First hunting rifle/ optic help

[flyboy3394]

Want to invest in my first bolt gun. Will be used for hunting common California game, namely boar and possibly deer.

having no experience with hunting rifles, or much with optics, im looking for recommendations for a good first rifle, calibers I should look at, and optics I should consider.

Im about to graduate from college, so this will need to be on the budget side, but I don't want an unreliable or inaccurate gun or optic.

Any help is appreciated.

Or a link to a relevant thread where im sure this has been discussed before would help as well.

[pennstater]

Remington Model 783. Comes with a scope. $330.00 at Turner's. Might be worth a look.

[TMB 1]

2nd^

Remington 783 in 308, not sure how good the scope it come with is, but Weaver 40/44 or Nikon Prostaff are good scopes. I think they're the same scope with different brands on them and minor feature differences. Both are made in Philippines.

[JackEllis]

I just went through a process like you're going through except I've already done some hunting and own a .30-06. You'll get lots of advice from people with more experience and direct knowledge than I have but here's my $.02:

Get something in a medium caliber that doesn't kick back too much. I decided on a .243 for a second hunting rifle since I'll be going mostly for coyotes. Put a low power scope on it. 2-7, 2.5-8 or 3-9 power are as much as you need. I'm not confident enough with shot placement to go more than about 200 yards and IMHO anything more than that becomes shooting rather than hunting. A wide field of view is probably more important than being able to see flees on the fur.

Also, while having an accurate rifle is important, IMHO shooting skill and shot placement are a lot more important than what rifle you use. Once you decide on a rifle, get out to the range and practice. Lots of practice. Get familiar with your ammo's ballistics. Practice using shooting sticks and firing from the prone position. There won't be a nice, solid bench in the field to use as a rest.

I can do a decent job punching paper at 100 yards but I'm starting to use hardened steel gongs 3-6 inches in diameter at various distances up to 200 yards to better simulate what I'll be seeing (a kill zone) when I hunt. My objective is to be able to consistently hit the 6" gong at 200 yards from the kinds of shooting positions I'll have to use in the field.

Sorry for going on so long.

[flyboy3394]

I just went through a process like you're going through except I've already done some hunting and own a .30-06. You'll get lots of advice from people with more experience and direct knowledge than I have but here's my $.02:

Get something in a medium caliber that doesn't kick back too much. I decided on a .243 for a second hunting rifle since I'll be going mostly for coyotes. Put a low power scope on it. 2-7, 2.5-8 or 3-9 power are as much as you need. I'm not confident enough with shot placement to go more than about 200 yards and IMHO anything more than that becomes shooting rather than hunting. A wide field of view is probably more important than being able to see flees on the fur.

Also, while having an accurate rifle is important, IMHO shooting skill and shot placement are a lot more important than what rifle you use. Once you decide on a rifle, get out to the range and practice. Lots of practice. Get familiar with your ammo's ballistics. Practice using shooting sticks and firing from the prone position. There won't be a nice, solid bench in the field to use as a rest.

I can do a decent job punching paper at 100 yards but I'm starting to use hardened steel gongs 3-6 inches in diameter at various distances up to 200 yards to better simulate what I'll be seeing (a kill zone) when I hunt. My objective is to be able to consistently hit the 6" gong at 200 yards from the kinds of shooting positions I'll have to use in the field.

Sorry for going on so long.

Thanks for the advice. Not too long. Perfect information for me to mull over.

[Divernhunter]

Ruger American in 308win/30-06 or 7mm-08. Put a Leupold 3X9X40 scope with duplex reticle on it sighted in 2.75" high at 100 yards and hold on the animal at whatever range. You will have meat in the freezer.

I have used many slings and The Claw has worked best for me.

Your biggest problem will be finding an animal to shoot----on public ground.

If you want to drive over to the Modesto area you are welcome to shoot any of my rifles. I have Tikka/Rem/Ruger American and M77/H&R/Savage/a 30-30 lever action in the quite a number of different cartridges. This might help you pick something YOU like and fits YOU instead of what others want.

[pennstater]

PM sent to flyboy.

[JackEllis]

One more thing. You'll see a lot of discussion about scopes. Some people are focused on the quality of the glass (low light performance, clarity, lack of distortion). Others like high powered scopes with all sorts of bells and whistles on them. The first scope I mounted on my .30-06 was an inexpensive Bushnell that literally fell apart on an elk hunt. I now have a mid-range Leupold on the .30-06 and a mid-range Vortex on the .243. I've taken five critters with the .30-06/Leupold combination. In my opinion, a scope in the $200-400 range will be rugged enough to get banged around in the field and still perform when you need it to.

Remember, all my great advice is probably worth no more than you paid for it

[flyboy3394]

Ruger American in 308win/30-06 or 7mm-08. Put a Leupold 3X9X40 scope with duplex reticle on it sighted in 2.75" high at 100 yards and hold on the animal at whatever range. You will have meat in the freezer.

I have used many slings and The Claw has worked best for me.

Your biggest problem will be finding an animal to shoot----on public ground.

If you want to drive over to the Modesto area you are welcome to shoot any of my rifles. I have Tikka/Rem/Ruger American and M77/H&R/Savage/a 30-30 lever action in the quite a number of different cartridges. This might help you pick something YOU like and fits YOU instead of what others want.

When im back up in the Bay (home) id love to come shoot with you. Always willing to put rounds down range with experienced shooters. Many thanks for the offer!

[ChuckDizzle]

I'll chime in as an advocate for something in .223/5.56.

With a proper twist 1:7-9, you can accurately use ammo from 55gr-75gr bullets. You will have a rifle suitable for pretty much any game in California, and you could get a lot of practice in on the cheap with surplus ammo. The plus side is that intermediate cartridge rifles tend to be a little cheaper than the big boys.

My favorite happens to be the CZ 527 line.

[TMB 1]

If you're recoil sensitive. Remington 783 in 243.

[ElvenSoul]

My fav for hog hunting

Mossberg MVP Predator 18" barrel in .308 with a vortex 2-7 scope

[razr]

A-bolt, 270, 308, 30-06 or 7mm all would be good choices. I have a 30-06 Browning with a 50 mil glass. Total weight of roughly 8 lbs.which is comfortable for all day carry. If I were to do it again Id go for a mil dot and pay a bit more and possibly a slightly longer bbl. You can bring down any game with any of the above in North America.

[Aeonstar]

best bang for the buck .. get a tika t3 light for about 600 bucks and a 3-9power scope and have fun. .243 would be a good beginner cartridge and once you get experienced you can decide for your self what to get. This will be a good gun with a good trigger that will give you years of service and not be a waste of money later when you get other guns.

Do not get a .223/5.56 its a varmint round and not ideal for deer size game. Many pig guides will not allow you use it on their properties.

[ElvenSoul]

All around hunting

A Tikka or CZ in 6.5x55 with a 3x9 Nikon Monarch