Starter rifle?

Kinthelt

Kinthelt

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Manitoba
I'm planning on getting into whitetail hunting in 2017, but have never owned a rifle before. I understand that I would need a lot of practice behind the trigger before I'm able to hit a moving target consistently.

Seeing as centrefire ammunition in a calibre suitable for deer isn't the cheapest, I plan on practicing my marksmanship with a bolt action 22. Is this a good idea? If so, are there any rifles you would recommend?

In other words, I'm looking for a rimfire that will emulate a centerfire so I can develop muscle memory and aim. I'm not looking for the most accurate rifle ever made.
 
Starting with a .22 is a great idea. Learn the fundamentals before putting the crosshairs on a heartbeat.

My Savage .22 boltgun isn't the best, but it's a good gun.
Savage and CZ seem to get high praise.
 
ruger 10\22 is a good rifle to start with, lots of options for upgrading etc on it. Another option is 22-250, or .223, light recoil and you won't develop the "flinch". whatever you decide, go to your local gun shop and start handling different rifles to try and find one that fits you properly.
 
Most novice marksmen begin with a .22 rimfire rifle. For your purposes, I suggest you purchase a rimfire that is similar to your idea of a centerfire rifle. If you are interested in a bolt action rifle for instance, a CZ 452 is a fine rifle. If you were interested in a lever action big game rifle, a Henry .22 would be a good training rifle for a centerfire made by the same manufacturer.

Another option though is to purchase a bolt action rifle chambered for the 7.62X39 cartridge. These little rifles tend to produce pleasing accuracy, their report and recoil are mild, yet they provide the terminal performance necessary for deer hunting. Such an outfit provides the advantage of inexpensive milsurp ammo for training purposes, and factory sporting ammunition or the equivalent handload for sighting in, accuracy testing, informal target shooting, and hunting. I'm a proponent of training novice riflemen with mild centerfire cartridges, and urge new shooters to take up handloading. Not only does handloading provide a means of getting more for value for the shooting dollar, but it also ingrains a greater appreciation and understanding of the rifle they own. But I am opposed to novice shooters getting their feet wet with semi-auto rifles, regardless of quality. There will be plenty of opportunity to gain proficiency with a self loader once a solid foundation in the fundamentals of marksmanship is established with a manual repeating rifle.
 
Buy a cheap SKS, and cheap ammo. Go to the range, Lear to shoot,zero your rifle and compensate for distance and bullet drop. Very good to learn that stuff first. You don't want to wound an animal.
 
Not too many bolt actions out there chambered for 7.62x39. I really don't want to have to drop a lot of coin on something exotic before I get my feet wet. Will take a look at the CZ 452 long and hard.
 
If you're set on a 22lr the CZ 455 is a solid choice(It's the new 452). They are well made and will be something you can enjoy for a lifetime of shooting, my only regret with my 455 is not buying one sooner.

As for marksmanship, I agree with Boomer that a mild centrefire is the ideal way to learn. A 22lr is great for kids because it has no perceptable recoil, but for an adult learning to shoot for the purpose of hunting recoil helps. If you aren't opposed to learning on a centrefire then buying a suitable hunting cartridge the .223 works very well. It's relatively inexpensive, and comes in the same platform as most big game cartridges.

I can't personally recommend a particular rifle based on my own use(my bolts are a CZ455 and Ruger Scout), but I hear good things about Howa. Your local Canadian Tire or gun shop likely has a few on the shelves to check out.
 
If you want a 22 for hunting practice I would look at an old used full size heavy 22 . I like the old mossberg models but also have a win 490 for a semi . Get 2 of these older guns for the price of the good new ones . And a guy could find a cheaper beat up one , they shoot good too. Cooey,s are good too
 
Boomer said:
Most novice marksmen begin with a .22 rimfire rifle. For your purposes, I suggest you purchase a rimfire that is similar to your idea of a centerfire rifle. If you are interested in a bolt action rifle for instance, a CZ 452 is a fine rifle. If you were interested in a lever action big game rifle, a Henry .22 would be a good training rifle for a centerfire made by the same manufacturer.

Another option though is to purchase a bolt action rifle chambered for the 7.62X39 cartridge. These little rifles tend to produce pleasing accuracy, their report and recoil are mild, yet they provide the terminal performance necessary for deer hunting. Such an outfit provides the advantage of inexpensive milsurp ammo for training purposes, and factory sporting ammunition or the equivalent handload for sighting in, accuracy testing, informal target shooting, and hunting. I'm a proponent of training novice riflemen with mild centerfire cartridges, and urge new shooters to take up handloading. Not only does handloading provide a means of getting more for value for the shooting dollar, but it also ingrains a greater appreciation and understanding of the rifle they own. But I am opposed to novice shooters getting their feet wet with semi-auto rifles, regardless of quality. There will be plenty of opportunity to gain proficiency with a self loader once a solid foundation in the fundamentals of marksmanship is established with a manual repeating rifle.
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Good post!
 
seems like some of the people on this thread do not quite understand the question. Buying a .22 to mimic a larger caliber firearm for training purposes is quite common which is why every handgun company under the sun has a .22 version of the 1911 in 45ACP. Rifle ammo in general is more expensive than handgun ammo so why not have a .22 on the same platform as a larger calibre rifle? Military rifles do it but finding a half decent Enfield trainer will not be cheap. I have 5 Enfields and I find it cheaper to hunt and practice with .303s then finding a trainer.

Tikka sells a .22 version of their hunting rifle but I think it is quite expensive. Savage is the only company that comes to mind where their .22 Mark II series rifle mimics the action and stock ergonomics of their larger counter parts quit well. My Savage 93 MK II is identical to my Axis II in .308 which is also not far off from my Model 10. Having said that, I would suggest taking a closer look a Savage.

Oh... I just thought of something. If you are a milsurp guy and you use a Mauser for hunting, Norinco makes a .22 clone (KKW trainer) for $230. Truth be told, I know nothing about Mausers, I just pick up my first M38 last week but I was thinking about picking up a KKW just to see how similar they are. Good luck on your search.
 
Boomer said:
Most novice marksmen begin with a .22 rimfire rifle. For your purposes, I suggest you purchase a rimfire that is similar to your idea of a centerfire rifle. If you are interested in a bolt action rifle for instance, a CZ 452 is a fine rifle. If you were interested in a lever action big game rifle, a Henry .22 would be a good training rifle for a centerfire made by the same manufacturer.

Another option though is to purchase a bolt action rifle chambered for the 7.62X39 cartridge. These little rifles tend to produce pleasing accuracy, their report and recoil are mild, yet they provide the terminal performance necessary for deer hunting. Such an outfit provides the advantage of inexpensive milsurp ammo for training purposes, and factory sporting ammunition or the equivalent handload for sighting in, accuracy testing, informal target shooting, and hunting. I'm a proponent of training novice riflemen with mild centerfire cartridges, and urge new shooters to take up handloading. Not only does handloading provide a means of getting more for value for the shooting dollar, but it also ingrains a greater appreciation and understanding of the rifle they own. But I am opposed to novice shooters getting their feet wet with semi-auto rifles, regardless of quality. There will be plenty of opportunity to gain proficiency with a self loader once a solid foundation in the fundamentals of marksmanship is established with a manual repeating rifle.
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Great advice from Boomer!!!! Can't top that.
 
Kinthelt said:
Not too many bolt actions out there chambered for 7.62x39. I really don't want to have to drop a lot of coin on something exotic before I get my feet wet. Will take a look at the CZ 452 long and hard.
Click to expand...

If you sit tight, these will go on sale for $499 or less in the near future (most likely anyway, CanAm has revolving sales on them). About the same price as a CZ452.
https://www.canadaammo.com/product/detail/m85-7-62x39-iron-sights-sporting-rifle-variation/
They are pretty guns, just a little rough around the action area, but that smooths out with use.
 
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Garaldtao said:
seems like some of the people on this thread do not quite understand the question. Buying a .22 to mimic a larger caliber firearm for training purposes is quite common which is why every handgun company under the sun has a .22 version of the 1911 in 45ACP. Rifle ammo in general is more expensive than handgun ammo so why not have a .22 on the same platform as a larger calibre rifle? Military rifles do it but finding a half decent Enfield trainer will not be cheap. I have 5 Enfields and I find it cheaper to hunt and practice with .303s then finding a trainer.

Tikka sells a .22 version of their hunting rifle but I think it is quite expensive. Savage is the only company that comes to mind where their .22 Mark II series rifle mimics the action and stock ergonomics of their larger counter parts quit well. My Savage 93 MK II is identical to my Axis II in .308 which is also not far off from my Model 10. Having said that, I would suggest taking a closer look a Savage.

Oh... I just thought of something. If you are a milsurp guy and you use a Mauser for hunting, Norinco makes a .22 clone (KKW trainer) for $230. Truth be told, I know nothing about Mausers, I just pick up my first M38 last week but I was thinking about picking up a KKW just to see how similar they are. Good luck on your search.
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I'll take a look at the Mauser too. Ammo for it is pretty steep, but doesn't seem to be as expensive as the .303 :)

I think I heard that Ruger's .22 American is similar to the centrefire American. But I very well could be mistaken there.
 
Kinthelt said:
I'm planning on getting into whitetail hunting in 2017, but have never owned a rifle before. I understand that I would need a lot of practice behind the trigger before I'm able to hit a moving target consistently.

Seeing as centrefire ammunition in a calibre suitable for deer isn't the cheapest, I plan on practicing my marksmanship with a bolt action 22. Is this a good idea? If so, are there any rifles you would recommend?

In other words, I'm looking for a rimfire that will emulate a centerfire so I can develop muscle memory and aim. I'm not looking for the most accurate rifle ever made.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you are looking for a bolt action centerfire to hunt deer with in the future. I will be 100% honest and say that shooting a bolt action centerfire and a bolt action .22lr are different. I have never been able to get the hang of quick follow up shots with a bolt 22lr because the bolt is so short and I'm use to long bolt centerfires. That being said, the fundamentals of marksmanship should not change regardless of what rifle you are shooting. The only difference would be loading of the second round for a follow up shot. Once the bolt is closed, firing on a moving target doesn't change. I practice my shooting using a ruger 10/22 on gophers (not sure if you have them in Manitoba). It gives the opportunity for lots of shots; running, standing, varying distances to give you the practice you need for shooting deer.

I don't think I'm alone in saying that shooting and hitting a running whitetail deer is not easy. Especially if it is a couple hundred yards away and your heart is pounding. Honestly I would recommend a Ruger 10/22 and then a Remington 700 or Weatherby Vanguard for your deer hunting rifle.
 
I'd recommend you get a rifle as close to the CF as you can. For example, I use a Marlin Guide Gun for most of my hunting. 45-70 is not the most pleasant or inexpensive gun to shoot, so I bought a little Henry .22 which is very close to the 95 dimensionally. I changed the sights on both for Firesights. It has really helped my accuracy with the 45-70.

Next thing I'd suggest - learn trigger control, sight picture, etc. thoroughly before starting to shoot offhand or rapid-fire. If you don't have the basics under control, you won't know if you do something wrong with the more "advanced" stuff. A lot of guys won't take the time to master the basics, and have trouble forever when shooting offhand. Just as important, don't limit your shooting to shooting from a bench. I hadn't hunted for many years after moving to Ottawa. I did all my shooting off the bench. Have to admit I'm probably fairly above average on targets, but when I tried hunting, I missed a few very easy shots. So now, I practice both - off the bench, then offhand, but I always start my range sessions from the bench, so I'll know if I'm going to have a good day. If I do well from the bench, but muff the offhand, I know it's technique, so I can focus on that.
 
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