What is a good starting out rifle for deer season and what do i have to do to purchase one in Tx?

Question

Just was wondering how about i goto purchase my first hunting rifle for deer season and whats a good start out model.

Answer 1

Most all hunters that I grew up with in Texas started out with a .243 Rem or Win fitted with a 3X9 scope. It's a very flat shooting round with little recoil.

All you need is a record free from felony convictions and a few hundred dollars.

Answer 2

Last question first: To purchase a gun in Texas (even a long gun) you have to be an adult, fill out the questionnaire (a yellow sheet) stating that you are purchasing the gun for yourself, that you are a legal resident of this country and asking for your State of residency, also that you are not a convicted felon or have a conviction for family violence, that you are not a druggie, etc., etc., etc... Remember, NO ABBREVIATIONS WHATSOEVER ON THIS FORM. This is then checked by phone by the vendor and can take as little as ten minutes, or as long as a couple of days. This background check is skipped if you hold a valid Texas concealed carry permit, but the form is STILL filled out. Also, you will be given or told of a 'set of gun safety rules' and you will be asked to read them before using your gun. Then you pay for your gun and take custody of it.

First question, what is a good starter gun for deer hunting? Answer: Nothing smaller than a .243 Winchester and then only with nothing lighter than the 100 grain hunting round. The old .30-30 Winchester is okay, but is not exceptionally accurate nor is it an exceptionally long range rifle--150 yards max. It does have noticeable but not painful recoil. Personally I've found the .44 Remington Magnum Model 92 to be more accurate, about the same felt recoil and about fifty yards shorter maximum range.

Resist the temptation to buy anything in any of the .22 calibers (.222, .223, 22-250) for deer. They'll bring down a deer but not swiftly nor humanely. If larger calibers don't scare you off you should really consider the .25-06 Remington, a truly stellar deer cartridge.

Happy hunting!

H

Answer 3

You need to be 18+ and have a clean record. You may also have to take a hunter safety course (I recommend you do since this is you first rifle). First you need to look at rifle types

Lever guns. These are great for thicker cover. Calibers: 30-30, 45/70 (It can kick), .444 Marlin, .35 Remington are the classics. All will do the job, but the 30-30 gets the nod by me for deer. Makers: Marlin or Winchester (they quite making the M94, but you should still be able to find one). The Marlin 336 is about as good as you can hope for.

Bolt- action and single shots. Here anything from .243-the .300 whizzbangers will work. Optimum ones include the 257 Roberts, 25-06, .270, 7mm-08, .308, 30-06 and the various short mags and ultra mags in those calibers. these guns hit far out there, so plan to spend as much or more on the scope as you do on the rifle.
Savage, Remington, Winchester, ruger, New England, Browning, all make various actions and calibers.

Semi-Auto's and Pumps. Here you are looking at Remington, Browning, and Benelli. These can generally be had in the same calibers for the autos.

My own preferance is 30-06 right now nad .308 since I own both. I am hoping to get a 25-06 and a .270 WSM to round out my collection. If are planning on hunting animals larger than deer, then the 270-7mm-.30 class rounds are going to be more useful. If you are hoping to varmint hunt the .243 and .25 calibers are going to do you better. Good luck and stay safe out there!

Answer 4

I would recommend something like a .243 caliber. It has a relatively light recoil yet has sufficient power to cleanly kill a white tail deer. If you are a Texas resident with no criminal history, all you have to do is to go to a store that sells the rifle that you want and purchase it. Because it is a long gun, there is no waiting period. You buy it and take it home with you. While you are there, talk to a salesman and ask what specific ammo you should buy for it. For each caliber there are many different brands and loadings. You need to get the correct cartridge for the purpose for which you will be using your rifle. Once you have the rifle, you will need a scope for it. Here is a bit of advice that most people will want to argue with until they have been hunting long enough to understand the importance of it. That is that you should plan on spending as much on a scope as you do on the rifle. Tough to swallow? Look at it this way, you will spend money on a license, ammo, gun, a place to hunt, the expense of getting to your lease, camping gear, food, and the list goes on and on. Do you really want spend all of that money just to get to set in that deer blind and then risk missing a shot because of a lesser quality scope? Your rifle is only going to be as accurate as your scope. Don't blow your hunting trip because you were trying to save a few dollars on the scope. Good scopes are expensive but you get what you pay for. A good one will set you back at least $500. Also, I recomment a fixed power scope over a variable power one. Oh, sure, most people will spend the money to get a 3X to 9X scope and then find that they set it on somewhere between 4X and 6X and leave it there. Why pay for something that you won't get that much use from. I think that a fixed power scope of 6X will be a great scope and you will have a scope with a much clearer image than one of a variable power.

Answer 5

it all depends on your budget, if you don't want to drop alot of money on a rifle and your not worried about looks then i would suggest a British 303, or maybe a 7.62 X 54r. both of these rifles can be bought for less than 100 bucks and can be tossed around and dropped without you worrying about hurting them.

if your gonna spend a little money then i would suggest something in a .270 caliber for starting out. it has a mild recoil and wont bruise your shoulder after a day on the range. some people like the .243 but in my opinion its a bit small for whitetail. a 30-06 or bigger has quite a recoil and without alot of experience with larger bore rifles you may end up flinching when you pull the trigger resulting in a missed shot. again i suggest a .270, large selection of ammo, light recoil with still enough power to consistently drop deer, and as far as brand of rifle that all depends on you. go to the gun store and hold different brands of rifles till you find the one that is inside your budget and feels the best in you shoulder.

i also suggest a Simmons scope to top of your rifle, their new Master Series design is awesome and very affordable considering the quality. they also come with a lifetime warranty.

good luck and have fun, i hope you get a big one.

Answer 6

The aforementioned calibers are fine. To make the purchase you need to be at least 18 years of age, not be on probation or under indictment, and not have any felony convictions. A misdemeanor conviction of domestic violence will also disqualify you. So, if you are qualified to make the purchase then go to a gun store, select the rifle that you want to purchase, and fill out the paperwork which takes about 2 minutes. The clerk will call NICS to initiate a background check and with the smallest bit of luck you will most likely walk out of the store with your shiny new weapon in about 5 to 10 minutes. Oh, I'm a .308 Winchester kind of guy. It will kill almost anything on this continent without kicking the bejesus out of you which means that you'll practice a great deal more with it. The ammo is reasonably priced as well.

Answer 7

i'm a remington fan, since they have a factory close to where i grew up. you should be able to find a Remington Model 700 about anywhere that sells rifles.

Buy a .243, .270., .308 or a 30-06 caliber. Any of those four calibers are fine for deer in TX and should be very easy to find ammo. I have a Remington Model 7 (short version of model 700) in .308. Mild recoil and can find ammo about anywhere.

Since it's a rifle and not a handgun, you should have to do much to buy it other than pay for it.

Enjoy and good hunting.

Answer 8

Well thats a question that you will get 1000 different anwsers to.

1st. it depends on your size. Larger caliber rifles for larger people.
2nd. Whats the longest distance you will be shooting.
3rd. How much do you want to spend.

My personal opinion is a Ruger M77 .300 Win. Mag is the best all around gun for the money. I bought my 1st one with a synthetic stock in black with a stainless steel finish on the barrel and reciever. The gun wears well and shoots as far as you would like within reason of course. I put a Leupold 3x9x42 scope and it shoots great. The gun is great from deer to Moose depending on what size load you use.

Answer 9

I am unsure of the laws and requirements of purchasing a firearm in Texas, so I can not speak too intelligently on that.

As to what type of rifle to buy…

Rifles are very personal things. Some people prefer bolt actions, some lever actions, etc.. I would highly recommend going to a gun shop and trying a few different rifles to see what feels good to you. Personally, I am a Remington 700 fan (I love their Mountain rifle in the 700). However, I have rifles of almost every action (single shot is the only type I do not own yet…plans are in the works though). I have enjoyed shooting and hunting with them all. Some are better than others. If I am going to be hunting through heavy brush, I like a short lever action as they handle well and it is easy to get a quick shot off. If I am hunting from a stand or blind, I like a longer rifle.

I have found bolt action rifles to be pretty accurate with whatever type of ammo I shoot through it. Pump actions are pretty forgiving as well, but mine still has some ammo it just doesn’t shoot well. Semi-autos seem to be very picky and mine only shoots one load consistently well. Lever actions tend to be the most inaccurate (at least for me). If I can put 5 shots within a 3 inch group at 100 meters, I am happy (3 inches is terrible for me…good for others, but I have had years of shooting behind me).

If you have unlimited funds, I like the Sako 75 Finnlight series. They are light and well fitting. One of these will put you back at least a grand ($1400 is the most expensive I’ve seen one for) and I have heard of waits over a year for Sako rifles. If you are on a moderate budget, Browning, Remington, Winchester, and Ruger all make nice rifles. I have shot them all. Personally, I prefer Browning, Remington, Ruger, and Winchester in that order. There is nothing wrong with a Winchester, I just never cared for them. If you are on a strict budget, Savage makes a rifle/scope package that sells at most Wal-Marts for about $400. While I have not shot a modern Savage, I hear excellent things about them.

What cartridge to buy is a tough subject. Which cartridge depends on your shooting experience, your size, future hunting plans, etc…

If this were the only rifle you planned on buying, I’d recommend a 30-06 Springfield. It is by far the most popular cartridge on the planet. There is a huge selection of factory ammo. The cartridge can be used for anything from groundhogs to big brown bear (with some patience and good shot placement). The recoil is a little much if you are a beginning shooter or are a small person. I wouldn’t use this as a starter rifle, only if you have some shooting experience.

If you are brand new to the world of shooting, I’d recommend one of the following:

243 Win (95 grain bullet or higher...great ammo availability, very low recoil)

257 Roberts (a great round, but ammo and rifles can be hard to find)

6.5x55 Swede (a great compromise between power and recoil...ammo availability is a little lacking but it can still be found pretty easily)

7mm-08 (This is an all around great round. The recoil is starting to get on the higher side for a beginning rifle, but still very tolerable. Ammo is widely available and the cartridge can be used on anything up to about elk sized game...and even elk of you are careful)

30-30 Win (a tried and true deer round. Rifles are abundant and can be bought used for cheap. Effective range is limited due to the flat point bullets required, but that is now changing with a new type of ammo called Leverelution (I think)...a great beginner round)

7.62x39mm (a round mainly known for use in the AK-47. Sport rifles are a little hard to come by, but they are out there. The round is on the low end for deer, but for shot out to 100 to 150 yards, I'd feel comfortable with it. Just make sure you have a good clean shot to the vitals...I wouldn't trust this round to penetrate much bone)

35 Remington (this is getting to the higher end of the recoil spectrum for a beginners rifle. The round is slow and something I'd recommend for short range only. This isn't something I'd recommend, but if you can find one for cheap, it may be one to consider)

If I were to own one gun, I’d opt for a 35 Whelen. Short of large African game, it can take out pretty much anything. The cons of the cartridge is that ammo is not readily available and recoil is a little stiff (not terrible, but it can get your attention).

Good luck. Happy hunting

Answer 10

the 30-30 is the classic deer hunter starter rifle, it will do the job.