Boss's Hunting Rifle

[wyshadow]

Last week my boss asking me he was thinking of getting into hunting. Several of us guys at work talked about our hunting stories and he said he was intrigued. I ask him what game he wanted to try hunting and he said he would try deer at first and maybe elk down the road.

The next day I told him a 280 AI would be perfect for what he wants. I told him a 280 AI could be loaded for coyote, deer, and elk. He doesn't know this cartridge but said to find him a good gun. I asked him what's his budget and he said he doesn't have a budget.

Now I know he said he said he doesn't have a budget but I figure I want to start from the bottom of the list and work my way up. My first thought was I didn't want to tell him to just go in the store and buy what ever they had on the self. I want to go through the hold build process with him and hope he'll have a better understanding for his rifle. I want to put together the rifle, find a load for the rifle, and show him how to reload more bullets.

For all the options, this part that will remain the same:
- Short Action Customs FL die - $295
- Midsouth RCBS seating die - $125
- my spare press (still new) - $40
- Brownell's Shilen barrel blank - $202
- Arken EPL-4 6-24x50 FFP - $412.40
- N560 Powder Valley - $64-410
- Gunsmith cost - $300
- Total - $1438.40

My first low end of the rifle build will be on a Savage 110 action. I've built many rifles off a Savage so I'm very familiar.
- Savage LA top bolt release (Northland Shooter's Supply) - $490
- MDT Oryx chassis - $365.46
- Timney Trigger - $125
Total - $980.46

Next option is from a Tikka action. I have no experience with Tikka but everyone seems to like this action.
- Tikka T3x LA lite (JA Outdoors) - $780
- Oryx MDT chassis - $365.46
- TriggerTech special - $225
Total - $1370.45

Next option is from Mack Brothers
- Mack Brother's Ego 2 - $775
- Oryx MDT chassis - $430
- TriggerTech special - $270
Total - $1473

The last option is from Defiance
- Defiance Classic - $980
- Oryx MDT chassis - $430
- TriggerTech special - $270
Total - $1680

The last expenses are brass, bullets, and primers which totals to about $250 - 300

Now if he doesn't freakout about the these prices and he is willing to go higher, I will suggest other chassises and other actions but I figure to start at these options. I'll tell him he can always buy reloading equipment and rifle parts here and there over the course of several months. I have all this information written out on a sheet of paper and will give it him tomorrow morning after our safety meeting. I noticed most hunters use blind mags and not chassises and I'll ask him if he prefers a stock. What do you think of my thought process? Any other suggestions?

 

[Edd]

Any other suggestions?

Weatherby Vanguard Compact Hunter 308 Winchester.

 

[ShtrRdy]

Just get a Tikka.

 

[TC260]

Is this guy a reloader currently? If he is that's one thing, if he isn't I wouldn't go through all that for a 280 AI...or any cartridge really. Deer aren't hard animals to take down and there's a myriad of perfectly capable rifles and cartridges available off the shelf these days. Pick something easy and spend the saved time and money on practicing and other gear he's going to need.

 

[Adam in WI]

Just make sure your recommendations don't bear the blame for his shortcomings if he's a mediocre marksman. I like helping people out, but bosses can be tricky.

 

[wyshadow]

Is this guy a reloader currently? If he is that's one thing, if he isn't I wouldn't go through all that for a 280 AI...or any cartridge really. Deer aren't hard animals to take down and there's a myriad of perfectly capable rifles and cartridges available off the shelf these days. Pick something easy and spend the saved time and money on practicing and other gear he's going to need.

He told me he has never reloaded but has watched several videos and wants to start. The hardest thing for me when i started reloading was trying to figure how the reloading process went. Im willing to help if he really wants to learn.The only guns he use to shoot were 22 LR when was younger but had always wanted to hunt. I just told him to put in for a hunt and see what happens. The best way to try something new is to just jump in.

As for choosing a 280 AI, I figured it was a good choice for elk if he wanted try hunting it later. Tons of other choices for elk but a lot people I talked to raves about this cartridge so I just choose it. I know 30-06, 300 Win mag, 7 Win mag, 300 wsm, 300 norma, 300 Weatherby, 7 PRC, 300 PRC, 270 Win, and on and on are all good choices and I'm sure no one would say any of them are bad choices.

 

[Albany Mountain]

Have him get something that he can buy ammo over the counter. 270 or 280. If he continues into reloading, that’s easy button too. I would caution against having him get in too deep and complicated. Keep it simple.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Just get a Tikka.

In a Creedmoor with a couple of cases of factory eldm’s and let him go have fun and learn.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Your barrel and gunsmith cost seems out of touch to me.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting...uZQ15-feQpYMyOR5Oh2dqCfUtJtbOqq0hJk1LSNQUaosy
This would be a nice one that he would probably keep forever even when he wants to go for something better for elk.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

https://seekinsprecision.com/havak-ph3.html
Do you have any dealers that handle these new Seekins? There very nice also.

 

[TC260]

He told me he has never reloaded but has watched several videos and wants to start. The hardest thing for me when i started reloading was trying to figure how the reloading process went. Im willing to help if he really wants to learn.The only guns he use to shoot were 22 LR when was younger but had always wanted to hunt. I just told him to put in for a hunt and see what happens. The best way to try something new is to just jump in.

As for choosing a 280 AI, I figured it was a good choice for elk if he wanted try hunting it later. Tons of other choices for elk but a lot people I talked to raves about this cartridge so I just choose it. I know 30-06, 300 Win mag, 7 Win mag, 300 wsm, 300 norma, 300 Weatherby, 7 PRC, 300 PRC, 270 Win, and on and on are all good choices and I'm sure no one would say any of them are bad choices.

I don't care about the cartridge choice, 280 AI is perfectly fine for a reloader to choose. It's taking the dive into the reloading world along with all the other stuff involved with getting ready for a first hunt that seems like a large unnecessary project to take on is all. He's your boss though, you know him better than I do.

 

[round]

Me : Hey Boss, I made a list for your first hunting endeavor. $5k and 6 months time to learn reloading should cover it .

Boss : Hey, thats great, thanks. Your coworkers told me I could have bought off the shelf equipment with factory ammo for $2k and gone hunting the same day. Your fired.

 

[Albany Mountain]

One thing I have discovered is that I enjoy my Remington 700 wooden stocked mountain rifle and 3-9x-50mm Leupold scope with heavy crosshairs.
I bought this after decades of hunting deer elk antelope and it has done everything I wanted it to of being light to carry around which I do 99.9% of the time before I ever shoot it at animal.
Fast-forward I had bought a no was many action in 223 plastic stock and detachable magazine as well as becoming the owner of a Ruger predator six Creedmoor with the same layout. Both of the most uncomfortable things I’ve carried on my back and I’m always worried about losing the magazine in the Mauser until I put a different magazine kitchen in it, but both just are so uncomfortable to carry, and I feel that the line magazine in the Remington and configuration is just so much easy to carry And use

 

[Kracken McGraw]

The guy needs to go to some shops and look and hold some rifles to get an idea plus a range trip to see what the recoil in different ones feels like.

 

[Jonnyofalltrades]

Not knocking the .280AI, I think it is great.
However, for a brand new reloader, I wouldn't choose something that had the issue of varying dimension specs floating around out there.
A buddy of mine brought me his custom rifle that wouldn't shoot at all.
The build was very well executed, nothing wrong with the rifle at all. However, the gunsmith had reamed it to original .280 AI headspace dimensions, and then buddy(a new reloader) was sizing with a Redding FL die that was made to SAAMI spec, which is 0.0085 shorter, I think.

Personally, for a guy who knows nothing of rifles or hunting, I would just set him up with a decent factory rifle and midsized scope.
He will either tire of it quickly, and move on, or fall into the rabbit hole and go custom on the next one.

 

[wyshadow]

Ok. Thanks for everyone's suggestions but after talking with my boss, he told me he already bought a 7mm RimMag this past weekend. He went into Sportsman's Warehouse and the sales person talked him into a Savage Axis 7mm Rim Mag. As for reloading, the sales person told him factory ammo is just as good or better then anything reloaded. So that's that.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Ok. Thanks for everyone's suggestions but after talking with my boss, he told me he already bought a 7mm RimMag this past weekend. He went into Sportsman's Warehouse and the sales person talked him into a Savage Axis 7mm Rim Mag. As for reloading, the sales person told him factory ammo is just as good or better then anything reloaded. So that's that.

Wow, that’s about the way things like that go.

 

[TC260]

Wow, that’s about the way things like that go.

Yep! A few years ago a guy I worked with asked for recommendations on which mountain bike to buy. Gave him a few suggestions that weren't too far away so he could test ride them and decide. He never even looked at them, next day he drove to the closest shop and bought what the salesman told him to get. IMO he wasted his money on a turd but he was happy as a clam with it so that's what's important.

 

[Clancy]

I think you’re way overthinking it.

Tikka

Seekins

Off the shelf “custom” from Altus or Mack Bros

- reasonable caliber with quality brass.