best caliber for your first gun
 

I have a friend at work that is just starting to get into hunting, and he is looking for his first rifle. We live in southern Kansas and he knows that he wants to hunt deer. At this time he is unsure if he wants to hunt elk or antelope. Mimimum caliber for deer is .24 and .26 for elk. He is not sure how long it will be before he buys a second gun, if at all. Knowing these facts, I have been trying to steer him toward a 7mm rem mag. I have also mentioned that a 270 and 30-06 are also acceptable for Kansas game. I do not want him to get gun that shootshard to find ammunition. Is my suggestion correct or should i try to steer him a different way?

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

Welcome!
I think you are on the right track with suggesting either a .30-06 or a .270, but if he wants to go after big gamehe ought to get the 06 for the better bullet suggestions.
Borty

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

i think a 270 would be on the right track. it would be my pick.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

You can't go wrong with any of these:

.270 Winchester
.280 Remington
7mm-08 Remington
.308 Winchester
.30-06 Springfield

I think that the .30-06 is the best all around cartridge, but its easier to find CHEAP ammo with the .308 to practice with. You could really throw a dart at these rifles and be fine with whichever one you came up with.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

For a "one gun does everything" scenariothe 06 is probably the ticket. If he is going to get more than one gun I would start with a 270 WSM for a super flat shooting deer antelope gun, and pick a big game rifle later in 30 or 338 caliber.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

For a first gun the 7mm-08 is a great choice for deer and elk at shorter ranges.If he handles recoil well the 7mmremmag is a fine choice and is better for elk and moose at longer ranges.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

270 would be my choice followed by the 7mm-08. If recoil is not a big issue then the 30-06 would last him for life.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

30-06!

With all the open ended variable and uncertainties, definitely the 30-06 and he'll be set for life to go most places and do most things from prairie dogs to moose and elk.

Ammo is cheap and plentiful, plus the variety of bullet weights and power loadings is outstanding:
** "Managed recoil" for plinking
** "Regular" for deer
** Federal "High Energy" for more serious game.

Very versatile and very much NON-specialized, that is its strength!

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

I can't believe we are STILL arguing this one after decades of the same thing: 270 or 30/06???

If you don't want both then why not just split the difference? How about a .280???

Course if you have a .280 you need neither of the other two! :D
RA

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

Didn't see much "argument" in there.
Besides the guy will most likely buy the whatever the last salesman talks him into anyway.
Maybe a 300 RUM

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

the .30-06 is very tough to beat. The .280 is another excellent choice.

The .308 and 7-08 next...then the .270

Any will be excellent to the task.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

7MM-08 All the Wayyy!! I am a veteran hunter who has owned just about every caliber of hunting rifle at one time or another. Stubblejumper stated "7mm-08 for deer & elk at close ranges"'. That is absolute nonsense. I have zeroed in my new Kimber 84m 7mm-08 3" high at 100 yrads with Hornady 139 Grain light magnum ammo (3,000 FPS). I took it out to the open plains last weekend and my bro and I practiced with a Leupold 100yd target at 200 and 300 yards. My bro shoots a 270WSM. We both shot 2-3" groups at 200 yds and 4" groups at 300+ yds. The 7mm-08 can flat out get the job done out to 350yds and I dare say 400yds with practice. The great thing about the caliber is that it is very pleasant to shoot and practice a lot with. even in the kimber 84m that weighs only 5.5 Lbs with a very straight stock and a 1" Pachmeyer recoil pad. The gun is awesome, prolly one of the top 2 or 3 I have ever owned and it was only $815.00!! I say ONLY, because thats a good price for a gun engineered to be 5.5 pounds with a match grade barrel and mauser claw action with a mod 70style threeposition safety with pillar bedding. its about as custom as custom will ever get from a factory gun. I will agree however, that the 7mm-08 is more of a close range gun for Elk, but not deer. I would not feel comfortable taking Elk with it beyond 200 yards. But thats because I would load it up with 175 grain bulletts for Elk. Funny thing is though, I have never taken an Elk beyond 150 yards anyway. And, most folks shouldnt be shooting deer beyond 200 yards unless they truly know their gun well and practice a lot. I hunt in very wide open country and that said 95% of the deer I have taken were within 150 Yards. You can't go wrong with any of the rounds mentioned here so far, but the 7mm-08 is a very accurate and flat shooter without a bunch of recoil. I would also consider the 260 if I were you as well. Especially if you are primarily hunting deer. You can get these rifles in a nice light gun that is a pleasure to carry in the field too. Good luck!!

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

I stand by my statement.In my opinion the 7mm-08 is a fine cartridge for deer &elk at close ranges,meaning a fine cartridge for deer and for elk at close ranges.I would not hestitate to shoot deer at 400 yards with the 7mm-08,but I would limit my shots on elk to 200 to 250 yards at most.Is that nonsense to you?Or do you understand what I meant now?:D

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

I can easily settle this one. I had the same question years ago. The obvious answer? Nobody is ever happy with just one gun!! It's the only addiction the government doesn't subsidize. I went with the 30-06 for my first one. I didn't last a year. I bought a 7.62x54r (Russian surplus) two months later. Then the 30-30, then the slug gun. I wouldn't worry. If he continues hunting, he'll find a way to buy more before it becomes an issue.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

Steering him to a 7mm Rem. Mag is a good choice, If... he learns to shoot it well. If he can shoot a 7mm Rem Mag. well, that's all he will need! ;)


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RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

I think you're steering him in the right direction. However, you did not say
anything about how much shooting experience he has, or if he has any issues with recoil, etc.
The 270Win., 280Rem., or 30-06 are almost never wrong. The 7mmRem.Mag. is another good choice. Any of these will handle deer & elk. If he prefers a short action then I'd be inclined to go with no less than the 308Win. with elk on the menu.
Good luck.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

The 7mm-08 can deliever 1200-1300 ftp of energy at 500 yards. I would hope that 500 yards would be considered long range for a game animal. I would considerate it a short range elk gun. 250 yards 1500-1700 b@ 300 yards.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

I would definately go with the 30-06!!!! Being a grown man it shouldn't be too much recoil for him (i started shooting a 06 in my teens) unlike the magnums. And while everyone makes a good point, they forget one important thing....you can walk into any podunk store that sells ammo and I can guarantee that they have 06 ammo. They may have a box of .270 or .308 (which would be my second choice for a one gun) if they're not sold out. Bein a hillbilly from WV there's been a couple times I've been way back away from everything but a little general store, but I can always count on finding the 06 ammo.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

The .30-06 and 7mm Rem. Magnum have about the same amount of recoil. Not much difference in recoil when comparing those two cartridges.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

EXACTLEY!!!! "If" he's not use to recoil, i'd set him on a path to the 7-08, if he "really" is use to recoil then the 30-06 with the "right choise of bullet" is good for anything he will hunt in the U.S...

7-08 will be a lot handier rifle to carry than a 7 mag., and the 7 mag has a LOT more recoil and cost more to shoot too.

My experience has been, guys "say" they can handle recoil, but actually can't...

Drilling Man

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

Okay stubblejumper-I see you meant exactly what I tried to say, (I think).
The 7mm-08 is an adequate long range deer gun and very comfortable to shoot even in a light weight rifle. But for Elk, its best used at ranges less than or equal to 250 yards. That I will buy. You could almost say the same thing about the 308, it just does it with more authority on elk and doesnt shoot the lighter weight bullets as flat a the 7mm-08 (plus has more recoil). Therefore if you are primarily a deer hunter, the 7mm-08 is hard to beat. It has the inherent accuracy of its mother (308) and almost the same flatness as the 270 with 140 grain bullets (with less recoil). And though I have never been recoil sensitive, I have to say the lack of big recoil makes me a better shot. Especially at the range or when doing a lot of practicing. All the guns I've had in the last 30+ years have been magnums eg., 338WM,300Wm,7mm RM, 7mm WM, 270WSM and it has been extremely refreshing to meet the 7mm-08! My next gun will prolly be the venerable 30-06. That way I will have deer and Elk totally covered and no more magnums!!! Of corse i'd prolly be fine with just the 7mm-08 as I have never shot an Elk, nor had the opportunity at more than 200 Yards. Elk in Washington State just rarely inhabit any country that you can view them that far away. Its usually intermittent pine rimmed meadows that measure from 1/2 acre to 3 acres-or ambush trails and thick timber on the East side of the State and rain forest jungle on the west side.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

I have a 280 Rem. and a 308 Win. to mention a few! I really like the 280 Rem. as a "all rounder" and it will do anything and everything I'll ever need it to do. Having said that, if your friend wants to buy one rifle for the game you mentioned I would recommend a 30-06 Spr. If I was starting over I would probably get a 30-06 instead of the 280. The main reason I say this is because I don't reload and don't know if I ever will. You can get factory loaded ammo from 55 gr. &110 gr. all the way up to 220 gr. for the 30-06.I love my 280, do think I'll ever part with it, but the ought-six is extremely tough to beat as a "all rounder". The 270 Win. is no slouch either!

I use afast handling rifle/carbine when I hunt in the woods. Right now my woods rifle is my Marlin 336CS in 35 Rem. I also use a bolt action when longer shots might be on the table, right now its my 280 Rem. Like I said if I was starting over I would use eithera Remington model 7400 Carbine or a 7600 Carbine in 30-06 as my woods rifle and a Remington model 700 CDL in 30-06 as my long range rifle, and we could have a nice little birthday party for the 30-06 next year!!!:D

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

I wouldn't recommend that a new shooter/hunter start out with a magnum. Let him learn to shoot and huntfirst! Several light recoiling calibers such as the 6.5x55, 260,7x57,or 7mm-08 are more than adequate (some would say excellent)for deer and antelope andcan alsoget the job done on the "I don't know if I want to hunt them", "might get a chance some day" Elk.

Bullet Placement, Bullet Placement, Bullet Placement. First, let him learn to shoot accurately athis normal hunting distances with a low recoil caliber.......he can always go to a maginum later if hedecides heneeds to!

firstshot
-----------------------------
Make your first shot count!

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

The best first gun IMHO would be the .30-06. Others have recited most of the rationale for this recommendation, but I will restate them.

The cartridge can be used for all game animals -- and has been used successfully to take a pretty good portion of the big game animals that have been taken in North America over the last 50 years. Granted, other heavier cartridges may be preferred for brown and grizzly bear, but this does not change the fact that .30-06 has probably taken a lot of the brown and grizzly bears over the last 50 years. Magnum cartridges may be flatter shooting, but this difference probably will not make a dime's bit of difference until the shooting gets out beyond 300 yards, and most hunters, myself included, probably should not be taking shots out beyond 300 yards anyway because they don't shoot accurately enough under field conditions at 300 yards to reliably place their shots on game animals where they need to be placed.

The cartridge is omnipresent. I imagine you can buy a .30-06 rifle in any action -- lever, pump, auto-loader, single-shot, and bolt action. I imagine every manufacturer offers at least one rifle chambered in .30-06. A wide variety of .30-06 ammunition is available, from 125 grains up to 220 grains. If you can buy centerfire ammunition in a store, they will probably stock an .30-06 load appropriate for the game animals known in that area.

I have heard people say everyone should have a .30-06 in their battery of guns. There are other cartridges that are better than the .30-06 for specific purposes -- maybe the .25-06 for pronghorn antelope, for example-- but the .30-06 is a good back-up gun formostgame. And in most hunting situations it is a good idea to have a back-up gun if possible.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

I'd recommend the 30-06 for deer and larger game. Of course, the .270 is a great choice also. And so is the 7MM. Can't go wrong w/ any of them.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

Very well said!!!

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

ditto!!!

flip a coin, these will all work in any situation! don't let these guys sell you.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

I'd go with the 270. Maybe the 30-06.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

Hello....'06..... this is an easyone. Regards, Rick.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

30-06

The ideal cartridge for all Australian game from Bunnies to Buffalo. With a 180gn projectile, the 30-06 is considered the minimum practical calibre for Sambar Deer.

If recoil is an issue, then maybe a 270.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

This one is Awesome. Inexpensive. Great accuracy. Can be found at Walmart. Groups of 1 1/2 inches or better. Cheaper ammo at 10.00 a box. Kills deer instantly when hit at the right spot.;)Never had one run over 5 feet. 30-30 Marlin Model 336 Cost now 296.They are getting real popular so get one now before they rise in price. Last year they were 267.
With see through scope rings and a 9power scope it is my best gun.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

If that is your best gun,you need to go gun shopping.:D

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

I'm sure many feel that way. I actually did go to a store the other day to buy a 270. I talked to some of my friends on here and they said Chuck...don't waste your money the 30-30 is all you need where you will be hunting.Instead...invest in some hunting land in a home. I said.AMEN;)
Chuck

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

What we need is a good, effective, North American deer hunting cartridge and rifle combination. We need a rifle that is reliable, accurate, easy to operate, and easy to carry. And we need a cartridge that can be chambered in short, light rifles and still not kick the shooter out from under his or her hat; a cartridge with a maximum point blank range (+/- 3" from the line of sight) of at least 200 yards.

Three older, established cartridges come to mind. These are the .30-30 Winchester, .300 Savage, and .32 Winchester Special. All three shoot a 150-180 grain bullet fast enough so that it won't rise or fall more than about 3 inches until it is out past 200 yards when properly zeroed. A 200 yard trajectory of plus or minus 3" will take about 90% of all the deer killed in North America.

This is a copy and paste from a Gun Magazine Article


Ideal Deer Cartridges

By Chuck Hawks

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

Chuck, I'm glad you are happy with what you've got. Good luck with your hunting where ever that may be....

Bear one thing in mind, .... gun writers for the most part are a weak source of evidence/guidance.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

6.5mmSwede or 7mm-08.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

Truer words were never spoken.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

reb didn't you mean 260rem or the 7mm-08, 2 of my favorites, they seem to be perfect for the size deer we have, plus thats about all i hunt, either that or a 458 win magor 416 rigby[:-]

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

No, I have156gr Norma for the6.5mmx55 Ruger.

RE: best caliber for your first gun
 

just pickin at you reb, that is one sweet shootin caliber, IMO perfect deer caliber, i loved the little 260 i bought for the wife so much i bought a barrel for my encore, even though 98% of the time i take her little model seven with me, the other 2% she's either with me (doe days) or i'm hunting a long stretch[:-]