hunting rifle?

Question

What is a good beginning hunting rifle?

sorry, deer hunting and small game

Answer 1

Rabbit/Squirrel - Ruger 10/22
http://www.ruger-firearms.com

Deer - Marlin 336
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/centerfire/336w.aspx
The Marlin 336 30-30 is a very nice rifle if most of your hunting will be at ranges under 150yds

Dick's Sporting Goods
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com
They sell the factory scope mounted 336W for $320 when they have a sale. The 336A is $350. I prefer the 336C by a slight margin, but it's a few $$ more.

A Ruger 77 or a Remington 700 in either .270 or .308 would be better for longer ranges.

http://www.remington.com

Answer 2

Thats a loaded question! It depends on what you are hunting, where you are hunting, meaning the type of terrain you are hunting. If you are hunting in thick woods a scoped long range rifle doesn't do you much good, but a 30-30 would. On the other hand if you are going to be in wide open spaces where you may have to take a 200 or 300+ yard shot the 30-30 is a lot less desireable and you would want a scoped rifle. Also if you are hunting deer you don't need as large a caliber as if you were hunting elk or moose. I would either provide more specifics in the question or do some research in hunting/shooting magazines.

Answer 3

I do both as well, but prefer bow hunting. In the state where I do most of my deer hunting (ND) you get a longer season for archery. I will admit I am usually more successful while rifle hunting. The last time I was home for the rifle season I shot 4 deer vs usually only 1 or 2 deer a season with my bow. That isn't due to missing or anything just the fact that you have a lot more range with a rifle. That and I pass on a lot of deer with my bow, but with rifle we normally shoot any deer that meats the requirements. I still prefer archery hunting. If you plan on hunting this season you should get started soon. If you choose archery then you need to practice a lot and your running out of time before the season starts.

Answer 4

The one that makes you happiest. Because really there are so many choices, and most companies make a rifle in most calibres, even the ones they did not invent themselves.

From a pure bare minimum point of view the 243 winchester is a good choice, by any manufacturer.
Low cost, low recoil that can can still handle any small game or medium deer species.
And being a high velocity bolt action cartridge is beats any lever action case( 30-30 etc.) for range and accuracy.

You want something bigger(257, 270win,308, 30-06 etc.) they will work fine but you are getting more cost and more kick.

And anything smaller, that being the many 224 calibres(22-250, 223rem etc.) will not kill reliably on such game.


The 243 is therefore at a threshold.

Once again though read up on them all and get something that makes you happiest.

Join the forums at www.accuratereloading,com under new hunters. they love to hear from new guys.

Answer 5

Well, a .243 is a good gun for deer and varmints, but after that id say anything like a .270 is too big for smaller varmints. If you really want, you could get a 270 or a 308 30-06, but its gonna leave a nice hole in a varmint. If you mean a varmint like a coyote, sure about anythign will be fine, but a squirrel is way to small for even a .243. I shot one with a 243 and it entered in the guts and hit the spine. It blew the spine completly off and the tail came floating out of the tree after the squirrel went thud. I was actually coyote huntin and ddint see anything, so i shot that squirrel. It was stupid actually, bullets for a .243 are a bit more expensive than a .22!

Answer 6

for a beginner hunting small game, i would get a 20 gauge single shot. my grandfather has a NEF single shot chambered in 12 gauge, and he uses it for all small game, including rabbit, squirrel, turkey in the fall, pheasant, and grouse. a 20 gauge is a little lighter recoil, but is still effective. the last i checked, one is gonna run you about $110.
as for deer, i personally dont like the .243 winchester. many people hail it as a good whitetail rifle, but i think it lacks sufficient power. even with the 100 grain bullets, you have to be picky with your shots. i like a .25/06, .270 or a 7mm-08. all three will take down whitetailed deer easily with good shot placement, and the latter two will work good on black bear and mule deer as well. a remington model 700 sps in any of these calibers is about $600, or maybe a mossberg 100 ATR for around $350-400.
good luck safe hunting.

Answer 7

after briefly passing over all the answers I can tell you've been set up for failure. the BEST all purpose caliber (save for squirrel and rabbit...which you could use it on but wouldn't get much meat) is the .300 win mag. I use a remington 700 in that caliber. it has great range for long distance shots, better ballistics than the old 30-06, more knock down power than a 7mm, .308, .270 etc etc. and unlike the lighet .243's and what not it'll not be deflected quite so easily by branches and wind. plus it'll kill anything in the northern hemisphere. from white tail in the south to rams across valleys and canyons to bear and elk and moose in the northwest. now on some game it might be considered overkill and on others a little light, but it'll do the trick on anything. so its one rifle for all task.
with that said, if you just want a rifle to shoot to become a better hunter and shot, I'd say the .308. easy to shoot, enough knock down and range for most game, bullets are cheap and easy to find.

Answer 8

My husband bought me a .243, he said the bullets are really fast and don't damage as much deer meat as many other calibers. However, they are no good for brush. The brush guns others are referring to may wreck a lot of meat. And I know in my state of MN, there are large areas of the state you must use a shotgun with slugs (hope I'm getting the details right). My rifle is a Savage with a scope.

I use a .22 for squirrels and woodchucks that are pestering the garden. It has a scope. It is a Ruger.

I think it would be good to join a local sportsmans club or find a relative to help you out.

I have only hunted 4 years and I really like it!

Answer 9

It depends on what you want to hunt, and where you want to hunt it. But, I (and many other people) believe a .30-06 is among the most versatile rounds. You can use it for everything from elk to jack rabbits (though a body shot on a bunny leaves him hard to find). 7mm is another good, versatile round. Some people like .30-30 (which is what I started with many, many, many moons ago), but it has limited effective range (100-150 yards). Great in brushy conditions, and effective for deer, but good luck with pronghorn, antelope or elk. Another line of thought is .25-06, or .22-250, both of which will shoot flat and fast and will knock a prairie dog clean out of it's hole easily at 300 yards. However, there is conflict over their effectiveness with deer, in that the bullets travel too fast for their mass, meaning they have limited "stopping" or "knockdown" power.
As far as brand of rifle, Ruger is probably the best value of quality at a reasonable price. Good luck.

Answer 10

Well I would say just visit a few pawn shops or gun shows and pick you up a good cheap 22, of any brand. Go with a bolt action, med to long barrel length and make sure it fits you good. Go practice with it and hunt squirrels and rabbits.

For deer I would suggest getting a cheap military surplus rifle like a cheaper 8mm mauser. Forget about scopes and all the extra crap. Just get a good cheap rifle .223 or larger and practice with it.

One alternative is that you could get one of those cheap single shot 12 gauges and use it for small game, birds, waterfowl, turkey and deer. I prefer using a 22 though for small game and I use a 22-250 for deer.

Just get in the woods and enjoy the hunt.