Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles All around budget rifle elk included for young man

Trying to give good advice to a 24 year old newer hunter who needs to by his first hunting rifle. He wants to be able to use it for elk & seems OK with a little recoil.

He wants to spend as little as possible to get a decent rifle. Told him 7mm or 300 are good choices for elk at 300+ yards.

So under $500 gets
Weatherby Vanguard
TC compass
Ruger American
Tikka T3x
Browning AB3
Howa
Mauser M18
????

He planning to buy rings glass after rifle - thought Burris FF2, Meopta, Zeiss

Am I missing something?

Thanks

Sounds like a great plan. Especially the tikka t3x and burris ffII part. Id also look into the 7mm08, 308, or even the old tried and true 30-06. One thing about the 300wm that is a major turn off is the unnecessarily heavy recoil. Especially in a lightweight hunting rifle.

Yep, Tikka T3x chambered in .300 Win is mighty hard to beat, one of My very favorite all-around hunting rifles, I use mine for coyotes to Whitetail at any angle 👍....Hb

Choice of caliber sounds poor to me, too much recoil and totally unnecessary

Yeah Its kind of like the 395 HP V8 in my Ford F150 that is totally unnecessary but I still like it, if you are recoil sensitive you will most likely be happier with the Creed 👍.....Hb

270 win, 30-06, 7-08, or 308 win would be my recommendations.

"... advice to a 24 year old newer hunter who needs to buy his first hunting rifle. He wants to be able to use it for elk & seems OK with a little recoil..."
This was me back in 1967 (only I was 21). I had a college summer job with the Forest Service in deer and elk rich northwestern Colorado. My Dad wasn't a hunter so I asked this question to a couple of guys that I worked with that had grown up hunting in that area. They told me to get a .270 Win or .30-06. They said that only the city dudes from Denver shot .300 Win magnums.

So I bought a .30-06, put a cheap 3-9x scope on it and proceeded to use it to get a few antelope and my deer and elk every year with it. After I had been hunting for a few years I was impressed with the 7 mm Rem mag, but it's ballistics were so close to my .30-06 that I didn't get my first 7 mm RM until 2001.

Of the rifles the OP listed, I would recommend a Weatherby Vanguard. I currently have 3 of them: a .300 Wby, a .308 Win. and a .223. I re-stocked the .300 in Fancy walnut, and the other two have Weatherby's Griptonite stocks, that I really like. All 3 shoot sub moa with my handloads. All of them wear Leupold scopes with Talley rings.

The choice of chamberings today is many times the choices that we had when I got my first rifle, but if I would buy my first rifle today I would buy a Weatherby Vanguard chambered in .30-06 or 7 mm Rem mag topped with a Leupold VX 3i CDS scope with Talley rings.

A co-worker wanted to join me elk hunting. He hadnt fired a rifle since the USMC 20 yrs ago. He now has a T3 in 270 w a Burris E1 3-9.

I have a Ruger 77 MkII Stainless/synthetic 300 Win Mag in great condition I’d sell him for $500. I have had some shoulder problems and I just don’t enjoy shooting the magnums anymore. It will come with the scope rings as well.

This past year, I've gifted two rifles for some needy friends to be able to hunt with...

one was for a handicapped veteran in his 60s.... I picked up a TC Compass at our local Bi Mart for $200 new in the box...
chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor...

another was for a friend who works in the automotive program over at the college... also in his 60s.
Picked up a 7 Rem mag in a Howa for $300 from Sportsman's Warehouse...

For those that received them, they are very pleased with each...Both proved to be very very accurate for them...

I'd get a T3X or a Vanguard in .30-06 and call it good.

He should JUMP on this offer. Now!!! The young man in question could someday hand this down to his son.

KISS... .270 or .30-06. Take him shopping for a gently used 700 / 70 / 77 that fits him and he likes the feel of...

Tikka for under $500? Buy it.

I would snag one of the 30-06 Ruger Americans at CDNN for $299 and a Red field 3-9x40 in some good rings. A few box's of 180 core-lock and .... Bob's your uncle.

Probably $500 ready to hunt.

https://www.cdnnsports.com/firearms...0-06-copper-mica-stock.html#.XoSBsOUpC9c

Don't sleep on the Winchester XPR. Same barrel and trigger as 70. Free floated. And basically coated barrel. I think they're the best of the budget guns.

Yeah, that is a good deal. Great rifles.

I agree on the XPR. I bought one in .243 for one of my daughters and am pretty impressed by it for the money. It’s a better gun than the Ruger American that I have.

Whatever he gets, I’d start him out with a .270 or maybe a .30-06. Top it with a Burris FF or a Redfield Revolution and he will have a solid all around rifle to use.

30.06, 308 win. 7mm08, or 280.