Newbie Hunting/Varmint Rifle Help.

[AF_INT1N0]

Hey all,

I was looking at getting into rifle shooting. I am new to Rifle. ( I do have an AR and also a Maadi, but I was looking at getting a bolt action Scoped rifle, I don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money on the Rifle but I also don't want something overly cheap.

Anyone have any ideas.

Thanks Again,

AF

 

[Bob R]

The big question is what kind of hunting? What kind of shooting?

A rifle in .223 is fine for little guys, you may want to go to .243 for bigger stuff (small deer, antelope type of game). Bigger than that and you may want to go to 308, but that is overkill for most varmints, but good for predators.


bob

 

[HOLY DIVER]

well no matter what caliber you decide fits your needs a remington 710
or a savage will get the job done under $400

 

[Bear2000]

I just order a Tikka T3 Varmint in .308. Spent forever researching it and, although I like my current Savage, decided to give it a try. I particularly liked its detachable magazine and the fact that it comes in at under 8 pounds, which will make it easier to carry around for hunting, even though it will mostly be shot from the bench.

 

[rangerruck]

you know what ? I have come to the conclusion, that any of the package rifle deals, with scopes , are all under 500 bucks, and I have pretty much shot them all. they are all good, with howa being the top of the package entry level/scoped rifles, followed very closely by Savage. They all will have their advantages/disses. Howas , for a package deal, are superior in the way the are made, from solid billet pieces, and 1 piece forgeings. Savage is great becuase chances are, you know it will be accurate, and you can allways swap out bbls yourself , later. Right now, Mossberg really seems to be putting out an innovative product, and the price is very right. So i would not hesitate to buy any of them really. You just need to shoulder them, feel them , look them over, pull the trigger carefully for it's feedback, then get the one you want.
i even liked the old remmy 710's, and shot some very good results with a new 770 package in 30.06 with a satin nickel finish job.

 

[AF_INT1N0]

What about a Varmint upper for the AR. Is .223 a good round for predators? Also how far out can one reasonably expect to shoot with one?

 

[browningguy]

With a 1:8 twist 24" barrel on an AR upper you would have a good 600 yard gun with heavy bullets. Another option just for varmints would be a .204 Ruger upper, for anything up to deer size game and target shooting to 600-1000 yards a 6.5 Grendel would be just the ticket.

For bolt actions I don't think you can beat the Savages for accuracy, although their .223's only come with 1:9 twist I believe. My Savage 12 FV in .243 regularly shoots in the .35"-.45" range completely stock (with handloads) and maintains 1/2 MOA out to at least 300 yards (the farthest I have shot it so far).

 

[rangerruck]

I like browning guy's suggestions for a 24 inch upper. I also like the idea of even a 243 upper. but it is not a bolt gun, which is much better shooting supported or prone , than an ar with a mag sticking down.
223 with 70 grain or heavier bullets, out of a long bbl, will get you some good 600 yd shooting done. But then something in a bolt gun between 6mm and 7 mm, will give you excellent results with less wind drift than 223.
And you can get something in 243, 7mm, 270, 30.06 or even 300 winmag, in a bolt gun, for less than a complete upper AR.