Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles First rifle !

Hi !
I will buy a new rifle.
I want to punch paper and probably go after some white tail.
Any suggestions ?

There are alot of good options out there. I would go to a gun store and see what you like and what feels good to you. Then if you plan on putting a scope on this rifle I would not cut cost in that area.... you dont have to get crazy with $ but I would look at the nice middle line scopes like Leupold, Nikon, Bushnell 3200 or 4200 or Burris.....I'm sure there are others but point is dont buy a rifle you want and put a junk piece of glass on it to save a couple $....in the long run you will be happier. As far as over the counter rifles go....pick one. All the big names work just fine. Some have preferences and opinions about one or the other, and you will too....so pick one you like and go practice.

For a hunting round I would stick with something standard for your 1st rifle. 7-08, 308, 270 or 30-06. You could go with something smaller like a 243 if you like. There is nothing wrong with the Magnums (short,standard or long) but for me on a first rifle I would stay with something non-magnum.

You gave no direction at to what type of rifle you are looking for...bolt,lever,pump,semi-auto or single shot. The bolt is going to be your most popular but you may want to look at you T/C Encore.....it will give you alot of options in a single shot. More info from you on the direction you would like to go would narrow the field on the answers. Good luck.

Mark H

Oupss ! I will go with a bolt action. Not sure about Savage or Winchester or Remington. I heard only good things about Savage is it true.........Best rifle out of the box ?

My first rifle was a Savage and I still have it. I bought it from my best friend, NIB, because he wanted a Remington. The Remington is long gone and he is still trying to buy the Savage back from me.
Go to a REAL sporting goods store and play with some rifles. Each one will feel a little different and go with the one that feels the best when mounted.
I also agree with MarkH about the scope. Get a decent one and you won't regret it. There are cheap rifles that shoot well or can be made so, but you can't make a cheap scope see better.
Also, what is your shooting experience? At a REAL sporting goods store the sales person will sit you down and go over the basic rules of firearm handling and safety. One of the most important things there is. A lot of responsibility comes with owning a gun.

Forgot to mention the caliber. Go with a 308 Winchester. Mild recoil, cheap ammo, can be found anywhere, and more than enough power to deer hunt.

pretty hard to go wrong w/ a remington 700 adl chambered to 308, bought on closeout, for your first rifle.

sniff ... sniff ...

Here are my suggestions.

If I had to start with one rifle knowing what I know now...

I would go with : Howa, Remington, or Ruger in no particular order.

Caliber: In order

30-06 lots of factory choices
7mm Mauser good for handloading
308 lots of factory choices
25-06 several factory choices and good for handloading

Scope: in no particular order, just look at each and decide what you can afford and what you can see through well enough
Burris
Leupold

Rings: in no order
Redfield
Leupold

I would start with a nice Winchester model 70 CRF , SS action. True it up, polish the bolt- ways, lap the lugs. Slap on a Pac-nor #4 contour barrel, SS with 6 flutes and target crown chambered in 270WSM, put in H-S precision sporter stock with green and brown camo with black webbing. Install a Shilen trigger at 2.5 lbs, and some Talley rings and bases. Gunkote all the metal matte black and slap on a Burris 4.5-14x42 ballistic plex scope. Then you'll have one just like mine!--2MG

Savage is a great utility rifle. Not the best looking but a good sound rifle. Looks wise for my tastes the Winchester M70 featherweight and Remington CDL are the best looking. IMHO the best buy for the money is Ruger. If I bought a rifle to replace my Win. 30-06 it would be a Ruger stainless with a laminted stock. I have a Ruger 77 stainless synthetic .243 and I really like it. Get a good quality 2x7 or 3x9 scope and you're set. Leupold VX II, Burris Signature and Fullfield II, Nikon Buckmaster and Monarch, and Bushnell Elite 3200 and 4200 scopes are good quality optics. A friend's wife asked me to help her pick out a good scope for him for his birthday. She decided on the Nikon Monarch 3x9. His comment after he mounted the scope was " I didn't realize how bad my Tasco Worldclass was until now". He used the Tasco scope for several years. When you clean a scope lens treat it like it was an expensive camera lens and you'll get a much longer life out of it.

I think your best bet is to get one of those el cheapo Remington ADL style rifle that is chambered in a round that will fit in a short action.

Start going to gun shows and lurking around the used gun racks.You will have the opportunity to handle a lot of different guns.Many times the cost of a used rifle/scope combination is equal to or not much more than the cost of a new rifle.Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Guys wait one minute! What type of whitetail hunting is he going to do? Forget hand loading he's looking for one rifle so lets break him in slow.
In heavy brush a Marlin lever in 30-30 can't be beat and it's scopeable. The ammo is cheap and easy to find. A used Savage lever in 300 Savage would be ok but a 308 would be better and extend his shooting range to 250 - 300 yrds. A Browning lever will give more choices in calibers but it has more weight and costs a bit more. My money would be on the Savage first then the Marlin. A low power scope (1.5 x 5)will help for distances out to 200yrds with the Marlin and further on the other two.
Another excelent brush rifle is the Remington pump. It comes in a variety of popular calibers but the carbine (shorter and lighter) only comes in 30-06. These are very acurate rifles to 300 yrds and give you the best chance at a follow up shot. The only draw back is a lousy trigger. A gunsmith can improve it alot. Once again a lower power scope is in order on the rifle I'd prefer a 2x7.
Bolt action rifles are nice and very accurate but thay get rather heavy and carrying one all day is a chore. If you shooting distances don't exceed 300 yrds I'd stick to a feather lite every company makes one. My choice for what you want would be a Remington Model 7 chambered in 308. I like the 7-08 better but I hand load. Once again I prefer 2x7 power scopes but a 3x9 will fit or in the case of a full weight rifle actually might be better.
If your hunting in fields the full size rifle should get the nod. Most folks will argue over the caliber but my choice for a one gun does it all would be 270 Win or 30-06. The 270 will have less recoil and flater trajectory but the 06 is more versitle and better on larger game like elk and bear. On an open field rifle I'd use at least a 3x9 and consider a 4x12 scope.
Don't over look the used gun rack. There are alot of good used rifles out there but let the buyer beware. Just becuase it looks good or has a scope on it doesn't mean it's a good deal. Shop around.
The trigger is the most important part of a good hunting rifle. I like a clean three pound pull. If the trigger is stiff or creepy a gunsmith can adjust it. If you buy a new gun you will need a trigger job done so get him to mount your rings base and scope while your there. He will also help you adjust the scope to your eye.
Last but not least don't skimp on optics. If you have to, buy a used rifle then put a good scope on it. Nikon,Burris and leupold are all top shelf but for my money buy Leupold. I truly believe if you don't buy a leupold now you wil eventually.
By the way wood is nice and looks real good but for utility a synthetic stock is the only way to go. It's impervious to weather, is lighter and takes a beating.
So...Pick a gun for the major type of hunting you will do. 10yrds to 150 is a lever gun or pump. Humping in the woods all day with some open field work get a lite bolt action. For major open country and not alot of hiking a standard bolt action rifle gets the nod.
I hope that helps.

Mandalin(sp?),

Look for a Remington 700-short action/long action: it is hard to beat a .308. If the .308 is your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice, you are in good company-shoots flat and hits harder than what you read.

Ric

OOOPs... I got carried away. First get a good .22 caliber bolt action rifle and pratice with that. The ammo will cost $10-$15 for 500 rounds, there's no recoil to deal with and you'll have alot of fun shooting it. The consider a large bore rifle. Most deer rifles aren't meant for target shooting. The barrel of a large bore rifle is thin, heats up too fast (after 3-5 rounds) and acccuracy will suffer. Start with a 22.

Start with a .22? I don't think he's 10. His options are fairly unlimited about getting a rifle chambered in a cartridge where he can easily and comfortably shoot it at the bench while killing some whitetails on the side.

Dude, skip the .22 . . .

yep I'm with bearstalker, don't think if he's gonna hunt deer with it that a .22 is the answer, unless you're buying a spotlight at the same time (just kidding all you flamethrowers)

.22 mag works well for neck shots but no way I would reco it as a first choice for deer hunting. The .308 makes a world of sense to me (even if I've never owned one) and I also agree with throwing as many up to your shoulder as you can to see what fits you. Nothing against Savages personally, thought about buying one once myself, but you can normally make a rifle shoot better, but it sure is hard to make it prettier.

How experienced a shooter are you? Just starting? or have you been shooting a long time?

Have you shot many centerfires or mostly rimfires?

Do you own any other guns? like maybe a .22??

Will you REALLY go deer hunting? or is this rifle really just for plinking?

Answers to these questions will likely get some different answers than what has been posted so far.

IMO, you absolutely need a .22 for cheap practice. After that, the caliber/rifle choice for the centerfire can vary dramatically depending upon your answers to the first 4 questions.

JimF

Mandalin,

Newbie? If all you want to do is "punch paper" and
go whitetail hunting...some.

If you can cut loose with the dough....try:

Kimber 84 with Kimber mounts and Leupold rings.

Top it off with a SIGHTRON compact 2.5X10. This scope is
relatively light with good eye relief. With the said magnification, it would be fine for either targets or deer.

Caliber? Since it's a paper puncher and sometimes deer
rifle, why not a 243 or better yet, a 260?

Mandalin

Only an opinion... If I was teaching a new shooter from scratch...

1st -- Go to a gun store (not WalMart), explain to the counter help your situation and shoulder as many different kinds of centerfire rifles as you have patience for. The selection should be different manufacturers as well as different action types (bolt, lever, pump, break, semi-auto...). Decide which is most to your liking. Have the counter help explain to you how to adjust the sights. Don't be nervous, embarassed or intimidated to ask as many questions as you have to. Take notes if you have to.

2nd -- Buy a good used setup as your first gun and take a safety course.

3rd -- Buy some 'decent' ammunition and go plinking with it.

If you like the action type and fit of the rifle keep it and go to "4th" if not go back to "1st" and start over. You shouldn't lose to much if you trade this rifle in for another used rifle in a different configuration.

4th -- Now that you know what configuration you llike, buy a 22long-rifle chambered rifle in the same configuration. Including sight configuation.

5th -- Buy and have the folks at the gun store show you how to use bore cleaning supplies and equipment properly.

6th -- Buy at least 2 bricks (1,000 rounds) of 22long-rifle ammuntion and shoot them at the range, from as many different shooting positions as possible. Get used to the 'ergonomics' of how your chosen action functions in all shooting positions.

7th -- Buy some centerfire ammunition for your rifle, take a hunter-safety course, find an experienced hunter to use as a mentor if possible and go hunting.

Just another suggestion/opinion, caliber choices...

Lever gun -- 30-30 Winchester or 45/70 Government. Down the road, if you get into reloading, the 45/70 is more versatile.

Any other action type -- 30-06 Springfield or 308 Winchester. There are more choices of factory ammunition in 30-06 than 308. If reloading... 6 of 1 and a half dozen of the other.

Just my humble opinions... please no flames...

Lowtech...