Favorite hunting rifle for non-hunters

Sadly, another non-hunter, but...

...not by choice. In fact I was checking out how to get a Virginia Hunting license online.

Back in Mobile, AL., my friend and I used to go squirrel hunting - his mother cooked em and we ate em. That was EONS ago. I joined the Navy and left for good. Meanwhile my friends took up deer hunting.

My grandfather had a chance to kill a deer when friends took him out on a hunt - he chose not to pull the trigger.

He never taught my Dad to hunt, but my Dad served two terms in Nam, flying A-4s dropping bombs and had plenty of time shooting while in the service. But not hunting - so the chain was broken. I knew I had it in me to learn how to shoot and hunt - learned everything I know pretty much on my own so far except what folks on these forums share with me and the ROs that give me pointers at the range. I decided to do something about that. While I continue to learn everything I can about guns, I realize I need to get out there and learn how to hunt. Still looking for some one to help me get started, take me out and show me what I need to know. Figure I'll start with squirrels and rabbit and work my way up to a white tail deer. Meanwhile...

I took my son to the NRA range just yesterday - We have a Savage Model 64 that came with a POS aluminum tube someone dares to call a scope. I threw it away and mounted a Nikon 4X Rimfire on it - we were shooting 1' groups at 25 yards and 2" groups at 50 yards, bench rested. I figure with a little more practice I'll have a good hunting rifle.

So I reckon that qualifies me as a non-hunter (for now) who really does have a favorite hunting rifle - a Savage Model 64!

I really love my Remington 700 in .243 which I guess is a hunting rifle, most of my rifles and handguns are more of the sporting/tactical type, since I don't hunt I could care less about terminal ballistics and whatnot, I mostly care about my guns/calibers being flat shooting with mild recoil. not hunting really changes what you prioritize.

I don't hunt either, but bought a Ruger M77 Hawkeye in .308. it's a "nice to have" if someone ever does ask me to go out with them, but can also be used for fun at 100+ yard ranges. (I have quite a few rimfires to shoot at 50 yards, which is crowded at my range.)

bushmaster What do you have now, anything.. How far will a long shot be for you. It is nice to have atleast one solid beater for close in and bad weather hunts. One of the better priced rifles out today that will save some bucks and perform well and not have to worry about how you treat it would be a T/C ventura. Look at the 7/08 and 308. They are accurate, cost affective and then you can then start buy'n the sweet look'n firearms. Get a good solid new rifle to hunt with first. Today most any older decent used gun seems to sell for more than some brand new better better shooting firearms . If you don't own a good shooting .22lr get one for small game hunting also. Tree rat and wabbits do fill the pot too and make for more time in the woods.

All good advice.

I have a modern era Winchester Model 70 in .243 and it serves the purposes you describe well. Accurate, modest recoil. pre 64s are a legend, but the new ones are great.

I also had a Ruger M77, and it was a solid rifle, too.

Have fun.

Kind of a Oxymoron is it not, it`s not a hunting rifle unless it hunts !

For a "just plain fun rifle" to shoot, try a Swedish mauser in 6.5x55 Swede. Low recoil, very flat shooting, and if it works out you can hunt about anything in North America.

I think that everyone should have at least one 30/30 lever gun. I have a Marlin.

I love my Russian SKS dated 1950, my first centerfire rifle in 1995. I hunted for the first time in 1996 and killed my first hog with it. I still have it today and shot about 2000 rds. I guess its an all around gun, plinker and hunting rig .

As a non-hunter the first rifle I bought was a Marlin 336 in 30-30, just to "cover my bases." I still don't have a .22, but that's probably next.

TonyAngel said:

I think that everyone should have at least one 30/30 lever gun. I have a Marlin.

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I bought my 30-30 before I hunted for the reason mentioned by TonyAngel. I had the same thing where my dad didn't hunt. I wanted to but just needed a helping hand to get started. My father in law is a hunter. He took me out. Now I feel comfortable enough to go to new places on my own (or bring friends along). Had I poked around a bit more on the internet, I would have likely found some sort of organization near where I lived that could have helped me.

hardluk1 said:

bushmaster What do you have now, anything.. How far will a long shot be for you. It is nice to have atleast one solid beater for close in and bad weather hunts. One of the better priced rifles out today that will save some bucks and perform well and not have to worry about how you treat it would be a T/C ventura. Look at the 7/08 and 308. They are accurate, cost affective and then you can then start buy'n the sweet look'n firearms. Get a good solid new rifle to hunt with first. Today most any older decent used gun seems to sell for more than some brand new better better shooting firearms . If you don't own a good shooting .22lr get one for small game hunting also. Tree rat and wabbits do fill the pot too and make for more time in the woods.

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I just bought my first bolt rifle (as the OP is, a non hunter that wants to learn). TC Venture .308.

I enjoy the H&R single shot break-open rifles. Very affordable, and perfectly sufficient for hunting if I ever get into it.

I just bought another one in .45-70. While I don't hunt currently, I like to have a cartridge I know I could use to hunt all North American game if I wanted to. For now, I just enjoy the wide versatility of the cartridge as a handloader. Fixing to try to load some lead ball rounds this winter for it for light cowboy plinking.

Love my Remy 700 VLS 243 as well,a little heavy for huting but I'm sure it would work.

I'll also suggest a 30/30 lever gun for just plinking at 100 yards. You could use the open sights (or get an aperture) and 30/30 is the cheapest centerfire caliber I see on store shelves excluding .223 and/or 7.62. The recoil is very moderate for me, but YMMV.

Plus levers are just fun.

I'm a nonhunter, but have always thought it would be fun to own an accurate bolt-action in .270 Winchester. I don't know why I'm partial to that caliber---perhaps it was coming of age reading Guns & Ammo and IIRC there were some fans of .270 that wrote for them---but I think it's a neat caliber.

What's the dif?

What makes a hunting rifle? Largely portability, ergonomics, and an appropriate scope I suspect. A hunting rifle that is used for range shooting becomes a range gun. A range gun which someone takes hunting becomes a hunting rifle. It is all about use. I would prefer a lighter rifle to hunt with than a dedicated bench shooter might enjoy, but we both desire accuracy. To stay proficient and keep my rifle dialed in, I take my "hunting rifle" to the range as often as I can afford.

A .270 is a great rifle for both hunting and recreational shooting, but if I was interested in a "hunting rifle" for recreational shooting where I'd be burning a lot of rounds, I'd go for a .223. It comes in many configurations and is cheap to shoot (but it can still kill everything from coyote to deer... and of course, men).

I do my hunting at Safeway. My favorite rifle is my 10/22 but I doubt they'd let me bring it inside.

No such thing as a hunting gun, only a light weight gun for those who dont like to work out.



LOL, I kid I kid. I do shoot a bull barrel 308 on a Springfield 1903a3 action, its just what im used to shooting. Ive owned a few lightweight hunting rifles but never kept one. I just prefer the mind numbing accuracy of a 1" bull with a good scope. But if I had to pick, id say you will never find a more classic hunting rifle than a Savage 99. Ive owned one, and definitely one I wished I had kept.

Hey! I flew A-4's too! Was you daddy Navy or Marine?

Since I'm probably as old as your pop you know that I'm getting pretty long of tooth. I don't hunt like I did. O300 comes earlier than it used to.

As for fun shooting for non-hunters? It's called .22 rimfire. I'd suggest that you get some kind of military surplus rifle just for kicks. Big boom! Historical! Take your pick, there are many of them. You can still get an SKS pretty cheap, but every time I hear one go off, I want to take cover. If you go to the range and see an Asian guy wearing a green pith helmet shooting one, cap the SOB. Tell the cops you have my permission. They'll let you go.

Okay, okay, they won, we lost, but it still galls me. Actually it galls me big time. When I think of all the great guys.........and how dedicated we were.........

There's no appropriate game at a Safeway. I find that, to hunt, I have to get out of town and away from crowded stores.

You can always swing by there to pick up a package of steaks on the way home if you are not fortunate in your hunt.

If you really have no intention of hunting with it, get a .223 bolt rifle, like a Savage, or Remington. If you get it in a heavy barrel, with the right twist, it will get you quite a ways out there, with good accuracy. Even if you're just wanting to do better at 100yards than a .22 LR will do, the .223 has a lot going for it. It's cheaper to shoot it than just about anything else that isn't a .22 LR.

Germster said:

Hey! I flew A-4's too! Was you daddy Navy or Marine?

Since I'm probably as old as your pop you know that I'm getting pretty long of tooth. I don't hunt like I did. O300 comes earlier than it used to.
Okay, okay, they won, we lost, but it still galls me. Actually it galls me big time. When I think of all the great guys.........and how dedicated we were.........

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Marine Corps. He wrote a book about his career called An Angel Rode My Wing LeatherNeck Publishing. My older brother drives out from Yuma and they go shooting at the range at Camp Pendleton.

Thank you for serving your country.

I guess a point I'd like to make, being old school and old fashioned in my way of thinking - is young folks would benefit getting off their arses, geting out in the woods, tracking game and literally bringing home the bacon. Military service would also be good for some young folks too. They are both rites of passage. I served in the Navy, but I don't think my boy would do well only because he's too independant thinking. (not a bad thing) So I really want to see him get experience outdoors, learning to respect nature, learn survival skills, be resourceful, be patient.

Reckon I need to start a new thread and hope someone has a piece of land we can shoot on - but sooner or later I figure we will try the WMAs.