Recommendation for a decent first hunting rifle

[Keith B]

If you own an AR, take it deer hunting. A buddy of mine has taken several deer in recent years with his. But like others have said, a bolt or lever action rifle will fit the bill. For the lever action, go to .30-30 or something like .444 marlin (a good hog caliber). In bolt rifles, calibers .243, .270, .308, .30-'06 are good choices. I think it is important enough to have a quick followup shot that I wouldn't recommend a single shot rifle to a beginning hunter.

There is a rumor that .223 is not approved for hunting whitetail. Is that just rumor?

As far as I know, it is. But I can only speak to what I saw on my friend's lease. He shot a doe through the back of the head at 90 yards with an AR15 from a tree stand. The bullet exited just off-center of the bridge of her nose. She dropped in her tracks right where she was shot, DRT. The round was a handload pushing a 65 grain Sierra GameKing at about 3,200 fps. The rifle was a "home-built" with a Shilen stainless 20" heavy contour and a two stage match trigger of some kind. It's a real sweet shooter and I've had the chance to shoot it at the range. Although it is his coyote gun and he uses it primarily for varmint hunting, he has taken several deer with it at closer ranges.

See my post above. TPWD says no RIMFIRE rounds, so .223 is legal per state law. Some private ranches require a larger caliber or bullet weight.

[Dan20703]

My first centerfire rifle was a .270 and it shot so well that I never got another one. Very flat shooting and can take down evrything in Texas with no problem. Good luck in your selection. No matter what you select, always get some decent optics for it.

[particle]

I suggest the .308. You can get ammo anywhere, the rounds are relatively inexpensive, and from what I've read, it has enough power to take deer out to 600 yards. In the end, you want something with enough power to take down the game you're hunting, but is gentle enough for some useful trigger time to practice. The .270 has the power, but it has the punch too...

[gmckinl]

Are you sure about the 100-130 yards max figure? That's a pretty short max range for much of Texas. No offense to those who posted otherwise, but IMHO... pass on any 30-30 lever action for Texas! Forget it, no way jose. Works well enough close in, but on the leases I've been on, you will be severly limited on choice of locations (stands). Powerlines, senderos, fence lines, etc. probably won't work well for you with a 30-30. Just MHO, but a lever action, especially in 30-30 or 45-70 is a specialized rifle, not a general purpose / generic one. For the Piney Woods, great; for the Hill Country or the open spaces out West, not so great.

I think the more non-specialized and common you can get is the best approach for a first hunting rifle. Buy anything you like based on the 30-06, 308, or 7x57 cases in a bolt action and enjoy your hunt. BTW in case funds are tight, Academy and Bass Pro have Marlin bolts in 243, 270, 308, 25-06, and 30-06 for a good price. It won me over. I bought one in 06 this year and it appears to be VERY accurate. I tossed on a cheap-ish Nikon 3-9 scope from Academy and am ready to go. It's not the equal of a nice Model 70, but it is lighter (6.5#) by far.

All kinds of mil-surp are also available if you want to go that route. Remington also has some inexpensive package deals.

Simple answer, buy a mainstream brand 30-06 (or 308 or 270) and don't look back. It WILL work. You can sell it later if needs be, as it will always be in demand (more so than ANY other caliber).

[lawrnk]

Well, I did end up getting the 336W today, and she is a beaut. Thanks for all that advice, but I have no intention of shooting past 200 years right now. Maybe later, in 10 years, and I'll get something fancier.

[mr surveyor]

Good for you, lawrnk!

Now get a box each of Rem CoreLockt, Winchester SuperX and Hornady Leverevolution and bench fire three shot groups at 50 yards to find which patterns best. There are lots of ammo brands/weights to choose from, but those three are pretty standard fare for the 30-30. For the most part, I have found the old standard Rem CL's perform as well as any for me. From a steady rest, my old 336 will shoot 1-1/2 inch groups at 100 yards consistantly with the Rem CL 150 grain loads, which the load I keep the old Bushnell Sportview scope set for.

Have fun with the new rifle. I can't imagine a gun collection without at least one good lever gun.


surv

[Beiruty]

my first "deer" rifle, I just won the bid, NIB:

My first tikka, T3 SS and Syn Stock in 30-06.$590, $35 shipping:


Freebies:


http://v4.beta.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vi ... =141486935" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[The Annoyed Man]

See my post above. TPWD says no RIMFIRE rounds, so .223 is legal per state law. Some private ranches require a larger caliber or bullet weight.

Thanks for the clarification.

[TLE2]

I don't have one, but I read that Savage has some good rifles "at cheap prices".

[mgood]

There is a rumor that .223 is not approved for hunting whitetail. Is that just rumor?

Some states have a twenty-four caliber minimum for deer (thus the popularity of the .243). I don't believe Texas is one of those states.

EDIT: I see this has already been addressed. I didn't read page 2 before posting.

[Dragonfighter]

+1 on the 30-30. Marlin has a rebate going on the 336 through the end of the year. I think the cheapest I have seen it has been at Walmart. Other than that...what are you hunting and from what distance?

Especially in brush country where a branch could easily deflect a boat tail round, that big old 30/30 round will bust through the mesquite and scrub every time.

[CWOOD]

I know that the OP has already made his deal but I'll share my 2 cents.

Nearly 30 years ago my wife bought me a suprise "deer rifle" with some advice from a couple of my buddies.

Her selection was a Remington 760 in 30.06. The 76,760,7600 series is a long stroke pump action.

I have found the wide range of available 30.06 ammo variations excellent for all reasonable occasions. Slower and heavier rounds for the brush country and lighter high velocity rounds for the long shots. It will take about anything in North America.

The pump action is an excellent choice. It offers the power and stability of a bolt action with a much faster recovery for any subsequent shot. I still have it and it is still my primary hunting rifle. There is not other rifle out there which tempts me to change.

[jlangton]

I know that the OP has already made his deal but I'll share my 2 cents.

Nearly 30 years ago my wife bought me a suprise "deer rifle" with some advice from a couple of my buddies.

Her selection was a Remington 760 in 30.06. The 76,760,7600 series is a long stroke pump action.

I have found the wide range of available 30.06 ammo variations excellent for all reasonable occasions. Slower and heavier rounds for the brush country and lighter high velocity rounds for the long shots. It will take about anything in North America.

The pump action is an excellent choice. It offers the power and stability of a bolt action with a much faster recovery for any subsequent shot. I still have it and it is still my primary hunting rifle. There is not other rifle out there which tempts me to change.

Dad has a 760 BDL in .270 that he purchased back in the late 70's/early 80's.
Amazingly accurate.
Fast to reload for a second shot.
Simply a beautiful gun.
What's not to like?

JL

[mr surveyor]

lawrnk

have you shot the M77 yet?

I just got back from the range after having check the torque on the three "action screws", and making some necessary adjustments, and was amazed. I shot several different loads, and finished with two 3 round targets (100 yards)....one target group could be covered with a dime, and the other with a nickle...both targets when overlayed showed that all 6 rounds could be covered by a quarter. Proper torque on those screws can make a huge difference, and I would bet that that's a primary reason a lot of folks have walked away from M77 MkII's with disappointment, as well as taking a beating on the money.

My next step is getting with a buddy that has been handloading for about 30 years and find the perfect loading to tighten up my groups

surv

[lawrnk]

M77? I have the 336. I'm trying to figure out what rings/mounts I need for it to hand a 4x9x40 leupold on it. Dying to try it out though.

lawrnk

have you shot the M77 yet?

I just got back from the range after having check the torque on the three "action screws", and making some necessary adjustments, and was amazed. I shot several different loads, and finished with two 3 round targets (100 yards)....one target group could be covered with a dime, and the other with a nickle...both targets when overlayed showed that all 6 rounds could be covered by a quarter. Proper torque on those screws can make a huge difference, and I would bet that that's a primary reason a lot of folks have walked away from M77 MkII's with disappointment, as well as taking a beating on the money.

My next step is getting with a buddy that has been handloading for about 30 years and find the perfect loading to tighten up my groups

surv