Mossberg ATR-100

[DDrake]

This winter, I finally decided to go white tail deer hunting. Not wanting to invest too much in the sport, I am planning to buy a mossberg ATR-100 rifle; it certainly seems to be the most durable and accurate gun for its price.

What concerns me is the scope; I am trying to keep to a budget but I don't want to purchase something I will need to replace later. Does anyone have experience with one of the ATR combos? How good/bad is the scope? Would it be better to buy the gun without the combo and purchase rings and a new scope separately?


Secondly, I was wondering what caliber I should get the rifle in (for deer hunting) and where should I purchase the rifle at; Apparently wal-mart has sales/rebates on common rifles like the mossberg, but I am not sure when such sales occur.

 

[kmrcstintn]

the scope is most likely made by Tasco or Simmons and should last a few years for deer season use; it will be an entry level scope, so understand that you are not going to get Leupold or Swarovski optics, but should be clear & bright for all but the earliest morning & latest evening hunting hours;

caliber choice needs to be made upon future anticipated usage (you might only deer hunt this year, but y ou might expand your forte later on...bear, elk, feral hog, moose, etc)

the advent of lower recoil ammo, you aren't necessarily limited to a lower diameter/small caliber as in the past (ie: .30-06 ~~ Remington CoreLokt Reduced Recoil ammo w/ 125gr softpoint or Federal/ATK Fusion Reduced Recoil ammo w/ 170gr softpoint...then work your way up to 150gr, 165gr, 180gr, and even 220gr loads)

.30-06 is arguably one of the most versatile calibers because of the vast amount of loads available that range from 55gr saboted varmint loads to 220gr penetrating loads for the largest North American game animals

you can always get a higher quality scope later on...based upon your needs & desires

 

[TCB in TN]

A Mossy in 30-06 is an excellent starter rifle. They are plenty accurate enough for deer hunting and really give you a good bang for the buck. The scopes are definitely starter grade also, but again will get the job done. Get the combo, learn how to shoot it, and enjoy. It will likely shoot better than you do until you put a lot of rounds downrange.