[Frenchman9]

Hey guys, been lurking around for a couple of weeks. Ive finally been able to persuade my dad to ket me go hunting. I just wanted to know what a good all around caliber(Javelina-sized to deer). All i have is roughly $500 Thanks in advance! Chuck the Frenchman

[samuel]

Ask your father.He is the one that knows what is best and fits you. sam.

[Frenchman9]

Hes anti-hunting actually. ive been asking hime for 3 years and hes finally relented.

[Triggerjerk]

Well, there are lots of calibers that will fit the need. I personally like .30-30 for deer. That would be for shots out to 100 yards, give or take a bit. I am originally from PA, and that is a very popular cartridge in the area where I hunted. It is a good .30 caliber round, with manageable recoil.

Some areas where I now live, in NH, are shotgun only. Make sure that you can use a rifle where you are going to hunt. If not, a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun loaded with slugs will do the trick from 75-100 yards, or closer.

[gunney_m]

Dont know, im a handgunner but, Welcome To G&G.

[samuel]

He may still know more than you think.He should be the first you ask.You mentioned javilena,s,a .243win would be my sugestion for those and deer.You should be able to get a rifle and some ammo at Wally,s for $500. sam.

[Houston]

a 270

[killer]

When you go into a place like Walmart and go back to the sportings good department, specifically, ammo; you'll see probably 30-30, .243, .270, .308, and
30-06 being the most abundant.

And right now the sales would be on for .270 and 30-06 rifles some of which will have scopes included. Not knowing your age or size perhaps the .243 would be better for you or the 30-30.

Lots of choices out there in firearms. Nothing wrong with the 1st rifle being a single shot, perhaps a NEF or what they call a Handi-rifle in youth configuration (shorter stock.) H & R Firearms: Firearms: Rifles

samuel brought up a point about your father helping. If he cannot assist I would seek out friends who have fathers willing to take you under their wing to show you the ropes with firearms.

You may find while hunting is fun, competition shooting is really fun. Perhaps you dad would get into that aspect of firearms.

Definitely seek out older guys that know what their doing with firearms. All of us old farts learn much from one another here on the forums.

[lefty o]

do alot of research to find whats going to be the best cartridge for you. for pigs to deer, i think the 7MM-08 is one of the best all around cartridges.

[Pumpkinheaver]

Quote:       Originally Posted by lefty o

do alot of research to find whats going to be the best cartridge for you. for pigs to deer, i think the 7MM-08 is one of the best all around cartridges.

You beat me to it. The 7mm-08 is a great round with recoil that is managable for someone not use to it. The .260 remington ain't bad either. Their parent the308 winchester is also a good choice.

[PrivateSnuffy]

30-06 or even a 25-06, 243 is good. 308 is pretty decent with little recoil and 30-30 is great as a "brush gun"

[leroy]

id get a 243 or a 270 they are both real cheap to shoot and i got a tikka t3 270 a remington 700 is also good. i bought each of them for less than 500 bucks a piece. the ammo is cheap and you could put a decent 3-9-40 scope on it for under a 100 bucks and get along just great.

[toolman]

The .243 Win. is about as close to an all-in-one round as you can get up to whitetail\antelope sized game. There have been reports of large hogs, mule deer, and elk taken with it, but I wouldn't try it unless it was all I had and it was an easy kill shot. A 7mm-08 will both extend the range and the max. game size at the expense of increased recoil and harder-to-find ammo.