New to the site, new to hunting... just new =) My intro and my first questions
03-23-2007, 02:04 PM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location:
Posts: 1,394
RE: New to the site, new to hunting... just new =) My intro and my first questions
Welcome,
I am also a 30-06 man. That said, I won't bore you with details. There is a great book on shooting. It's got some great info on the basics of the shooting process and the rest of the book is ballistics tables. Once you've read the first chapter the tables are easy to understand and make a lot of sense. The book is "Shoot better II".
If you're happy with the range and power of the 45-70 and dont' havea lot to spend on a bunch of guns, you may want to consider a good shot gun. From what I've seen teh 45-70 is has a lot in common with a 12. ga foster slug. But with a good shot gun you can hunt anything on the planet from very small to very large.
But, if you want a cowboy gun, that is just as good a reason to get one as any.
Good luck, and I look forward to speaking with you.
KP
I am also a 30-06 man. That said, I won't bore you with details. There is a great book on shooting. It's got some great info on the basics of the shooting process and the rest of the book is ballistics tables. Once you've read the first chapter the tables are easy to understand and make a lot of sense. The book is "Shoot better II".
If you're happy with the range and power of the 45-70 and dont' havea lot to spend on a bunch of guns, you may want to consider a good shot gun. From what I've seen teh 45-70 is has a lot in common with a 12. ga foster slug. But with a good shot gun you can hunt anything on the planet from very small to very large.
But, if you want a cowboy gun, that is just as good a reason to get one as any.
Good luck, and I look forward to speaking with you.
KP
03-23-2007, 06:05 PM
#12
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: MN USA
Posts: 1,392
RE: New to the site, new to hunting... just new =) My intro and my first questions
Welcome.
I suspect you have a few months of checking out various rifles (if you're are is a rifle deer hunting zone). Personally, for accuracy and reliability I stick these days with a good quality bolt action with a quality scope. Many manufacturers of both. Some of them are sponsors of this site.
For deer at 200 yards of less I use .30-06 Tikka/Nikon scope. You can findmore variety ofammo in .30-06 than any other caliber. Thereare many reasons it's been one of the most favorite sporting rifles for over 100 years.
Many prefer anything from .243, .270, up through .7mm mag. or even .300 WM with a whole lot of fine rifles/calibers in between.
Be sure whatever firearm(s) you buy that they are quality, suit you well and are accurate. Pick up a free ammunition caliber/load chart off the net or some outdoors shows I've seen them given on CD for free. Learn the bullet trajectory of your caliber, bullet weight if you zero it in at 100 or 200 yards so you know where the bullet will be at whatever distance you shoot at your deer.
When you do purchase your rifle, as you likely know, you have to spend time getting to know how to get comfortable in shooting in positions you'd likely find yourself shooting in the field. Practice. Have fun with it.
Find a way to network and talk with others in your area or like you are here to learn more. Hopefully, along the way you'll cross pathes with someone who you can trust and will mentor you on what you still need to learn. We all are still learning... or at least those of us who admit we don't know it all yet.
Good luck and check out the regional forums here, too for your NE states.
I suspect you have a few months of checking out various rifles (if you're are is a rifle deer hunting zone). Personally, for accuracy and reliability I stick these days with a good quality bolt action with a quality scope. Many manufacturers of both. Some of them are sponsors of this site.
For deer at 200 yards of less I use .30-06 Tikka/Nikon scope. You can findmore variety ofammo in .30-06 than any other caliber. Thereare many reasons it's been one of the most favorite sporting rifles for over 100 years.
Many prefer anything from .243, .270, up through .7mm mag. or even .300 WM with a whole lot of fine rifles/calibers in between.
Be sure whatever firearm(s) you buy that they are quality, suit you well and are accurate. Pick up a free ammunition caliber/load chart off the net or some outdoors shows I've seen them given on CD for free. Learn the bullet trajectory of your caliber, bullet weight if you zero it in at 100 or 200 yards so you know where the bullet will be at whatever distance you shoot at your deer.
When you do purchase your rifle, as you likely know, you have to spend time getting to know how to get comfortable in shooting in positions you'd likely find yourself shooting in the field. Practice. Have fun with it.
Find a way to network and talk with others in your area or like you are here to learn more. Hopefully, along the way you'll cross pathes with someone who you can trust and will mentor you on what you still need to learn. We all are still learning... or at least those of us who admit we don't know it all yet.
Good luck and check out the regional forums here, too for your NE states.
03-23-2007, 06:13 PM
#13
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location:
Posts: 363
RE: New to the site, new to hunting... just new =) My intro and my first questions
I have family in shady side not sure what co I grew up 15 yrs of life in PG co MD my family hunts the eastern shore and few other co they all use 30/30s and when they hunt here they use 7mm mags but i know some co in md have shotgun only so you need to check and spend every second of free time watching the deer in the area you hunt ....and if you like email me maybe i can hook you up with one of my family members they would love to help im sure , maybe you can venture out here sometime to good ol wva my cousins come every yr good luck
03-24-2007, 02:00 PM
#14
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 21
RE: New to the site, new to hunting... just new =) My intro and my first questions
Zone-wise we're pretty wide open here- shotguns, handguns, rifles, muzzleloader (long and pistol), vertical bow and crossbow.
I agree - I think I may need to shoot some guns and see how I like them - I wish there were more public shooting ranges where you can 'try before you buy'. I have to go one county over to find a public range [:'(]
Several people have mentioned 308s to me - I may look at either a 308 win or perhaps one of the new 308 Marlin Express lever actions. And as stated, I can't go wrong with a 30-06, I was just a little set on getting a lever action... any input on the difference between 30-30 and .35?
Thanks for all of the info - keep it coming if there is anything else you can think of.
I agree - I think I may need to shoot some guns and see how I like them - I wish there were more public shooting ranges where you can 'try before you buy'. I have to go one county over to find a public range [:'(]
Several people have mentioned 308s to me - I may look at either a 308 win or perhaps one of the new 308 Marlin Express lever actions. And as stated, I can't go wrong with a 30-06, I was just a little set on getting a lever action... any input on the difference between 30-30 and .35?
Thanks for all of the info - keep it coming if there is anything else you can think of.
03-24-2007, 04:15 PM
#15
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Winnipeg, Mb, Canada
Posts: 1,309
RE: New to the site, new to hunting... just new =) My intro and my first questions
Welcome SeraphG!!! This is a great site for lots of info. Have been hunting for about 35 years and I still appreciate the info I have gotten off this site. My son hunts with a 30-30 Marlin and has enjoyed it for the last 4 years. Where we hunt up in Canada we aften have those 200 plus yard shots and he has found that the 30-30 isn't the gun for that range. Great bush gun though. He's switching over to a 7mm mag like his old man this year. He's a big kid and can handle my rifle so I guess it's the next step. I'm starting my younger son out with a 7-08 which after some discussion with others on this forum found to be a great cal. After shooting it I just might buy one for myself (good thing my wife dosen't read this forum or I would get that "What do you need another gun for?"). If you have different conditions for hunting then buy a bow, a muzzel loader, a couple or three rifles and just go for it. Buy lots of camo, cover scent, stands, new thermos, and a quad. After a bit you will get into reloading looking to find that perfect load for your gun. Can you say addiction???? Still love that heart pump when you have a deer in the scope. Welcome to the world of hunting.
03-24-2007, 09:30 PM
#17
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Darien, IL
Posts: 6,744
RE: New to the site, new to hunting... just new =) My intro and my first questions
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Lots of responses for the gun questions but let's put things into the right perspective and start our new friend off on the right foot.
Welcome Seraph. As you see we have a pretty good group of people here. Ask a question and you'll get answers. Folks always willing to share their knowledge and experiences. Sometimes we get along. Sometimes we don't. Sometimes we jab fun at each other. Sometimes we're trying to light firecrackers in other guys back poskets.
I will try to start you down a different road. It's a good road to go down and of course will lead right to shooting (safely) and hunting the game you persue (also safely).
Start off with a certified Hunter Safety Education course in your state. I realize that you stated that you "know all the ins and outs of gun safety and shooting". But Hunter Safety Education is so much more.
Game laws, regulations, ethics & responsibility, game care & identification, first aid & survival, firearms, archery, conservation, tree stand safety, etc....
Once you get started, you'll probobly want to get out in the woods more and more often, especially as summer starts winding down. Do you know how to use a map and compass? It will give you more and more experience with building your woods skills.
The most beautiful places in the whole world are in the great outdoors. Welcome and enjoy!
Welcome Seraph. As you see we have a pretty good group of people here. Ask a question and you'll get answers. Folks always willing to share their knowledge and experiences. Sometimes we get along. Sometimes we don't. Sometimes we jab fun at each other. Sometimes we're trying to light firecrackers in other guys back poskets.
I will try to start you down a different road. It's a good road to go down and of course will lead right to shooting (safely) and hunting the game you persue (also safely).
Start off with a certified Hunter Safety Education course in your state. I realize that you stated that you "know all the ins and outs of gun safety and shooting". But Hunter Safety Education is so much more.
Game laws, regulations, ethics & responsibility, game care & identification, first aid & survival, firearms, archery, conservation, tree stand safety, etc....
Once you get started, you'll probobly want to get out in the woods more and more often, especially as summer starts winding down. Do you know how to use a map and compass? It will give you more and more experience with building your woods skills.
The most beautiful places in the whole world are in the great outdoors. Welcome and enjoy!
03-24-2007, 10:18 PM
#18
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Rochester NY
Posts: 60
RE: New to the site, new to hunting... just new =) My intro and my first questions
Welcome
your best way to get expereince and scope things out is to read up on different brands and makes of supplies that you are trying to get for hunting. I've always learn in trial and error also(lets admit it were all not perfect lol). Also I would recommend that you spend alot of time in the woods just patterning your animal and knowing how to spot them before they spot you. Knowing the sounds of the woods and sometimes using you ears more than your eyes can aid you in more ways than one. But I can tell you that i spend easily 25hrs a week in the woods just tracking and practicing stalking skills plus it always fun to see how close to animals you can get without them noticing. I hope that you'll find that hunting is priceless and keep doing it for years to come. If you have any questions feel free to ask me or anyone else on this forum, were all more than happy to answer questions and problems about equip. or just wood smarts. Have a good one.
your best way to get expereince and scope things out is to read up on different brands and makes of supplies that you are trying to get for hunting. I've always learn in trial and error also(lets admit it were all not perfect lol). Also I would recommend that you spend alot of time in the woods just patterning your animal and knowing how to spot them before they spot you. Knowing the sounds of the woods and sometimes using you ears more than your eyes can aid you in more ways than one. But I can tell you that i spend easily 25hrs a week in the woods just tracking and practicing stalking skills plus it always fun to see how close to animals you can get without them noticing. I hope that you'll find that hunting is priceless and keep doing it for years to come. If you have any questions feel free to ask me or anyone else on this forum, were all more than happy to answer questions and problems about equip. or just wood smarts. Have a good one.
