Advice on my first long gun purchase

[Coshy]

I'm not currently a gun owner, mainly due to financial constraints. However things have recently changed and one of my first 'recreationial' purchases is going to be a gun.

I've got military experience behind me, so I'm familiar with handling firearms, (mainly M16s with some time on M249 and M60) what I'm not familiar with is how to chose a gun. There are just so many dang options, and I'm getting a little frustrated. I want to be an intellegent conusmer, but at the moment I don't know what I don't know.

Here is what I've decided so far:

Use - recreationial target shooting, occasionial deer hunting

Action - semi-auto or bolt action, I'm not really liking the lever or pump actions of the firearms I've looked at.

Caliber - Here is where I get all confused, it seems there are hundreds of calibers to chose from. I was originially thinking a 30-30, or 30-06, but then I have had the 270 and 243 recommended. I'm not afraid of a little recoil, but I dont want something that is going to knock my shoulder out of alignment if I decide to spend an afternoon at the range.

Stock -  I'd prefer a wood stock, although I am aware of some advantages of synthetic stocks, I just like the way the wood stocks look.

Manufacturer - I'm open to suggestions, but here quality and reputation are very important to me.

Price - Again, here I'm a little undecided, I dont want to spend a small fortune, but I dont want to go cheap and get a piece of junk. $500 comes to mind, but I have no idea if that is in the high, medium, or low end.

I'm doing some research on my own, but having read these boards for the last few months I know there are some very knowledgable people here. I'm not going to take the first suggestion and run out and buy a firearm, this is going to be a purchase with a good deal of careful consideration behind it.

Thanks in advance for your comments/suggestions.

[68slayr]

whitetail or mule deer?

i hunt deer with a remington 25-06  its a nice gun....i dropped a deer at 300 yards with it.....it shoots flat

270 and 243 are good choices also

[Halo]

You'll get some excellent advice here, but also Google for whatever terms come closest to what you might be interested in.  

For example, theboxotruth.com has some interesting info about informal tests of the effectiveness of various kinds of ammo.

wikipedia.org often has pertinent overviews.

Another favorite is chuckhawks.com for many articles about most aspects of shooting and accessories.

[Hornet33]

I like to use my Ruger Model 77 bolt action in .308 / 7.62mm NATO for deer hunting. Mine is stainless with a synthetic stock because I do take it out in the weather and bang it around, but they make the same rifle with a variety of very nice wood stocks as well. A .308 packs a healthy punch but with a decent recoil pad you can spend a day at the range without too much pain involved.

Caliber choice is going to be the tough one though. Many very good rounds out there that will bring a deer down, but some are more expensive than others. I like the .308 just because ammo doesn't cost a fortune and it's always available. It's a very common round to hunt with.

As far as what rifle to buy, in my opinion if your looking at a bolt action, Ruger, Remington, and Winchester make some of the best hunting rifles on the market but they do cost a bit more. For a decent entry level bolt rifle take a look at a Savage. The costs are lower than the big 3 and they are a good shooting rifle.

Best advice I can give you though is to go out to the local shooting ranges and gun stores and ask questions. Get your hands on some different rifles and find one that's comfortable to shoulder and hold a tight check weld with.

Good luck and be safe.

[Coshy]

68 - Its going to be whitetail deer.

Halo - Thanks for those sites, I'll be sure to check them out once I get more info.

Hornet33 - I plan on going to a couple local gun shops, as well as a gun show or two. My father and father-in-law have small arsenels that I've been checking out, most of theirs are pump or lever action. No semi or bolts, except for one my grandfather had.

Thanks for the info so far, looking forward to more.

As an additionial note, what publications, magazines, etc would be recommended for a novice gun owner?

[Xargos]

The 30-30 was one of the first (if not the first) smokeless powder rounds and is considered obsolete, although I find it one of the best rounds for hunting in heavy underbrush because it doesn't bounce as bad off small branches as other rounds do.

The 7mm is also a nice round to consider.  Then theres the 300 Winchester Magnum which is good if you have allot of open fields, plus will drop most medium sized dear where they stand.

The most versatile hunting rounds in the world are the 375 H&H and the 338 Winchester Magnum, which are ones I would consider if I lived in Grizzly country.  The 416 Rigby is the most common African round.

IMHO the .308 is the best all around for those of us who live in the South.



P.S.  One warning about the 300 Winchester Magnum.  This round is so powerful for its size that after 3000 rounds the barrel may start to warp and become inaccurate and will need to be replaced.

[eskimo2]

Don’t put it all into a centerfire; get a cheap 22 as well.

[lasersailor184]

You can't go wrong with .30-06.  I personally favor old military guns.

I'd suggest m1 garand, 1903, MN91/30, MN38.  The last two you could pick up for REAL cheap, including the ammo.  On top of that, they are arguably the most fun to shoot.  They are reliable, pretty accurate given the circumstances, and the last one (the MN38) makes a huge ****ing bang.  Enough to put a grin on any man's face.

[eskimo2]

Originally posted by lasersailor184
You can't go wrong with .30-06.  I personally favor old military guns.

I'd suggest m1 garand, 1903, MN91/30, MN38.  The last two you could pick up for REAL cheap, including the ammo.  On top of that, they are arguably the most fun to shoot.  They are reliable, pretty accurate given the circumstances, and the last one (the MN38) makes a huge ****ing bang.  Enough to put a grin on any man's face.

Dollar per quality he’s right.  

They are: reliable, cheap, accurate, have plentiful parts, have wood stocks and even represent a bit of military history.  How cool is that?  Plenty of money left over for a Ruger 10-22 and a bunch of ammo for both.

[Suave]

You just need a basic good, acurate and practical rifle. I think a Lahti 39 would be your best choice.

[Xargos]

Reloading your own ammo adds allot to your shooting experience and I suggest you look into that as well.

Also, It is said that the lever action 30-30s are the most accurate, though I saw that you don't like them.

[lazs2]

I am not a hunter anymore but my dentist has a lifetime of hunting and has 10 animals in boone and crocket.

He claims that the .270 is all he ever needs and has taken sheep at 400 yards.

He also says he would not feel bad having an ought six around..

I like the ought six and I reload so I can shoot my garand for cheap.   You would probly not want to lug a garand around the trails all day hunting tho.

Any caliber with more recoil than a .243 will make you sore shooting very many rounds from the bench.

Surplus rifles are fun and cheap and ammo can be bought fairly cheaply.   You can buy a 98 mauser for a couple hundred in 8mm and the ammo for cheap.

lazs

[M36]

My vote goes for the .270 also. If your hunting deer now, you may get the opportunity to hunt something larger down the road. The .270 is an excellent Elk rifle also, and there are various bullet weights to match the game you are hunting.   However when you decide on the caliber you want, look into the Weatherby Vanguard that Walmart sells. I bought one for my son seven years ago. They are guarenteed to be accurate within an inch. The trigger is very sloppy but with a Timney trigger upgrade, it is a very sweet shooting rifle. He has taken two Elk, and an Antelope with it. I do reload the ammo for it so I have it dialed in. It is a reasonably priced gun for the money. Good Luck

[Maverick]

Since you list target shooting as well as hunting I lean torwards the .308 or 7.62 NATO (surplus ammo!!!) for caliber. In action I prefer the bolt for hunting and target. Brand, try a Savage, Remington, Ruger in that order for accuracy. Cost wise the Ruger would be ahead of the Remington in some places. The Remington and Savage would be easier to glass bed the action if you decide to do that.

For a Remington any of the 700 style actions are good. Personally I like the old 600 series for a short handy carbine style rifle with more than adequate accuracy.

I heartily second the bit about getting a .22 for plinking and fun shooting. It's cheap and lots of fun to take along with you when the heavy caliber would be too much to bother with. I like Marlins for the cost but Rugers can be fun too if heavier to deal with not to mention the magazine issue.

For readin magazines, I used to subscribe to Shooting Times and of course since I'm a life member I get the NRA's magazine too. Join the NRA and get the magazine, I doubt you'll go wrong there at all.

[Dago]

Originally posted by lazs2


Surplus rifles are fun and cheap and ammo can be bought fairly cheaply.   You can buy a 98 mauser for a couple hundred in 8mm and the ammo for cheap.

lazs

Agreed, for the price he wants to spend, and the uses he lists, the surplus Mauser is a good choice, they are good rifles with cheap quality ammo available.

If he is willing to pay up to 4-5 hundred, you can get a practically new looking rifle.  I am thinking of picking one up because they are such a classic look, great shooter and just overall cool slice of history.