New to this
 

I'm new to deer hunting. This will be my first year. I am an adult so I will be able to shoot anything. My question- I'm in the market for a rifle and not sure what to purchase. I know that different people like different things but I need a good all around rifle. I have a few places to go that includes hills, valleys,fields and large pastures. I'm a city boy so I need help.

What's your budget? Strictly a deer gun? I'm sure you'll get more opinions than you will know what to do with in no time, lol.

30-06

opinion

Right now it will be just a deer rifle. I don't want to drop a lot of money on something I do not know if I will enjoy. I also know rifles are not cheap. I will say no more than $600.

$600 including optics or rifle alone?

If you went with something that has iron sights, you wouldn't have to spend any money on a scope, but then your shots are limited more by your ability and your effective range will be significantly less than if you had a scope, assuming you're not an experienced marksman.

If you have the option go to a couple differant gun shops and tell them what your looking for and you price range. You should be able to stay well within your range even with a decent scope. Smaller shops should have your best information as opposed to larger chain stores that happen to sell guns (For the most part)

Ditto 30.06 Spr. Very good all around 30 cal. cartridge for hunting. Every maker of center fire hunting ammo that I know of offers several options for the 30.06 Spr.

Take a look at the Ruger American rifle. I have seen these selling in the $300 range. But do not leave out the "good" used rifle option. You can often find a good buy on used gear. If you are new to buying center fire rifles, take a friend that has experience ... especially if buying used.

If you need (or just want) a scope, with a $600 or so budget, you will not have much left for glass after buying the rifle .... but in the $250-$300 range you can definitley find a decent scope. Look at Vortex, Leupold and Bushnell scopes in this price range. Some will disagree with me on this ... but stay away from Simmons, Tasco, and BSA. I and several of my buds have had poor experiences with scopes carrying these brand names. If you can swing it, the Ziees Conquest is a very good value, but it is going to push $450-$500. A 3-9x40mm should suffice.

Once you get the rifle-scope combo, you'll need to head to a range with a few different factory loads and determine which groups the best. LOts ofinfo on the web of how to sight in a rifle. I suggest trying out ammo with a bullet weight of from 150 gr. to 180 gr.

Good luck and welcome to the madness that is deer hunting !

30-06 and .308 are both good, versatile, widely available, time tested rounds -- do some reading on both and decide what you like better. Ruger American is definitely one to consider. You also might want to look at the Savage 11/111 line, the Weatherby Vanguard, and others (I narrowed down to those 3 last summer and ended up with a Savage, which I'd recommend). Marlin also makes a reasonable series of rifles. Read up on them, then go to a gun store and see how they feel in your hands. Any of these will leave you around $200 for a scope. Stick to a basic scope, no frills or bells and whistles like illumination of a/o. The Vortex Diamondback line runs under $200, as does the Nikon Prostaff. Leupold recently bought Redfield, and they make a few scopes in that range as well. I pretty much agree with Mojo's list of scopes to stay away from, though I'd add low-end Bushnell to it.

Ruger American 30-06 with a Nikon Prostaff or Redfield 3x9x40. That's QUALITY in your pricerange and will kill anything inside of 500yds from mice to moose! :patriot:

I started out with a savage .270 combo package that I actually got at walmart back in the day. Been using it for about 13 years now and love it. I wouldnt buy it from walmart but they may still sell a combo scope/gun package.

first off, what state are you hunting? That will have a lot to do with what I suggest

I have the mossberg atr in the caliber of ur choosing comes with optics some times and works and is pretty cheap i got mine in 30-06

Get the Thompson center deminsion and get a 30-06 barrel!

FYI - Just looked at a Walmart ad ... Savage 11 with Nikon Pro Staff 3-9x40mm scope --$497. Mossberg ATR 3-9x40mm scope (no manufacturer mentioned)-- $347. Remington 770 with scope (no info about scope) -- $297. Remington 783, no scope $387. Just an idea of what economy priced rifles are selling for down this way.

Another inexpensive way to get into hunting is the NEF Handy Rifle and a decent scope. This is a simple, no frills at all single shot, break action that usually runs about $225 new. I have experience with only 3. Two were good shooters (243 Win., 308 Win.) and one was just OK (30/30 Win.)

Just a thought.

With the possible exception of that Savage 11 with the Nikon on it, I am generally not a fan of package deals that include scopes. The scopes tend to be lower quality, and there can be other catches. For example, some of the Savage packages designated 11 series do not have the accustock and/or accutrigger (designated 11xp). The 11 FCNS series has both, does not come with a scope, and costs a bit more. To me, no accustock would not necessarily be a deal breaker, but I would not buy one without the accutrigger.

I agree with mrudy 100%.

If Oaktree34 has the time, looking for a good used "fire sale" rifle is a good way to come across bargains.

Example .... I had been looking for a hunting rifle for my grand son for about a year. About 6 weeks ago I bought a Browning A-Bolt, composite stock in 243 Win. that looked practically unfired. Not a use mark anywhere and the bore was pristine. Guy wanted $350 for it. I wiggled hi dow to $275. That left me plenty of room for a decent scope and still was able to stay around $650. Took it to the range .... 1 MOA shooter all day long. Two years ago bought a Remington 700 BDL in 338 Win. Mag., Redfield scope mounts, Kahles scope. Had been shot 9 times ... $400. Guy was hurting for cash. Deals like this are out there ... just have to be looking and ready.

A lot of guys I know use either 30-06, .308, or .270. I personally have an old 30-30, but I never need to shoot past about 110 yards.

As mentioned....what State are You Hunting in?

I like the light recoil of a .243,30-30 or a 7mm-08 other larger caliber Rifles are nice also and the Remington Managed Recoil help tame them down!

For a good reasonably priced Rifle the Savage Axis would be a good choice,a plain Black Rifle is cheaper (under $300.00) and You can add a better scope and still be under Your $600.00 Goal,the Axis with a scope package can be bought for around $375-$450.00 Range when shopping around for the best price and the Bushnell or Nikon scopes are decent well made scopes on the Savage Axis Rifles.There are several Calibers to choose from also.

The Ruger American Rifle is another affordable Entry Rifle available in several Calibers and can be bought for around $329-$375.00 price range then You need to choose a good scope.Ive seen the Leupold Rifleman scopes for sale under $200.00 in the Sportsmans Guide catalog...the 3x9x40mm is a great scope!

I can't seem to find a good used Rifle and I'm always afraid that it wasn't taken good care of so I opt to buy *New and know I'm getting a good Rifle! ;) :D