This will be my first season hunting. And I am lost on what gun to purchase, since there are a lot out there. I have been looking at some guns from remington, benillei, and winchester. Does anyone have any suggestions for a new hunter just getting into the sport?
waynecounty,
you did not tell us what you will be hunting or how old you are.
a smaller caliber that will do well for whitetail would be a .243 or 7mm-08. they have relatively little recoil and are flat shooting. A .270 is a great cartridge but has more recoil
Small game would be a good bolt action .22. For rabbits, birds turkeys then a 12 gauge pump would be good to start.
you will find many recommendations from other folks on this board
the above statements are only my humble opinion
To start, no matter the game or caliber I would suggest a bolt action rifle, do not purchase a semi auto as your first hunting weapon. The bolt rifle will help force you to learn good shooting habits, this will be a valued lesson in the field.
That is a toughy. Can we at least narrow it down to rifles or shotguns?
Assuming it's rifles, I like Marlin levers and Ruger bolts. I would suggest going to a shop with lots of models to pick up and get a feel for. Also, if you know anybody that hunts, try to shoot a few.
What is your budget? If you will be using it only for deer you can buy shotgun set-ups specifically for deer (rifled barrel with cantilevered scope mounts. And then you can always buy other barrels to tke you into a variety of other shooting sports....squirrel, rabbits, pheasants, grouse, dove........you name it.
The Mossberg 500 has a few packages for deer and some combo packages as well. The Remington 870 is a little bit more costly but more people seem to prefer the Remington.
You could probably find a used shotgun with all the trimmings for a decent price. I'd get one with 3 1/2 " capability for added versatility.
I'll bet for $400 you could find a used Mossberg 500 with a rifled slug barrel with cantilever scope mount AND a scope on it AND at least one other barrel to go with it. Lotsa guys bought Mossberg's and then wanted to upgrade to other makes and models ...like Remington or Winchester......Some of these hunters wanted to do just as you want...a shotgun that could hunt deer and maybe more. A Mossberg with the rifled slug barrel AND a 28 " barrel that will accept chokes is a pretty good gun to have in the cabinet.......Or any brand of shotgun with the 2 barrel versatility...good luck
First Hunting season gun
