Need help with rifle setup...

[natjohnb]

I have extensive expierence with hanguns, and quite a bit expierence with shotguns, but I have relatively little expierence with bolt actions centerfires....although I have been doing a lot of research.

I am buying a Stevens 200 (Savage) in 30-06 and I want to set it up for deer hunting. First question....I am pretty sure I want to go with a Leupold VX-I 3-9x40; is this a good choice for Michigan deer hunting, and is there a better scope for a more reasonable price?

Second...the Stevens is drilled and tapped for scope rings, what should I go with? are the Leupold 1" rings good or should I get something better?

Third...is the Sims Limbsaver recoil pad worth it? I am not afraid of recoil from 30-06 in a 6.5lb gun, but I don't want to beat myself up at the range either.

Fourth...what is a good bullet type/weight for whitetail deer?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks for the help,

Nate

 

[FirstFreedom]

I am buying a Stevens 200 (Savage) in 30-06 and I want to set it up for deer hunting.

Good plan.

First question....I am pretty sure I want to go with a Leupold VX-I 3-9x40; is this a good choice for Michigan deer hunting,

Yes, good choice.

and is there a better scope for a more reasonable price?

Yes. That VX1 is roughly $200. I'd get a Sightron S2 3-9x42 @ $210, or Burris Fullfield II @ $175 or so. Brighter/Clearer than the VX1.

Second...the Stevens is drilled and tapped for scope rings, what should I go with? are the Leupold 1" rings good or should I get something better?

Depends. Leupold "Rifleman" rings, or Leupold (nothing more/standard) rings? I would buy a Leupold one piece base with matching rings, either "double turn-in" rings, or rings that are turn-in on the front with the windage-adjustable rear. I would not get "Rifleman" rings.

Third...is the Sims Limbsaver recoil pad worth it? I am not afraid of recoil from 30-06 in a 6.5lb gun, but I don't want to beat myself up at the range either.

Yes, it's worth it to make practice more enjoyable and avoid flinch. Either Sims/Limsaver, or Pachmayr, or the TruGlo pad. They all work well. Do not try to install them yourself unless you are pretty handy and follow instructions well, particularly if you care about aesthetics or may re-sell the gun down the road. Hire a gunsmith.

Fourth...what is a good bullet type/weight for whitetail deer?

In .30-06, just about anything will work great for deer - just not military "ball"/surplus ammo. Most people are gonna use 150 gr softpoint or ballistic tip bullets, and that's what I'd do if hunting deer with a .30-06.

Any other suggestions?

Just get to know a good gunsmith, friend/mentor, or gun shop employee to answer details on this.

 

[davlandrum]

Dang - if you don't get here before FF there is nothing left to say

+1 on FF's answers. I am partial to 165 ballistic tips for mule deer. Pretty open country where we hunt and might, theoretically have to reach out to 300 yds, so like the ballistic tips. Reality, nothing killed over 100 yds, so probably no benefit other than personal confidence.

 

[natjohnb]

Yes, thanks for the complete reply FF; I will look into those other scopes you recommended....

I would love to hear any advise from anyone else...

Nate

 

[davlandrum]

I have one VX II and one VX III and love them. How much price difference is there between the I and the II ??

Other option, and if I was doing it again would probably do, is go fixed 4x highest quality you can afford.

I got the vari with the upper range, again, because I thought I would be shooting a lot farther than what I have actually shot.

Think about your longest shot opportunity and then consider if the extra $$ for the variable is going to be worth it.

 

[natjohnb]

Up where I hunt is mostly hardwoods, so I will probably have shots at 75-150yds. There are some good clearings in the area, but I can't imagine taking a shot over 300 yards.

The versatlilty of a variable would be nice, but would it be that much more practical to go with a fixed power? And if so, what is the best fixed power scope i can get in the $200 range?

 

[Doyle]

I agree with everything said so far. I use 150 gr Rem corlok pointed soft points. Pretty generic stuff. Using these, I can sight in at about 220 yds and be 2" high at the highest point of arc (around 130 yds). At about 250 yds I'm back to 2" low. That gives me essentially point blank sighting from zero to 250 yds. At 300, it is roughly 6" low.

One thing you need to do that hasn't been mentioned. IF you get a variable scope, shoot a couple of 100 yd shots at each magnification and make sure your shots don't start wondering. A lot of scopes (unfortunately, even some expensive ones) change POI as you zoom in and out. If it is going to change, it is better that you find out on the range instead of in the field.

 

[wolverine350]

I have the stevens 200 in 25-06 and is an awesome rifle, mouted a Nikon Buckmaster 3x9x40 on mine with leupold bases and extension rings, altogether a great combo, i did camo the stock though.

 

[natjohnb]

Yeah, I was thinking about maybe some camo on the stock, that gray plastic is UGLY. How did you camo yours?

 

[jhgreasemonkey]

The Burris 3x9x40mm fullfield II you can get for about $199 and the Nikon 3x9x40mm prostaff can be had for $150 if you look around. Both in my opinion are as nice as a $300 leopold.

 

[wolverine350]

I bought Kylon fusion camo paint and got me a oak leaf stencil, made it look sharp will find some pics to post of my Benelli i just did

 

[wolverine350]

Nat you can check out some of my camo pics under my benelli nova thread under shotguns.

 

[natjohnb]

Nice job on the Camo! I think I'm gonna have to try that out.

 

[wolverine350]

thank you, i did the stevens 200 the same way, but just did the stock only

 

[T. O'Heir]

The .30-06 loves 165 grain bullets with IMR4064. 165 grain bullets will kill any game you care to hunt. 150's are ok for deer, but not as versatile. You might get an elk permit some day.

 

[tyrajam]

A VX-1 won't give you any regrets, its a good quality scope. Bang for your buck, its hard to beat smmons though. I always shot 180gr, just because of their better bc and the fact that for elk and black bears I wouldn't have to change the point of impact. But if it was a deer only rifle, I would go with a 165gr bullet.