Friends first rifle?
 

friend who recently bought a 9mm and .22lr (so technically 2nd rifle but first hunting/long range rifle) told me he wants a "quality" rifle that he can shoot far.

I doubt he'd want to spend 1k on the rifle, so probably in the $600 class.

Off the top of my head I was thinking, 270win. or 30-06 in maybe a tikka or savage?

also was thinking maybe .308 class... 7mm-08, .243win...

or maybe even the 6.5mm-284? but I think standard cartridges/cheaper ammo he'd probably want vs. anything semi exotic.

I think he probably is thinking target/tactical but I kinda was saying think about a hunting type rifle, maybe put a bipod on it... kind of a dual purpose or just a hunting class rifle you can shoot semi-long range, I think he's thinking 200yds but potential for more.

Any suggestions/ideas? Thanks.

7mm-08 from any of the major makers.

Not to go against Flags,7mm-08 is good but i would sooner have a 308 Win or an 06.
Seems to be a lot more ammo out there for these two guns.

You're going to get a range of responses here. And they are all correct. Can't go wrong with anything listed.
-Jake

HOW far is LONG to this guy
under 500 yards
WHY not get a .223, TONS Of Cheaper bulk AMMO, low RECOIL
to make range time more fun?
Rather than BIG booms and sore shoulders maybe?
.223 is a pretty good flat shooting caliber and can be had in a TON of different style of rifles
as there is NO real mention of needing it for hunting, just shooting it " FAR"
same would be to a 22-250 , not as cheap on ammo, but a little more distance can be had
next will be a .243

and so on to larger calibers

JUST for OP to realize, that even BIG calibers are going to get tricky after 500 yards in bullet drop
for 99% of calibers that is!
so bigger doesn't always mean better !

260 rem. about as good as you can get for a first rifle.
RR

Uh does he live here in Illinois? If so then any rifle he gets, except for a muzzleloading rifle, will be for target only unless he plans to hunt out of this state. This being a bass ackwards shotgun/muzzleloader only state for Big Game. So with that in mind, if he is looking for a rifle to punch paper or bang the gong at relatively longer ranges such as 200-500 yards then any of the above mentioned rifles will be fine. I personally think a good one for a beginner is the Savage Axis model in .243 would be an outstanding little rifle to "cut his teeth on" and start learning the basics without breaking his wallet http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/m...xisstainlessxp

Think used, a lot of good quality rifles many with decent scopes can be bought today at half the price of even the new budget stuff.


Being new I am guessing not a hand loader so I rule out the 260 Remington unless he is affluent and can pay that kind of money for ammo.


243/6mm/244 easy on the shoulder and ammo fairly easy to find for the 243. Good for a whole list of North American game.


308/30-06 ammo fairly easy to find and good for any north American game except maybe some of the big bears.


I like my 7mm08's but to walk into any north country store in Michigan you may not be able to buy ammo for it like the 243,308or 30-06.


:D Al

Most of us here are gun guys. What we might ADD as another rifle, or might recommend as an only rifle if we had only one is quite likely different than what really makes sense for a guy who really only wants one rifle. If I think about a first rifle, as opposed to an ONLY rifle, that might change my manner of thinking.

For a one rifle guy, do not get anything "exotic" like 6.5-284. Great cartridge, but not great for someone who doesn't reload. The 7-08 is a great option, but so is .243win or .308win. So are 270 and 30-06. If it isn't on the shelf at Walmart, take a pass - not that he'll buy it there, but rather use that standard as your reference for determining common popularity. If he can't find it, he can't shoot it.

Avoid heavier caliber cartridges simply because this guy might not shoot as often, nor have as structurally sound fundamentals as a more avid shooter. If he's just punching paper at 200yrds or less, a 223rem is great. If he's thinking farther, grab a 243win or 7-08.

Personally, I'd lean heavy towards .243win.

I agree with Super Hunt54....if Your Friends in Illinios He's not going to get to Deer Hunt with a high powered Rifle....yet they can Coyote Hunt with them?Screwed up Rules of Illinios to say the least.Any ways I recommend either a .223,a .204,a .22-250 or the heavier .243 if He Plans on target practicing then taking it out Coyote Hunting...and there are some long open fields in Illinios so He does need something that's flat shooting,accurate and can reach out to 200-300-400 yards.