We see these questions quite often when some son or daughter is ready to start hunting. It comes up when someone new to the sport comes along. They want advice on brand, cartridge selection, colour, LOP, and it usually comes with the caveat that it has to be cheap, er, inexpensive. All this with the idea that an upgrade can come later. In either component or rifle.
Then come the suggestions and oh boy do they come. Everyone has a favourite. Then people get mad, some rifles are offended and at least one or two of the participants pick up their bullets and go home. There are suggestions that go way above what was asked for, there are suggestions for the Remchester pre package disposables. Savage gets thrown in there (after all they all shoot better than their 12 year old owners can).
A cartridge fight is mixed in with the above. This is where the tales really start to flow. You know the ones about dainty whitetails taking broad side hits with 243's and then, with gun in hand, you watch him run into next season. There was blood, hair, and part of an ego left behind and now it's the cartridges fault. So too small is no good, those cartridges are only for the "experts". Annie Oakley types that can pick their targeted blood vessel and kill with surgical precision. So we need to go bigger, but we don't want to create a flinch! Don't you remember little Johny shooting his first deer with Uncle Bart's 30-06. Those heavy 180 gr loads crossed his eyes and he has never seen straight since.
So what do we do?
There are a few that come to the discussion shouting used, used, go used. I fall into that camp. It is where I started. I got a quality rifle at a great price and it still works 27 years later. As a bonus, it can be sold tomorrow for more than it was purchased for.
I've been on a casual search for a "starter rifle" for my oldest son for a while now. He is approaching the minimum age for hunting, and it's time. I have a good friend who was also looking with one eye for something suitable. As luck would have it, he found something that might just do the trick. While purchasing a rimfire from an older gentleman who's hunting days were behind him his main hunting rifle for the last 35 years was brought to the table. A 1978 tang safety Ruger that had received a Douglas fwt 277 barrel and Brown Precision stock in the early 80's. The Rams on the wall bore witness to it's intended use. The asking price was $800 which included the Leupold M8 6X scope. He bought it on the spot knowing he had nothing to lose.
He brought it home, shot a group with it that would make something 1/2" look large. As a testament to his generosity a deal was brokered with a financing plan for the young lad included. Now it resides here, and even with it's 35 years experience it would easily have 35 more in it. It can be rebarreled forever, but as it is can hunt anything in Alberta.
So look around. Don't settle for a compromise, or maybe look closer at something everyone else is telling you is a compromise. Ignore the blueing wear and the dings in the stock. That just means it's been a trusted friend that knows how to hunt.
Then come the suggestions and oh boy do they come. Everyone has a favourite. Then people get mad, some rifles are offended and at least one or two of the participants pick up their bullets and go home. There are suggestions that go way above what was asked for, there are suggestions for the Remchester pre package disposables. Savage gets thrown in there (after all they all shoot better than their 12 year old owners can).
A cartridge fight is mixed in with the above. This is where the tales really start to flow. You know the ones about dainty whitetails taking broad side hits with 243's and then, with gun in hand, you watch him run into next season. There was blood, hair, and part of an ego left behind and now it's the cartridges fault. So too small is no good, those cartridges are only for the "experts". Annie Oakley types that can pick their targeted blood vessel and kill with surgical precision. So we need to go bigger, but we don't want to create a flinch! Don't you remember little Johny shooting his first deer with Uncle Bart's 30-06. Those heavy 180 gr loads crossed his eyes and he has never seen straight since.
So what do we do?
There are a few that come to the discussion shouting used, used, go used. I fall into that camp. It is where I started. I got a quality rifle at a great price and it still works 27 years later. As a bonus, it can be sold tomorrow for more than it was purchased for.
I've been on a casual search for a "starter rifle" for my oldest son for a while now. He is approaching the minimum age for hunting, and it's time. I have a good friend who was also looking with one eye for something suitable. As luck would have it, he found something that might just do the trick. While purchasing a rimfire from an older gentleman who's hunting days were behind him his main hunting rifle for the last 35 years was brought to the table. A 1978 tang safety Ruger that had received a Douglas fwt 277 barrel and Brown Precision stock in the early 80's. The Rams on the wall bore witness to it's intended use. The asking price was $800 which included the Leupold M8 6X scope. He bought it on the spot knowing he had nothing to lose.
He brought it home, shot a group with it that would make something 1/2" look large. As a testament to his generosity a deal was brokered with a financing plan for the young lad included. Now it resides here, and even with it's 35 years experience it would easily have 35 more in it. It can be rebarreled forever, but as it is can hunt anything in Alberta.
So look around. Don't settle for a compromise, or maybe look closer at something everyone else is telling you is a compromise. Ignore the blueing wear and the dings in the stock. That just means it's been a trusted friend that knows how to hunt.
