New Hunter-Need firearm advice
 

Ive loved hunting since i was little and im old enough now that my parents are going to let me start hunting. I'm planning to spend about $500 on my first rifle but i have no idea whats right for me. Ive seen many very big whitetail in my backyard and im sure there will be some pretty big ones out in my woods so id like some advice for a firearm that can take down some pretty big sized bucks. I was looking at this one, would that be a good rifle or would that not be right for me i really have no idea what im looking at aside from understanding what a bolt action rifle is. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...685&hasJS=true

removed by RD

Very good idea, but the scope will need to be replaced once you can afford it.


A quality scope is more important then a expensive rifle.



A .243 Winchester will allow you to hunt everything and give you the ability to practice without a lot of recoil.



http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.243winchester.html



http://www.reloadbench.com/cartridges/243.html




Have a ton of fun !!!

I have that exact gun in .243. I bought mine for coyotes or deer if I don't use my 30-06. The .243 will work fine on whitetails, but you may want to look at the .270. If you get the package deal upgrade the scope as soon as you can. Or buy the same gun without scope and put a better scope on right away. Wish I would've done that. If you have other questions please ask. The people on this site have alot of great information.

That combo in .270 would be an excellent choice to get you going. The scope on those is ok, but the one on my neighbors took a crap at the worst possible moment. He was lined up 30 yards away and missed the buck of a lifetime. Come to find out, after about 12 rounds of shooting the vertical crosshair broke and the gun was shooting about 18 inches low. Another great combo that would save you a few $$$ and give you the extra coin for a descent scope is the new Marlin XL series of gun. You could get one in .270 or .308 and be good to go.

I have the 111 in 7mmRM. The scope rings are crap, but I haven't had a problem with the bases on mine. I took off the scope that came in the package and replaced it. The package scope now sits atop my Savage 22. However, the Simmons Blazer 3-9x scope that comes with it should keep you up and running for awhile. It took the recoil of my 7 mag just fine while I used it. You'll probably want to upgrade eventually.

Savage rifles are about as good as they come for the money. They have adjustable triggers, free-floated barrels, and are all-in-all just great values. Accuracy is up there with the more expensive bolt guns with no trouble.

Now, Savage owns Stevens. You might look up the Stevens 200. They're basically the same gun as you have a link to above, only more on the plain side. They won't cost as much, and that's money you could use for a nicer scope.

If you want to avoid recoil, a 24 or 25 cal rifle would be ideal. I'm a big fan of the 25-06, but many like the popular little 243. The 7mm-08 is also another easy shooter. Other choices could include the 270, 30-06, 7mm Remington Magnum (gets a thumbs up from me), or 300 Win Mag. Recoil pads work wonders if it comes down to it.

I'd get into reloading as soon as you can. Making your own ammunition is much much cheaper than factory ammo, and gives you nearly unlimited possibilites.

BigZ is right. With your a budget a Stevens 200 is the answer (about $300). I would go with that gun in 30-06 and a Simmons Aetec 2.8-10 scope ( about $70 on the Natchez site, thats half off) with Burris dual dovetail scope bases and rings (about $50 from Midway USA). I have a Simmons with dual dovetail mounts on my Savage 300WM and it shoots extremely tight groups and holds its zero. Try Remington's managed recoil loads to get used to centerfire rifle recoil and then work your way up to full loads if you desire. My 10 year old shoots my 30-06 with managed recoil loads so you will have no problems. This will be a very versatile package, especially if you decide to reload.

Stevens 200 or Marlin XL7 is what I'd get if I wanted a bolt gun. I actually might get the Savage Wal-Mart sells that has the accu trigger for $400 as a package and just replace the scope. However, a Marlin XL7 or Stevens 200 would leave you extra money for a decent scope. I'd probably get one in either 7mm-08, .270, or 30-06. The 30-06 would probably be my first choice.

Another thing to think about though is a bolt action what you really want? Or do you want a semi auto or lever action? If you want a lever action the Marlin 30-30's seem to be great and you could get one cheap enough you could get a decent scope for it and still be around your $500 budget.

If you want a semi auto as I prefer you pretty much have two options. The Remington 7400 and the Browning BAR. Of those two the BAR usually seems to be much preferred. I'd stay away from the Remington 740 or 742 as they are known for quickly wearing out and costing more to fix than to replace.

Are you going to be going at this primarily on your own? Does your Dad hunt? How old are you?

Tom

Check out the Savage 10 GPX in 7mm-08, I was a hardcore 270 man in the bdl. I took a slick head at 175 yards with no tracking. Im impressed by the round and no recoil and great accurcy. Just a rambling thought.