Looking to buy a new gun.
 

So i'm fairly new to hunting and looking for firearm advice. I live in northern Ohio, but my best friend recently purchased 125 acres in Tennessee. We hunted down there this year on the fly and had a really good time.

I'm looking to purchase a new firearm cause this is America. It's essentially going to be my Tennessee deer rifle. My budget is $1500 complete including tax/scope/rings everything.

I would like a gun that:
shots flat at 125 yards
is light
appropriate for varmints
is new
known for reliability
i prefer a wood look

The two that pop in my head right away were the Ruger no 1 and the Mini 14.

Any advice, words of wisdom or considerations would be appreciated.

There are many rifles that fit within the extremes you mentioned along with a good scope for $1500 for what you are asking. Just go out and start looking and get the feel of many of them and pick one you like the looks of and that fits you well. If you want a combo deer/varmint rifle, I'd go with a .243 or 25-06 off the top of my head as both with kill either at 300 yards with no problem and both have bullet selections for both animal sizes.

The Ruger #1 is a great rifle, several good calibers, the .270 is a great deer caliber, so are most of the .30 caliber rounds. I don't know id TN allows semi auto rifles but the mini 14 is not a good deer hunting caliber or rifle, despite what some may tell you. Also trying to figure out why the great disparity in the two choices, they aren't even close.

He said he's new to hunting and it definitely showed and why I also mentioned the extremes he mentioned between a single shot and a semi-automatic. The Ruger is as good as it gets IMHO, as is most of their stuff for the prices they have on them.

just because i've shot both rifles and they fit nicely on my shoulder. The no 1 had a Turkish walnut stock tho so i cant even really say.

My thing is i don't want to walk into a gun shop and get robed by a sales guy who's gonna sell me whatever has the highest profit margin.

I was told buy a guy at the local gun shop the 5.56 is a good deer round if the right ammo is used. Obviously that's not a consensus. i also liked that the mini 14 was so light/small. Honestly the deer there were so small i think a .22 would do.

You have any suggestions on things mini 14 like that would work better for my needs?

You certainly don't need anything in the mini 14 style to get a decent light weight rifle nowadays. Just look into the various makes that offer light weight models and try them out for size, weight and fit. If you will only be using it for what you stated and won't be lugging it up and down mountains out west, the weight shouldn't really matter that much IMHO. I won't argue with the guy on his 5.56 comments, but I go with Oldtimr regarding that caliber as more of a varmint gun. I have never seen the need for a semi automatic for deer hunting and have always thought they were more of a "spray and pray" type of rifle. I'm going to stay with the two calibers I mentioned, especially since you don't reload and can get heavier bullets for deer and lighter ones for varmints over the counter in most decent sized shops.

Howa Alpine Mountain rifle in .243, under your budget and the best "bang for buck" deal going right now imo...

Stay away from the Mini for hunting out to 125 yards...some of them can't even hit a beach ball at 125 yards...

I've seen some mini14s that shoot well, I've seen more that don't shoot well. If I were you I'd be looking at a Savage 10 or 110. I'd be looking at a .243 for your varmint/deer combo. For glass a mid level Nikon or Leupold and you'll have some money left over for ammo.

That howa would def be a nice rifle. There are a ton of rifles under your budget though, including some very nice ones. I'd go to a big shop and look at a bunch of rifles. Narrow them down to what you like and what feels good and then do some research online and shop around for the best price.
-Jake

I'd say something in a bolt action, from .243 through the 7MM-08 would be good dual-purpose guns! Ruger, Savage, & Remington, just to name a few. Then, spend the rest on good glass and you'll still have change in your pocket!

A bolt action rifle in .243 or 7mm-08 for Tennesse and a levergun in .444 marlin, 45-70, or 450 marlin for Ohio.