New Hunter
 

Hey guys,

I am brand new to hunting and this site. I will be getting my acquisition license in a week or so and am going to be buying my first rifle. I know threads like this are everywhere, but everyone has a unique situation so I thought I would post my own.

I want to hunt primarily to feed myself. So I want as much meat as possible from the animal.

I will be hunting mostly deer to start but will want to hunt everything I can eat at some point. For now I need to decide on a Deer / Moose rifle.

My price range right now is around the Sako A7 mark. I was thinking of getting a 30.06 and calling it a day. What I was wondering however, was that maybe a different caliber would be better for Deer, as thats probably most of the hunting I will be doing.

I was thinking I could get two entry level rifles, maybe like a .270 or .308 for deer, and something larger like a 30 Win Mag for when I get into Moose / bigger game later on.

I think my only hesitation with just getting a 30.06 is the ballistics aren't quite as good as some of the other calibers out there.

Im probably over thinking things, but hey, thats the way I am.

I should add, I have a 1894 Winchester 30 caliber lever action. It is old as hell, and would probably need to be restored before it worked, but I do have it (its actually made in 1894, first year they made them)

Thanks everyone, looking forward to this quite a bit!

Get the 30-06 and you can load it with varying weight bullets to shoot small critters all the way up through elk, moose, and caribou with absloutley no problem at all as long as you use the proper bullet for the intended animal. About the only thing I wouldn't carry one for would be for a girzzly or brown bear.


PS: What is an acquisition license? Might you be up in one of the Canadian Provinces?

Yeah, I am Canadian, its called the Personal Acquisition License and you need it to buy / own rifles. Its separate from a hunting license which you need to hunt.

Thanks for the straight forward answer, like I said Im probably over thinking it. I just see the ballistic charts and hear people talk about a superior caliber, and it makes me second guess the -06.

Id get the 30-06 and be done with it. I have a Rem. 700 and flat out love it. The 06 is one of the most versatile cartridges in the world u can get anything from a 55 grain bullet in a sabot that pushes 4000 fps to a 220 grain round nose for big stuff like moose bear elk. And if u hand load its even more versatile. It won't cause an extreme amount of meat damage unless u hit them right on the front shoulder but if u do your own processing u can do some trimming and save some meat off a bloodshot shoulder. A 300 Win. Mag. from what I've seen its overkill on whitetails under 200 yards. 300 is good if u plan on shootin from a long distance. But in my experience most deer are killed under 100 yards. Not all but most.

Don't believe everything you hear about the "latest and greatest".

To be 100% blunt, a new hunter/shooter, even 90%+ of experienced shooters, will never realize any REAL difference in ballistic performance on North American game for anything above the .30-06. Realize that you live in the REAL WORLD, where numbers on a page don't tell the whole story.

There are "flatter shooting" cartridges than the .30-06, but in general they are heavier recoiling, OR have a lighter weight bullet, or both. The difference in trajectory for a .30-06 and say, a flatter shooting 7mm Rem mag (lighter bullet, more recoil), or .300Win mag (same bullet, more recoil) is inconsequential even out past ranges where hunting isn't realistic. For example, comparing the load I shoot from my .30-06 to my 7mm WSM: .30-06 drop at 500yrds = 38", 7mmWSM drop at 500 = 33". 5" difference on 38" isn't a REAL difference, and both have more than enough energy to kill at that range. Even at 1,000yrds, comparing the two is moot - if you're skilled enough to shoot that far AT ALL, then you're skilled enough to shoot either of them that far equally well. Considering that REAL WORLD HUNTING happens at 0-300yrds, the difference between the two will be even LESS important.

Considering moose: Smaller caliber, lighter bullet cartridges are not my cup of tea for heavy game like moose. Unless you're shooting a heavy magnum in 7mm running a 180grn bullet at 2900fps+ (i.e. about where the .30-06 runs), I'd want something heavier. The only cartridges that would be "more appropriate" than the .30-06 class cartridges would be heavier caliber, heavier bullet rounds, like the .338Win mag, or the .375 H&H. These are NOT inexperienced shooter friendly cartrridges. These are NOT deer friendly cartridges. These heavier cartridges generally fly slower, meaning more drop over long distances.

So if you like the .30-06, it's a perfectly fine cartridge for what you're looking to do.

30-06 is also a bit cheaper to shoot than the magnums. You mentioned going with 2 entry level guns. That might not be a bad idea, but if you want to "hunt everything I can eat at some point," I would not split hairs over the rifle, and instead get a rifle and a shotgun, which would give you a lot more versatility. And don't forget to include a good scope in that budget.

He's right spend at least 400 bucks on a quality variable scope. And quality mounts and rings. Chances are if you really get into hunting you will want to buy a few more toys (rifles). So right now go with the most all around caliber ever designed.

06!
 

Go with the 30.06. You won't be sorry. You can shoot anything on the north american continent with it. Shell's can be found for it any where.
Reloading you can load up or down.Get a good scope for the 06. For having only one rifle, you will love the 30.06.:sign0016:

Thanks for all the great advice guys, I am convinced the 30-06 is the right choice for me at this point for all the reasons that have been mentioned. Now I just need to pick a scope to go with it. There is a package deal with a Burris Fullfield E1 3-9 for a pretty good price, what does everyone think of that scope?

I don't personally have any experience with that scope, but looking at the reviews online people seem to really like it. The average reviews I found were just below 5/5. My vote also goes to the 30-06.