Rifle for hunting!!

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Epper

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I am looking to buy my first rifle.

Just wanting to get opinions from others on good rifles. It will in time also be used for hunting. Looking for something that is good, reliable, and able to be used to hunt big game such as deer and maybe moose if needed. I would appreciate peoples opinions. Thank You!!

Also if anyone knows of good scopes or ones to at least stay away from.
 
Do you have a price point in mind? A certain styling or material you'd like? "Good" Rifles can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars - the further you can narrow things down, the better we'll be able to help.
 
Rifle - Remington 700 in .270, or a good ol' Lee Enfield in .303 British.

Bushnell and Leupold are decent names in scopes that won't break the bank. A 4X or 6X fixed should do you fine--don't bother with an adjustable 'zoom' scope.
 
I'll give you the same advice I gave to a co-worker who wanted to do the same thing. Just my opinion of course but based on many years of shooting and hunting.

First of all the rifle type is a no brainer. Very good quality for the money on the market for you would be a Tikka T3. Out of the box, very accurate and fairly well made and reliable. Remington 700 used to be good if you can get an older one not a brand new one.

For scope I would recommend a Leupold - higher end, a VX-3 or equivalent in a 2X7, 2.5X8 or 3X9 configuration. (Do not buy this item used. buy new).

Caliber is a little tougher. I would go either 30/06 or .270. Both great calibers with lots of ammo (great spread in bullet weights) in abundance at a reasonable price. You really don't need a magnum especially for your first rifle - nobody does for deer or moose for that matter.

If you plan on developing your shooting skills as a hobby and plan on really getting to know your rifle at the range then .308 is a good caliber. Again a good spread of factory ammo bullet weights with the added benefit of good cheap surplus military ammo to hone your shooting skills and not break the bank.

My co-worker friend elected to get a Tikka T3 stainless with a 3X9 Leupold scope and solid 1 piece mount with rings. His caliber choice was 30/06 and he is very happy with his rig. If perchance somewhere down the road he chooses to get out of hunting he will have no problem selling it as his rig is good quality.
 
I'd suggest a good 30-06, there are lots of good used and new rifles to choose from, I'm sure you'll get lots of good advice here. As to scopes Leopold, Bushnell ( the higher end models ) Nikkon, Vortex and others all make good glass. 2X7 variables have always been my favourites for versatility, 2X for up close ( you'll get more of these than long shots ) and 7X is plenty of magnification for longer shots. I know it sounds pretty ordinary but the 30-06 will take care of any game we have at sane distances cleanly and reliably........and it won't kick the s#@t out of you like a 338 win mag will.

A2
 
Czech out the CZUSA website & look at either the 527 or 550 model rifles. (depends on what caliber you choose) They are currently your best BANG FOR YOUR BUCK so to speak.
You will never get buyers remorse if you go with any of their products.
 
Savage Weather Warrior. Good all round rifle offered in many calibers. Stainless Steel. Accu-trigger and accu-stock. Polymer stock. Very accurate at a great price point. Mine is in .308 Win. My favorite caliber, plenty enough hitting power for any North American game. About $800.00. Get a Leupold Rifleman or equivalent scope minimum in the $200.00 to $350.00 range find one on sale. One other thing it has a detachable 4 round magazine which saves time and speeds things up in the midst of buck fever.
 
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Figure out your budget, including optics. Go to a gun shop and find a gun that you like the feel of when you shoulder it. Try different actions (bolt, semi, pump, lever) and find what feels right to you. My recommendation for a first time hunting gun would be a bolt action, your -and others'- opinions may vary. For deer and moose in one gun, .270 as a minimum, .308 and 30.06 have a wide variety of ammo available for different hunting situations.
 
Epper said:
I am looking to buy my first rifle.

Just wanting to get opinions from others on good rifles. It will in time also be used for hunting. Looking for something that is good, reliable, and able to be used to hunt big game such as deer and maybe moose if needed. I would appreciate peoples opinions. Thank You!!

Also if anyone knows of good scopes or ones to at least stay away from.
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Hi Epper, welcome to the site.

Your question is difficult to answer without knowing what your previous shooting experience is, and without knowing what your budget limitations are. Assuming you're brand new and have a modest budget, then in my opinion you need to start with a rifle you can use right out of the box and build on over time. Purchasing a rifle with factory iron sights is one way to do this, but after market sights can usually be installed for much less than the cost of a scope and the mounting hardware. Purchasing a quality used rifle from a reputable source, like Tradex you will receive better value, then buying a new, bargain basement rifle. If you insist on new, a Remington 700, represents a good value for the money, and the BDL is still available with iron sights. One of these will probably be in the $800 range. Frequently rifle stocks are too long as they must be made to approximately fit everyone, and it is important to have the stock cut to fit you. Installing a good recoil pad will make the piece more pleasant to shoot, particularly if you choose a powerful chambering. Pay more attention to the rifle than to the chambering, modern cartridges between the various 6.5s and the .30/06 all operate in a similar performance envelope.

Without getting to far off topic , should you decide you want a scoped rifle right away, get the best scope and mounts that you can afford. Don't cheap out on mounts! Next is ammo. You can't progress very quickly as a marksman without shooting your rifle. Factory ammo is depressingly expensive. If you handload, you can tailor loads that are within your tolerance levels of recoil and blast, and allows you to shoot more for each dollar you spend. A modest setup built around a Lee C press can have you handloading for about $300.
 
In no way do you need a 338 for any game in this country, unless you plan on taking it at a mile away LOL. 30-06, and 308 are my calibers of choice, I lean more to the 30-06 for hunting though. Savage and Remington both put out some excellent rifles for this but if you are thinking semi auto look at Browning. As for a scope as said above don't cheap out here go for high end scopes they will last you a lifetime and you will always be happy with them and you can switch them to another rifle down the road if you decide to change up your rig to something else.
 
Enfield .303 British

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Thanks for the info.

I am not looking to spend an outrageous amount $800-1500 max probably. Most likely will buy the fun and get the scope a few months down the road when I find one I really like. I don't have much experience with rifles so I intend to go to the shooting range for a while before starting to hunt of course.
 
I'll throw my hat in at the Tikka. Bolt is buttery smooth. Haven't shot mine yet as I just got it, but it is a ###y rifle... :)

I got mine in .308. Was a tough find but ended up getting one imported through I Run Guns.
 
Epper said:
I am looking to buy my first rifle.

Just wanting to get opinions from others on good rifles. It will in time also be used for hunting. Looking for something that is good, reliable, and able to be used to hunt big game such as deer and maybe moose if needed. I would appreciate peoples opinions. Thank You!!

Also if anyone knows of good scopes or ones to at least stay away from.
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In your post you say this is your first rifle.
So we can assume you have not owned any rifle before and probably have little shooting experience.

A .22 rimfire is for you. You will be able to go to the range or in a safe location on crown land or private where you have permission and shoot. And shoot and shoot and shoot. Paper targets, tin cans, apples and oranges, balloons. You will be able to hunt rabbits and other small game and varmints.

Then when you are well trained in safe gun handling and are confident in making good killing shots, you will be ready to get a big game rifle and start hunting, probably deer to begin with. By then you may have spent some time shooting and hunting small game with some more experienced hunters and they may be a lot of help with your next gun.

Good luck to you and keep us updated as you become a shooter/hunter.
 
You will get as many different answers as there are opinions out there, and none are completely right or wrong.

For brands, the common ones you are most likely to see new locally are remington, Savage, Browning, Tikka, Weatherby or Mossberg. Then there are lots of european/older brands/types of rifles like Husquevarna, BRNO, CZ, the list goes on and on, as well as many sportered milsurp rifles like enfields, mausers or mosin nagants.

For calibers, probably the three most common on most stores shelves are .308, .270. 30-06, but then there are an endless number of calibers that will take down both deer and moose, magnumss, short mags, etc.

As it was stated earlier, having a budget in mind would go a long way to help suggesting certain choices, and how long of a shot will you be planning on taking. For example in my area a 200 yard shot is a long shot, with most being 50-100 yards and certain long range calibers would be overkill, where out on the prairies your shots may be quite a bit longer, which would eliminate others.
 
Any commercial hunting rifle will do. Where you are planning to hunt can matter regarding the cartridge. Some townships in Southern Ontario have calibre restrictions. .275 or under and by the cartridge name as daft as that is. A .270 will do what you want, but so will any .25 to .27 calibre.
As mentioned, what's your budget?
"...In no way do you need a 338 for..." Or any magnum. Especially for an FNG.
 
Duffy said:
In your post you say this is your first rifle.
So we can assume you have not owned any rifle before and probably have little shooting experience.

A .22 rimfire is for you. You will be able to go to the range or in a safe location on crown land or private where you have permission and shoot. And shoot and shoot and shoot. Paper targets, tin cans, apples and oranges, balloons. You will be able to hunt rabbits and other small game and varmints.

Then when you are well trained in safe gun handling and are confident in making good killing shots, you will be ready to get a big game rifle and start hunting, probably deer to begin with. By then you may have spent some time shooting and hunting small game with some more experienced hunters and they may be a lot of help with your next gun.

Good luck to you and keep us updated as you become a shooter/hunter.
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Before getting my PAL I thought this theory was BS, but now I've come to realize that this is the right way to get into shooting and hunting. If you've never shot a rifle before, a 30-06 is a big cartridge, it kicks and you will likely develop a flinch from it. First gun I ever shot was a 12 gauge, it is more of a gentle push to the shoulder, first time I shot my .308 I actually jumped, and the .308 isn't a very powerful cartridge. Buy a nice cheap .22 (I got a Cooey single shot for $125) and shoot it for a while, get used to shooting and handling the gun, you'll find yourself much more confident and skillful when you make that jump to a centerfire rifle.
 
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