re: First hunting rifle. Stainless barrel? And caliber question.

I like stainless. A day like today is a good reason. But be sure to set enough money aside for a decent scope and binoculars.

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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.

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this is me as well. just seems too 'flashy' for a woods gun.

The caliber question is easy. .308 is good for elk, .30-06 is a little bit better. Theyre very close on paper with the 06 being able to sling slightly heavier bullets at the cost of slightly more recoil. No caliber is too big for hogs.

Stainless is a personal choice. Do you see yourself hunting in the rain and not being diligent about taking care of your gun? If so stainless is worth it. If you want a pretty rifle and you'll take good care of it than blue/wood is fine. It just requires a wipe down after a rainy hunt.

I don't have a source to back this up, but I would say, if not the majority, a notably large portion of benchrest match shooters use stainless barrels. I don't doubt you had an issue with the 2 samples you tried, but I also don't think it is compelling evidence for your argument against stainless barrels' harmonics. There is a long list of things that could have not been favorable in your limited experience. I think if stainless steel barrels were as bad accuracy-wise as you say there would not be an abundance of manufacturers choosing 416 and 416R stainless steel for match quality barrels.

But I do get that you had a bad experience with stainless and now you have a very strong opinion of it. People are funny that way.

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I have to have a certain degree of confidence on shots over 400

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How many deer do people actually shoot at or over 400 yards?

I prefer blued barrels in wooden stocks. That's just how my brain thinks a deer rifle should be made. But I don't think the deer will spot a stainless barrel any easier than a blued one and I would definitely recommend stainless to someone who doesn't care about traditional looking rifles.

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I can see folks probably don't put in the scope time that I do to discover issues like I did. Its ok Im very picky about my gun consistency on long range shots.

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Actually, I bet there are a number of folks here who put in a lot of range time and also put a premium on a gun's accuracy. I usually go on 2 prairie dog hunts every summer. I usually shoot >100 rounds/day for 2 days. My main pd hunting handgun is an XP-100 in 22 BR. For nearly 25 years it's averaged 1/2" groups at 100 yds w/ the right loads. My #2 handgun is an XP-100 in 6 BR. It's just as accurate as the 22 BR. Both guns have stainless barrels. The only time I've been disappointed in their long range accuracy has been due to my error. I don't know what happened w/ your s/s guns, but I've not suffered those problems.

OP, if you want a s/s barrel or action, get it. I wouldn't worry about a s/s barrel failing to meet your accuracy needs. It's your personal preference. Some of my hunting handguns have s/s barrels, some don't. On the other hand, an extra $150 is a lot for s/s. For that much money, I'd probably go w/ blued and do what an earlier poster said: take the $150 you saved buying a blued barrel and spend it on extra practice ammo and/or a better scope.

Let me explain the difference in a 308 versus a 30/06. They both shoot the exact same diameter bullet, .308 diameter. For lighter bullets, say 150 grain, the velocity difference is 100 fps or less between them with the 30/06 being the higher velocity. However, if you go up to 180 grain bullets, which are generally considered best for elk, the 30/06 has up to a 200 fps advantage because of its lager case capacity. Therefore, if elk is in your plans I would opt for the 30/06. Otherwise for deer or hogs, it is a tossup.

the 308 was designed to basically duplicate the 30/06 ballistics with 150 grain bullets. Because of newer powders developed in 1950 versus 1903, the case of the 308 could be made shorter to cycle easier and faster in automatic weapons. That is the difference.