Arkansas Paul
Member
IMO the best bang for the buck is weatherby vangaurd. I have one in .30-06 and love it. Great out of the box accuracy and only paid $390. It is available in .270 as well if that's what you're set on.
Recommendation on a new deer rifle for a beginner
- Thread starter JasonK94Z
- Start date
- Status
Uncle Mike
Member
hehehehe... that's why they call him 'one eye joe'... sorry joe.
The older, and yes, some models of even the new Savages are not as aesthetically pleasing to the eye as say a Browning but... darn do they shoot accurate, right out of the box, no action job, bolt machining, new barrels, ect.. needed... just unbox that sucker and shoot it.
The Brownings and Vanguards, they are excellent rifles... let me post my anti japan rant... (these fine rifles are made in japan, just in case you prefer to buy American)
All of em' are going to do you well, sands the new Remingtons... and really they are not all that bad, they just cost waaaay too much for the quality and accuracy you'll get from them... IMO Only
(remember opinions are like sphincters... everbody has one... and most of them stink!)
Peace
Last edited:
JasonK94Z
Member
Just checked out a Savage 110 270 with accutrigger at wally world. Very nice gun in my opinion, and that trigger felt really good to me! Wow!
The remington 770 is pure junk, never mind me even thinking about that gun. The bolt slides like crap!
They had a Weatherby Vanguard 300, and the man said wally world has quit selling Weatherby by the way. It was a nice gun, but the Savage felt better to me. I'm leaning towards the Savage so far. I'll be heading out to a gun shop in about a week or so to look at some other guns.
The remington 770 is pure junk, never mind me even thinking about that gun. The bolt slides like crap!
They had a Weatherby Vanguard 300, and the man said wally world has quit selling Weatherby by the way. It was a nice gun, but the Savage felt better to me. I'm leaning towards the Savage so far. I'll be heading out to a gun shop in about a week or so to look at some other guns.
Jason;
I'll absolutely second Uncle Mike's postion. First, prove you can outshoot the capability of a good long action before even raising the subject. Let's face it, the extremely vast majority of shooters in the U.S. today can't do that very thing. So, for that vast majority, it's a moot point. Nonsense to bring it up.
900F
I'll absolutely second Uncle Mike's postion. First, prove you can outshoot the capability of a good long action before even raising the subject. Let's face it, the extremely vast majority of shooters in the U.S. today can't do that very thing. So, for that vast majority, it's a moot point. Nonsense to bring it up.
900F
deerhunter61
Member
CZ can not be beat! I bought the 6.5x55 swede last year as my deer hunting rifle and it performed GREAT! You can not go wrong with it! And you will love the single set triggers CZ puts on their 550's!
Heck
Member
I hunt in South Arkansas and my go to deer gun is Reminton 7400 in .270 Win. I have two Remmy 700s, one in 7mm mag and a SPS tactical in 308
They both way outshoot my .270 at the range but when hunting it hits where i am aiming. Shooting tiny groups in paper is cool at the range but i cant do it in the woods.
I would however avoid getting a 243. Both my cousin and buddy shoot 243. The deer they shoot dont go far but there is seldom any blood to trail despite the total carnage on the inside of the animal.
If i were to get a new deer gun it would be a Tikka in .270
They both way outshoot my .270 at the range but when hunting it hits where i am aiming. Shooting tiny groups in paper is cool at the range but i cant do it in the woods.
I would however avoid getting a 243. Both my cousin and buddy shoot 243. The deer they shoot dont go far but there is seldom any blood to trail despite the total carnage on the inside of the animal.
If i were to get a new deer gun it would be a Tikka in .270
TheFallGuy
Member
- Joined
- May 27, 2009
- Messages
- 124
I would skip the mossy 100. All of them that I have seen have had poor stock bedding. I've shot one in .243 and .308. Savage and Howa are a better value IMHO. I love my Tikka T3 but that would be at the top of your budget. As for caliber I use a .308 but I only could afford one rifle for everything. A .243 or .270 would be just fine.
The biggest problem I have with Remington 'Mountian Rifles' is they have CRAP plastic stocks that do WEIRD STUFF...
They are just TOO flimsy.
Rem 700 has EASY trigger adjustments,
And everyone makes stuff for them if you don't like this or that...
The Winchester model 70's have a MUCH better synthetic stock on them (Light Weight 'Mountian Rifle' versions) but the action/trigger needs a little work.
The RUGER "ALL WEATHER" is a great buy and makes for as good of Mountian Hunting Rifle as you will ever hope to find.
Not real pricey, easy to work on, accurate out of the box, and you can't beat Ruger for reliability.
I have a Ruger 'All Weather' I've packed for several years, and it's NEVER let me down.
Savage makes some really fine hunting rifles now, but I'm not real familiar with the product line, specifically the thin barrel, light weight versions.
Savage is also a snap to change barrels in.
You will find lots of 'Professional Hunters' and Guides carrying Savage since you can change barrels in a SNAP, and don't have to lug around 4 different rifles for one hunt.
As long as you choose bolt face sizes that are the same for your different rounds, the barrel literally takes less than 2 minutes to change!
(last trip to Alaska, I hunted antlers, bear and wolf on the same trip, so I took two rifles.)
Since this is your FIRST rifle,
1.I would suggest something made in the US,
And I would suggest something COMMON,
So if you don't like it, out grow it, decide to hunt something different, it wasn't super expensive to buy, and not super hard to sell if you want something different.
US made means there will be spare parts for ages to come, and everyone will support your rifle with aftermakret goodies.
2. Stick with FACTORY CALIBERS,
Don't dive off into the strange or hard to find or handloads only calibers....
Stay above a .25 caliber bullet,
But stay out of the 'Magnum' calibers.
The word 'Magnum' means "Clean out your wallet just to increase the recoil and likely hood of missing your game"
People have been doing just fine with 7mm-08, .270, .308, .30-06 ect. for years, and there is no sense in trying to fix what isn't broke with your first hunting rifle!
Between .25 & .30 caliber will just flat knock down virtually anything this side of grizzly and moose without problems...
No sense creating problems for yourself.
3. Find a local gun shop with STOOLS or chairs sitting around, and hang out a while...
Find the guys that actually HUNT (Somewhere besides 'Hunting' spots on the internet to post up crap) and find out what they use.
Personally, I have two Tikka rifles, but I don't hunt with them, too expensive and nice to beat up.
I look for some synthetic stock that doesn't matter how bad I scratch it up while it's riding in the truck or getting dragged across rocks, banged on trees, used to hold back sticker bushes,
Stainless action that's easy cleaning and I can paint camo or black,
Barrel with good, clean edges on the rifling and a good, smooth, well burnished bore (or I clean the crap out of it and break-in/burnish the barrel myself),
And I go hunting!
Hunting isn't about who has the best designer name in camo or rifles, it's about putting down the animals cleanly, efficiently and humanely as possible.
Any Pro or guide will tell you, the 'Suit' with the $5,000 rifle is ALWAYS the one that needs the guide to put his animal down,
And the guy with military surplus camo and a beat up, but CLEAN rifle is the guy to put things down with one shot!
4. Take your newly acquired and set up rifle out where you normally hunt and set up some targets...
Get used to the things bullets do 'Up Hill' and 'Down Hill',
Figure out where the wind drafts are going to push things around from the gullies and hills you are shooting past.
NOTING, and I mean NOTHING means anything if you can't anticipate where that round is going to impact!
Shooting up and down hill will effect the effective gravity angle exerted on the bullet, even at two or three hundred yards...
And wind does some strange stuff to trajectories if you use small, light weight bullets...
For whitetail, stay around 150 grains with soft point or ballistic point (Controlled Expansion, you don't want a fragmented bullet)....
150 is a good compromise between knockdown power, penetration and wind bucking weight.
Some guys go with lighter, and it gets blown around and doesn't penetrate,
Some guys go with heavier and the bullet is too slow, so you get a lot of drop, and it OVER penetrates...
(In one side, out the other... If it exits the deer, you wasted bullet energy at the target.)
5. Something that IS NOT discussed enough is factory ammo.
There are some REALLY GOOD factory hunting ammo brands out there that will save you TONS of effort & money reloading or buying 'Specialty' rounds...
Winchester is a AMMUNITION COMPANY,
(Winchester firearms are made out of the country, but the ammo is made right in the USA)
And their 'Supreme' or Premium brand of bullets does a VERY GOOD JOB of being both accurate, and expanding to deliver the energy to the target.
Remington brand of ammo must be an afterthought for them, since it isn't really accurate or updated very often.
Federal Firearms is making some of the most accurate out of the box ammo and reloading components on the mass market side.
I am particularly fond of the 'Match' ammo, and the hunting ammo has done well for me on the occasions I've used it here and there.
Then there are the 'Specialty' makers,
Black Hills, Hornady, ect.
This ammo has a HUGE reputation, but in all actuality, I can't see much difference between it and the 'Premium' ammo that is much cheaper from the major players.
I keep trying a box of it here and a box of it there, but it's just not any really demonstrateable amount more accurate than the Premium or Match stuff from other places.
6. Like I said before, stick with LEUPOLD optics and stick with FIXED POWER optics!
This alone will save you gobs of cash and make for a MUCH more accurate platform in the long run!
------------------------------
If you REALLY want a challenge, you can pick up a Surplus Mosin-Nagant for about $80, and tinker with it yourself.
If you screw up, it's only $80 out the window if it's not repairable!
Mosin-Nagant is the forerunner to the .30-06 cartridge, so it has plenty of knock down power for whitetails,
They shoot pretty good, and synthetic stocks, optics mounts, ect. are reasonably priced.
IT will be a DIY challenge! But you can actually wind up with a very good hunting rifle out of the deal for dirt cheap!
They are just TOO flimsy.
Rem 700 has EASY trigger adjustments,
And everyone makes stuff for them if you don't like this or that...
The Winchester model 70's have a MUCH better synthetic stock on them (Light Weight 'Mountian Rifle' versions) but the action/trigger needs a little work.
The RUGER "ALL WEATHER" is a great buy and makes for as good of Mountian Hunting Rifle as you will ever hope to find.
Not real pricey, easy to work on, accurate out of the box, and you can't beat Ruger for reliability.
I have a Ruger 'All Weather' I've packed for several years, and it's NEVER let me down.
Savage makes some really fine hunting rifles now, but I'm not real familiar with the product line, specifically the thin barrel, light weight versions.
Savage is also a snap to change barrels in.
You will find lots of 'Professional Hunters' and Guides carrying Savage since you can change barrels in a SNAP, and don't have to lug around 4 different rifles for one hunt.
As long as you choose bolt face sizes that are the same for your different rounds, the barrel literally takes less than 2 minutes to change!
(last trip to Alaska, I hunted antlers, bear and wolf on the same trip, so I took two rifles.)
Since this is your FIRST rifle,
1.I would suggest something made in the US,
And I would suggest something COMMON,
So if you don't like it, out grow it, decide to hunt something different, it wasn't super expensive to buy, and not super hard to sell if you want something different.
US made means there will be spare parts for ages to come, and everyone will support your rifle with aftermakret goodies.
2. Stick with FACTORY CALIBERS,
Don't dive off into the strange or hard to find or handloads only calibers....
Stay above a .25 caliber bullet,
But stay out of the 'Magnum' calibers.
The word 'Magnum' means "Clean out your wallet just to increase the recoil and likely hood of missing your game"
People have been doing just fine with 7mm-08, .270, .308, .30-06 ect. for years, and there is no sense in trying to fix what isn't broke with your first hunting rifle!
Between .25 & .30 caliber will just flat knock down virtually anything this side of grizzly and moose without problems...
No sense creating problems for yourself.
3. Find a local gun shop with STOOLS or chairs sitting around, and hang out a while...
Find the guys that actually HUNT (Somewhere besides 'Hunting' spots on the internet to post up crap) and find out what they use.
Personally, I have two Tikka rifles, but I don't hunt with them, too expensive and nice to beat up.
I look for some synthetic stock that doesn't matter how bad I scratch it up while it's riding in the truck or getting dragged across rocks, banged on trees, used to hold back sticker bushes,
Stainless action that's easy cleaning and I can paint camo or black,
Barrel with good, clean edges on the rifling and a good, smooth, well burnished bore (or I clean the crap out of it and break-in/burnish the barrel myself),
And I go hunting!
Hunting isn't about who has the best designer name in camo or rifles, it's about putting down the animals cleanly, efficiently and humanely as possible.
Any Pro or guide will tell you, the 'Suit' with the $5,000 rifle is ALWAYS the one that needs the guide to put his animal down,
And the guy with military surplus camo and a beat up, but CLEAN rifle is the guy to put things down with one shot!
4. Take your newly acquired and set up rifle out where you normally hunt and set up some targets...
Get used to the things bullets do 'Up Hill' and 'Down Hill',
Figure out where the wind drafts are going to push things around from the gullies and hills you are shooting past.
NOTING, and I mean NOTHING means anything if you can't anticipate where that round is going to impact!
Shooting up and down hill will effect the effective gravity angle exerted on the bullet, even at two or three hundred yards...
And wind does some strange stuff to trajectories if you use small, light weight bullets...
For whitetail, stay around 150 grains with soft point or ballistic point (Controlled Expansion, you don't want a fragmented bullet)....
150 is a good compromise between knockdown power, penetration and wind bucking weight.
Some guys go with lighter, and it gets blown around and doesn't penetrate,
Some guys go with heavier and the bullet is too slow, so you get a lot of drop, and it OVER penetrates...
(In one side, out the other... If it exits the deer, you wasted bullet energy at the target.)
5. Something that IS NOT discussed enough is factory ammo.
There are some REALLY GOOD factory hunting ammo brands out there that will save you TONS of effort & money reloading or buying 'Specialty' rounds...
Winchester is a AMMUNITION COMPANY,
(Winchester firearms are made out of the country, but the ammo is made right in the USA)
And their 'Supreme' or Premium brand of bullets does a VERY GOOD JOB of being both accurate, and expanding to deliver the energy to the target.
Remington brand of ammo must be an afterthought for them, since it isn't really accurate or updated very often.
Federal Firearms is making some of the most accurate out of the box ammo and reloading components on the mass market side.
I am particularly fond of the 'Match' ammo, and the hunting ammo has done well for me on the occasions I've used it here and there.
Then there are the 'Specialty' makers,
Black Hills, Hornady, ect.
This ammo has a HUGE reputation, but in all actuality, I can't see much difference between it and the 'Premium' ammo that is much cheaper from the major players.
I keep trying a box of it here and a box of it there, but it's just not any really demonstrateable amount more accurate than the Premium or Match stuff from other places.
6. Like I said before, stick with LEUPOLD optics and stick with FIXED POWER optics!
This alone will save you gobs of cash and make for a MUCH more accurate platform in the long run!
------------------------------
If you REALLY want a challenge, you can pick up a Surplus Mosin-Nagant for about $80, and tinker with it yourself.
If you screw up, it's only $80 out the window if it's not repairable!
Mosin-Nagant is the forerunner to the .30-06 cartridge, so it has plenty of knock down power for whitetails,
They shoot pretty good, and synthetic stocks, optics mounts, ect. are reasonably priced.
IT will be a DIY challenge! But you can actually wind up with a very good hunting rifle out of the deal for dirt cheap!
Runningman
Member
Tikka rifles are not made in Japan. Tikka rifles are is made in Finland.Uncle Mike
Member
You are absolutely correct... my bad....:banghead:
No excuse, head up and locked. hehehe
Post changed to save face.... lol hehehe
Sorry bout' dat... and thank you-
270
I rescently bought a Tikka T3 270. Blued barrel and synthetic stock. I put a Leupold 4 x 33 scope on it in Matte finish. I used the Optilock extra low rings and bases. I use Federal Fusion 150 grain.
It is an incredible setup. Up to 200 yards I am consistantly getting killzone shots on a target.
Remember you don't have to be a sniper to go hunting! I'm not and I don't claim to be but for a descent price you can have a setup like mine and be prepared for 95% of the shots you'll ever take at any game.
A 270 will drop anything in North America at under 200 yards.
A 300 or 7mm mag are nice too but for the average hunter are usually unnecessary and your shouder will be in a lot more pain after an afternoon at the range.
I bigger bullet won't help if it goes in the wrong spot.
I rescently bought a Tikka T3 270. Blued barrel and synthetic stock. I put a Leupold 4 x 33 scope on it in Matte finish. I used the Optilock extra low rings and bases. I use Federal Fusion 150 grain.
It is an incredible setup. Up to 200 yards I am consistantly getting killzone shots on a target.
Remember you don't have to be a sniper to go hunting! I'm not and I don't claim to be but for a descent price you can have a setup like mine and be prepared for 95% of the shots you'll ever take at any game.
A 270 will drop anything in North America at under 200 yards.
A 300 or 7mm mag are nice too but for the average hunter are usually unnecessary and your shouder will be in a lot more pain after an afternoon at the range.
I bigger bullet won't help if it goes in the wrong spot.
- Status
