I have a friend that's going to buy a gun and it'll be his only gun for big game hunting. He has already decided on the caliber, 270 Winchester. I recommended the Kimber Montana. However, he is on a very tight budget.
I've also recommended for him to get a lightweight rifle. The other day I let him hold one of my heavy guns. After a couple of minutes I gave him one of my ultralights. He could immediately tell the difference in weight. I also recommended a synthetic stock.
So my question is what rifle would you recommend?
I agree on the synthetic stock, but I balk at the lightweight recommendation. A 270 doesn’t need to weigh 10 pounds, but I’d be careful about setting up a new hunter with a rifle that’s too light, mostly because they’re harder to shoot well under stress than something in the 8-pound range.
With that in mind, I’d take him to the range several times and let him shoot different rifles out to 2-300 yards. Once he learns the basics, run him through some timed drills, as in “You have 8 seconds to assume a solid position and hit a pie plate at 250 yards.” With a little of that under his belt, he’ll have a lot more insight into the question and will be able to make his own decision. Folks at 24hourcampfire love light rifles, but we’re pretty hardcore hunters and shooters and we know what we like, which isn’t always the best thing for someone new to the sport.
Okie John
