First Real Gun
 

A little backstory here, I used to have a .243 rifle my dad bought for me, but in recent years my family fell on hard times and had to sell most of their posessions, and with that I lost my rifle and my fathers rifles. I am currently in the navy over in Japan. I get out for good in 6 months, just in time for deer season.

I am currently looking for a trustworthy and dependable deer rifle. Currently I'm looking at a Savage Arms 11/111 in either .270 or 30-06.

I am not looking to spend over a thousand dollars since money might be an issue in the future. Looking for advice and tips, thank you.

-Nomad

You can't go wrong with that Savage or the cartridge choice. Either one is perfect for deer. I have a savage .270 that my fiancé will shoot this season. I typically use a Remington 700 .30-06 as my "go to" gun.
-Jake

Well shucks not much money to spend and many were prepared to spend it for you.
Good choice just decide which you really want.


:D Al

You really can't go wrong with what you picked. I'd maybe lean towards the 30.06 if elk/moose sized game were a very common part of your hunting life. Savage are known for being economical, tough, and most importantly, accurate. Buy it and start enjoying having a great rifle.

A guy doesn't have to spend a lot of money on a rifle just to kill a deer. If you're picky about precision, a little more money will get you a long ways.

The advantage in starting with a Savage 11/111 Trophy Hunter as a "budget friendly" rifle is the trigger. The barrel will be as accurate as most anything out there (and more accurate than most), the polymer stock will be as bad as anything out there, and the trigger will be better than almost anything else on the market. The trigger is really the deciding factor for me. Mossberg and Ruger have licensed the trigger design (as well as the barrel nut design), if you're interested in the Ruger American or Mossberg rifles. I'd favor the Savage.

I bought a Savage 11 Trophy Hunter in .22-250 for my dad a few years ago. Got $450 into the rifle, put a $100 Boyd's laminate stock on it, sold the package scope which came with the rifle for $50 and bought a $250 Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x40mm, and Talley integrated mounts & bases for $35 on sale. I did the blocking & bedding work myself. Got all in for right around $800.

Similarly, I put together a Rem 700 .243win for my mom's boyfriend 2yrs ago - Rem ADL black friday deal at Walmart for $377 - $410 after tax. Boyd's stock, Leupold rings & bases, Nikon Buckmaster close out scope, self tuned trigger. All in for $760. (Thread for this one is in the Gunsmithing Projects Sub-Forum HERE

Either of these projects could have been done cheaper by keeping the factory tupperware stocks and simply stiffening the forend and bedding the action with epoxy. A length of All-thread bolt or aluminum angle, a router, and a Saturday afternoon and you'll have a solid stock for about $25.

The Savage won't need a trigger job, only an adjustment at most.

For cartridge, it's hard to say anything bad about the .30-06, other than it's incredibly boring. Effectively, it's exactly enough cartridge to kill anything in North America, with exactly as much recoil as most folks can tolerate in a proper sporter weight rifle without complaints and without padding or brakes, and ammunition is widely available for relatively low cost. It does exactly what's expected and needed of it. Anything else, largely, has some kind of "trade off" - as in the 7mm Rem mag is flatter shooting and more powerful, but also comes with more recoil and higher ammo cost, and lower barrel life. The 7-08rem has less recoil, but is less powerful for hunting larger game... But... the gold standard .30-06 is largely boring for many shooters. There's pleasure to be had in a simple ham and eggs breakfast, but it gets boring eating it every day. I'll never be without a .30-06, simply for the fact it will always do exactly what I need it to do, but in owning a lot of other rifles, it's not usually the first rifle I grab each season.

Looks like the Savage 111's are running about $525-550 these days, add $35 to that for bedding compound and a length of all thread to stiffen the forend, ditch the junky package scope and upgrade to a $250-350 Bushnell, Leupold, Nikon, or Vortex and you'll be in fine style.

I wouldn't ever call a caliber that does what it is expected "boring". I'd call that very exciting and an absolute reason to use that caliber over something "exciting" that may or may not function as needed.

Go get that 30.06 HPNomad. Oh and the stock, especially if you have the 11/111 with Accustock, will be as good at doing what it is supposed to as almost anything else. As pretty? As comfortable? Maybe not in the eyes of the beholder, but it will work extremely well and a gun to be very proud and pleased with. Get a good quality scope and rings to fit your hunting needs and you will be in business. Years down the road if you want to spend more money to maybe/maybe not improve the actual performance of the rifle, you can.

After around 55 years of the "boring" old .30-06 and the thousands of game animals I have taken with various rifles chambered in it (hogs put me in the thousands category so relax) I have to say I kinda favor "boring" myself! Granted nowadays I usually pick up one of my 7mm-08's for my out of state deer hunting (Illinois is SG/ML only) or my 6.8 SPC,.458 SOCOM, or .338Fed for hogs nowadays but when I trip up to Alaska for Moose, 95% of the time 1 or 2 of my .30-06's are in a case and the other 5% either one of my old .30-30's or a muzzleloader.

As far as your brand choice, Like NoMercy stated, it's pretty hard to go wrong with them. Excellent trigger, and if you go with the 11/111 FCNS model, that accustock is pretty much what NoMercy was saying to do with the cheap tupperware stock on the 11/111 Trophy Hunter XP.

Thank you all for the advice. I had no idea about the differences in the stock with the FNCS and Trophy Hunter models.

Yeah those stocks on the Trophy hunter XP are pretty flimsy to say it nicely. To say it accurately they are junk. But those accustocks are pretty solid. I've read several reviews on them as well as shouldered a few at the range myself. They feel solid and I felt no need to do anything with them as far as bedding and such. I handled a couple of the Trophy hunter models and was far from impressed. I imagine they would be "okay" probably as Savage usually doesn't let total crap out of their factory but they weren't my "cup O tea" in the least.

I am still a little perplexed at the title of the OP," first real gun". The .243 is a real gun and a whole lot of deer sized animals could attest to that, if they were still alive.

Look at the Savage 7mm-08....I have one in the GNC model 11/111 in the wood stock.Great shooting Rifle with lighter recoil.Another sweet looking and we'll made Rifle would be the Savage Lady Hunter in a 7mm-08 also....1 Awesome looking Gun.

A lot of people mistakenly equate the venerable .243 with a "kids rifle" OT. I hear it all the time. "Why are you out here with that little ole pea shooter?" or them saying something to my daughter like "you do know you can't take a big deer with that little thing don't you?" She kinda looks at them and laughs then shows them the 256 pound field dressed buck she took with her little "pea shooter" at 197 yards in Canada the first year I took her up there. Has a tendency to shut them up pretty quick :D

I didn't mean to bash the .243. What I meant to say is that I'm buying it with my own money, rather than when my father bought it for me.

I loved my .243, I only shot one deer with it down in Alabama. I missed the vitals by a long shot, when someone else shot the deer they found my bullet in the bucks spine.

HP, having been hatched and raised not very far from you (Roane/Cumberland County about 30 miles west of Knoxville) I have a unique view of your rifle needs. As long as this is for whitetail in that neck of the woods, you could really expand your cartridge choices quite a good bit. Since I am older than dirt recoil is starting to become a bit of an issue with me. Age along with several injuries to my shoulders. Now granted the .30-06 or the .270 aren't that hard in the kicking department, but you could also benefit from other cartridge options such as the 7mm-08 which in my honest opinion is absolutely the BEST whitetail deer cartridge made. AND you can take it on an Elk hunt if you find yourself with enough money later on to go on one! Lots of good choices out there for factory ammo since I assume you don't reload. And if the reloading bug does hit you eventually, there are some fantastic reloading options for that particular cartridge. Not to mention the recoil is around half what a 30-06 loaded up with 180 grain bullets from a similar weight rifle. Not getting beat up at the practice bench will keep you shooting more and getting proficient with your rifle! Just a thought for ya to ponder on.

+1

Accuracy is everything ! :rock:

I am not a rifle expert. I do have rifles in several calibers, 30-30, 7X57, 303, 6.5X55 and the 30-06. If I could have only one I would keep the 30-06, as has been said it will kill most anything a rifle is needed for in the US. I have a Leupold 3X9X40 on it and a detachable limbsaver when not shooting at game. If recoil is a problem, a good recoil pad like the limbsaver makes a world of difference.

As several mentioned....the .243 is a very good Caliber and it is plenty good to take down a Whitetail Deer,the 7mm-08 is very close to the same size and has more choices in a heavier grain bullet.I have both Caliber Rifles and have trouble choosing which to use when Hunting....the Browning A-bolt Hunter I used this year is very Accurate and has put down more nice Bucks and Doe's than any of the Rifles I have.The main thing as Sheridan mentioned is "Accuracy" and to Target Practice a lot with the Rifle of Your choice....a .223 is just as deadly to a Deer in the right Persons hand that knows how to make a good shot placement.

Savage is among the worst buy in a rifle you could make.....find a decent used Remington 700 ADL on gunbroker....you'll not regret it!

That there is just plain old funny. As far as factory rifles go, Savage is one of the most accurate and dependable rifles out of the box out there! Not to mention value. Dollar for dollar I'd put a new Savage up against ANY new Rem, Win, or Ruger made!

I agree accu trigger and stock all for just a few hundred dollars makes a nice cheap gun that shoots great out of the box. There are better but you will pay much more for them.

It would seem that Vapodog may have been :guiness: too much to make a statement about Savages like that, as they are exactly as you describe, LOL!

Dumbest statement I have read in all these post on this topic.


"I loved my .243, I only shot one deer with it down in Alabama. I missed the vitals by a long shot, when someone else shot the deer they found my bullet in the bucks spine."

I have never seen a deer go any place with any spine injury. Yes My brother stuck a doe in the spine with an arrow and she laid on the ground kicking but didn't go any place.


:D Al

I see the Savagistos are out in force.....probably none of which understand what feeding, ejecting, and extraction is.


I will agree about Savage accuracy.....even my M-99 was quite accurate for a lever gun.....I had two of them (in .308) and neither lived up to anything one would call reliability.....


Same for their bolt rifles....every one I had failed in one of the above requirements.....


Further, it appears folks here can't read well.....I suggested a USED Remington....not a NEW ONE.


I can fairly predict that that new Savage rifle they are saying is so great will be traded off in a couple years once you discover what a real rifle is supposed to do.

I have had and still have a few Savages and I have yet to have a single problem with feed, extraction, reliability, or accuracy. I pull the trigger and they go bang. I work the bolt or the lever, they eject and feed a fresh round and go bang again when I pull the trigger. Having built over 50 rifles for myself and 30 or so for others I think I have just a slight, tiny, smallest little inkling, of an idea of how a rifle should work. I'm no "Savagisto" but as far as out of the box accuracy and dependability, as far as my experiences have been in over 60 years of buying, shooting, working on, customizing, reloading for, shooting 1000 yard matches with, hunting pretty much every big game species on this continent, with MANY different rifles, I can honestly say they are about as good as it gets when it comes to an affordable and dependable and accurate rifle out of the box.

I forgot to mention that I was around 12 at the time and shaking pretty darn heavily. Calling me dumb does nothing.

Vapodog's experience is probably an exception to what most people experience with the gun. It certainly hasn't been mine. I have a 111 in 30-06 that performs excellently in all respects.

The Savage 110 (the 111 is a variant) routinely makes "greatest guns ever made" lists. Remember, there's a reason that it is the longest selling bolt action rifle in America. It got that by being affordable and shooting very accurately "out of the box."


For awhile there, Savage was setting the pace on factory triggers with the accutrigger. (other companies have caught up since). They still shoot well.


30-06 is a great choice. Can't go wrong. As an added plus, Savages are a piece of cake to rebarrel. DIY types can do it without a lathe.


Do you happen to shoot left handed? if so, Savage is your friend. Savage is one of the few makers that offers left hand guns in the more affordable models, and it dominates the market for lefty bolt guns. By comparison, Remington does not offer the ADL in a lefty, only the much more expensive BDL. That would be a complication in following vapodogs reasoning if you shoot left-handed.

Don't take it personally, mate; these old guys can come across rough, sometimes---but I assure you most of them mean well.

Lots of experience and good knowledge to be learned on this forum, but if you're not careful, it tends to come in the form of a hammer to the head. :s2: Just part of the fun, I guess.

Sounds like you've got a good plan for a rifle. If you decide against the "aught six" and plan to shoot on a budget in the future, bear in mind that not all cartridges have great in-store ammo availability. It's nice to be able to go to Wal-Mart in just about any state and get a box of soft points for well less than $20. You'll only get that with "boring" cartridges like the .30-06, .270, .308 (my cartridge), &c.

Other good cartridges like the 7mm-08, .25-06, 6.5 Swede, &c. aren't always going to be as "boring" to shop for, unfortunately.

Also, once you get back stateside, go to a gun store and cycle the bolt of the guns you're thinking of buying. You want to like the feel of the rifle's action and how it shoulders. Personally, Savage isn't my favorite (though you'll never hear a dispute about their reliability from me). It's just a matter of taste, based on how the bolt feels to me. You might decide you don't like it as much as you thought you might; maybe not.

An outstanding post. As good advice as you can get when choosing a gun.

there is nothing wrong with Savage rifles. back in the 80's they scaled back in some of their cosmetics to compete with other gun companies. since then they have gotten back to producing better rifles. the model 111 is a good choice. but for $1000.00 id look into a Remington 700 or something comparable. watch for a sale were you might get the rifle and scope as a deal. a 30-06 is a good choice as it will take almost any big game animal here in the US.

Pretty sure a Remington 700 can be had for far less than $1,000. The cheapest ADL models are well under $500 when on sale (with scope), and while nothing fancy (no jeweled bolt, sound a bit clunkier than upper-level 700's) are dependable.

+1 I have no idea where Vapodog is coming from, but the Savage is as we have described and for their price there is not much that can beat them. Now if he's talking about going up to a Sako or something similar then there isn't much of a comparison, but dollar for dollar IMHO a Savage can't be beat.

Either caliber is great. I have both and love them both equally. A gun you might look at is the Howa. They are simply a Weatherby vangard with a better stock. You can get one with a free floated barrel and excellent hogue over mold stock and decent glass for around $500. The triggers are the best stock trigger I have ever used. It blows the accu trigger out of the water, and it is a pretty good trigger.