trying to buy my first rifle
- Thread starter bcborn
- Start date
Get a 243 or 270. 1 gun will do great for both. Check out the websites of the supporting dealers you will find one. Savage edge/axis are cheap reliable guns. If you want to spend a lot look up john rigby or dakota arms they will hook ya up
BigBore585
CGN Regular
- Location
- Southern Alberta
Hey I know in Alberta the 223 is not legal to hunt big game with. Coyotes are fine, but not deer, 30-06 is a nice round. The 243 would be good it's a very nice coyote round and legal to hunt big game with. The 30-06 would be your best all around cartridge
Not allowed .223 for big game in SK either. A great way to weed out the enormous choice of calibers is to go shoot a few. Talk to your buddies and go shoot theirs, go to the Rod & Gun club and put in some time on the range. It's a big choice and if you have little or no experience you may find something like a .30-06 kicks to damn hard. It's hard to make accurate shots when you are expecting a very unpleasant recoil, you can't be accurate when you are flinching in anticipation from the shot. You have what, 7-8 months until hunting season, shooting is fun, go have fun with it!
I miss hunting in SK, I envy you, good luck!
Firstly Where are You? Does bcborn mean you're born and in BC?
Secondly what is your experience? Find the 300WM tickles?
Was in same boat as you, got my CORE, wanted rifle for yotes and deer. Find most important is lots of practice. 30-06 ammo is a buck a piece; even if money isn't an issue will tear your shoulders apart in no time flat.
My preference at the range:
1 box of 30-06 off my xbolt. Barely warmed up after a box but shoulder hurts like heck. Sucker kicks like a mule, the adrenaline is addictive.
brick of 22lr in cz 455 for target practice.
Would be shooting my t3 233 hunter but stupid Canada post takes two weeks to ship rifle from Oshawa to Vancouver.
Secondly what is your experience? Find the 300WM tickles?
Was in same boat as you, got my CORE, wanted rifle for yotes and deer. Find most important is lots of practice. 30-06 ammo is a buck a piece; even if money isn't an issue will tear your shoulders apart in no time flat.
My preference at the range:
1 box of 30-06 off my xbolt. Barely warmed up after a box but shoulder hurts like heck. Sucker kicks like a mule, the adrenaline is addictive.
brick of 22lr in cz 455 for target practice.
Would be shooting my t3 233 hunter but stupid Canada post takes two weeks to ship rifle from Oshawa to Vancouver.
I like the .243 caliber. It is fast and flat shooting, which makes it perfect for coyote hunting, particularly at longer range. White tails are also smaller critters and the 243 will not leave huge gaping holes. I have shot both with the 243 and it it superb.
You can buy really light bullet ammo (50-60 grains) for coyotes and 80-100 grains for deer.
If you are looking for a gun recommendation, look at the Tikka T3 Light synthetic. Extremely accurate, light and affordable. No real down side.
You can buy really light bullet ammo (50-60 grains) for coyotes and 80-100 grains for deer.
If you are looking for a gun recommendation, look at the Tikka T3 Light synthetic. Extremely accurate, light and affordable. No real down side.
not knowing your age,size ,weight ,experience etc. it's tough to say.you can get 110 grain bullets for the 270 in a wsm that would be a hoot!But maybe too much gun for you no offence.The 243 might be perfect.My son started hunting with an old 270 when he was 16-17 but he loved the gun and was a big kid who had shot alot.like the man says got to a range people are friendly and helpful.Let us know when you figure it out.
No bad advice so far...
There's nothing wrong with the .270 Winchester; it's put venison on the table for generations. It's also dynamite on coyotes and can handle moose if you put a heavy bullet up the tube.
.243 is also a good round. So are the .260 and the .308 Winchester. The .30-06 is perhaps the best all-round cartridge going and the recoil isn't all that much more. To be honest, almost any modern (meaning invented since WW 1) cartridge will do the job; like women's dresses, there are serious fads in shooting, so don't get talked into thinking you must have one cartridge or another.
Far more important than the round is learning to use it. A .22 rimfire is an excellent way to learn things like breathing, trigger control, sight picture and so forth - if you can do it with a .22, you can do it with anything else. And a .22 round costs about 1/50th of what a large-bore costs.
Find a rifle that feels right in your arms; you'll know it when you feel it.
One hint - spend almost as much on the sight as you do on the rifle. I've seen too many guys spending a lot of money on a very accurate rifle and then putting Canadian Tire $45 reduced-to-sell glass on it.
Welcome to the dark side...
If your shooting coyotes in saskatchewan, I would say something that gets a projectile moving fast. Your going to wanna try some long shots at some point, and those suckers are running before you can get the truck stopped and they're usually off the road a ways to begin with.
I wouldnt reccomend the 30-06 unless you plan on sneaking up on them and using a range finder.
I would say a 270 because they shoot flatter, arent too crazy big, and will stay take larger game.
I would agree with the comment about getting a good scope. Your going to want something that sees clearly up to 500 yards.
The 260, and 243 would do well, though they tend to be more for the those who dont buy factory ammunition as they arent as easily found. As a new guy, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you probably dont reload.
270 ammo can be bought in a variety of factory weights, from lighter "humm-dingers" to heavier for big game.
JMO and welcome aboard!
BTW, whats with the LOL?
I wouldnt reccomend the 30-06 unless you plan on sneaking up on them and using a range finder.
I would say a 270 because they shoot flatter, arent too crazy big, and will stay take larger game.
I would agree with the comment about getting a good scope. Your going to want something that sees clearly up to 500 yards.
The 260, and 243 would do well, though they tend to be more for the those who dont buy factory ammunition as they arent as easily found. As a new guy, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you probably dont reload.
270 ammo can be bought in a variety of factory weights, from lighter "humm-dingers" to heavier for big game.
JMO and welcome aboard!
BTW, whats with the LOL?
Before you go and grab the mossberg take a look at the marlin XL7, better rifle for not much more $. They're available in .270, 30-06, 25-06, 308, 7mm-08 and 243, any of which would be an excellent cartridge for you. If I was picking one specifically for deer and coyotes though, I'd go .243 (cheap ammo, flat shooting, light recoil, appropraite bullet weights available for varmint and deer, yadda yadda yadda)
