What are some good guns for hunting game?
02-01-2011, 03:47 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Kerrville, Tx. USA
Posts: 2,722
You will get a million opinions, but the reason is that there is no real answer to your question. There is no "best" caliber out there. But I will give you some guidelines:
If you are never going to hunt anything but deer, a 270 can't be beat.
If you think you might want to hunt bigger game such as elk in the future, the 30-06 is a good choice.
Both choices are flat shooting, several bullet sizes to chose from, modest recoil, and ammunition is readily available most places
There will be people on both sides of the spectrum that will tell you that you can get by with a smaller cartridge and they have killed 50 deer with a pea shooter and those on the other side that tell you that they only use a 50 caliber 1000 yard sniper gun. However the calibers I gave you (used as a minimum) will never let you down.
If you are never going to hunt anything but deer, a 270 can't be beat.
If you think you might want to hunt bigger game such as elk in the future, the 30-06 is a good choice.
Both choices are flat shooting, several bullet sizes to chose from, modest recoil, and ammunition is readily available most places
There will be people on both sides of the spectrum that will tell you that you can get by with a smaller cartridge and they have killed 50 deer with a pea shooter and those on the other side that tell you that they only use a 50 caliber 1000 yard sniper gun. However the calibers I gave you (used as a minimum) will never let you down.
02-01-2011, 08:58 AM
#3
Spike
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: montana
Posts: 36
i dont know where in ne kansas u live but i lived just north of there for 15 years north of hiawatha,ks in nebraska and there is great whitetail hunting in ne kansas land is 95% private and lots of people leasing the ground so u have alot of doors to knock on to find hunting but its worth it.My choice of gun was a 270 i killed der and elk with it. but since short mags have came about i luv my 300 short mag just for the fact i a small person and like the shorter gun its easier to handle walking thru brush and easier for me to offhand shoot. Just remember ask permission to hunt and when given offer some game to them and more than likely u will be able to return year end and out.
02-01-2011, 11:10 AM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location:
Posts: 1,837
+1 you will learn about rifle calibers and will be able to make your own decision based on what you learn. Asking that tyoe of question on a forum will only get you a zillion different biased opinions. I like magnums (but you don't really need magnums to kill deer) and you couldn't give me a 270 (not because it is not a good caliber but because I just don't like them) but many love the 270 and it has killed a lot of game. The 30-06 is probably the most popular and has the best over all bullet selection available of all the calibers. There are so many good calibers you need to learn about the animals you want to hunt first them make your decision based on that.
02-04-2011, 10:29 AM
#7
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location:
Posts: 6,357
To learn about hunting (1) take a hunter safety class and (2) find a veteran hunter to show you the ropes. If you are sincere and pay attention, you won't have any problem finding someone who will mentor you.
The following guns would cover a wide range of hunting circumstances: (1) .30-06 rifle with telescopic sight, (2) 12 gauge pump shotgun with barrel that is qualified to shoot steel shot, and (3) a .22 long rifle. Any one of these would open a range of hunting opportunities for you.
.30-06: a powerful centerfire cartridge suitable for hunting pronghorn antelope, whitetail deer, mule deer, black bear, feral hogs, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats. This is also adequate for grizzly bear and brown bear, but many prefer a more powerful cartridge for these dangerous bears.
12 gauge pump shotgun. The pump-type action is inherently more reliable and robust than the semi-automatic action. The double barrel actions are also reliable, but these guns cost more. This shotgun will allow you to hunt goose, ducks, pheasants, quail, partridges, turkey, rabbits and maybe other things I'm not thinking of. The federal government mandates non-toxic (not lead) shot for waterfowl hunting such as ducks, and the most common and least expensive non-toxic shot is steel which will damage shotguns manufactured BEFORE lead was banned for waterfowl hunting. So, make sure you get a post-ban shotgun. Some states mandate deer hunting using shotgun slugs rather than high power rifles. Thus, the 12 gauge can also be used, at limited ranges, for hunting deer.
.22 long rifle is suitable for hunting rabbits and squirrels. This is also good for target practice. You can readily transfer many of the shooting skills you develop with shooting a .22 to shooting high power centerfire rifles. The cartridges are very inexpensive, allowing you to do much more shooting for the money.
The following guns would cover a wide range of hunting circumstances: (1) .30-06 rifle with telescopic sight, (2) 12 gauge pump shotgun with barrel that is qualified to shoot steel shot, and (3) a .22 long rifle. Any one of these would open a range of hunting opportunities for you.
.30-06: a powerful centerfire cartridge suitable for hunting pronghorn antelope, whitetail deer, mule deer, black bear, feral hogs, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats. This is also adequate for grizzly bear and brown bear, but many prefer a more powerful cartridge for these dangerous bears.
12 gauge pump shotgun. The pump-type action is inherently more reliable and robust than the semi-automatic action. The double barrel actions are also reliable, but these guns cost more. This shotgun will allow you to hunt goose, ducks, pheasants, quail, partridges, turkey, rabbits and maybe other things I'm not thinking of. The federal government mandates non-toxic (not lead) shot for waterfowl hunting such as ducks, and the most common and least expensive non-toxic shot is steel which will damage shotguns manufactured BEFORE lead was banned for waterfowl hunting. So, make sure you get a post-ban shotgun. Some states mandate deer hunting using shotgun slugs rather than high power rifles. Thus, the 12 gauge can also be used, at limited ranges, for hunting deer.
.22 long rifle is suitable for hunting rabbits and squirrels. This is also good for target practice. You can readily transfer many of the shooting skills you develop with shooting a .22 to shooting high power centerfire rifles. The cartridges are very inexpensive, allowing you to do much more shooting for the money.
02-08-2011, 08:58 AM
#8
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: N. Illinois
Posts: 527
+1 you will learn about rifle calibers and will be able to make your own decision based on what you learn. Asking that tyoe of question on a forum will only get you a zillion different biased opinions. I like magnums (but you don't really need magnums to kill deer) and you couldn't give me a 270 (not because it is not a good caliber but because I just don't like them) but many love the 270 and it has killed a lot of game. The 30-06 is probably the most popular and has the best over all bullet selection available of all the calibers. There are so many good calibers you need to learn about the animals you want to hunt first them make your decision based on that.
02-08-2011, 10:22 AM
#9
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location:
Posts: 5,130
+ 1
"I would suggest a "Hunters Safety" class put on by your states DOW before I even started talking guns." SKB
However, you will need two things to put this new interest into practice.
A sub-gauge shotgun (20 gauge).
A .22LR rimfire rifle.
If you practice safety first and marksmanship you will be well underway to becoming a successful hunter.
Have a ton of fun in the great outdoors !
"I would suggest a "Hunters Safety" class put on by your states DOW before I even started talking guns." SKB
However, you will need two things to put this new interest into practice.
A sub-gauge shotgun (20 gauge).
A .22LR rimfire rifle.
If you practice safety first and marksmanship you will be well underway to becoming a successful hunter.
Have a ton of fun in the great outdoors !
