vidales

As the title mentions, I'm a beginner that wants to buy a hunting rifle. Mainly I'll be hunting whitetail and hogs. My budget is $1,500 including a scope. I'd really appreciate some help!

jeepkid

How far are you planning on shooting? Have you shot much yet? If so, do you prefer heavier or lighter rifles? $1500 opens up into a lot of different rifles so you have some good options...

vidales

Well, I'd say 250 yards at the most. I've shot before but not so much, maybe 10 times (7-8 times at the range and 2 times hunting).

As of the weight of the rifle I really don't mind!

super_hunt54

Need a touch more info. Such as state you are in as some don't allow semi auto for hunting. Still others have caliber/cartridge restrictions. Some people feel better with bolt action while others prefer a lever gun or a single shot. I myself have a strong affinity towards lever guns but I hunt with every action type made. It's really according to the terrain and weather as to which rifle/rifles I pull out of the safes. So, don't be shy, let us know your wants and needs as well as location and we can better help you.

vidales

I'm in Texas... My cousin who is an experienced hunter recommended a Remington Model 700 5-R Gen 2 .308 Win but it goes over my budget so that's why I came here for some advice.

I did some research lately and one of the options I have right now is a Tikka T3 Bolt-Action .270 win...

super_hunt54

Those Tikka rifles are fine rifles. Don't think I've heard a single person that's owned one saying they didn't like it. Sako has always been a top notch rifle maker. And getting it for $600 leaves you with MORE than enough for a good quality scope and ammo for practice!

C. Davis

I have the walnut stocked T3 hunter in .270 Winchester....and I live in Texas.

What you get with that rifle is a very crisp, easily adjustable trigger. I think the .270 cartridge is great for that rifle, and for Texas. It will be easy to shoot well. The bolt is so slick you may not feel it chamber the cartridge. That is one of my favorite things about the rifle. It's not the fine finished Sako, but as already said, it is made by Sako in Finland. That's alright with me because it is a working rifle. The walnut stock has held up very well to my fighting through our thick woods, and pulling up into my tree stands. I've been using it more the last few years over the Marlin just because it is so fun to reload for. It was very accurate from day one. I have it dialed in even better with the reloads.

If your not planning to shoot past 250 yards, sight in about 2 inches high at 100 yards, and you can hold dead on the shoulder of a deer out to 250 yards. That will work if the center of your scope is 1 1/2 inches above your barrel. Of course your will want to test it but that will be about right. It will start dropping out of the kill zone around 275 yards. That's what my reloads do with the 130 grain bullet.
If you are hunting in the woods close range, sight in dead on at 100 yards and pick which hair on the deer you want to shoot.

C. Davis

mrbb

OK MY 2 cents
go to a good gun shop and handle a few rifles and see what one's FIT you best
length of pull will be slightly different on many rifles, so a good fitting one will be your best choice.
next I would stick with the mid grade rifles, meaning NOT the cheapest model.
any caliber from .243 up will kill deer out to 250 yards if you do your part and right bullets
YES smaller calibers can too, but more room on them for error!

I personally would stick to the .30 caliber guns, they open the door to more things down the road
an 30/06 is a great caliber, know to about do it all

there are no BAD rifles out there today, MOST all shoot pretty darn good when you find the bullet/load they like
and real easy to pay more for HYPE on guns today than you will ever need

600 bucks for a decent rifle and the same 600 for a scope and mounts, gets you a very nice rifle to start with today

I'm a Rem 700 fan, so they would be my suggestion, but again, FIT will matter a lot here to me more than what I recommend as for a model/.make
I sold guns for many many yrs too!
see what features on guns you like or not, as in safety's HOW they work, lock bolt, how they go ON/OFF
what feels RIGHT to you

brand name makers DON"T make any BAD rifles today!

flags

If you have a $1500 budget then you can go down and get a rifle from any major manufacturer complete with mounts, scope, sling and ammo and have $$$ left over. So go to a big store and look at and handle as many as you can and make your choice. As to caliber it depends on what you want to hunt. If deer is all you're looking at then anything above a .243 will work with my nod going to either the 7-08 or the 308. If you want to go to bigger game like elk etc... the go with a 30-06, 7mm Mag (my all time favorite) or a 300 mag. There are others of course but you can't go wrong with any of these.

Sheridan

Take a look at these;

You should have +/- half your budget left for bases, rings, scope & sling.



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