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Looking to get into hunting...need direction on rifle and caliber.

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Looking to get into hunting...need direction on rifle and caliber.

Old 09-10-2005, 09:16 AM
  #1  
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Default Looking to get into hunting...need direction on rifle and caliber.

I would like to start hunting and need advice on caliber and rifle. I live in northern california and may be moving to utah next year, is it possible to just buy one rifle to start with? I had a BrowningA bolt, stainless with the synthetic stock in 7mm remington mag, but it had too much recoil for me. I would prefer something with less kick, and would like to hunt deer, boar,and elk. As for the rifle I would like to get a bolt action of some sort. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 09-10-2005, 09:54 AM
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Giant Nontypical
 
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Default RE: Looking to get into hunting...need direction on rifle and caliber.

One rifle would be fine& all that is neededfor all these you mentioned deer, boar, elk - a boltrifle in 270.win or a 280& kick less then that 7 mm mag& what you had some. Many good brands out there- weatherby, savage , howa, win etc
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Old 09-10-2005, 09:58 AM
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Typical Buck
 
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Default RE: Looking to get into hunting...need direction on rifle and caliber.

I would follow the advice in the previous post and get something in the 06 case lineup. The 308 can alsobe used on ELK out to300 yards with the right ammo.
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Old 09-10-2005, 10:39 AM
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Default RE: Looking to get into hunting...need direction on rifle and caliber.

If it was just deer and boar a 243 would be perfect for you, But because you will be hunting elk to i would go with a 270.
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Old 09-10-2005, 12:51 PM
  #5  
Nontypical Buck
 
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Default RE: Looking to get into hunting...need direction on rifle and caliber.

have a good look at the 7-08 cartridge. It's available in a lot of bolt action rifles and is a proven performer.

Barrel length of 22" are fine for this cartridge so such handy rifles as the featherweight style guns work very well in 7-08 Rem.
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Old 09-10-2005, 01:04 PM
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Default RE: Looking to get into hunting...need direction on rifle and caliber.

Welcome to the forum, Lambchops! My guess is that you don't relod (yet) so you will want a rifle in a caliber that is easy to find, and has a wide variety of loads available. My personal favorite will always be the tried and true .30-06. You can get lots of different types of ammo for it in lots of bullets weights by lots of manufacturers, so you should be able to find a load that groups well in your rifle. The recoil is not unmanageable for most healthy adults. Accuracy is superb in a good rifle. It has adequate power for most anything on the North American continent except for big Alaskan bears you probably can't afford to hunt for anyway. There are many other calibers that shoot flatter, kick less, etc and so forth and they are ALL great (I'd love to have a .280) but the ammo for these may not be readily available at small hardware stores in rural areas.

There are so many good bolt action rifles out there that I doubt you'd go far wrong wityh any of them. If you're the type to have picked a Browning A Bolt you won't need too much advice from anyone. I personally favor the Remington 700, Winchest Model 70 and the CZ 550. I had a Ruger 77 MkII that wouldn't shoot straight no matter what the gunsmith or I tried, but this was probably just a lemon. Most Ruger owners are very happy with their rifles. I loved everything about mine except the fact that it would not shoot consistently.[&o]

Good luck, let us know what you settle on.
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Old 09-10-2005, 06:49 PM
  #7  
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Default RE: Looking to get into hunting...need direction on rifle and caliber.

Thanks for all of the help guys, now I just need to find a rifle I like in either .270 or 7-08. I see lots of people use guns with synthetic stocks...I would much rather have a non laminated wood stock and a blued finish, will this cause problems in the field?
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Old 09-10-2005, 07:18 PM
  #8  
Nontypical Buck
 
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Default RE: Looking to get into hunting...need direction on rifle and caliber.

I would much rather have a non laminated wood stock and a blued finish, will this cause problems in the field?
Absolutely not.....it's traditional and has been done that way for over 100 years. Much of the synthetics today are driven by extreme weather folks or by price levels. Some are less costly than wood and some are more so.

I like my guns to be walnut stock and blued steel no matter where I'm hunting. As with anything we need to learn to take care of them is all.
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Old 09-11-2005, 12:45 AM
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Join Date: May 2004
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Default RE: Looking to get into hunting...need direction on rifle and caliber.

ORIGINAL: lambchops
I would like to start hunting and need advice on caliber and rifle.
I ..... may be moving to utah next year.....I would prefer something with less kick, and would like to hunt deer, boar,and elk. As for the rifle I would like to get a bolt action of some sort.
.....
One good bolt action rifle will do ya' just fine. For the game noted I'd look to the 270Win. or a rifle chambered for 280Remington. Both will have less recoil than your former 7mm Rem.Mag., and will suffice for the game to be hunted.
The 270Win. can be had from any number of makers in various bolt action rifles.Just start checking your local shops, and pick what suits ya'. The 280 is more limited, but can be had in a Ruger 77 or Remington 700.
My own preference in 270Win. is the Remington 700 LSS Mountain rifle.
Link: http://www.remington.com/firearms/centerfire/700mtnls.htm

Another fine choice IMO is the Winchester Featherweight with walnut stock & stainless steel.
Link: http://www.winchesterguns.com/prodinfo/catalog/detail.asp?cat_id=535&type_id=966&cat=001C

If you want blued steel and walnut stocks, then check this out; Available in both 270Win. and 280Rem., and also 7mm-08.
Link: http://www.remington.com/firearms/centerfire/700mtndm.htm


Top 'em off with a good scope in the 2-7x or 3-9x range, and you'll be all set.


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Old 09-11-2005, 04:57 AM
  #10  
Nontypical Buck
 
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Default RE: Looking to get into hunting...need direction on rifle and caliber.

I had a 7mm Rem. Mag for a number of years and hunted very successfully with it but decided to get something with less recoil. This year I purchased a rifle chambered for the 7mm-08 and have shot it at the range. The 7mm-08 is a very nice mild recoil cartridge that I have no problems with. The 7mm-08 also has a good selection of bullets if you reload. Good luck in your choice.
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