Thread: Deer Caliber + Ammo Cost

Originally Posted by Gunzrrr

For one calibre to do a lot of different forms of stalking/hunting I would go with what a mate told me ...
North Island >> .308
South Island >> .270
If you come from Ponsonby >> 7-08

Spend as much as you possibly can ... you only need one rifle for life. Spend around 60% on the rifle, therefore 40% on the scope. Sako are good ... Sauer are the bomb! Keep an eye out on trademe.

270 was my original pick! Why does your mate say 270 for south island? Longer range tops shots or....?

Went and played with a few rifles in shops today. Tikka T3's, a Browning X-bolt and a Sako A7. Out of them all I far preferred the X-bolt actually.

Magazines: Extra round in the mag versus the other two + the mag sits flush so the X-bolt wins that one. I did like the feature on the A7 where you need to press up as well to release the mag though. At first I thought why bother, but those mags are expensive so a smart feature to prevent losing one.

Bolts: I liked the bolt the most on the Browning too, the half cock is really...really good. The half cock on the A7 was so easy to go right past for an amateur like me...although I guess you could get used to it. Didn't seem to compete though.

Triggers: The T3 and Sako won here, they were lighter but it was close. Easily fixed with a trigger job I'm told.

Safety's: X-bolt again. Love the safety and the firing indicator. Well located and idiot proof. I also liked the feature of being able to leave the safety on and unlock the bolt to unload, etc.

Stocks: The T3 got hammered here by the other two. X-bolt and A7 both felt great and I especially liked the X-bolts recoil pad - very soft.

So all up it was quite close between Sako and Browning but I liked the X-bolt best. The T3's do really well considering the others are about 50% more expensive. Anyway, just my opinion - I'm sure there's plenty of Sako/Tikka fans!

When I'm back next I'll compare some scopes. So far I'm leaning towards the Leupold VX-6 2-12x but I'll try it alongside the 3-18x and some lower end scopes to see just how bad I want one of those VX-6's.