New hunters and affordable gear
 

I started big game hunting just as I got married and as well took a job that paid noticably less money right before I got married. My previous job required me to fly every monday morning for a medium sized engineering firm and this didnt fit a married life too well.
I needed a rifle. My dad was a wanna be musician and part time hippie, he didnt pass me down a rifle or traditions of any kind so I had to figure it all out myself. My pals dad gave him a 700 CDL in 280, the mountain rifle. Beautiful. I could afford a 700 ADL synthetic stock chambered in 30-06. $319.00 when your on a real tight budget and your new wife is trying to understand why your working a second job at minimum wage just to afford this is hard to explain to your wife.
I would like to encourage all fellows (and ladies) in this situation to please inquire more from us here on what gear to get that will function well and last. It is tough to justify this gear on a shoe string budget but it can be done.
What gear did everyone here start with?

RE: New hunters and affordable gear
 

i started with hand me downs. just buy a little here and there and eventually you will be able to open your own sporting goods store:D

RE: New hunters and affordable gear
 

When I got married many moons back I desperately wanted to continue hunting but it was difficult to do so with only the regular paychecks. I decided to cut lawns to make extra money. One yard, then another and another and............... Before I knew it I was working 40-50 hrs at my regular job, cutting 25-30 yards a week and going to college full time. The first gun I bought was an A-bolt composite stalker in .280 and mounted a Leupy 4.5-14x50 AO just prior to the birth of my first son. I have had several guns come and go since then but will never part with my trusty A-bolt as I plan on passing it to my son. Hard work and sacrifice are qualities that most of the hunters I know possess. We tend to be passionate about our jobs, families and hobbies. We work hard so we can play hard.

RE: New hunters and affordable gear
 

I was lucky enough to have some guns already. I also had camo uniforms left over from my last couple years in the reserve, so I wore those. I have since picked up stuff as it goes on sale. End of season clearance sales, discontinued patterns, and discontinued models are the things I look for.

RE: New hunters and affordable gear
 

Used my college loans to buy my first rifle. I was into bench shooting and I got a Winchester M70 HV with a fluted SS barrel. I've taken a lot of deer with that rifle now. Even though it looks ridiculous for a hunting rifle.

Tom

RE: New hunters and affordable gear
 

I was lucky as well. My father was a hunter and gunsmith so I had firearms ever since I was big enough to shoot. Started out with a H&R .410 single shot shotgun when I was about 7 years old, had a marlin model 60 when I was 10, a Rem. 870 3" mag and a Win. M-94 30/30when I was 12. As I got older, I started working in the gunsmith shop, sweeping,cleaning, and stuf, to "earn" more firearms instead of money. Of course I got a few hand me down guns as well. The as I got old enough to buyfirearms, I started acquiring what I wanted and could afford.

I also started acquiring stuff like treestands, cammies, boots, and reloading equipment as I could afford them over the years. Today I have more stuff than I probably need but not nearly enough as I want!:D

RE: New hunters and affordable gear
 

This is a great topic. In short, ya do what ya gotta do. The internet makes it tough to keep this in perspective sometimes when young guys or even older guys for that matter get into hunting. See all the fancy guns, clothes, electronics, etc., etc., that EVERYONE else seems to have.

When I got married, I had a little stuff, but not much. I just bought a little at a time and made due with what I had. Remember, it's not about the stuff, it's about the experience. You don't need all the top of the line stuff to have the experience.

When I started raising kids, things got put on hold. My family comes first, WAY before my enjoyment of fishing and hunting. I have a 15 y.o. son and he loves all this stuff, so it has given me the opportunity/excuss, to get back into it. :) But, to be honest, when he is out of the house and possibly moves away andthe younger kids are his age, if they don't like hunting, my hunting days will go on hold again. Who knows what I will be doing, maybe going to ballet recitals, or whatever it might be. To me it is not MY wants above anything else. Kids come first.

RE: New hunters and affordable gear
 

Gear does not have to be fancy to do the job.A stevens 200 is low priced and dependable and makes a good starter rifle.Better to be hunting with plain gear than to not be hunting.

RE: New hunters and affordable gear
 

In some areas you can save a lot of money,but on major purchases,such as guns,bows,scopes,you should(in my opinion) save up to get exactly what you want/need for the intended purpose. If you don't,you'll always kick yourself until you finally do get what you wanted/needed and will be out more money in long run. In other words,you won't need to "step up".
The added confidence in the equipment will aid your ability overall.

RE: New hunters and affordable gear
 

good post....

alot of people get caught up in buying the best and only recomending the best and dont realize "hey maybe this guy is new, has a family, isnt rich etc and doesnt NEED a 3000$ setup to shoot a deer"


myself...i started out with whatever dad gave me. clothes were almost all hand me downs...guns were used and not the greatest...but they were mine and i killed alot of game with that marlin 22lr and single shot 20ga. dads given me alot of guns throughout time now...but those are about the only 2 hunting guns.

now im 20...i work..i dont have a family or anything so when i want something i buy it. just spent about 1200$ on a groundhog rig. for goodness sakes...a gun to shoot groundhogs with...cant eat them...dont do nothin with them...most people would call me nuts...thats always been a dream of mine...a tack drivin varmint rifle...now i own it...i bought it because i can..making money...not much better to spend it on...figure i better buy my toys now while im young...(dont worry 1200 isnt where im stopping on that rifle!! lol)

but i'll admit...i still got a 4x 30$ tasco on my marlin 22..guess what...i havent had to resight it in in years...i can still headshoot squirrels all day...i do better with it than i do a shotgun alot of times.

still remember looking through the TV shaped 6x weaver scope on the borrowed winchester 88 when i shot my first deer..

i just shot that marlin 22 today. i was having a BALL. shooting clay pigeons 150yds away...still a tack driver!

expensive stuff is usually better....but the cheaper stuff can and does work....if you cant afford the leupold buy the tasco...just be easy on it and dont expect it to last forever...if you cant afford the 1200$ groundhog rig, use whatever you got laying around...i did for YEARS till this year...i used my deer rifle...guess what..it worked!

RE: New hunters and affordable gear
 

I'm sorry,I failed to realize that you know more than me-a gunsmith with 26+ years experience of fixing and building rifles. And hunting with almost 40 years experience,bowhunter since 1977. Not to mention ex competion shooter.

RE: New hunters and affordable gear
 

Good to hear that many have made affordable gear work and respect the experience by merely accomodating it with gear. If I ever have kids, I will certainly be prepared to put things on hold for a bit but will always keep my stuff. EJ

RE: New hunters and affordable gear
 

I was fortunate to be in a family where hunting was a way of life. Growing up, wild game was the meat of choice both because that's what my grandfather had to provide for his family starting up the farm when first coming to this country as well as my father during my early years, that's all that could be afforded. I remember when first moving to the city making the runs back out to the farm to pick up chickens that were carried back to the city alive in the trunk of the old chevy and kept in a old garage till needed. Hunting was done with .22's just because ammo was cheap. My first real hunting rifle was aLee Enfield .303 just because the government was dumping the military surplus and they were cheap. It took 3 years of paper route money, grass cutting money, doing all kinds of odd job saving, to buy the $39 gun (I still have it). That was many years ago and I have watched the amazing growth ofthe multi-billion dollar a year hunting industry. Your post is great because it caused me to reflectas well as show my sons how hard it would be today to startthe hunting life style from scratch. It is something that they will never have to do but it has, I believe assisted them in understanding what I tell them all the time (even though they are great kids,I believe whenI tell them how hard is was starting out they think it's just the old man talking). My older son, 16 this year, will be starting his5th year hunting. He has a PSE bow, cooey .22, Marlin 30-30, Ithica 12 g., and a .50 cal Traditions inline ML all given to him by me (plus all the hunting gear,camo, treestands, etc. as well as a personal guide that has set him up for the last4 years). Well since he has had his first real partime job this year as well as he is now old andexperienced enough tosethimself up for hunting, Dad has now said therest is up to him. He's saved enough over the last half a year to buy his first gun (Browning BPS 12g., sweet gun), and he is half there for new high power (looking at a Savage 7mm mag). My younger son, who will be 12 shortly andwill be hunting this year for the first time already has a .22 Rem. and a Stevens 7-08 with a 3x9x40 Nikon scope (his first real hunting rifle as well as the como and all the other stuff). I had both of them read your post and talkedonce again of how fortunate they are. I think it hit home for the older son told the younger son, "you know how hard it was to save for the new 12 g.". It takes many years to build up the "stuff" as well as many sacrafices (time, money etc.) but keep with it for some day you may be talking to your kids as I do about the difficulties of starting hunting. At that time the difficulties will be fond memories for that is what the lifestyle provides us. Best of luck and I'm sure that all will work out if you keep with it. Buy what you can afford but get into the woods. It willall be worth it.

RE: New hunters and affordable gear
 

Get whatever you can get your hands on and dont worry about trying to be like the big boys. As long as you take of it, it will take care of you.

RE: New hunters and affordable gear
 

Gun Drawings Are a good way to get hands on some good guns.
I've won 6 guns over the years from our loacal fire hall.
:):):)