First time buyer here..

[Neo Enigma]

Hey I'm looking to buy a hunting rifle soon and seeing as how it will be my first, I want some feedback from veterans of the subject.. Well, I am on a tight budget, looking to spend about $500-$600 for rifle AND scope. I live in Northeast Alabama and I've only been hunting once so I don't really know how to tell you if I'll be hunting in "open fields or through brush" or whatever.. I'm wanting something new because I have bad luck with buying used things that dont work.. I'm a small guy (5'2 and 115 pounds) so recoil is something I am heavily considering.. I want something that will drop game fast and hard but wont knock my shoulder out of place doing it. I'm military so I am familiar with shooting (M16A2 and such) just not real familiar with high-powered hunting rifles. I'm basically needing to know the best Make and Caliber for my situation.. I don't plan on hunting VERY often but in the future I will be. I'm going to a 4Year University beginning of next year and I wanted to bag a buck before I did (I know it's sad that I am a 20 year old man and haven't killed a deer yet but I was raised by women lol). Remington? Winchester? Savage? Sako? Ruger? Marlin? Tikka? .270? 30-06? 25-08? 7mm-08? .308? .280? I'm planning on staying away from 300WSM's, 7 mags and a few other rifles.. Dont want anything that kicks like a mule. I know I may sound like a wuss but give me a break here lol. Well I'd appreciate any comments, advice, tips, etc. Thanks in advance .. By the way, the smilies on this forum rocks

[jerry]

Welcome.

You will get alot of opinions on this one. I use a Remington Model 700 BDL in 308 and absolutely love it.

Short actions are nice when it comes time to operate the bolt. You would be well served with 243 Win, 6MM Rem, 257 Roberts, 7MM08, 308 etc.

Pick a rifle that feels right to you. Make sure your comfortable with the safety and operating functions.

Some come with iron sights and some without. I got my 700 with them, but use a scope. If the scope get damaged and I drove a few hours to hunt, I'm not out of the ball game.

If your going to be in very bad weather as a norm you may want synthetic stock and or SST. Not 100% needed nut helps in durability.

Learn all you can about the game you hunt and woodsmanship. Learn the propper kill zone on game and practice enough in all positions to be proficient. Make only ethical clean shots at reasonable distances.

Good luck & enjoy.
Jerry

[SPOCAHP ANAR]

I know a man who custom builds rifles on mauser frames in that range with scopes. private message me for a link.

[Big Dog]

Lots of folks, especially small statured, like the .243 down here. The Savage rifle is a very good platform.

[Apollyon67]

The savage in .270 with a nice scope will run you close to $400. I am not too much bigger than you are, and the .270 is fairly easy on the shouler. Consider the other things you will need for your firearm as well when you make your purchase. ie: case, cleaning equipment, shells, etc. Oh, and welcome to the forum.

[Neo Enigma]

Oh ok.. Thanks everyone.. That will help me a lot on my search.. Keep the ideas coming

[Neo Enigma]

Oh and here are a few more things I took note of at the local Wally World.. A Weatherby Vanguard .300WBY for $388.86, A Win MDL 70 .300WSM $398.87, and an EM .700 SYN with scope $379.87... And another question of mine.. Where is the best place to purchase a weapon? Online? Is Wally World really a reliable source for a quality rifle? (Not downing Wal-mart, I go there all the time) Or should I visit a Gunshop or Pawn shop or what? Thanks..

[Apollyon67]

Neo, check with your local dealer first. WalMart isn't all that knowledgeable when it comes to tech support. Not to mention, it keeps the money in the local community.

[Oxford]

Neo Enigma...for deer hunting I use a Remington 700 BDL in 30-06...with recoil pad mounted. That reduces the jolt somewhat. And...it's lighter than some rifles. As I recall, it weighs around 7 lbs+/-. Oh yeah, I have a Leopold 3x9x40 scope mounted on that gun, too.

[Johnny_Revolver]

Depends what sorta deer you are going to hunt too. A .243 is a very capable calibre, you can, with the right projectile, successfully go after smaller game to medium sized deer and similar.. A good quality hunting rifle in .308 won`t kick you too hard and a .30-`06 as Oxford has suggested doesnt kick much harder again than a .308. If you could get along to a rifle range you could probably check out some rifles actually being fired.. I know personally if someone asked me nicely I`d let them have a shot of one of my guns, no problem. You could then get a feel for what you might purchase, and not get either stuck with some shoulder bruising monster that you flinch at the thought of firing, or a too small to be productive plinker. Recoil is a funny thing, when I was really skinny kid, I would fire my shot gun all day and also a colombian mauser in .30-`06 with a metal butt plate and not care at all, when I got older and filled out a tad I find now I bruise on the shoulder cause now there is meat there to bruise! But seriously, hunting rarely involves blasting away with 100`s of rounds, so as long as the rifle doesnt cause you too flinch, recoil shouldnt be a problem.

[rebel727]

Personally and this is just me, A 243 requires critical shot placement to make a clean kill. The 308 and 30-06 are more likely to bring a deer down and keep him down with a less than perfect shot. You said you'll be hunting in Alabama. I hunt in Mississippi and mostly hunt bean fields so shots are usually in the 200-300 yard neighborhood so you want a rifle capable of making the shot and still have enough punch left. This is not a job for a 30-30. On the other hand Al. and Ms. both have a lot of woodland so something smaller would do ok.
just my 2 cents, take it for what it's worth.

[Johnny_Revolver]

REbel 727 makes a valid point I meant to make about shot placement with a .243. Its critical... actually everything rebels says is right on the money about this subject.

[silentknight]

I've gotta put a plug in for the Tikka T3 in .270, my T3 will group 5/8 - 3/4 inches consistantly at 100yds and I payed 450 for it, put a Bushnell Trophy scope on it for about 70. This rifle comes off of the same assembly line as the Sako rifles so the roughly the same quality is delivered in a budget package.

[Volk]

Do not limit yourself to bolts only. Try semi auto. Browning BAR with BOSS. Major recoil reduction due to semi auto action and BOSS. If you want lighter weight try BAR Stalker with aluminum receiver.
Also Benelly R1 expencive but nearly perfect.
There maybe some HK SLB 2000 left around. Complicated like all HKs but not a bad rifle ether.

I have all three of them. If you want any more details I will try to help.

[wirehunt]

Another really good caliber for light or recoil shy people is the 6.5x55 which is also known as the .260 (?). Heaps of knock down power without so much kick at the other end. Probably the best thing to do would be trying out someone else's rifle if you are able to, just to see what your recoil tolerance level is like and then take it from there.

Cheers

[lefty o]

the 6.5x55 is a sweet round. i think you'll be well served by most of the cartridges mentioned. in your price range, your either looking at a used rifle or a savage. oh, shot placement is critical using any caliber. put a 243 bullet in your hand along side a 30 cal- there just isnt that much difference in diameter to allow sloppy shooting with either.

[zzizzer421xx]

well if u dont wannt somthing with a big recoil id say a .270 or so just cuz its not as big as a 30.06 but the .270 will shoot just as far as a 30.07 and wont kick as hard and itll shoot a !!!! of alot flatter then a 30-06

[bigandrich44]

zzizzer, you know nothing of what you talk about. the .270 utilizes a .30-06 SPR case, so it kicks the same. I recommend a 7mm Rem Mag, shoots flat, hits hard, and can bag animals as big as elk. (Maybe bigger) Oh, and if you wanna compare a .270 to a .30-06 zizzer, Wanna compare my dads .300 Weatherby to that .270 firing the same grain bullet? 36 inches low at 500 yards, and I doubt a .270 shoots flatter than that. Get some expiernce before you speak zizzer. You own 1 gun, in 1 caliber. I have access to well over 60 different calibers. CALIBERS. not guns.

[michiganhunter]

the .270 can drop an elk, and since the bullet is smaller and lighter you can throw a bullet at higher speed the .270s ballistics are great i would personally also prefer the .270 in savage you can take from black bear elk and prolly a grizz with proper shot placement its not how hard the bullet hits or how fast it is it how well you can shoot the gun. the .270 is a very capable gun i love it, and the ammo is cheap too.

[Midas]

Originally Posted by bigandrich44

zzizzer, you know nothing of what you talk about. the .270 utilizes a .30-06 SPR case, so it kicks the same. I recommend a 7mm Rem Mag, shoots flat, hits hard, and can bag animals as big as elk. (Maybe bigger) Oh, and if you wanna compare a .270 to a .30-06 zizzer, Wanna compare my dads .300 Weatherby to that .270 firing the same grain bullet? 36 inches low at 500 yards, and I doubt a .270 shoots flatter than that. Get some expiernce before you speak zizzer. You own 1 gun, in 1 caliber. I have access to well over 60 different calibers. CALIBERS. not guns.

Big, I think you have shown some of your inexperience, the .270 and 30-06 do not have the same recoil, the -06 has a little more recoil, last time I checked, just because cartridges have the same parent case, doesn't mean they have the same recoil. And, that little comment about, my dad's gun is better than than your gun, was very chilish. BTW, I have access to over 2,000 guns, and over 200 calibers.