What's a practical and somewhat economical hunting rifle (and caliber)

Gatehouse said:
Are you planning on going hunting right now? Or just in the event of the Apocalypse?

If you aren't planning on hunting right now, just get an SKS and a crate of ammo. Have some fun.
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Just planning for what future interests might look like, the societal collapse thing was me trying to be funny : ) I've got a lot of practice to go as yet but it's fun to plan.
 
Papaclaude said:
That's a really tough question. I won't even touch the end-of-world stuff. If that happens, all I need is a few feet of rope. For hunting, probably the best all-round cartridge in terms of ballistics, ammo availability and selection is probably the 308/30-06. It'll take anything in North America out to as far as most guys can shoot, and perform well in brush. You can get one at an extremely reasonable cost, and alight one, at that.

If you're hunting in brush and want to play, a lever gun is great, in pretty well any cliber. I'm partial to 44 Mag/45 LC, but any one will do. If you're looking straight survival, a shotgun might be your best bet. You can go for small game, medium gae, waterfowl, and big game with the same gun.

Your question is almost like asking what should my first car be. There are no right answers, just try a bunch of guns, if you can and get the most enjoyable one. However, for a first gun, you really should consider a .22. No better gun to get used to shooting with. Until you learn proper shooting techniques and trigger control, you'll pretty much be wasting ammo (which can be a ton of fun on its own) anyways.
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Cheers! my first gun will 100% be a .22, I'm just thinking beyond that. I really dig level guns, but as a lot of you are suggesting 308's I'll give them a look too!
 
philhut said:
cheapest entry level rifles are 22lr's of various types.
Next is arguably either .223 various types or 7.62.x39 with SKS
Next cheapest 7.62x54R Mosin Nagant 91/30 or .308 various rifles
(rifles are like horses, they cost different prices but they are all expensive to feed. Ammunition is horrendously expensive and seems to rise about 3-5%per month if the last year indicates anything)

You can hunt with options 2 and 3 on my list. There is no such thing as an all-rounder that will do everything well. Best thing would be to decide on your budget, what you want to use your rifle for and then align the two with what is available. If society falls in a world where the military has fully automatics and helicopters your home rifle collection is chump change and will get you in trouble as much as it will help. I am a budget minded shooter and started into firearms last year. Thus far I have invested approximately $10k into rifles, ammunition and storage equipment etc... Decide what interests you and fits your budget then start there.

Basic for start up to cover your bases
1- .22lr rifle
1- .30cal type rifle in .270win,.308win,7.62x39,30-30,7.62x54,.303 etc... (yeah theres lots more)
1- shotgun (I recommend 12ga as its common and relatively inexpensive if kept in 2 3/4" to 3"

After than you choose if you prefer bolt action vs semi-auto vs pump vs lever action, iron sight vs scope (scope type etc)

I enjoy history and found a niche in military surplus for myself to meld my hobby and interests together, that may/may not work for you its all a matter of preference. I have joined a range and hunt deer/moose so my gear works for that sort of thing. Likely you would get better out of box performance hunting with an entry level hunting rifles such as a Savage Axis etc... I'm stubborn and see no reason why I can't hunt with a Mauser, Mosin, SKS or SVT once ranged and proven accurate at the range. Just a matter of preference and depends on the amount of time you want to spend messing with your stuff.

Good Luck, be aware on this board many people are deeply invested into firearms and gun ownership rights. In the current political climate there is fear of any potential mention of hostile or militant action people specifically resisted against for fear of perpetuating the government agenda of disarmament and restriction. Universally the SKS is Canada's survival rifle, still its unlikely we will be refighting the war of 1812 (conceptually) anytime soon. Pick something you will enjoy to shoot safely, store your new firearms safely away from curious hands and use them for the legitimate purposes that are acceptable in the province that is at the range and or on private/crown land for hunting.
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Thank you for the thoughtful write up! I will keep my ill thought out humor to myself and be more mindful of how I word my questions. I'm definitely keen to pick up a .22 as well as a safe as soon as I see one on sale. I hadn't actually considered shot guns at all, perhaps that is worth some more research.

Cheers!
 
SHELL SHUCKER said:
Don't bet on it.:(

OP, if you're just hunting & plinking on the Island, it's not hard to find an economical rifle like the SKS in 7.62x39 if you like autos. Lots of aftermarket goodies for these robust numbers out there & ammo is quite affordable.

If a lever action is more to yer preference, then a Mossberg 464 in .30-30 is a good choice as they come scope-ready & are accurate shooters.

For an economical bolt gun, one can get a Ruger American in 7.62x39 in the Ranch model.

There are numerous options out there, but it's up to one's wants & desires along with how much one can afford to spend.

To get even more value on shooting costs, it really pays to handload yer own ammo, especially if you cast yer own boolits.:)
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I'm really happy to see all the level action love as aesthetically I feel they just can't be beat, I'm pretty keen on levels and bolt's really.
 
Norinco M305 semi-auto in 7.62 NATO with a detachable box magazine. Going for $600 new. They likely need some tweaking but a great battle rifle that will take deer and bear
 
Odd Shot said:
Norinco M305 semi-auto in 7.62 NATO with a detachable box magazine. Going for $600 new. They likely need some tweaking but a great battle rifle that will take deer and bear
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They're an excellent gun for the money, but as a hunting gun, anything military would be pretty far down my list. They tend to be heavy, and don't balance or carry as well as a hunting rifle. Any semi can also be finnicky about ammo and weather. If a 305 (which is a 308, by the way), is all you have, nothing wrong with using it for hunting, but personally, it wouldn't be my choice. There are some excellent entry level rifles like the Axis, Patriot, Ruger American which some guys here love to bash, but I have yet to meet an actual owner who doesn't like his.

I've been a huge fan of the 308 for going on 50 years, but right now, if I were starting out, and lived near a major gun shop where I could always get ammo, I'd give the 7-08 a serious look. A little lesst recoil, and even more versatility.
 
SHTF = .223... period.

Low weight, low cost, abundant ammo... so before SHTF you can practice alot and gain the skill and confidence to use your rifle safely... in a survival scenario it can do whatever you need it to do.
 
If TEOTWAWKI happens and SHTF, grab your BOB, Grab your SKS jump in your BOV and head for your JFH......

If you want to go hunting, get yourself a bolt action rifle in .308 or .30-06 as a starter......
 
You live in MU 1-1, you need an Ithaca 37 and Buckshot. No closed season and No Bag Limit on Fallow Deer, I think there are/were also oportunities on Feral Goats.
 
Superbrad said:
If TEOTWAWKI happens and SHTF, grab your BOB, Grab your SKS jump in your BOV and head for your JFH......

If you want to go hunting, get yourself a bolt action rifle in .308 or .30-06 as a starter......
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Exactly, don't worry about society collapsing. If you want to hunt, get a bolt rifle. Cant go wrong with a 30-06. Good for anything on this continent and lots of ammo. If you ever get into reloading there are lots of components. The 30-06 is the "jack of all trades, master of none".
 
If society collapses your best friend wont be a rifle...it will be your best friends! Very few people are capable of living a solitary life effectively. Thats why we have lived in groups, tribes, villages etc etc for thousands of years. If you really think there is a possibility of a situation that most of TEOTWAWKI anticipate...make friends with people with complimentary skills...dont prepare to dominate them. Its interesting...when evaluating who your friends might be using the criteria of complimentary skills...several of my friends thought long and hard and concluded that JT offered no complimentary skills...I guess he gets voted off the island. Not my decision...their's
 
MiG25 said:
You live in MU 1-1, you need an Ithaca 37 and Buckshot. No closed season and No Bag Limit on Fallow Deer, I think there are/were also oportunities on Feral Goats.
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For a dedicated hunting shotgun that replaces a rifle under buckshot rules only, one could take this one step further and utilize the already camouflaged M37/M87 Ithaca Turkeyslayer.
Rifle type sights for ground game and drilled and tapped for various optics, 23-24 inch barrel and removable chokes for buckshot, steel shot, etc.
Sling points for when your hands are full after tagging out.

A full meal deal for you deer hunting BC islanders (win), with the option of actually using it for bought over the counter turkey tags (win), in a few places on the mainland too.(win)
 
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I brought up the M305 because I thought self-defence was one of the capabilities / roles the OP was interested in, not just hunting.

For the cost of the M305, there's nothing much else out there in a battle rifle size caliber semi-auto.

Can't hunt large game as effectively with .223
 
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