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