Suggestions for my first hunting rifle

J

John_internet

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I am new to hunting and know very little about hunting rifles. Can someone suggest what the best hunting rifle (brand, model, stainless steel, titanium, which store has them for the best price ??? ) i should get in the $1500 price range for hunting black bears, deers and moose.

Can you also suggest a good scope, i am not sure what amount of money to spend on a good scope perhaps $500 to $800?

Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

John_Internet@hotmail.com
 
When you go to the store see what rifle feels right has It got good balance etc. The stock shouldn't be too long but not to short, it just have to fit you.
Most hunting rifles today are of good quality anyway so don't worry too much about that.
My personal favourites are the Browning A-Bolt, Winchester mod 70, most of the Brno/CZ's, and Sako, I tried a Remington mod 700 but it just did not feel right to me, some folks swear by them. Most good rifles go for around $700-$1000
Next the Caliber, You mention that you want to hunt Deer, Moose and Bear.
You should get something that you feel comfortable with no use buying a 505 Gibbs to hunt Moose with if it will nock your teeth out everytime you fire it.
Here is a couple of cartriges that might work for you, considering what you want to hunt.
270winchester Mag (I know a couple of guys who shot moose with it and I have hunted Wildebeest and kudu with it but it may be on the light side)
30/06 One of my old time favourites you will relaibly kill anything in North America with it.
7mm Mauser is a good one.
308win Is good too but very similar to the 30/06 main difference being that you can feed your 30/06 heavier bullets.
Many people in north america belive that velocity kills animals, I personaly belive that the lightning fast calibers waist too much meat and that big slugs penetrate better.
So don't het sold on stuff like the 7mm ultar mag. It kicks like the devil anyway.
I suggest that you ask some guys to fire their rifles in different calibers and see what works for you.
On scopes buy the best you can afford.
I personally like Leupoldt and Schmit und Bender form Germany, Bushnell and Zeiss makes good ones too.
Leupoldt's go for around $300-$400 and in my opinion is good value for money.

Stainless steel barrels I have never owned and can't tell you much about.
Synthetic stocks are good in that they are usually cheaper than wood and arn't suceptable to climatic change.
I must say that, I personally think a Rifle deserve a wood stock!!!
I looks more durable and can make your investment a thing of beauty.
Good luck finding your rifle.
 
Stevens Model 200. They aremade by Savage, and are really good. Oh, and go for a 308, lots of cheap practice ammo (milsurp)

Check Wholesale Sports web site. I think they start at about $320
 
here in BC....


a 3-9x40mm Scope of good quality and a Stainless/sythetic .30-06


Bushnell 3200/4200 series or Leupold VX1 or VX2

Remington or Winchester

those would be my choices.
 
How much shooting have you done so far, John?
The last thing you want to do is buy a real hard hitter and develop a flinch.
I presume you don't reload and only use factory ammo?
I can't believe I'm saying this but try a 30-06.
Ammo is everywhere and comes in lots of different weights and grades, every company chambers them so you can try out heaps of rifles until you find the right one.
The best IMO is probably Sako, if you can afford it, but CZ, Tikka, Winchester, Ruger, Savage & even the Stevens 200 would be fine.
Remington isn't so dependable these days and they don't give a stuff about the Canadian market but if you must have a M700 then "Caveat Emptor".
A Leupold 3-9x40 scope is an easy recipe for success.
Cat is right though.
This'll be interesting to watch.
Whatever you buy, spend some time punching paper to learn how it shoots before heading into the field.
 
Here's some other considerations:

1) Bolt, lever, semi-auto? (Suggest a bolt or lever for your first hunting rifle.)
2) Iron sights needed?
3) Detachable mag?
4) Do you reload, or intend to reload? (Potentially affects calibre selection..)
 
Most guns will shoot well regardless of price as the Stevens, Savage, and Vanguards have proven. Its more of a question of how much u want to spend and then finding the right " fit" rifle for u. As for caliber 100 diff guys will have 100 diff opinions. I was in same boat as u 6 months ago and with some help from close friends( they shoot and reload 270 WSM) I decided to go with a Vanguard in 270 WSM with a Bushnell 3200. It fits me well. I would spend less on a rifle and more on optics. If I lived in BC I would Opt for Sythetic and stainless vs Wood and blued. Its all about how much cash u want to part with. I am assuming u have buddies with guns, ask them to take u out so u can try there rifles, get a feel for recoil , fit, etc and ask there opinions.
 
This is not the end, this is not the beginning of the end. This is the end of the beginning. Sorry Mr. C.

When contemplating your first hunting rifle purchase, ask not what your rifle can do for you, ask only what you can do for your rifle. Sorry Mr. K. couldn't resist. So feed it well, shoot it lots and keep it clean.
 
I would suggest you consider spending more on your optics than on your rifle.

For example, you can put together a package like a stainless steel Weatherby Vanguard, with synthetic stock, and a Swarovski AV 3-9x36 scope for around $2,000 (with rings, bases, and sling). The rifle comes in all sorts of chamberings that may meet your needs.

If you don't care for the Vanguard, a Tikka T3 Lite Stainless/Synthetic would up the cost by about $150, or a Ruger 77 Mark II All Weather would up it by about $70.

All three of the rifles mentioned provide you with the advantages of a stainless steel barrel and action and a synthetic stock. From what I've read, the Tikka will likely be the most accurate, and probably the lightest. The Vanguard is quite durable and suitably accurate for most hunters' needs, as is the Ruger; you might want to look at Savage as well. Get your hands on whatever rifles you are considering and let the feel of the gun be your guide.

Without the budget to purchase the best of both, buying a damn good scope will serve you better than buying a high-end rifle. Most guns built today have the potential, out of the box, to shoot better than the average hunter will ever realize. The gun chucks the bullet, the scope is your aiming device. If you can't see what you're trying to aim at, or if your aiming device is not good, you will probably miss, regardless of how well your gun shoots. Besides, a nice scope can stay with you even if you part with your gun in favour of a new rifle.

The Swarovski AV 3-9x36 offers potential weight savings over a 40 or 44mm scope, and the superior glass should compensate for the potential of reduced light gathering from the smaller 36mm objective. But, in the very unlikely event that you require service for the scope, repairs may be difficult and time-consuming compared to a Leupold (in fact there is no doubt of that).

If you aren't hell-bent to spend all of your budget, you will quite likely be very happy with a Leupold VX II (or even VX III) or Bushnell Elite, or a Burris Signature Select scope.

With respect to chamberings, you may have stirred a bit of a hornets' nest with your question. Rather than offer an opinion on a specific calibre or chambering, I'd say that you should avoid big magnums and hard recoiling rounds. The first centre fire rifle I ever shot was a 30-06 and the first one I owned was 7mm Remington Magnum. Both are good, but there are a lot of other good ones as well.

Others may disagree with me, probably most CGNers have more experience than me, read everything they write but don't create a caveat against anything until you've looked at in personally.
 
Listen to the advice here, then go to Reliable on Fraser in Vancouver and ask the same question there.
 
Like NWT says the scope is very important. I learned the hard way that some inexpensive scopes can fail to hold zero. When I started hunting I bought a Ruger in 270win. It was brand new and to me worth a fortune (I was 14 at the time) I spent so much o that gun all I could afford to put on it was a $99 Bushnel Banner. That scope worked good.... for a few years. Then one hunting season I could not hit anything. I would go out to the range, try to re-sight in and would find the gun to shoot all over the place. I honestly thought it was me shooting poorly. This went on for quite a few years. Then one day I was adusting my scope from 3 up to 9 and I saw the croshairs jumping around. It turned out that adjusting the power setting would cause the scope to lose it's zero.
I realy don't know how many deer I missed due to that scope but it was a lot. All that hard work hunting and time spent scouting was put to waste because of a bad scope. I know for a fact that I missed some nice bucks, a few were real wall hangers. Also my confidence took a huge hit. It took a few years to trust my shooting ablity again.
So learn from my mistakes, get a scope that you can trust. You don't have to spend $1000 to get a reliable piece of equipement. The Leupold Vx1 is around $300 it is a trustworthy scope also look at the Bushnell Elite 3200for around the same price. Both are best bang for the buck when looking for reliablity. If you spend more money on say a Leupold Vx11 or vx111 or Bushnell Elite 4200 you are getting better glass but the mechanical insides are the same.

As for caliber pick something you are not afraid to shoot, as in a recol level that you can handle with no problems. One of the worst things you can do is get a gun that kicks the snot out of you. You will develop a flinch and have trouble hitting anything. It can take years to get rid of a flinch, some people never get over it.
 
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I would do Savage pkg in 7MM Mag (will drop any big game animal in B.C) with a Elite 4200 3X9 scope , harris bi-pod this set up will not let you down , and should come in around $1100 All said and done ,
 
how about a sako 75 stainless if you got the 1500 or go with a savage modle fcss in 300 win mag they go for about 800$ at a local store put a leupold Vx2 on there and you are ready go.
talk to ya all later
Riley
 
for hunting I prefer the Ruger M77 - built much sturdier than the others. The trigger is non adjustable but is fine for hunting purposes.

For moose deer black bear 30:06 willl cover then all. Use a good 180 grain bullet.

On a scope Leupold VX II 3x 9 is a good standard but for those early morning and late evening shots get a 3.5 x 10 with a 50 mm objective and a heavy duplex reticle it'll add at least 1/2 hour to the best part of your hunting day. Here in Ontario we can hunt from 1/2 hour before suririse to 1/2 hour after sunset but without good optics on a cloudy day you lose at least 15 minutes on either end becuse you can't make out the game or the reticle.
 
I would take a good look at a Sako 75 stainless laminate in 30-06

topped with a Leupold VXII 3-9x40mm scope



shoot 180 gr. Accubonds and you're set for anything you may come across
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Man, with that kind of budget you could buy a couple or three or four good, used rifles and a Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x40 (only because they're half the price of a comparable Leupold and are easily as good).
Great calibres for "black bears, deer(s) and moose." (Oh, my!):
30-06 is the best North American cartridge EVER!
How good a shooter are you? You don't need a cannon (magnum) to bring down big game if you can hit the sweet spots...
 
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