Some Opinions on my Proposed First Rifle Setup?

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Canadian_Caesar

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Edmonton, Alberta
I have been reading alot, and I think I have settled on a setup for my first deer rifle that I would like to be purchasing in the next few weeks. I would much appreciate some pointers from the experienced among us if I seem to be headed in a wrong direction.

Keep in mind that while I'm not quite "Norinco" poor...:p I am working in a budget.

And since this is to be my first owned firearm. I will be starting from scratch as far as cleaning supplies, ammo, locks, etc. So that all has to be factored into my budget and $1200 rifles are out of reach for a bit. lol

So my proposed setup that I seem to be able to get into for a reasonable price is as follows.

Marlin XS7 Synthetic in 7mm-08 (BTW, Could someone please tell me how to pronounce this caliber so I don't sound like an Idiot when I get to the counter? Is it "ought" eight or what?)

And to help my myopic ass hit the broad side of the horse house:
A Bushnell Legend 3-9x40 Scope

Never built a rifle/scope combo so I need advise on this pairing.
Appropriate for the ranges a beginner deer hunter in Alberta will be shooting?

After much research, I am fairly confident that the 7mm-08 is the caliber for me, I'm 6'3" 200lbs but I don't think jumping straight to something like the .30-06 or an even heavier caliber would be a good idea for the building of my basic skills. Hate to develop a flinch.

Thanks in advance for the help guys, much appreciated!:)
 
Good choice. Having never fired a 7mm-08, i cant comment on the calibre, but from what ive read, it seems to be the newest wonderchild of the shooting community. My only concern would be ammo availability and price of ammo.

Have you looked into used rifles?
 
a j cave said:
good choice & your good to go 300yds. Is the legend that much cheaper than the 3200.
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By about $70-80 bucks only.

Why? Is there much difference between one or the other in your experience? I based me selections on what I have had the chance to touch/see.

But I gotta be careful, I figured out something pretty quick in my reading: As I'm sure all of you know, you can always spend "just another $60 for the next little upgrade." I'll be in the poorhouse yet! :D

But seriously, $70-80 is no big deal if its a worthwhile difference for me as a beginner. I just don't know about the 3200.
 
blasted_saber said:
Have you looked into used rifles?
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I have looked into some that suit my needs. But to tell you the truth, being inexperienced I'm a little worried about buying a lemon or not knowing enough about the particular rifle/caliber/scope to make a proper selection.

And from the few salesmen I have talked to, unless I'm fingering a Lapua .338 or a .22, they all seem to think the rifle in question is "just fine". Not really specific of them, and no real help. Seems they mostly just want to make any sale they can.
 
Canadian_Caesar said:
And from the few salesmen I have talked to, unless I'm fingering a Lapua .338 or a .22, they all seem to think the rifle in question is "just fine". Not really specific of them, and no real help. Seems they mostly just want to make any sale they can.
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The reason for that is there are so many choices... If you don't know what you want, how are they going to know what you want?... What are you hunting, what are you looking to spend, what do you prefer, what brands do you prefer.. Its a lot harder to just hand you a rifle off the rack and say "This is what you need..." If anything, that pisses me off more...

.243, .270, .308 and 30-06 usually get an early recommendation because its good for beginners.. lots of load data, lots of options, ammo isn't stupid expensive. Once you start branching out into other calibers, the main concern is will it work.. Just fine = it will work on most occasions...

As for the scope, I wouldn't put anything less then a 3200 on a rifle, but thats just my personal preference. Even the 10/22s I own, they are all dressed in 3200s... I had a cheaper Bushnell legend or banner or whatever it was and it was crap...
 
Merllin said:
The reason for that is there are so many choices... If you don't know what you want, how are they going to know what you want?... What are you hunting, what are you looking to spend, what do you prefer, what brands do you prefer.. Its a lot harder to just hand you a rifle off the rack and say "This is what you need..." If anything, that pisses me off more...
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My comments were specifically in regard to used rifles in stores. Of which there are seldom hundreds. So mostly I do have an idea of what I want. But for example: asking advice from the salesman for help pairing a scope with rifle for a beginner deer hunter in the Edmonton, Alberta region. seems to be no more than asking them to ring the cash register. I figured that would be a specific enough question. On the plus side Merlin, we seem to be in the same area, any pointers?

Is there a point in putting a $500 Scope on a $400 rifle? I just don't know. Thats why I'm asking.

They always seem to just point to the most expensive product that I have stated is in my price range, without a thought. I have a hard time with my lack of experience knowing if they are really helping me or not. It's alot to blindly trust some salesman about.

Since they seem unwilling to supply even a tiny amount of education to a beginner, I go here for advice. Already I have gotten more answers here than at the counter.
 
Canadian_Caesar said:
My comments were specifically in regard to used rifles in stores. Of which there are seldom hundreds. So mostly I do have an idea of what I want. But for example: asking advice from the salesman for help pairing a scope with rifle for a beginner deer hunter in the Edmonton, Alberta region. seems to be no more than asking them to ring the cash register. I figured that would be a specific enough question. On the plus side Merlin, we seem to be in the same area, any pointers?

Is there a point in putting a $500 Scope on a $400 rifle? I just don't know. Thats why I'm asking.

They always seem to just point to the most expensive product that I have stated is in my price range, without a thought. I have a hard time with my lack of experience knowing if they are really helping me or not. It's alot to blindly trust some salesman about.

Since they seem unwilling to supply even a tiny amount of education to a beginner, I go here for advice. Already I have gotten more answers here than at the counter.
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PM inbound...
 
Canadian_Caesar said:
My comments were specifically in regard to used rifles in stores. Of which there are seldom hundreds. So mostly I do have an idea of what I want. But for example: asking advice from the salesman for help pairing a scope with rifle for a beginner deer hunter in the Edmonton, Alberta region. seems to be no more than asking them to ring the cash register. I figured that would be a specific enough question. On the plus side Merlin, we seem to be in the same area, any pointers?

Is there a point in putting a $500 Scope on a $400 rifle? I just don't know. Thats why I'm asking.

They always seem to just point to the most expensive product that I have stated is in my price range, without a thought. I have a hard time with my lack of experience knowing if they are really helping me or not. It's alot to blindly trust some salesman about.

Since they seem unwilling to supply even a tiny amount of education to a beginner, I go here for advice. Already I have gotten more answers here than at the counter.
Click to expand...


You'll find a huge amount of opinion on scopes. Some say take the price of your gun, double it, and thats how much you should spend. Others buy the C. Tire special and are perfectly happy with it.

For what its worth, theirs not many scopes on the guys I hunt with guns that exceed $150 - $200. They do just fine with them.

Me, I have a low end Leupold, and its giving me headaches right now. I didnt use that gun this fall and instead used another with a low end Bushnell banner thats about 25 years old. Its still very clear, and does its job to the level I need it to.
 
It's "seven-oh-eight" around here, and it's a caliber that intrigues me too. I would actually like to get one myself in my next hunting rifle.
I would go with the Elite 3200 over the legend. I have a 10x by 40mm, 3200 Elite on my .223 that I'm very happy with-- highly recommend as it's a very well priced scope.
I like the sounds of your setup-- go for it.
 
That will be a wicked deer slaying rifle. It's too bad you couldn't budget a Leupold rifleman though. Once in a while you can get a deal on the EE.
 
1st: try another shop. When I first started being interested in guns, I went to the main gun store in my city. They weren't busy, but they paid no attention to me. Before I purchased my first rifle, I stumbled across a small gun store and my experience was nothing short of spectacular. I gave the salesman my options/price range and asked his opinion. He gave me his opinion and we had a nice discussion. Went back to just look at some new guns they got in stock and made it perfectly clear I wasn't there to buy anything. Still gave me his attention and we were there for about half hour just talking and checking out his stock.
2nd: regarding scope - a scope should cost at least half as the gun cost. Some people go for as much as the rifle. Try some out first to see if they hurt your eyes.
 
Ok, So I think I've been convinced not to scrape the bottom of the barrel with the scope, lol. And I'm upgrading my option a little as a result.

I'm trying to get this scope off the EE. Seems like a good deal. If I don't get lucky with this one, I think I'll be running to P&D to look at scopes.

So now I'm thinking:

- The Leupold 3-9x40 VX I off the EE or a Bushnell 3200 3-9x40
 
I think either the leupold or the 3200 would be good scopes for you, Im not sure about the marlin rifle, I have no experience with them In that $400 range for a rifle i would probably buy a savage, as I have never shot a savage that didnt shoot rediculously well. Whatever you buy shoot it often and try to pair up with an experienced shooter to give you some tips. Whatever you choose to go with have fun and tell us how that 7mm-08 works on deer.
 
Its all about what you want to spend. I don't think you could go wrong with the marlin in 7mm-08 my only concern would be from the sounds of it you're new to shooting (just like myself) and you'll want to shoot as much as you can... 7mm-08 tends to be slightly more expensive and it can be hard to find even more so if you have to stop in a small town because you forgot it.

Scopes seem hit or miss. Some guys spend as much as they can afford and other slap whatevers cheap on the forsale rack on their gun and never look back. Another option if things are real tight is go on the cheap for now and you can always drop it on the EE and grab something better down the road when funds allow.

Just my .02
 
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