Author Topic: New hunter (Read 1169 times)

jessesgirl4life · « **on:** August 31, 2006, 10:32:43 AM »

Ok i am a new hunter i am on my way to get my hunters ed certificate and i was wondering if anyone here has any suggestions on what kind of rifle i should get. I am about 4 11 and i am left handed my friend suggested a .308 win. I would be much appreciated if you guys had any other suggestions.

35Rem · « **Reply #1 on:** August 31, 2006, 10:51:33 AM »

Tell us what ALL you MIGHT hunt, that will help.
Do you SHOOT left handed? (some leftys don't)
Have you shot much at all? How do you handle recoil?

Being a new hunter/shooter you need to practice with whatever you get.

There are several calibers available with "reduced recoil" ammunition (308, 30-06, 270, 30-30...)

For deer, I think you are on the right track. Maybe a 7mm-08 (would have a little less recoil)
25-06 Remington , 270 Winchester with light for caliber bullets...nothing wrong with a 30-30 (would be easy to shoot left handed)

I'm personally not a 243 (or smaller) fan, but a lot seem to be.

That kinda rounds out the standard calibers. There will be suggestions for other calibers, which are just as good, but maybe harder to find.

Don Fischer · « **Reply #2 on:** August 31, 2006, 11:06:51 AM »

What you might hunt would really help. Being your new to hunting, I'd bet deer? A rule of thumb might be anything larger than deer get a 6.5 (26 cal) or up. If you don't know how you'll handle recoil, something on the order of the 260 Rem, 7mm-08 or 308 Win. For deer and under, all these work well but add the 243, 6mm Rem, (if you can find them) 257 Roberts, 250 Savage and you may not find the 25-06 objectional. The 25-06 isn't all that punishing but it makes a good bit of noise.

Unfortunally some of the best starter cartridges cannot be found or are hard to find. Some are Euorpean and difficult to come by the rifle not to mention the ammo. One that seem's to be fairly easy to find is the 6.5x55 which is in my opinion one of the best for what your asking.

beemanbeme · « **Reply #3 on:** August 31, 2006, 02:14:58 PM »

7-08. It may be the only rifle you'll ever need. Not that it should be the last rifle you'll buy. If you get a Rem, they make a aftermarket "cadet stock" that has a shorter length of pull that some women and young men find more comfortable. Also that way you can switch to the full size stock as you get bigger and sell the cadet stock.

Gregory · « **Reply #4 on:** August 31, 2006, 04:02:54 PM »

I started my eldest off with a Contender Carbine in 7-30 Waters. Ammo is hard to come by if you don't have a reloader in the family. In bolt guns, Savage and Browning have a good selection in short action calibers like the .243 and 7mm-08.

azmike · « **Reply #5 on:** August 31, 2006, 05:11:01 PM »

I second the Contender, in 7-30 Waters or 30-30 to start. I just bought one myself, ostensibly to train youngsters, but I gotta admit, it is a nice little rifle for me, too.

Also, Thompson Center makes a youth length buttstock for the Contender, which you may find more comfortable, and if you grow (don't know your age), a full size stock will screw right on. Add to that the fact that you can get a .22 long rifle barrel and practice for a buck a box, and the Contender is hard to beat, unless you need to shoot beyond 200 yards or so.

If you hunt in the western prairie, where shots over 200 yards may be the norm, then I'd say go with the 7mm-08 or .308.

If a bolt action is what you want, as a lefty myself, I recommend Savage. They seem to have more to offer us than most other manufacturers, for a better price. My first rifle was a left hand Savage 110, and was an excellent rifle. The lefties come in 308, 7mm-08, 243 (in the short actions), plus several long action choices.

Most important is get something you will be comfortable shooting, and can afford to shoot somewhat often. Beyond that, there are lots of great deer rifles/cartridges. For my money, the good old 30-30 is about ideal for a new hunter ( or old hunter who is tired of getting the snot kicked out of him by his Magnum, i.e. Me), who probably shouldn't be taking 300-plus yard shots at deer anyway (neither should I). It's plenty powerful, ammo is cheap, and it comes in handy, economical rifles that are generally an excellent value.

Good luck, and enjoy our sport.

kombi1976 · « **Reply #6 on:** August 31, 2006, 07:01:15 PM »

Welcome to the forum, jessesgirl4life.
It's good to see people getting into the sport.
I'd say no to the Contender in 7-30 Waters.
You probably don't reload and factory ammo is very rare.
A good left-hand Savage in 7mm-08 is ideal; accurate, economical and ammo these days can be had in lots of different loads.
If you end up reloading it's also a superb cartridge to load for.
If 6.5x55 was more available with premium ammo then I'd recommend it but the 7mm-08 has more in it in terms of performance and bullet weight wthout being nasty on the shoulder.

Grumulkin · « **Reply #7 on:** September 01, 2006, 12:19:04 AM »

I would also go with the 7mm/08. It has light recoil, good inherent accuracy, readily available ammo and good for anything from varmints to deer.

jro45 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 01, 2006, 03:25:05 AM »

I think the 270 Win would be a fine first rifle. Not much recoil, great gun for deer. Ammo is around easy to get.

TC2 · « **Reply #9 on:** September 01, 2006, 07:10:24 AM »

My wife is 5' and petitte. I bought her a Remington model 7 youth model in 7mm08. We did have to have the stock cut down another inch or so to fit her. She got her first deer with it. You can also use that caliber for elk. But, according to the Remmington web site they do not come in a left hand model.

kenscot · « **Reply #10 on:** September 01, 2006, 05:13:01 PM »

Being a lefty of smaller stature I would strongly suggest that you look at the Browning Micro hunter in 7mm-08 I has a shorter stock, it is light and compact, has plenty of punch for deer sized game without killer recoil . Mine is very accurate, sub 1" three shot groups at 100 yrds . It has become by far my favorite whitetail rifle

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #11 on:** September 01, 2006, 05:21:33 PM »

Without knowing what you will be hunting, I’m going to make a few suggestions.

I’m not a .243 Win fan unless the best bullets are used. For new hunters I generally recommend a .30-30 over a .243 because I like the fatter and heavier bullets.

The smallest I would go is a .25 caliber. A .257 Roberts is more than adequate for whitetail deer and they tend to come in shorter rifles which might be ideal for you. Factory ammo is good, as with the Federal 120g Partition load, but there is not a lot to choose from. A .25-06 offers more velocity and a much wider selection of ammo while still keeping recoil low. If you could find one with a 24” barrel this is an excellent dual-purpose cartridge – varmints of all sizes and deer up to mulies. Some people hunt elk with them with good success but I would suggest something else for elk.

The .260 Remington and 7mm-08 are both excellent for deer and with heavier bullets will reliably take elk. Both come in shorter rifles. There is probably a wider range of ammo for the 7mm-08 and with similar weight bullets it will shoot a bit flatter than a .308 Win.

A .270 Win and .280 Remington are both excellent cartridges for deer and elk. Ammo availability is better for the .270.

The .308 Win is a round that it is hard to go wrong with. In 25 years of elk, deer and antelope hunting I have never taken a shot that I could not have taken just as easily with a .308 Win. Finally got one last Christmas and love it.

If you are going to be hunting where ranges are fairly short, say under 150 to 200 yards maximum, don’t overlook the .30-30. Ammo is relatively inexpensive and recoil is much less than a .308 and similar cartridges. A .30-30 with a 170g bullet will do about anything that needs doing under 200 yards, although I would limit shots on elk to 150 yards unless conditions are ideal.

If you have not shot a centerfire rifle I would recommend you do so before purchasing one – the more the better. Knowing how you tolerate recoil is one thing which should guide you in your decisions, but knowing where the fun ends and tolerating begins is also important. Recoil can be managed with shoulder pads and good recoil pads on the buttstock, but too much of a ‘good thing’ will cause you to flinch and take the fun out of shooting. Better to get a rifle that is fun to shoot but has enough of the right stuff for the game you will be hunting.

Sourdough · « **Reply #12 on:** September 01, 2006, 09:22:55 PM »

My wife is 4'11" and the very first thing I did was to have a gun cut down for her. Her first gun was a .44Mag carbine, after she became comfortable with that she moved up to a Remington 7400 in 30-06. The 7400 is a semi-auto, and that reduces the recoil to a manageable amount for her. As for bolt guns she is very comfortable with a .243, and the 7MM-08. She now shoots a .35 Whelen bolt action, but the most improtant thing is to have the stock cut down for her since her arms are not as long as the average guys. You can either purchase a womens/youth gun with a shorter stock, have the original one cut down by a gunsmith, or order an aftermarket youth stock. My son is smaller than average so for his 14th birthday I gave him a Savage 30-06 with a youth stock. It turned out to be a perfict fit. and with the shortened stock recoil is very manageable.

kombi1976 · « **Reply #13 on:** September 02, 2006, 06:11:13 AM »

I read about a guy who went hunting plains game in Africa and took his daughter along.
He had a custom Argentine '09 DWM Mauser chambered to 300 H&H and cut the butt, fitting an adjustable spacer so he could use it at the correct pull or he could shorten it quickly by removing a section and his daughter use it.
When I find the article I'll post a pic of the rifle.

7x57mm · « **Reply #14 on:** September 02, 2006, 10:03:02 AM »

I'm glad to see you might be giving this wonderful sport a try. All the suggestions given so far have been good ones, especially the ones about the 7/08. You really need to let folks know what kind of animals you plan to hunt, do you plan to do a lot of target practice too, what distances you intend to shoot at and one last very important issue, what kind of money you have to spend on a rifle. If you are new to hunting and discover you do not like it, then you do not want to sink $1,200 into a rifle and scope that you'll end up dumping for $600 to $800 in a few months. You need a good, serviceable outfit that may include a scope, so your budget would have to include this, especially if you plan on shooting big game or even medium game at much past 100 yards. Even at 100 yards that front bead sure covers up a bunch of deer. Your biggest problem is being left handed. Savage would be a good way to go in a lefty in the 7/08. They are usually accurate right out of the box. Slap a Leupold Varix-1 scope in 4x12x40 on top and you would be good to go for coyote, antelope, whitetail deer, mule deer, elk and bear. good luck ... Tom Purdom

jessesgirl4life · « **Reply #15 on:** September 02, 2006, 03:25:11 PM »

i mostly plan to hunt deer and maybe elk but other than that i dont think about anything else

crow_feather · « **Reply #16 on:** September 03, 2006, 09:53:11 AM »

You are gonna hear quite a few calibers and lots of advice. But the choice of rifle and caliber rests with how much rifle you can carry (weight) and your tolerance to recoil. The heavier the rifle, the larger the caliber as weight negates recoil. I might suggest a lever rifle, single shot, or pump, if you do not want to go the longer search and added expense of a left handed rifle. I would also suggest a youth rifle as your shorter stature needs a shorter buttstock. Cutting one down adds expense and trouble. Also check on the calibers that offer reduced recoil loads such as the 270 etc. The main thing is to take your time, shoot it or one like it before buying, as once the sale is done - you are stuck with it. You can get used to more recoil, but most people just end up with a flinch and never shoot well until retrained.

C F

7x57mm · « **Reply #17 on:** September 03, 2006, 06:20:11 PM »

jessesgirl4life: crow feather has some excellent comments, especially about the weight of the rifle. First, your height suggests you are a person of slight stature now, but as a young person, you will grow. I would highly recommend a Savage 11 in 7/08 caliber. You can buy one of these from Bud's Guns in Kentucky for something like $387 in the left hand model. You will be charged $25 more shipping and handling and the rifle will have to be shipped to a FFL holder to complete the federal transfer papers. This individual charges about $20. This rifle weighs in at 6.5 pounds. Add in a scope (I would not recommend one of the Savage Package combo because the scopes are not typically the kind which will hold up year after year. A Leupold Varx-1 in 4x12x40, sells for $249, plus $10 or so shipping and handling from an outfit like The Optic Zone (good folks to work with) and this weighs 13 ounces, then there is about $30 for rings and bases, add two ounces for weight there, and a sling, about another 2 ounces. All in all, you have about $740 invested along with the sling at a carry weight of about seven and one half pounds. This outfit would serve you well for many years. You might think of cutting down the stock to fit you better. A 7/08 will be good for coyote, whitetail deer, mule deer, antelope, elk, wild pigs and even black bears, whcih is about all I think a person would want to hunt. No matter what, good luck in your search and welcome to this sport of hunting. Tom Purdom

ScoutMan · « **Reply #18 on:** September 05, 2006, 09:55:56 AM »

Jess,

All good advice here. If you want to save some sheckles and weight (both a good thing) consider a ghost ring peep and a post front sight. To give you an idea of what it should be look at the M-1 Garand military rifle . The aperture opening could be larger. If you have "young" eyes, a scope does not give you a superior advanange in the field. And after a long day the savings in weight will be appreciated.

With the money saved on the scope, purchase a pair of good quality binoculars. See consumer reports for an evaluation. "The only thing better than shooting deer is seeing deer."

kombi1976 · « **Reply #19 on:** September 05, 2006, 01:48:24 PM »

Quote from: ScoutMan on September 05, 2006, 09:55:56 AM

With the money saved on the scope, purchase a pair of good quality binoculars. See consumer reports for an evaluation. "The only thing better than shooting deer is seeing deer."

"The only thing better than shooting deer is seeing deer."

Nope, sorry, I think shooting deer is still better!

But ScoutMan is right.
Won't do you any harm to use iron sights and if you get quick detatchable mounts later on you can switch between.

Don Fischer · « **Reply #20 on:** September 06, 2006, 04:58:03 AM »

Goast ring peep? I assume your talking about a peep sight with the insert taken out? My L61R Sako's came with a detachable rear peep that was horrible,,,,,,until you unscrewed the insert. I threw my insert away. The peep without the insert is in my opinion the best open sight around, if it's still around. If she does concider that option, remember that looking thru the peep the greatest concentration of light is in the center of the peep and your eye WILL naturally be drawn to dead center. It'll make you wonder at first but it's a great and easy to use sight!

ScoutMan · « **Reply #21 on:** September 06, 2006, 01:43:35 PM »

Right on Don.

I have the XS ghost ring and post front. Aperture size .190; post width .100. You can use the wider post width if you have "old geezer" eyesight like me.

Wide post sights pose no problem with the use of proper technique. That technique states that shots should strike at the top of the post. The amount of vital zone behind the post is irrelevant as long as the portion of the vital zone which is your aiming point is visiable. High power rifle shooters know this. That is why they use a 6 o'clock hold (Bottom of the bulls eye sitting on top of the front post).