Time to buy my first hunting rifle

Lefty #### has made great suggestions.

I favour the 270, but it would be great if you could try friends' rifles in 7-08, 308, 270 and 30-06 before buying, and yes, with your stature, try the fit of the youth-ladies models in the gun shops.
 
Brushy said:
Ok two quick questions as I search through your suggestions at wholesalesports ;)

1. What is short action? And do I want that?

2. Is it hard/expensive/stupid to replace a stock? Because there are some really good deals on synthetic stock rifles (like a Weatherby Vanguard with a scope/base/sling for $779) and the only thing I could see myself not liking is the stock. If I could change that in the future, I'm sure I'd keep in for a long time...

3. What about Ruger? I can find some similarly priced ones from them too. Same with Remmington. I'm sure you guys would have suggested those if they were good, but I'm just wondering why you didn't.

Thanks again!
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I will try to answer these.
1: Actions come in three basic sizes; short for cartridges in the 308 winchester size; standard for 30.06 length cartridges and Magnum for 375 H&H length cartridges. That is the general sizes. The only reasons you might want a short action is 1, the actions are stiffer and therore in theory, more accurate and 2, they are generally lighter.
2: "Is it hard/expensive/stupid to replace a stock?" In order: No, although some fitting may be required; Possibly, depending on what you are replacing it with. I.e. expensive walnut that requires extensive hand fitting will cost you! and : Stupid. Not unless you are doing something stupid. I mean, if you want a particular rifle to fit YOU, then replacing the stock my be your best option.
3: I cannot tell you about Ruger as I have not ever owned one and I have only ever shot one. I have only owned one Remmington and that experence was not positive. But that was only one rifle.

I encourage you to try as many rifles as you can lay your hands on! You do not have to go to a range to dry fire one, use your basement. Just be safe and check and prove the rife is empty before you do. A good fitting rifle should come to your shoulder and the sighs should be right there, and you should be able to get onto target fast. Try a few and see!

Remember be safe, have fun and enjoy your hut for the rifle to fit you!:D
 
I want to go look at guns now, but everything in town is closed for the long weekend :(

I'm leaving for the bush in 10 mins, so I won't be commenting on this thread until next Friday when I get back, but please, if anyone has any more thoughts, post em!

And after I go try some, I'll update it and let you guys know what I like, incase anyone cares ;)

Thanks boys!
 
SuperCub said:
PUMPED, YA SAY?? Get one of these in a .308. :p

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Geeze Super, you have it bad don't ya? :slap:
 
John Y Cannuck said:
Geeze Super, you have it bad don't ya? :slap:
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My grandfather had two big game rifles in life. One was a 99 Savage in .300 and the other was the 760 pump in .308. I got the pump, but it could have gone either way. :)




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Brushy ... you could look at a Savaga "Package" Gun ... like the 270
with camo stock & scope already mounted ... should be about $ 575
or so. Not an expensive gun, but they certainly look O.K. and shoot very
well. It would certainly do well for what you want ... and in a few years
if you want a classy lookin' rifle with a nice walnut stock ... well, the Savage
should still hold preety good value on a private sale or as trade bait.

The synthetic stocks will hold up to a fair bit of abuse, and Savage's
"accu-trigger" is a good help to accurate shooting. It isn't a big deal to shorten a stock to make it fit you more comfortably. A good Gunsmith
will be of considerable assistance in that respect.
 
the remington model 7 cdl or the browning micro hunter woulde probably fit you the best both are available in many of the cartridges mentioned rem , trap door no clip, browning trap door with clip , if you can try out both do so before buying
 
Lots of good suggestions for both rifles and caliber. I would also recommend the 270 Winchester or a 7x57. I would strongly advise you against a 300 Magnum, or any other magnum to start out hunting. This isn't e gender thing, truth be told there are plenty of men who don't shoot magnums well because of the recoil. If you're just starting out with a rifle, you don't need to get kicked all over the bench sighting the rifle in and developing a flich or worse, a dislike for hunting. I think any recommendation towards a new hunter starting out with anything more than a 30-06 is terribly misguided and doing a disservice to the new shooter.

Try several rifles and see what feels best. Are you tall or short? How heavy a rifle do you think you'll want to carry around? A 7 pound 7x57 or 308 is a glorious little rifle to both carry and shoot whereas a 9 pound 30-06 would be much less fun. The Browning A Bolt comes in a shorter version as does the Ruger M77. A nice used Winchester M70 Featherweight would be a good find as well.

In your budget you should also decide how much you want to spend on a scope and leave enough money for good glass. I should don my flame proof underwear when I say this, but a 4x scope will do nicely for most hunting and the Leupold 4x has served me well on several rifles. A 1.5-5x or 1.75-6x Leupold would also be quite nice. Stay away from big objective lenses and 30mm main tubes as they add weight you may not need. I've never seen a need for a 30mm tube on a hunting scope nor a 50mm objective. Some people swear by 3-9x variables and others will advise towards even more power. I think this too is a mistake, especially for a new hunter. Learn to shoot with a 4x scope and you'll be well ahead of the curve. Fixed scopes are simple to deal with and they haven't got things to fiddle with like target turrets, adjustable parallax and power selectors.

And welcome to the club!
 
Learn to shoot with a 4x scope and you'll be well ahead of the curve. Fixed scopes are simple to deal with and they haven't got things to fiddle with like target turrets, adjustable parallax and power selectors.
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I agree with this for a new hunter.

Buy a good quality scope, one of the lighter recoil cartridge rifles mentioned. I would also recommend the painted synthetic stocks if looks of the rifle are important to you. But please, don't paint flowers on it ;)
 
Brushy said:
So a little over a year ago I got my firearms licence to carry a shotgun in the bush with me for defence while I did field work.

Since then, I've caught the bug!!! :D

I'm studying for my CORE and I'm getting pumped about the hunting season!

I'd like to hunt elk and moose this season I think.

I want to get a good hunting rifle, but I don't have a lot of money to get more than one right now, so I want to get a good one that I'll like for a while. I don't have unlimited money, but I also don't want to just buy a cheap one that I'll hate in a year. For sure I know that it's a lot of personal preference, but I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me? I've been told by a few people that .270 is a good gun for a girl, so I've been looking at them a lot. Also, I can't lie, I want it to be look nice :redface:

Thanks for everyone's thoughts/advice in advance!
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Lass, the best advice I can offer would be for you to go to your local range/club and try a few different rifles and calibres.

PS, you are well on your way to making an excellent wife for someone.
 
hell go big or go home 50 cal BMG! hahaha lol jk
I would start by shooting other peoples hunting rifles to see what you are most comfortable with it would really suck if you got a rifle that you couldn't handle or one that is just to wimpy hahaha
ttyal
Riley
 
Try to find a Remington Model 7 in .308 in your area to handle. Great cartridge with fairly mild recoil, and a great gun to use. It is designed for smaller framed shooters.
 
death-junky said:
hell go big or go home 50 cal BMG! hahaha lol jk
I would start by shooting other peoples hunting rifles to see what you are most comfortable with it would really suck if you got a rifle that you couldn't handle or one that is just to wimpy hahaha
ttyal
Riley
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Easy big feller! No talking to the girls without a grown-up present!
 
don't forget 7x57 8x57, 280 or 30-06 would be the biggest i'd go for a first hunting rifle. i wouldn't go for a magnum sized rifle because the ammo is to expansive and they can kick quite a bit especially if the rifle stock is to long like they usually are.

30-06 did well before 300's and 338's
 
uphere said:
don't forget 7x57 8x57, 280 or 30-06 would be the biggest i'd go for a first hunting rifle. i wouldn't go for a magnum sized rifle because the ammo is to expansive and they can kick quite a bit especially if the rifle stock is to long like they usually are.

30-06 did well before 300's and 338's
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What would you highly recommend? What has been your experience with these calibers on big game?
 
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