Ruger Scout vs. Remington 700?

In the market for a .308 to hunt deer and moose with. What do you recommend - or which is better, Ruger Scout or Remington 700 (in .308)?

Thanks guys!

[quote]theBeth wrote:
In the market for a .308 to hunt deer and moose with. What do you recommend - or which is better, Ruger Scout or Remington 700 (in .308)?

Thanks guys![/quote]

Those are both fine rifles, so my advice is to see which one fits you better.

I own a Ruger Scout and have shot many an elk (and one problematic bear and probably 30 coyotes) with it. I prefer it personally because of the detachable magazine.

One more rifle to consider is my favorite .308, the FNH FNAR Semi-Auto Rifle. (It shoots either 7.62 or .308 — and while very, very similar rifles that shoot .308 should not be used to shoot 7.62, but 7.62 can shoot either.)

The FNAR is extremely accurate and very easy to maintain. It also has the advantage of quick follow up shots, if needed.

You’ll get weird looks hunting with a black rifle, but screw 'em.

[quote]theBeth wrote:
In the market for a .308 to hunt deer and moose with. What do you recommend - or which is better, Ruger Scout or Remington 700 (in .308)?

Thanks guys![/quote]

With bolt action rifles, I just buy what is on sale. Or what ever deal I can scheme up a gun shows. Walmart has good prices on entry level bolt actions.

I’ve used quite a few different model 700’s. 6mm bull, 7mm mag bull, and .270 winchester. They will all sling lead.

[quote]theBeth wrote:
In the market for a .308 to hunt deer and moose with. What do you recommend - or which is better, Ruger Scout or Remington 700 (in .308)?

Thanks guys![/quote]

The more I thought about you post, the more worried I became. A .308 is fine for deer and elk, but a moose is pretty large beastie.

You can do the job with a .308 (heck you can do it with a .22) and a lot of people hunt moose with a .308, but I might step up to a larger caliber weapon, especially if you are newish — 7mm, .375 H&H, one of the Weatherby loads.

I like the Scout because it comes with iron sites, but I keep hearing trash about Ruger’s haveing internal bolt issues. I don’t know if that’s true - everyone I know who has a Ruger seems to like it. Every major hunter I know swears by the Remington 700 though.

I’m set on bolt action - no semi-auto. I’d like iron sites to come with it but not a deal breaker if it doesn’t. Mainly I want a highly accurate, reliable weapon that I can use for years and years. I shouldn’t have sold my Savage 30-06. dumb move.

I’ve heard alot of good things about Tikka too - that and the Ruger American seem to be more lightweight.

[quote]theBeth wrote:
I like the Scout because it comes with iron sites, but I keep hearing trash about Ruger’s haveing internal bolt issues. I don’t know if that’s true - everyone I know who has a Ruger seems to like it. Every major hunter I know swears by the Remington 700 though.

I’m set on bolt action - no semi-auto. I’d like iron sites to come with it but not a deal breaker if it doesn’t. Mainly I want a highly accurate, reliable weapon that I can use for years and years. I shouldn’t have sold my Savage 30-06. dumb move.

I’ve heard alot of good things about Tikka too - that and the Ruger American seem to be more lightweight. [/quote]

Iron sights are nice incase your scope is fogged or the deer is right under you.

Just chat up some old widowed hunter. I’m sure he will give you a gun.

Ruger Scout is on my short list of must-have guns. I’d put it into the category of “if you only own one bolt action.” Great gun. But I do prefer shorter, “brush” rifles so I’m biased there.

[quote]Chris Shugart wrote:
Ruger Scout is on my short list of must-have guns. I’d put it into the category of “if you only own one bolt action.” Great gun. But I do prefer shorter, “brush” rifles so I’m biased there. [/quote]

Your short list of guns is probably much like mine. A few pages long! haha

[quote]theBeth wrote:
In the market for a .308 to hunt deer and moose with. What do you recommend - or which is better, Ruger Scout or Remington 700 (in .308)?

Thanks guys![/quote]

I personally own a Rem 700 .30/06 but that’s just personal preference. Other great bolts that I have shot are the Savage 116 I believe, the Tikka T3, Weatherby Vanguard (this is one of most underrated rifles out there to me), and the Browning X bolt (my personal favorite).

I will say though that the .308 seems a little light for a moose but I have never hunted moose so take that for what its worth. I wouldn’t say you really need a magnum like the .300 or 7mm but (and I am biased) the .30/06 is the single best all around caliber in existence and it has the most readily available ammo of any caliber.

My first rifle ever was a Remington 700 CDL .30/06 with blued steel. Most beautiful rifle I had ever seen. Such a timeless look to it. That would be my suggestion. You cannot go wrong with a Remington 700. Asides from looks it also gets the job done.

Look how pretty it is Beth.

http://www.basspro.com/Remington-Model-700-CDL-3006-SPG-Rifle/product/10218008/

[quote]jbpick86 wrote:

[quote]theBeth wrote:
In the market for a .308 to hunt deer and moose with. What do you recommend - or which is better, Ruger Scout or Remington 700 (in .308)?

Thanks guys![/quote]

I personally own a Rem 700 .30/06 but that’s just personal preference. Other great bolts that I have shot are the Savage 116 I believe, the Tikka T3, Weatherby Vanguard (this is one of most underrated rifles out there to me), and the Browning X bolt (my personal favorite).

I will say though that the .308 seems a little light for a moose but I have never hunted moose so take that for what its worth. I wouldn’t say you really need a magnum like the .300 or 7mm but (and I am biased) the .30/06 is the single best all around caliber in existence and it has the most readily available ammo of any caliber. [/quote]

If you can kill a moose with a bow you can kill it with a .30 caliber centerfire rifle. Not ideal though.

Barnes 180 gr XFB and XBT bullets

http://www.barnesbullets.com/copper_manual/308%20Winchester.pdf?PHPSESSID=1827884cd1bd166a487a5e2c28a5bda8

[quote]pushharder wrote:
Barnes bullets are fabulous.[/quote]

They are. I think you have been using them for a while from some of our previous correspondence.

What grain bullet and caliber combos are you using?

[quote]pushharder wrote:

[quote]jbpick86 wrote:

I will say though that the .308 seems a little light for a moose but I have never hunted moose so take that for what its worth. I wouldn’t say you really need a magnum like the .300 or 7mm but (and I am biased) the .30/06 is the single best all around caliber in existence and it has the most readily available ammo of any caliber. [/quote]

FWIW, I’ve hunted exclusively with magnums for almost 30 years. Everything I hit with good shot placement dies. And dies close by. I did lose one cow elk a few years ago and it ate me up.

Most of my animals have been taken right before sunset. I like the fact that I end up gutting them in close proximity to where I pulled the trigger. I like crushing them with the hammer of Thor (hydrostatic shock FTW!) and having them die quickly and humanely and without multiple follow up shots to keep them down and thereby spoiling meat.

That’s just my take on things and not meant to be a counterpoint to your post.

I like powerful rifles, horses, coffee, whiskey and women.

(Beth is a powerful woman…she is a magnum)[/quote]

Ha honestly, if I hunted anything tougher than the occasional hog, I would probably own a magnum. I am not a recoil sensitive person in the least though. I have known really big men who were and seen women who weren’t so I don’t think that is necessarily something indicative of ones toughness but it just becomes an engrained flinch. That was why I would go with the .30/06. If a gun is a joy to shoot (ie. it doesn’t hurt them), people shoot it more. If they shoot it more then they are better in the field with it. Ha I actually recently had this debate with my father-in-law on the merits of his .300 mag vs my .30/06 and another friend on the 3 inch vs 3.5 inch turkey loads (which is a different debate because a 3.5 2oz turkey load generates more recoil than a .458 win mag)

[quote]pushharder wrote:
Barnes bullets are fabulous.[/quote]

Quick question, for you or Cap, I keep hearing people sing the praises of Barnes. Have you shot them up beside one of the Nostler Ballistic tips (Nostler, Winchester Silver, or Federal Prem) and if so did you notice that much of a difference??

[quote]jbpick86 wrote:

[quote]pushharder wrote:
Barnes bullets are fabulous.[/quote]

Quick question, for you or Cap, I keep hearing people sing the praises of Barnes. Have you shot them up beside one of the Nostler Ballistic tips (Nostler, Winchester Silver, or Federal Prem) and if so did you notice that much of a difference??[/quote]

Barnes makes a good product. I have shot and reloaded barnes, sierra game kings, Nosler Ballistic tips, Remington core lockt, and hornady SST’s. Full disclaimer I am no expert. There are some much more knowledgeable people on this forum than I in regards to ballistics.

I think where barnes really really shines is in big game penetration. A white-tailed deer is relatively easy to kill with a centerfire rifle. When you start talking about elk, moose, bear, and african species, it’s time to get serious. They are also non-toxic.

Check out some of the reviews on midway.

[quote]Captnoblivious wrote:

[quote]jbpick86 wrote:

[quote]pushharder wrote:
Barnes bullets are fabulous.[/quote]

Quick question, for you or Cap, I keep hearing people sing the praises of Barnes. Have you shot them up beside one of the Nostler Ballistic tips (Nostler, Winchester Silver, or Federal Prem) and if so did you notice that much of a difference??[/quote]

Barnes makes a good product. I have shot and reloaded barnes, sierra game kings, Nosler Ballistic tips, Remington core lockt, and hornady SST’s. Full disclaimer I am no expert. There are some much more knowledgeable people on this forum than I in regards to ballistics.

I think where barnes really really shines is in big game penetration. A white-tailed deer is relatively easy to kill with a centerfire rifle. When you start talking about elk, moose, bear, and african species, it’s time to get serious. They are also non-toxic.

Check out some of the reviews on midway.

[/quote]

Yeah, you saying that, I have recently pondered beginning to shy away from the pricier bullets and go with something like a corelokt to see how I like it. As you said, deer aren’t really the toughest animals.