you can need to deal with attacking men, or with, say, a pack of dogs. A bolt action can't handle much of any of those challenges. Plus, a used Remington 748 or similar is $450 US.

We're allowed semi-autos no fullyautos , they still have to be a .243 cal or bigger , in a centerfire , (for big game , at least in Quebec). No rimfire of any kind. Shotgun or blackpowder I don't use for big game so I am not sure.

P.S. I like the "look" of a bolt action hunting rifle and I'm not keen on the semi "looks" or the military style of some fullyauto's......................but thats just me!

Bill

[Bill Sweetman]

Originally Posted by zkovach

With a well aimed shot and accurate rifle u don't need a follow up shot. I believe if u get a good rifle, maintain it, and of course practice with it you'll never need a follow up shot. I have hunted round dogs bears etc. I always bring a bolt-action.

Me too. I've shot many deer and have yet to fire a second shot. Simple really I NEVER take a shot unless I'm positive of my bullet reaching the vitals. I'd rather pass up (and have) a monster deer , then wound an animal!

Bill