john-brennan
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Vancouver Island B.C.
I agree with this^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
New shooter preparing to hunt
- Thread starter Nåjd
- Start date
I agree with this^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
- Location
- Western Manitoba
To the OP - if you have never hunted, then try to keep separate the ideas about what rifle/shotgun that you are carrying, and what it is like to "hunt". The shooting part might take 2 or 3 seconds. The rest of it - tracking, making sense of sign, positioning yourself for an opportunity to shoot, recovering and field dressing the game - getting it back to your vehicle, and so on - all the time not getting yourself turned around while following tracks or sign or whatever - so much more to a day in the bush than shooting at a deer. It might sound counter-intuitive, but you can have a great day hunting in the bush, without ever firing a shot. And you can create nothing but misery for yourself by taking the biggest deer that you've ever seen, and then getting lost or soaked, or discovering that you don't have the gear that you need on you, and so on.
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- Location
- WMU248 near Edmonton
lots of good advice
I own a 300WM and it gets used. However it is not my first choice for deer hunting, that goes to my Tikka 695 25-06, and as a second choice 243Win
Deer I've shot with the 300WM are just as dead as the ones I've shot with the 25-06. No difference from the perspective of the deer. Now on my end the 300WM has significant more recoil and causes more damage.
of your suggestions, either of the 6.5 offerings will make good deer cartridges, things you need to think about are where can you get ammo, are you reloading. Also good point on synthetic or wood stocks, I have some of both, most of my hunting guns are synthetic, but its a personal choice. Buy what you like.
I own a 300WM and it gets used. However it is not my first choice for deer hunting, that goes to my Tikka 695 25-06, and as a second choice 243Win
Deer I've shot with the 300WM are just as dead as the ones I've shot with the 25-06. No difference from the perspective of the deer. Now on my end the 300WM has significant more recoil and causes more damage.
of your suggestions, either of the 6.5 offerings will make good deer cartridges, things you need to think about are where can you get ammo, are you reloading. Also good point on synthetic or wood stocks, I have some of both, most of my hunting guns are synthetic, but its a personal choice. Buy what you like.
.270 Win or .308 Win is what I'd recommend for a novice deer hunter. Heck, any hunter. Unless you have a tag for animals such a a bison or a bull moose, forget about the .300WM.
Any Tikka or Sako will be great. Mind the fact that the lighter the rifle, the more you'll be able to walk around. A day in the bush with a heavy rifle is a nightmare.
Stainless over blued metal. Making sure a blue rifle is perfectly clean after a day's hunt is not pleasant - you'll be tired as hell.
Any Tikka or Sako will be great. Mind the fact that the lighter the rifle, the more you'll be able to walk around. A day in the bush with a heavy rifle is a nightmare.
Stainless over blued metal. Making sure a blue rifle is perfectly clean after a day's hunt is not pleasant - you'll be tired as hell.
As a long-time fan of the .300WM, I must say that I don't think it's "too much" for deer...but certainly more than necessary, and definitely not an ideal choice for a beginner shooting a fairly lightweight rifle like a Tikka. I would definitely agree that a smaller cartridge like either of the 6.5mm choices you mention...or any of a host of others like the 243, etc...would be a better idea. Even the .308 would be near the top end of what I would recommend for a beginner.
If you find that your hunting zone prohibits the use of rifles, a shotgun in 20ga might be a better choice than a 12ga, again for reasons of reduced recoil. A rifled shotgun barrel, with iron sights and/or scoped, will allow the use of sabot slugs and should make for at least 100-yard accuracy. You could get a standard pump gun like a Remington 870 which can have interchangeable barrels, allowing you to turn your deer "rifle" into a bird gun for extra versatility. Or, if you prefer a deer-specific gun, a Savage bolt-action 20-gauge gun (model 220, I think?) will handle and shoot like a rifle. It'll kick, too; might look around for some reduced-recoil loads if such are available, even if only for practice.
And, oh yes...practice. Whichever gun type you use, a quality rimfire will allow for vastly increased amounts of practice without huge expense or extended punishing recoil. It's not exactly the same as shooting the "big" gun, but any shooting practice is good, and you can concentrate on steadiness, position shooting, trigger control, breathing...really, every facet of shooting except for the recoil. The .22 is, IMHO, an absolute must.
But, as stated by others, the shooting is just a tiny part of the whole experience, and you will be learning a lot about the rest of it as you go. If an experienced mentor is not in the cards, perhaps another friend or two who are also beginners would make it more enjoyable. You'll have a lot of fun and a lot of laughs, and a lot of mistakes will be made, but it will be worth it. Good luck!
If you find that your hunting zone prohibits the use of rifles, a shotgun in 20ga might be a better choice than a 12ga, again for reasons of reduced recoil. A rifled shotgun barrel, with iron sights and/or scoped, will allow the use of sabot slugs and should make for at least 100-yard accuracy. You could get a standard pump gun like a Remington 870 which can have interchangeable barrels, allowing you to turn your deer "rifle" into a bird gun for extra versatility. Or, if you prefer a deer-specific gun, a Savage bolt-action 20-gauge gun (model 220, I think?) will handle and shoot like a rifle. It'll kick, too; might look around for some reduced-recoil loads if such are available, even if only for practice.
And, oh yes...practice. Whichever gun type you use, a quality rimfire will allow for vastly increased amounts of practice without huge expense or extended punishing recoil. It's not exactly the same as shooting the "big" gun, but any shooting practice is good, and you can concentrate on steadiness, position shooting, trigger control, breathing...really, every facet of shooting except for the recoil. The .22 is, IMHO, an absolute must.
But, as stated by others, the shooting is just a tiny part of the whole experience, and you will be learning a lot about the rest of it as you go. If an experienced mentor is not in the cards, perhaps another friend or two who are also beginners would make it more enjoyable. You'll have a lot of fun and a lot of laughs, and a lot of mistakes will be made, but it will be worth it. Good luck!
6.5 CM for gentleness and ammo availability. Butchering animals isn’t difficult. Watch a couple videos, get a knife, and start cutting. Don’t be mislead by those who make it out to be witchcraft. Your first few will rough and slow, but learning happens quickly.
saskgunowner101
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- near Prince Albert
I really like what's been said in posts 16, 38, 42, and 46. This alone will get you well on your way. As mentioned, field positions for practical shooting is really important. That 1" grouping at 100 meters gun will tell a different story when you're shooting offhand with time pressure, and no bench. Then it's all you, and that's where it matters.
before deciding do you know anyone that will let you try out a 300,30 06 etc before you buy. when i started hunting one rifle is all i could afford so i went with a 300. hunted deer,bear and moose with it. worked fine. personally not bothered by a bit of recoil but i know a few that are. if i was going to be a one gun hunter again i would go with a 30 06 or 308. i find the older i get the closer i get. i never worry about the 3 to 4 hundred yard shot anymore i just get closer or don't take the shot.
