need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

Birthday comin' up, and looking forward to getting into shooting and hunting. I know there are a lot of opinions, and I am really enjoying reading all of them. This post is pretty much my train of thought on the gun I have decided on, and I was hoping those with more experience than myself (i.e. - pretty much everyone on this board) could tell me if my logic is flawed.

Based on some discussion and research, I have been leaning towards a Savage, probably the 30-06 for a couple of reasons:

-"jack of all trades" caliber for big game, and I'll be going after deer, elk, and moose eventually.

-easy to find and somewhat cheaper ammunition

-Good reputation. Savage seems to be pretty popular for an affordable rifle with great performance.

If I am wrong about any of these points, or if there are better options, please fill me in. I was also intrigued by the T/C Encore and/or Savage Muzzleloader, but I'm not entirely savvy on their pros and cons for a novice.

Any and all advice is much appreciated.

By the way, I sould mention that I will only be able to afford one firearm, and I have heard suggestions of getting a .22 to practice with first, but to be perfectly honest, I figure I might as well get what I would be using in nine months anyway and practice my butt off.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

looks like you got it all figured out you will be happy with a savage and I think the 30-06 is a good all around gun also if you would like a little more power with out alot more recoil check out the 7mm mag.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

I think your train of thought is right on but what will you be using the gun for ie.. hunting what. shooting what.

I think a good bolt action is a good 1st gunor a nice single shot like an encore I think youd be fine with either.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

Savage is not my cup of tea, but it is for a lot of people and there's no reason why you shouldn't buy it if that's what you want. They certainly havea reputation for fine accuracy.And, of course, the .30-06 has been there and done that. It would be a great cartridge to go with.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

Reily
Sounds to me like you have been doing your homework.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

I appreciate the replies. I have one other question though that I forgot to post. Should I bother getting the package with the scope and the strap, or should I just get the rifle and piece the rest together. I don't know a great deal about scopes, so I have no idea whether or not the scope they provide would be sufficient for hunting in the Northeast US. Thanks again.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

Reily,
I picked up the Savage package in 243 and my buddy picked it up the same day in 270. It came with a Simmons 3-9 scope. My buddies scopehas been fine, not the best optics but has been OK so far. Mine was terrible. After just a few shots with the 243 (mild recoil) neither me nor the gun shop could focus it properly. I have already put a new Nikon on it. MUCH BETTER. Bottom line with the scope that comes with it is that it might be serviceable and get you out in the woods or it could crap out after a few shots. If you can afford better optics do it.

A 3-9 would be all you should need hunting in the NE

Both guns shoot great, very accurate

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

I'd piece it together. Stay away from the cheapest rings and stick with (this is not an all inclusive list but...) Bushnell Elite 3200s and 4300s, Any Leopold you can find in your price range, or Burris Fullfields. There are so many options on optics it would be impossible to give a run-down on whats good and whats not. Buy the best you can, don't buy anything over 10x and you'll do fine. Many a man who can afford will spent 2 or 3 times the money on a scope than he paid for the gun...so seriously buy the best you can and don't worry about it. You don't have to spend $500-2,000 to get a good solid scope.

Oh, and a Savage 30-06 is going to be hard to beat as a do-all utility gun.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

I'd say you've already got it figured out just fine. Like others said though the package guns come with cheap scopes...cheap mounts...and cheap slings. The Savage rifle will last you a lifetime so why not get good accessories?

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

Reily,
Glad you're taking up hunting. As usual the people on this
forum are being generous with their good advice. I'd just
like to mention you may want to go and shoulder a few
different models before you decide. Pick the one that feels
good to you.
A 22 is always a good place to start but as long as you
get some good pointers/instruction on your larger calibers
getting what you need/want is important. Practice is the
key. Good luck and keep us posted.

God bless and an earlyHappy Birthday,
PK

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

for the practicing,i would get someone to lend you a .22 or something low calibered like that.if you practice your butt off(i think shoulder would be the correct term:D)it is gonna really kill your shoulder.the .22 has no recoil and like $50will provide like a week of ammo at the range.the cheapest iv seen was $7.26 for a brick of 500.im pretty sure thats much cheaper than .30/.o6.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

I would def. agree with buying it seperately, Find the gun you like then go get a scope the previous ones metioned are all good although the Bushnell 4200(4300is a typo) are very expensive. You can get a nice Burris Fullfield or Bushnell 3200 3x9x40mm off ebay for under 200$ shipped. Id go with Leupold or Burris rings and bases.

The brand rifle youchose, well its been argued here forever what to get but it has to be comfortable for you. If your on a budget you cant beat a Savage. When you go and shoulder some guns try to have on a jacket or at least remember itll prob be cold when you are hunting.

After you purchase the gun/scope do yourself a favor and buy or borrow a half-decent rest to sight it in with. Its very hard to geta real taste of how a gun can shoot resting on a half assed book bag or a gun case with the xhairs moving around before you shoot especially a high power rifle thats new to you.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

Well, I will go against the grain here and say buy the package. What is to lose. Usually the package deals are less expensive than buying the same exact rifle without the scope. I bought a savage .308 package deal and the scope has been great. Taken deer with it already. Only needed a minor adjustment to get it sighted in where I wanted it.

The sling was crap though and I bought a comfortable sling from wally-world for 10 bucks.

I will eventually change out the simmons scope and mounts on it but that will be this summer. I have a burris sitting around doing nothing. Then again I might just leave the simmons on it until it starts giving me grief then change it.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

Have you thought about looking on the used market? The 30-06 is so common that there are literally tons of them in gun & pawn shops around the country. I've seen some really good deals at gun shows also. Often you can buy a used gun in very good condition with a good scope on it for just a little over what the same gun new costs without a good scope.

If you are set on the Savage they are good rifles. I would however go to a local shop and handle a Remington, Ruger, Winchester, & any others they have in 30-06 and buy the one that feels the best in your hands.

One great thing about the 30-06 is that there is now low recoil ammo available for this round. Since this is your first rifle I would buy at least a couple boxes of this ammo to do your initial shooting with. This will ease you into the recoil of the rifle. After the first 2 boxes if everything is going well then move onto conventional factory loads. The 30-06 is a great round and will handle all of the game you listed in your initial post with proper bullet selection and placement. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

Reily:

For a first big game rifle, it is hard to go wrong with a bolt action chambered in .30-06. What is nice about this selection is that if you add more specialized rifles later -- a .25-06 for pronghorn antelope hunting, a .338 Winchester Magnum for elk/moose hunting -- you can still take the .30-06 along on these hunts as a back-up in case the preferred rifle becomes disabled for some reason (when you drive 1000 miles to hunt out of state having paid several hundred dollars for a non-resident tag, it is better to NOT have your hunt scuttled because you only have one gun and it fell out of the truck in the dark unloading things at the hotel when you arrived exhausted after your long drive -- didn't happen to me, just an illustrative scenario -- it is a very good idea to bring along a back-up gun).

If you have no rifle shooting experience, I would have some reservations about having you start out with the .30-06 or other powerful centerfire rifle. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it seems there are better approaches. For example, a lot of people get to powerful centerfire rifles by way of first shooting BB guns, second shooting .22 LR rifles, and then the centerfire rifle (maybe with some shotgun shooting experience with 12 gauge 2 3/4" shells also). If you are totally new to rifle shooting, it may be beneficial to get some experience with a BB gun to learn the fundamental rifle shooting positions (standing, kneeling, sitting, prone). You can even improve your most basic marksmanship shooting a BB gun at targets at 5 yards range. The sweet part about this recommendation is that you can pick up a Daisy "Buck" BB gun for about $18 and you can practice inside. This may seem a humiliating practice for someone chomping at the bit to be pulling the trigger on the .30-06, but if you are a rank beginner it will pay dividends. I would guess that a large number of rifleman have extensive BB gun experience in their past, before shooting their powerful centerfire rifles. I'm getting my youngest daughter started right now shooting just such a Daisy "Buck" BB gun, and I can tell you that it is a challenge for her to shoot well and that -- thankfully! -- I shoot better than she does (the point here is that up to a certain level, marksmanship can be trained and improved with such a simple, cheap tool). Something to think about. I mention this because you did not indicate any prior experience.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

I think you've done your research well and the savage in 30-06 will make a fine choice and last you a lifetime.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

Go for it!

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

Why would you buy the package if you know your going to switch out the crap scope anyway. Unless you cant afford any better buy just the gun. The bases and rings in the package are junk also and they are pretty important part of the gun as well.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

I have used my dads savage .270 that he got about 5 years ago, it came with scope, rings, bases, sling, and case.

After we got it sighted in, at has been an outstanding rifle, the scope is not the best, but it holds its zero like any scope that i have ever used,

I dont think you can go wrong with the package deal from Savage and i have to reccomend it, the Savage has been an outstanding rifle for the both of us and they are great rifles,

good luck with your decision

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

I'd say to do a little homework on what the scope in the package is. It wouldn't take long to get a number of opinions on this forum concerning its quality, durability, etc. If it gets bad reviews here, then I'd definitely go with a separate scope. The sling is not a major expense, so if the scope isn't a decent one, it won't cost that much more to get a good sling.
I agree with superpig on starting out with reduced recoil ammo. Not that an '06 produces a huge recoil, but as a beginner, it would be good to start with something less than full power.

IM jaybe :)

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

Wow...thanks to everybody for offering their thoughts. Based on what I'm reading, I think I'm going to just get the gun, package be damned. It'll save me a couple of bucks in the short term, and when the long term comes around, I'll actually be making more money anyway - win-win situation. For the record, I have been shooting a couple of times for trap, target, and breaking in a TC encore, so I don't think the recoil will be a problem. And pardon me for being too proud, but even though money is an issue, since this is my first gun, there's just something that feels good about getting a brand new...anything. By that same token, I just found out that walmart is selling exactly what I'm looking for for almost 100 bucks less than what I can get it for here. Problem is, no Walmart remotely near Juneau AK. How do I get around that roadblock? Thanks again. Waiting till my birthday is killing me!

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

I'm stumped by the walmart problem. I thought they had them on the moon. They seem to be everywhere. Unless you want to take a trip to Oregon or the closest walmart. It would probably cost more in gas than you would save.


I really like my savage. Of course I bought mine right before they introduced the accu-trigger. I bought a 7mm mag. I've been very happy with it. I don't think I would recommend if for someones first firearm. 7mm mag is a great cartridge, very flat shooting and can take down a large variety of game, but as posted earlier they have a kick and if it is your first gun you'll feel like you've tangled with a mule after your first day at the range. I would stick with the 30-06 or my personal preference the .308 Either one of them will serve you well. The .308 has a little less kick and I just really like it, but a lot of people enjoy the 30-06 again both are great weapons. Good luck.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

You can't go wrong with most modern centerfire rifles. However, you are right to avoid the package deal. You may have a nice gun, but if your scope doesn't hold a zero or perform when the conditions get tough, you might as well be carrying a stick. Nikon, Leupold, and others make scopes that are much better bargains, more expensive, but still a better bargain.

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

I think u are makin the right choice. I especially like the accu-trigger

RE: need help justifying my decision-1st gun...
 

Here's another idea. Buy a few of those snap caps. They are like a dummy round that absorbs the shock for the firing pin, but they don't shoot. Use them for dry-fire practice. You can really improve your shooting ability without buying all those shells. This will make you a better shot and save you money.