Hunters and gunsman, lend me your ears!
 

I know there is a thread on guns in general, but I need to know some info regarding a good hunting rifle. Mind you, my knowledge on the models is extremely limited, so throwing around model numbers only would confuse me a bit.

I am looking to get a good general purpose hunting rifle and I want to get a good economy scope. I am not planning on hunting until I get my own land, but would like to start growing my collection. I am looking for a deer gun, nothing big game, just a good deer gun.

Price range, I would say around or under $500 (ideally). Any knowledge is appreciated, thanks!

when you get your own land, let me know; I want to come shoot pistols on it. lol

there's a free CAssel jersey in it for you, if that sweetens the deal any

Deer? Remington .270 or .30-06 for about $350 or so from Bass Pro. I'm sure some of the major hunters in here will have better advice.

If I had to pick a single caliber rifle it would be a 30-06. Very wide choice of ammo available and if you roll your own (reload) the options get even bigger. You would be hard pressed to find anyplace that sells ammo that wouldn't have '06 ammo on the shelf. Remington, Ruger, Savage, Winchester, there are tons of rifles around new and used. Very few rifles are shot enough to wear them out so don't be afraid of used. If the barrel is bright and clean an older "off-the-record" deal is hard to turn down and harder to trace. And a 06 would be fine for everthing that you could run across in North America although a little light for the biggest bears.

Don't skimp on the scope, trust me on that one. I would rather skimp on the rifle than a than a quality scope.

My go to gun is a stainless Remington 700 BDL 300 Untra Mag with a synthetic stock and a Leupold Vari-X III 3.5X10X50mm stainless scope. I have some ok scopes on some of my .22 plinking rifles, but there is a night and day difference between the optics. This Leupold is crystal clear and is also good for low light shots, because the 50mm lets in the extra light. You can drop anything from a speed goat to a moose/grizzly with that gun. It all depends on what bullet you use. I go with a 180gr Nosler Partition for most of the larger things.

http://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/

http://www.remington.com/

.30-06 is the way to go IMO, thousands of guns and variations available, finding ammunition is easy and its fairly cheap compared to most calibers. Choosing a scope is a whole different ball game that depends greatly on the distances you shoot, and what kind of information you're wanting to get from your sight. I'm a really big fan of Trijicon Accupoints :D

With that budget I'd suggest a .243 or .270 Remington 700 with a Leupold 3x9x40 VX-1. The Rem 700 is one of the of the most reliable and popular rifles out there and Leupold's reputation is about as good as it gets.

Don't laugh, but Walmart has been know to dump bargain guns at prices you won't find at many other places.

On a side note, my second choice would be a 7mm. I can drill nails with that thing as well. I have never been a 30-06 fan and I have owned a few of them. With that being said, some guys love it.

listen to bwana
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Yep, they make a hell of a scope and their guarantee is second to none as well.

You and I will disagree on the .30-06 vs. .300 ultra mag, but I completely agree with you on the 7MM. After that I'd probably say .270 or a .308 but I like to keep the .308 around for a different reason.

I have a pair of 300 rums with a 4.5x14.56 & 6.5x20x56 L series and love them! If you like the 50mm Leupolds, you might rub one out with the 56 L series, low mount and awesome light gathering!

For $500, I'd rank quality of rifles as follows:

1A Savage
1B Marlin
2 Mossberg
3 Thompson Center
Remington???

https://support.budsgunshop.com/cata...ducts_id/78136

https://support.budsgunshop.com/cata...ducts_id/70966

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...ducts_id/57401

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...08%20MT%20HVY/


http://grabagun.com/t-c-venture-308win-22-ws-syn.html

That's cool, that's why gun manufactures make numerous calibers. All I can say is I have pulled off some 700 yard plus shots with the 300 and I love it.

LMAO

Nice

You couldn't give me a 30-06. If you ask me, it's one of the most over rated rifles of all time.

Go with a .30-06 for first rifle then .308

Shop places online.. as wally world, Dicks, and similar stores get crapped down versions sent by the manufactures and that's why they are cheap (cheap sometimes..deals are online).

My only issue with .300 ultra mag is the cost really, in my opinion there are better calibers out there for the money in terms of ammunition, like a 7MM RUM. But it all boils down to distance. If I've got to take something down at anything past 300 yards, I'd definitely opt for a .300 Ultra Mag over the .30-06 for sure, but I don't do much shooting past 300 yards to be honest.

Someone had some guns listed prior to this point, and I'd advise against the second one posted. You don't want to go hunting with a .223/5.56 :hmmm:

243,25-06,270. I like rifles that you can make up or buy loads for whacking anything from P-dogs on up to Elk.

Dnt sell your self short either with the good old trusty American lever actions. Today's new lever action ammo in 30/30 has changed the game quite a bit

http://media.midwayusa.com/productim...775/775263.jpg



I seen this ammo take a 40lbs coyote & turn it inside out I bet the gut shot dog weighed less than 25lbs dead

I always liked a .270 for a good flat shooting Deer Gun

Savage is going to start necking down the 22 hornet to .177. 3600 to 4000 fps
I cant wait to own one & blowup my first Crow. POOF & a big black cloud of feathers

isn't .177 a pellet?

Oh and Livesteam you are 100% correct, the 30/30 is not given the respect it deserves... I may go buy me one now..

Remington 700. Learn to shoot with open sights first, then purchase your scope. You will be a better shooter that way.

I think a Winchester Model 70 .243 or .270 would be something to consider.

First high powered rifle? Can't go wrong with a .243. Unless you plan on hunting something larger than whitetail right off the bat

You can get a decent Savage in whatever caliber suits your hunting terrain for about 350. If you live in Bwana country, shooting mountain to mountain, a 7mm Rem Mag would be the ticket. In the dense forests where most shots on game are <100 yds, 30-30 or 06 is good enough. Personally I use my Remington 700 XHR in 7mm 08 for deer.

As far as optics, I'm happy with my Nikon Prostaff that cost around 160 bucks. Leupold snobs have given props to it, if that means anything.

Yeah I hear what you're saying, but a lot of my shots have been well over 300 yards and the 300 is flat and has a lot of knock down power when it hits. As far as the cost of ammo heh, one shot one kill. ;)

I have a Sako in a 7mm-08 and it is a good deer gun. I don't know if I would take it after elk though. If you get into a situation where you have a long shot, you could screw yourself.

I also agree with some other posts. It all depends on how far your average shot is where you're hunting. A 30-30 would work great for a 100 yard shot, but it it's a 400 yard shot, good luck.

30/30 for me.
i got some kinda shit that makes me shake like a whore in church...always have. so, i hunt in the thick timber, where i can hunker down and wait for something to come past me. gotta be close and big.

for just blasting shit, i got a sks w/a shitload of shells. it's fun.

have about 20 rifles and pistols handed down from my dad and grandfather. a lot of them i haven't shot in years, since they passed on. lots of stories.
sec

Take some pics , would love to see those guns

You should like this. This is hanging above my fireplace. It's was my Great Great Grandfathers 1889 Winchester 32 Special. It still works great. I killed my first two deer with it.

sweet...i'd like to see the outfit you've got hanging under it. you fix that up?
sec

I will be hanging the spurs to the left and right of the gun this weekend. I just hung them on the end of the bison head for the time being before I went on a business trip earlier in the week. The spurs were also my Great Great Grandfathers. My brother made the bison piece.

Just aim for the brow tine.

very nice. thanks.
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1901-1904? Beautiful guns 32ws & the 32/20's

Sks is fairly accurate and damn near idiot proof.

& pushing 400 hundred dollars

Find a sniper, feed him a beer and just listen. You'll hear good hardware is awesome, but patience and practice are better.

Savage in .270, 7mm, or .30-06

I bought my Savage .30-06 for $250 (with scope) used at a gunshow. It's 3 for 3 when used in rage. And 2 of those shots were 250+ yards. Not a looker, but it produces.

DT

I'm going to suggest that you get a 'decent' rifle and a 'good' scope. I like the (Savage) Stevens 200 for the money - if you wish to take a 'step up' the Savage upgrade has a better trigger ('Accu-Trigger, worth the money if you can swing it) Note that these are available in left hand models, not every gun is.
If you're hunting deer in KS/MO, I'll suggest the .243, it shoots flat, it's enough gun for our white tails with the right load, but it's not so much it'll beat your shoulder up as you practice. If you plan to hunt other, bigger game, the .308 would be my suggested 'step up', or the 6.5x55 'Swede'. There are plenty of other good calibers, these are some of my faves.

Scopes - I happen to like Bushnell's 'upgraded' models and Burris, YMMV. Be aware that the scope makers change factories often, so last years 'good' model may suck now. Go look thru some. Everyone's eye is different. I'll also suggest thinking about a good single power scope instead of a multi power like a 3x9. I put good 4x scopes on a lot of 'brush' rifles, you can pop a Bushnell Elite 10x on for plains hunts. Good glass, esp. for hunters like me who set the danged multi and leave it alone for years.

If you haven't practiced w/a rifle a lot, buy a good Savage .22 and go put a few thousand rounds thru it. Your eye will thank you.

muelleroptics.com/ - some good scopes for the money

Savage Mark II FVSR A good .22

Stevens 200
A good bargain rifle

Model 10 'package' gun

You can see the 'accu-trigger' on some of these models. It lets you take up 'slack' in the trigger, so when the gun goes 'bang' it's a surprise. I really like 'em. I will also say that there are prettier rifles than these Savage/Stevens guns. But I sure seem to shoot 'em better than most of the pretty-boys.

And that's what I like about ya, one shot one kill mantra. Important for all shooting purposes. However, the ballistics between the .300 and the RUM are pretty damned close, with the RUM having quite a bit more energy at 300 and beyond. That being said, all ballistics aside, I like to shoot. So for me cost of ammunition plays a big role because I'm always trying to sharpen and hone my skills as a shooter. For that reason, I try to stay with a caliber that I can shoot often and not break the bank on.

That being said, if I'm going out and shooting from mountain top to mountain top, with the one shot kill mantra, I'd probably go the route and look for a "purpose built" setup and go with one of my favorite rounds of all time, the .338 lapua. Expensive rifle, expensive ammunition, but the knock down power is incredible, as is the accuracy and range. But that's a little bit too much for what the OP is trying to do here, but if you can afford it, hell yeah!

Very Nice...

I know. It's ****in reeruned.

I paid under 90 for my Tula back in 1992

http://www.imagebam.com/image/e485c8219766383http://http://www.imagebam.com/image/e485c8219766383R8ers posted in another thread, but it fits your budget well. I'd pay $500 for it before I stepped foot in that place on Black Friday, but I know 4 guys who purchased this gun at Walmart expecting a poor shooting short range gun and every one of them has been very surprised at it's long range accuracy.

It may be from Walmart and I hate the place too but it's still a Ruger and I really like the brand.