Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Best Beginner Hunting Rifle?

I have a Savage 111 in 300 WSM and a Ruger American in 30-06. Both are very accurate.

The Savage weighs a lb more and that adds up over a day's hunting. I switched to the RAR just for that reason.
The Savage has a bolt lock while the RAR doesn't. When carried by a shoulder sling, it's possible for the RAR bolt to open. If you're carrying hot, you'll lose a round. If not, you can get dirt in it.

The RAR has a removable rotary magazine. RAR mags are famous for not feeding the cartridges to the top. They sent me 3 replacement mags for mine before I got one that will feed reliably. I have to bang on the others to get the rounds to come to the top. There's supposed to be a trick to that. You open one end of the mag and wind the spring a turn tighter. It's supposed to help push the round up. Didn't work for me. The spring will push them harder but it doesn't change whatever they're getting stuck on down inside. If anyone knows a real fix, I'm listening. It would give me 3 extra mags if I could fix them.

I’d take that too.

Or a 25-06 if one stumbles into it.

Stainless -Synthetic Bolt Action Rifle. Just bite the bullet and get one. It's a hunting rifle not a beauty queen. Doesn't matter which one. Ruger, Win, Rem, Savage are all fine. Weatherby or Howa if you can find a stainless one.

.270 or 6.5 CM for the recoil shy.

30-06 or 7 mag for the big boys.

No other rifles will ever be needed.

3-9 Burris FF2 or E1 with duplex or ballistic reticle.

I picked up a Ruger 77 stainless boat paddle in 7 mag when I got out of the service and moved to Wyoming years ago. It's still my favorite. Lots of Elk, Mule Deer, Antelope and a Moose taken by this rifle. A .270 or 30-06 would have been just as good. It wears a Pentax 3-9 scope. Made by Burris in the USA back in those days. 30 years of use is hard to beat.

Have fun.

Alps

Vanguard in 30-06.

Ruger American 270 with Leupold Freedom scope sighted in with Federal Blue Box

Call it a lifetime.

Personally I like the 30-06. Wide range of off the shelf ammo and good availability. .308 would be second choice. Get on UGE and keep your eyes peeled for a deal. IMO the products 15 years ago and older were better built. Ruger m77, Remmington 700, Savage110s, etc...

I still like good iron sights even though my big game rifles here in Utah all wear scopes. Most current production guns do not have sights anymore. Dinged a scope getting in a truck one icy elk huntand hunted with irron sights the rest of the week. Actually liked it in the timber. Out past a hundred fifty not so much.

I bought 700s in 30-06 for my sons nnd they have been great guns.

Just my opinion , but I set my sons out with a used high quality rifle instead of a cheap new one . Caliber depends on where it’s going to be used most

Echols Legend in 300wm topped with a Nightforce.





Actually - I could think a Bergara B14 in 6.5 Creed (great factory ammo avail) tho I prefer a 7-08 but I reload. Which, IMO gets the most out of it.

I happen to prefer SWFA 6x MQ but a decent scope is up to you.

You can not go wrong with a 7mm-08 in a Tikka.

7mm-08 is a great beginner round!

My daughter has a Savage 10 in .243 that I bought her when she was 9. She just turned 29 and won't use anything else. I put a Nikon Monarch 3.3X10 on it after the first year. It is sub MOA with 100 grain Nosler Partition. We used Federal Premium ammo until we started reloading and got the same results.
If I had a son in law that was over 150 pounds I would get .308 W, .270W, or .30-06 and if he is recoil averse, a .243W.
The Savage 16/116 Weather Warrior is a fine rifle and I've never known one not to be accurate. I've had 3 of them and all were excellent in the accuracy department. I let folks I go to church with talk me out of 2 of them. My brother in law has the .270 and I've never shot a more accurate rifle. They paid new price for my used rifles.
Buying a high quality scope is very good advice. I would rather a $700 scope on a $100 rifle than the opposite.

I have a couple Howas that I really like.

A Tikka T3x superlight in 6.5c, 7-08 or 308. Properly mount a SWFA 6x and shoot a lot. This system will place the onus of accuracy on the shooter and will serve a lifetime in all conditions.


mike r

As you should.

Vanguard has a better stock and less plastic than the Tikka . My wife decided she wanted to deer hunt and we bought the Walmart Vanguard with the tan stock . Added a Vortex scope and she has killed all 3 deer she shot at..... It came with the test target an sub moa guarantee .

243 or 7mm-08 in whatever bolt action rifle you prefer.
Get a really good scope! Spend at least as much on the scope as you do the gun. Something in the 3x9 or 3x10 arena. That combo will cover 85-90% of all the hunting he will probably do. If he keeps hunting, he'll end up with 10 different guns anyways, but he'll never regret buying the combo mentioned above.

Ruger American.

Low cost for a trial run of hunting.

Made decide, fug that. Playing Call of duty is more fun. 😂

I’ve got a American predator in 6.5cm.

I like hunting with it.

When she barks, bring the meat wagon.

A good used short action 700 would be a good choice.

If money is tight, go entry level with any of the units recommended above.

For a few hundred more there are Model 70s, Ruger Hawkeyes, Remington Mountain Rifles, Kimber 84s. The added cost is not lost at resale time. If he likes hunting, he keeps then and is set.

I’ve got a safe full, and every animal I’ve killed could have been fine with my first, 700 ADL in .270.

Im not scared of used rifles either.

Does he have any experience shooting?