This would be a good site to start your research... with the search function. There have been many threads people have inquired on what rifle make/model, and what caliber would be a good rifle for this or that. Please be more specific on what you are looking to do. "Practicing marksmanship" with a side order of "Could hunt deer with" leaves you with a lot left to break down, and not much for us to work with.
When you say that the terminology overwhelms you, what terms are you confused about?
Caliber :270 Winchester
While I know what caliber is, I don't understand the different numbers to determine what you're actually shooting. My handgun is a 9mm, and I know what a .22 is, but that's about it. I wouldn't know which is more powerful or not, except to assume that a higher number is a larger bullet.
Barrel Length :22" Fluted
Don't know what "Fluted" means
Capacity :4 + 1
I assume this means four in your magazine plus one in the chamber?
Trigger :Adjustable LBA Trigger System
No idea what this means
I would try to be more specific, but I don't know exactly what I want or should be looking for, which is part of the reason I asked here. I enjoy shooting, and once my accuracy is more consistent I would consider taking up white tail deer hunting, or possibly elk. So I want a gun that I will enjoy firing for my recreational shooting needs, but could also take down one of these animals in the future so I wouldn't have to buy a different gun a year or so down the line. Ever gun is different and has a different feel, so I want to be comfortable with this rifle before I consider taking it out hunting.
Everybody needs a 308 or a 30/06, a .22, and a 12 ga. shotgun. After that you can diversify.
I would have steered you towards a 243 as well, but since you say you can handle the recoil, I'd recommend getting a 308 or a 30/06 AND investigate handloading. Handloading is a wonderfully enjoyable past-time and you can make the 30/06 OR 308 work for you in many hunting opportunities.
Since you seem set on working on your marksmanship, you might really enjoy the accuracy that careful handloading can bring. And if you never get into handloading you'll be able to buy a wide variety of ammo for either the 308 or 30/06 from Wal-mart to almost any mom-n-pop sports store.
The 308 will handle bullets up to 200 grains ok, and the 30/06 will go up to 220 grainers pretty well. They both will do fine with bullets as light as 125 grains for varmints.
But, in the end, you'll pick what's best for you. Just make sure you go to as many stores a possible and throw the weapons to your shoulder enough times to recognoze what you think feels comfortable.
With a budget of $1000.00 you'll be able to get some nice glass on a very nice entry level rifle.
Hope this helps........... remember; anything / everything you hear / read is only one man's opinion !!!
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Everybody needs a 308 or a 30/06, a .22, and a 12 ga. shotgun. After that you can diversify.
I would have steered you towards a 243 as well, but since you say you can handle the recoil, I'd recommend getting a 308 or a 30/06 AND investigate handloading. Handloading is a wonderfully enjoyable past-time and you can make the 30/06 OR 308 work for you in many hunting opportunities.
Since you seem set on working on your marksmanship, you might really enjoy the accuracy that careful handloading can bring. And if you never get into handloading you'll be able to buy a wide variety of ammo for either the 308 or 30/06 from Wal-mart to almost any mom-n-pop sports store.
The 308 will handle bullets up to 200 grains ok, and the 30/06 will go up to 220 grainers pretty well. They both will do fine with bullets as light as 125 grains for varmints.
But, in the end, you'll pick what's best for you. Just make sure you go to as many stores a possible and throw the weapons to your shoulder enough times to recognoze what you think feels comfortable.
With a budget of $1000.00 you'll be able to get some nice glass on a very nice entry level rifle.
I would say everyone "needs" a home-protection handgun (pistol or revolver) of some kind. Everything else is optional.
For enhanced home protection, a high capacity shotgun with a removable sport plug (usually a wooden dowell) is in a close second place.
Then a .22LR survival rifle or handgun (pistol or revolver) is in third place. Archery can take the place of this #3 spot.
Next, after those 3, it all depends on what you plan to do.
For hunting deer or other big game, everyone then needs a .243 or larger scoped rifle of some sort, either bolt or pump or semi-auto. I vote for bolt-action.
If you plan to hunt other big game besides deer, and you only want to own 1 rifle, then any one of the belted magnum cartridge rifles is great, all the way up to .300 RUM. In North America you really don't need anything bigger than .300, although .338 is about the same power and recoil as a .300 it just hurts a little more.
A lot of people are in the habit of buying tons of guns. That's fine for investment or sentimental value. In most cases your executor/trix will simply be distributing these to your heirs someday. You could be earning a little bit of cash from interest or dividends if you kept your gun inventory to a minimum and invested this cash into stocks and bonds or certs of deposit instead.
As far as "the numbers" go, these can have different meanings.
The term caliber refers to bore diameter in hundredths of an inch. A 30 caliber gun has a bore measuring about 30/100's of an inch. When someone says they shoot a .30 caliber, they are misusing the term.
For cartridges like .243 and .270, or 6 mm or 7 mm, these numbers also refer to the bore/projectile diameter. That's only part of the equation though. There's quite a bit of difference between a .243 and a .240 Weatherby Mag, with the latter being much more powerful even though it is slightly smaller in diameter. Any cartridge with a magnum designation generally has a larger case volume which holds more powder to give more velocity.
Cartridges like 30/30 or 30/06 - the first number is the bore (.308) and the second number may refer to the grain weight of the powder charge (30/30), or to the date the cartridge was developed/adopted (30/06, that's 1906).
There are quite a few cartridges with names like 7x57, 7.62x54, etc. Again, the first number is bore diameter, but the second is case length in milimeters. When comparing these, it is pretty easy to conclude that the longer the case, the larger the powder charge, and therefore more velocity (generally).
Then there are cartridges developed from a "standard" cartridge case, but modified for a larger or smaller caliber. Take a 35 Whelan. It is a 30/06 case, necked up to shoot a 35 caliber bullet. A 7/08 is a 308 case necked down to shoot a 7mm bullet.
After a while you will see the logic in cartridge names, but there is no standard rule.
You say you want a rifle for deer AND elk. My recommendation is to go with a non-magnum cartridge. Magnums do outperform standard cartridges, but the gains are realized at what i would call "long" range, like beyond 300 yds. A 30/06 will kill your deer or elk just fine, and so will many other cartridges.
I don't know what action type you prefer. Bolt guns are obvioulsy popular and the stock design lends itself to adding a scope, which most folks do. What I see a lot is guys shooting guns that are too long in the stock, especially when they are wearing hunting clothes. Remember that when you handle a gun at a shop. Shoulder a bolt gun and raise your right hand with your palm facing up. Without reaching for it, the bolt handle should contact the forward third of your palm, not your fingers. The bolt is intended to be operated without grabbing it. If you can, try this with a standard stock like a Remington 700 and then with a Remington Model 7, and then even with a "youth" model gun. You'll see quite a bit of difference. You should be able to easily operate the action without taking the gun from your shoulder.
I would also say not to overlook lever actions, if you like them. There are a few newer guns by Marlin chambered for "express" cartidges, such as 308 and 338. Scopes can be added to these guns, the lower the mounting system the better. These cartridges will kill your deer and elk just fine.
Practice, practice, practice, but don't shoot too much at a session. A box of 20 is about all you should shoot, and that may be too much. Too much shooting can lead to flinching, which to be honest, most people are guilty of. Bring along a 22 rifle to shoot and practice technique, and mix in the centerfire here and there. This will also let your centerfire cool down between groups.
If you scope your gun, spend at least 200 on it. Optics are one of those things that you should not compromise on. get the best you can afford.
Enjoy your new rifle, and don't worry if you can't shoot tight groups for a while.
First, there's absolutely nothing wrong with having a good .22 to hone marksmanship fundamentals without breaking the bank.
Second, beware the thought that you'll buy your first and last centerfire hunting rifle. You'll be led down the road that it'll need to be powerful enough to hunt great, invincible beasts and you'll stray into cartridges that are unnecessarily heavy for the conditions most hunters reasonably encounter.
As has already been mentioned, the .30-06 is a great all-around choice. You're going to catch flak from the crowd who think it's marginal for elk (it's certainly not) and ridicule from the crowd who are convinced that there's a grizzly behind every tree in elk country. From a practical perspective, you may not have any interest in hunting elk to begin with. Stick with conditions and animals you have a high probability of hunting.
If deer are the most likely candidate, the .243, 7mm-08, .308, .270, 7mm Rem Mag, and .30-06 are all reasonable and very common. As far as the rifle itself goes, my suggestion would be to plan on spending $600 on the rifle, at least $300 on the scope (the 3-9 variables will probably suit you well), and buy good, solid scope mounts with what's left.
You don't need a lot of "frills" on your rifle. Adustable triggers are nice, but if you don't know what you're doing with a wrench, you can really run into problems. They're not a requirement. Many rifles come with a blind magazine, but for sake of safety and convenience, you might look at those with a hinged floorplate as an alternative. Blind magazines require rounds come out the way they went in, where a floorplate allows you to dump them out the bottom. Detachable magazines (often incorrectly referred to as "clips") are generally more expensive, but also something you might look at.
Some good starting points have already been mentioned. The Remington 700 (probably the SPS) has been a good rifle lately as well as the Weatherby Vanguard - both of which I own and am familiar with. The Savage 110 series is also popular in this price point. Absolutely avoid rifles like the Remington 770 and almost every "package" rifle however. The "total package" might seem attractive, but the components are usually at the bottom-end of the quality spectrum.
This would be a good site to start your research... with the search function. There have been many threads people have inquired on what rifle make/model, and what caliber would be a good rifle for this or that. Please be more specific on what you are looking to do. "Practicing marksmanship" with a side order of "Could hunt deer with" leaves you with a lot left to break down, and not much for us to work with.
Congrats Z, your the only one that read what the OP said he wanted to do. Guys got him going on a elk hunt already.
To the OP, Are you more interested in just target shooting or do you want to start hunting? Depending on your answers would change what we would suggest. We have more questions than answers.
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Some people are like young raccoons, what they can't destroy, they crap on it. WANTED:
1962 Remington 700: Any caliber
1967 Remington 700: Bdl Varmint : 308, 243, 223 PM me!
i used to love plinking and hunting with my dads old remington 700 .243. Alot of fond memories with that rifle. I feel it is a great starter rifle and would not feel "under gunned" in the least bit hunting deer. Big game hunting is all about bullet placement and distance. Dont take a shot at an animal that is beyond the distance of the rifle and the shooter. I have taken many a whitetail out to 150yrds with a .243 and didnt seem to have a problem. I do alot of handloading and used 95 grain hornady sst's for deer and antelope and used 58 grain v-max bullets for plinking and varmint hunting. I could shoot that rifle all day using either round and not break the bank or my shoulder. I look forward to handing that rifle down to my children and sharing more memories in a simply amazing caliber.
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Mathews Switchback xt lh
29 1/2" 63lb
gold tip xt hunter arrows
muzzy 3-blade 100gr
Qad ultra rest
hha sight
lyman great plains rifle .54 cal
ruger m77 7mm rem mag. lh
Get a .243, learn to shoot it and it's all the deer rifle you need...They are pleasant
to shoot so you can even throw in some varmint shooting with her as well...
I've killed over 300 deerwith mine, several were just past the 300 yard mark...
When and if you decide to hunt bigger game either buy or borrow from a friend...
Nothing worse than buying a gun that kicks the snot out of you when you pull the
trigger...Too many hunter's let their egos take over and the result is poor shooting and a late night tracking job...
Years ago I bought a Weatherby Vanguard in 7mm 08 never have regretted that decision! Reasonably priced and will give you a bit more than your 243 with a little more bullet weight.
daddus
