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Started By
Message
First hunting rifle. Stainless barrel? And caliber question.
Posted on 11/14/18 at 8:14 am
Posted on 11/14/18 at 8:14 am
A buddy of mine has leased some hunting land and invited me to come out.
I'm looking at a Weatherby Vanguard Series 2. So my questions:
Is a stainless steel barrel worth the extra $150? Other than rust prevention, is there any real advantage?
On the new lease, we'll be hunting hogs and deer. A .308 was suggested, however there is a possibility of making an elk hunt in Alaska in a couple years. Would a .308 be ok for elk? Would a 30-06 Springfield be too big for hog? I'd like a rifle capable of killing hog, deer, and elk without taking the chance of making the animal suffer for being too small, while also not destroying the meat by being too big.
Thanks in advance for any help.
I'm looking at a Weatherby Vanguard Series 2. So my questions:
Is a stainless steel barrel worth the extra $150? Other than rust prevention, is there any real advantage?
On the new lease, we'll be hunting hogs and deer. A .308 was suggested, however there is a possibility of making an elk hunt in Alaska in a couple years. Would a .308 be ok for elk? Would a 30-06 Springfield be too big for hog? I'd like a rifle capable of killing hog, deer, and elk without taking the chance of making the animal suffer for being too small, while also not destroying the meat by being too big.
Thanks in advance for any help.
20
Posted on 11/14/18 at 8:22 am to LSUMurse
I’ve never owned a gun with a stainless barrel, so I can’t really comment on that.
.308 would be fine for deer hogs and elk as would 30-06.
.308 would be fine for deer hogs and elk as would 30-06.
Posted on 11/14/18 at 8:27 am to UpToPar
quote:+1
.308 would be fine for deer hogs and elk as would 30-06.
Stainless barrel is for the hunter, not the game. You don't need it unless you are worried about getting picked on for having a black gun.
Posted on 11/14/18 at 8:33 am to LSUMurse
Barrel finish is your choice. If you like it and think it's worth it, get it.
Personally, I like wood rifles with blue barrels.
.308 is a well rounded caliber and would be okay for elk. If you wanted to tip more to a good caliber for elk and not too much overkill for deer and pigs you might look at a .300 MAG.
Personally, I like wood rifles with blue barrels.
.308 is a well rounded caliber and would be okay for elk. If you wanted to tip more to a good caliber for elk and not too much overkill for deer and pigs you might look at a .300 MAG.
Posted on 11/14/18 at 8:35 am to LSUMurse
I dislike stainless. My ocd wants the barrel and scope to match, and the selection of silver scopes is slim in comparison to black scopes.
Posted on 11/14/18 at 8:36 am to LSUMurse
Stainless is nice but not needed...it's the inside of the barrel that counts. Minimal maintenance and a blued barrel will last several generations.
308 vs 30-06...take your pick. I'm partial to 30-06 but I shoot a 60 year old Winchester model 70 in 30-06...it shoots where I aim.
After 60 years I had the gun re-blued last year.
The stock is probably more important for nasty weather.
308 vs 30-06...take your pick. I'm partial to 30-06 but I shoot a 60 year old Winchester model 70 in 30-06...it shoots where I aim.
After 60 years I had the gun re-blued last year.
The stock is probably more important for nasty weather.
Posted on 11/14/18 at 8:39 am to LSUMurse
Agree with the above. Barrel and caliber choice is up to you and both are fine. Can say that I bought that rifle for my dad in 30.06 a few years ago, fantastic gun.
Posted on 11/14/18 at 8:40 am to LSUMurse
Maybe I’m an idiot and this doesn’t matter but I’ve avoided stainless. Don’t want the sun to hit it just right and for the deer to see it. 
Posted on 11/14/18 at 8:46 am to LSUMurse
Thanks all for the quick replies. I knew I could count on y’all.
Posted on 11/14/18 at 8:49 am to unclejhim
quote:I prefer blued guns, but I don't want my shite looking like it's been riding around in the back of my truck for two years. I always clean and wipe them down after I use them
Minimal maintenance and a blued barrel will last several generations
Posted on 11/14/18 at 8:52 am to LSUMurse
quote:
.308 be ok for elk?
You can, but I would not recommend as you cannot load heavier bullets (200 grain and above) in this cartridge, even though the ballistics of a .308WIN and a 30-06 are basically the same.
quote:
Would a 30-06 Springfield be too big for hog?
Hell NO!!!! Kill as many as you can.
quote:
Weatherby Vanguard Series 2
Generally, these are good rifles. The stainless is nice, but it can still rust if you do not take care of it. I would save the 150 bucks unless you really like the aesthetics of it.
I have both calibers and, as stated above, the ballistics are basically the same between them. One of the biggest advantages you get with a 30-06 is the ability to load 200 grain and heavier projectiles, which are ideal for elk since they have thick skin.
Posted on 11/14/18 at 8:55 am to PTBob
Agreed with PTBob, I always thought stainless wasn't camouflaged enough. 30-06 a great round IMO. 7mm mag or 300 mag better 300+ yards I think. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Posted on 11/14/18 at 8:59 am to Bleezy
Go with the 30-06. Shoot 180gr for elk
Posted on 11/14/18 at 9:05 am to Clyde Tipton
quote:Same here. But definitely doesnt give you an advantages.
Personally, I like wood rifles with blue barrels.
.308 is a great caliber. Seems like my entire family/hunting buddies are downsizing from 30-06, 7mag, etc, from the sheer point that they are not necessary. .308 is the popular choice for many reasons.
if i had to buy one caliber right now, .308 would probably be it.
This post was edited on 11/14/18 at 9:06 am
Posted on 11/14/18 at 9:06 am to LSUMurse
Not a fan of stainless other than it does look good with some stock combinations. My issue is medium and long distance shooting. I have had two and sold both for the same issue. Stainless does not have predictable flex and is very temperature sensitive to that lack of flex. A cold bore shot and a 3rd shot can be considerably off at over 200 yds. A steel blued barrel in a floating stock has that predictable flex and as heat rises you can almost predict where the bullet will move because it is consistent if you have shot enough to notice. My first stainless wouldn't hold a 4 inch group at 250 yds on a warm barrel. Cold it was good to go. Over time heating and cooling the stainless barrel I noticed more and more bullet drift on same zero. and that drift was un predictable from a 30 degree day to a 75 degree day at 200 yds sometimes as much as 4 inches. Second stainless was a 25-06 and I cold bore zeroed the gun over about a weeks time. I did this because of past learnings. Well one day we deicded to do some shooting and I put about a box thru the gun in less an hour. As it heated bullets sprayed the target with no consistency. I expected it as I had dealt with it before. Week later I pick it up and zero is significantly off. I cold bore it again. Took about a week. Never got it put a one inch group together at 100 after I heated the barrel like that. Out at 200yds it became unpredictable even on cold barrel. I sold it as well and have since never bought another stainless rifle.
Posted on 11/14/18 at 9:12 am to LSUMurse
Either caliber will do what you’re wanting, but one will do it with a tad less recoil. You won’t notice the difference with an animal, but you will when you’re practicing. .308 should be a little easier on the shoulder (not that a 30-06 is horrible). Generally speaking, the .308 typically comes in a lighter and shorter rifle, which will make for a better experience carrying one for miles at a time while stalking elk through the back country. Maybe in the 60s you needed a 200gr bullet to reliably kill elk, but with today’s bullet technology that’s not necessary. Randy Newberg breaks it down for elk calibers in this video. Randy Newberg Elk Caliber
As far as stainless vs blue goes. That’s all personal preference. I own both and never had a problem with either. The deer haven’t been able to tell much of a difference. Good luck. Congrats on the new gun and hunting opportunity!
As far as stainless vs blue goes. That’s all personal preference. I own both and never had a problem with either. The deer haven’t been able to tell much of a difference. Good luck. Congrats on the new gun and hunting opportunity!
Posted on 11/14/18 at 9:18 am to unclejhim
quote:
Stainless is nice but not needed...it's the inside of the barrel that counts
Ummm.......
Posted on 11/14/18 at 9:18 am to LSUMurse
For what you are talking about doing around here (Deer hog) anything you have mentioned plus dozens more would be more than sufficient and stainless is nice but surly not needed
for hunting in Alaska, I would strongly recommend stainless, the weather is unrelenting and that is one less thing to have to worry about
elk hunting in Alaska, it can be done but so many better places to hunt elk, if my memory serves me correctly there is a very small herd of elk on one Island in Alaska (Roosevelt Elk?) that were transplanted there, and only ~50 killed per year, go to alaska and go after a moose, bear, caribou, sheep or something else, go to the Rockies for an ELk
for hunting in Alaska, I would strongly recommend stainless, the weather is unrelenting and that is one less thing to have to worry about
elk hunting in Alaska, it can be done but so many better places to hunt elk, if my memory serves me correctly there is a very small herd of elk on one Island in Alaska (Roosevelt Elk?) that were transplanted there, and only ~50 killed per year, go to alaska and go after a moose, bear, caribou, sheep or something else, go to the Rockies for an ELk
This post was edited on 11/14/18 at 9:22 am
Posted on 11/14/18 at 9:24 am to LSUMurse
30-06 offers a wide range of rounds and bullet weights that you can use to match your hunting situation and animal, not sexy by today's standards but gets the job done every time...
Posted on 11/14/18 at 9:25 am to Boat Motor Bandit
quote:
Stainless does not have predictable flex and is very temperature sensitive to that lack of flex. A cold bore shot and a 3rd shot can be considerably off at over 200 yds. A steel blued barrel in a floating stock has that predictable flex and as heat rises you can almost predict where the bullet will move because it is consistent if you have shot enough to notice.
In all my reading and experience in rifles I have never heard this or experienced any of this. The stainless flexing part. All I can say is that I have a shot a LOT of stainless rifles at long ranges that didn't seem to have these problems. Proper stock fitting and bedding, I can promise you, have more effect on accuracy then barrel material.
But maybe? IDK
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