New rifle buyer.
 

Hey I was looking at purchasing a new rifle and scope. The probelm is I know absolutly nothing about what to look for in a rifle because I've never owned one. I was wondering what everyone's personal rifle preferance is and why?

If I use it for hunting it will be for most likely for mule deer and elk. Maybe even bear but not sure yet. Is there one model and calibre that a person can use for all of these types of animals? I would appreciate as much input as I can get.

Wait, wait, ready PLUG EM!!!!!

RE: New rifle buyer.
 

.Go to the gun store,pick up several brands,put it up to you shoulder it should have a good feal and steady aim for you,ask for info,tell them what you will be shooting they should have the advice for you,the most of them should anyway....good luck..:)..

..JESUS IS COMING BACK BE READY...

RE: New rifle buyer.
 

How much experience do you have shooting? If you have limited experience, you might not want to jump on the magnum bandwagon right away. Try finding a range that rents guns and shoot several to find one you are comfortable with. For what you want to hunt, you should get something in at least 7mm caliber, but I prefer .308 as I am biased against anything 7mm or .270. As quilly mentioned the 30-06 is good, but don't count out the 308 Win. As far as value is concerned, it is hard to beat Savage for a good accurate rifle at a decent price. Good luck in your search.

RE: New rifle buyer.
 

To narrow this down a bit. I've been shooting all my life I'm a very good shot with handguns and slug guns. I'm not recoil sensitive. Also if I do go hunting with this gun it will be out in south dakota, wyoming, or montanna. I won't be hunting around my area because they don't allow rifle hunting until you go north of me about 50 miles. I hope that kinda narrows the field down a bit.

Wait, wait, ready PLUG EM!!!!!

RE: New rifle buyer.
 

Buying a gun with certain features will save you the trouble of upgrading in the future in the quest for greater accuracy. A free - floated barrel and a stock with bedding for the action will make the rifle more accurate. It may cost a little more now to find a gun with these features, but it will probably be worth it in the long run especially if you intend to shoot long range.

RE: New rifle buyer.
 

Savage 116 in 300 Win Mag. Barrel is floated. Mine shoots like a dream.

RE: New rifle buyer.
 

Buying your first gun is like buying your first car! Go &quot;LOOKING&quot; first,see what you like and &quot;feels&quot; good and go from their! As for a scope...QUALITY! You get what you pay for. I would get a .30 caliber or bigger for the game you plan to hunt,like a .300 Win.Mag...<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Hunt Safe!

Jack

[Deleted]
 

[Deleted by Admins]

RE: New rifle buyer.
 

i bought a sporterized mauser as my first big cal..its a mauser 98k in 30.06..i bought it coz i needed a deer rifle...its one of the best actions ever made and many companies copy it and make rifles with it...and the round fit my hunting needs...and the price was great too...and the rifle caught my eye...even after bein in a war...it looked better than ne ne rifle on the self!!!

mauser06

RE: New rifle buyer.
 

For the needs you describe I would recommend either a 30-06 or a 300 win mag in a quality bolt action rifle scoped with a quality scope in the 3x9 range. There are several makers of quality bolt rifles: remington 700, winchester M70, Savage 110 series, Howa 1500, weatherby, ruger, etc. My personal favority is the winchester M70 but the others are quality rifles also. Savage gives the best value for the buck in my opinion. Go to the gun store and look the different makes over, shoulder them, then go home and think it over for the night. If one sticks out as being particulary well fit to you then go back and get it in a 30-06 or 300 mag. Unless you're just set on having a wood stock and blued barrel a stainless/synthetic rifle is lower maintenance and more rugged. For the scope you can't go wrong with a leupold.