First Rifle, Caliber Selection. Thoughts/advice please.

[Ganderite]

Your logic is sound. 308 has cheaper FMJ ammo for practice. And it is an excellent all round hunting caliber. 180 gr bullets will work on deer and moose just fine.

 

[rookie wildcat]

Many years ago, I bought a .308 rifle from a guy who had gotten it in trade. He had never fired it. It was a Gewahr Mauser re-tooled and stamped 7.62 on the barrel. He assumed, and informed me (a VERY new and inexperienced hunter) that it was a .308. Great rifle and slightly better than my .303Br. Price was right and I thought I needed it. Took it out and fired a few rounds, cases looked funny. Took it back to him, with the fired cases. He told me that he had been mistaken and it was a .30-06 and that he shold have charged me more for it. ;-)

That put me into the .30-06 world instead of the .308. I now have several of each and, although I like the .308 as a back-up, it is the '06 that gets carried on every hunt (except varmints). That being said, my sister-in-law takes an Ontario moose every year with her .308, while her husband uses a .308 NM.

I'd recommend the .308 due to cheap surplus that you can mexican match for even more savings.

 

[hometownhero]

Practice with what you will actually be using for hunting. If you use cheap ammo for practice you will have to re zero your rifle and get used to how your hunting round shoots.

Exactly. Get to really know how your gun shoots with what you are going to be hunting with. That is all I do is practice with what I am going to be hunting with that way when the time comes I know the load real well.

 

[chadeech]

WELL we are missing alot of your story but 308 or maybe 223 is the cheapest
but your post said first rifle i would suggest a 22lr marlin or savage bolt to get your skills some work cheap
cant beat 4 cents a round