Now that it is legal to hunt with a rifle here in NY, my son (22) is interested in getting one. He's been shooting shotguns for years now, so he's not exactly a novice. I know absolutely nothing about things that go bang. I want to get him into something good that will last him a long time. It will be 95% deer hunting gun. Any recommendations? Thanks.
I'm a simple person. I have a low cost Mossberg Bolt Action .308 with a simple scope. Being strictly for hunting, I don't need anything fancy. If I drop it out of the stand and it gets busted up, I'm not out much. Taken care of it will last me the rest of my life.
The Ruger American rifle series are very good guns. I have one in. 308 and can hunt just about about anything with that caliber. They also carry them at most of the major stores. With the synthetic stock it should last him as long as he takes care of it.
I looked at the mossberg but they had a sale on the ruger's and it was 30 bucks more. Can't beat a. 308 though.
I think a .270 or 30-06 would be perfect. Ammo for those are easy to find and somewhat reasonably priced too compared to some other calibers.
Also take a look at the Remington 783 been hearing good things about them. A guy at the range had one and out of the box was slightly better than MOA with factory ammo.
ya don't say?? I have an old Rem 700 BDL, had the trigger polished and smoothed over, made a world of difference.
All I've ever used is a .270 and never really had any issues. For deer, I would say any of the 270s, 30-06, .308s are probably about the same
For affordable factory rifles, A Tikka T3 will be the best rifle available. I did a lot of research before buying as I too know nothing about rifles. Everyone I asked that was extremely knowledgable said if I wasn't going to make the jump to a custom rifle, Tikka is the most accurate out of the box, ESPECIALLY for the money. I bought a .30-06 and should be good for 95% of any animal on the continent. I topped it with a Leupold adjustable reticle scope. Still prefer the Mathews, but now I have a rifle that will fit any needs I have (which aren't much).
I have .270 and .243 calibers for deer. The .270 and .243 have taken many deer and both are highly accurate guns. I roll my own loads for them both and they are both sub MOA rifles. Choosing a good rifle for shooting deer is pretty simple. Look at cost, think about recoil, and check ammo availability and price if you don't load your own. Anything .243 and larger is plenty of cartridge to humanely kill a whitetail.
I bought a TC Venture four years ago as my very first rifle and have no complaints. Love being able to reach out..
We have a rifle or two here. My go to rifle is a Tikka T3. It's a great rifle with a smooth bolt and crisp, light trigger. Very accurate, tho' like most rifles it has loads it likes and loads it doesn't. Mine is a .300 win mag but that's overkill for a 95% eastern deer gun. I have it topped with a Leupold 4.5-14 vx-3L scope. It's a killer combo. My husband's go-to rifle is Ruger American. It's not quite as nice as the Tikka but it's a tack driving shooter. His is chambered in .270 which is a great caliber. He topped it with a Nikon Prostaff mil dot scope and was able to drop a big cow elk at 660 yards with one 129 Barnes TTSX bullet. (mil dot scopes are great for long distance.. probably not something your son will need) That rifle/scope combo is on the inexpensive side but does great. I have a Remington 783 and it's a good gun for the price but it's not exactly a gun to buy as long cherished gift gun. It's definitely an economy gun. We have a couple of Rem 700s. Both are good guns. If you buy a 700, buy one of the higher grade ones. All in all, if I were you... I'd seriously consider a Tikka. For calibers, .270 is great. I'd pick a 30-06 over a .308. I'm just not a .308 cheerleader. :D
30-06, or 308, or 270. You will be able to find ammo anywhere in the US/ even world.... Put a leupold scope on it. I'm a fan of my model 70.
I shoot a remington 700 in .270. Last time I gun hunted(4 years ago) I shot a doe at 100 yards across a field through the shoulders. Looked like she was hit by a mack truck. Good gun.
Just remember the quality of the optics are just as or more important than the quality of the gun. You should be spending the same amount on your scope, or close to it , as your rifle. I had a ruger mark 2 in 25-06 for deer/coyote. Its a good caliber for everything deer sized and down. There is so much to know about rifles just start reading as much as you can and talking to guys at gun shops.
not sure how big your son is but a 270 or 30-06 might pack a bit too much punch. a 308 is what I have and the kick is very little and is capable of taking down any big game in this country. a 300 short mag might be a good choice as well. about the same kick as the 308.
