Calibers, Costs and Other Typical Questions from the New Guy

[rhinogeek]

Hi all,

It seems that the first thing I'm supposed to do is tell a joke. I used to know a lot of good jokes, but I'm coming on 30 now, and not nearly as funny as I used to be. That being said, if you go to Google, you can find lots of funny jokes. They have ones about rednecks, blondes, old guys, priests, schnauzers - and all sorts of crazy stuff. The Interwebs are really an amazing place. :P

Anyways! Way back in the day I shot .22cal in Sea Cadets, and lately I've been dying to get back into shooting, and hopefully some deer hunting as well. I'm a voracious reader, about to take CFSC, CORE, apply for the PAL, and happily wait for it to arrive.

So I had some questions for the experts. I'm probably going to pick up 2-3 firearms once my PAL arrives. What I'm thinking of is:

1) A good hunting rifle (probably a Browning XBolt or Tikka T3 from my reading, but I need to go give them a feel at the store before I figure out what I like) - I'm open to suggestions on caliber here. This would very likely be used on a range at first, since I've never shot anything larger than a .22cal, and hopefully some deer and slightly larger game hunting after that. From all my reading, I'm thinking that .270 Win, .30-06 or .308 Win are probably my best bets. One of my questions here is regards to ammo affordability - if someone wants to blow through 100 or 200 rounds at the range, are cartridges really going to run you around $1.00 a piece? Do folks buy larger lots of ammo suitable for range use for a lower price? Or am I just a cheapskate?

2) Also looking for something that is cheap and fun to shoot. I'm thinking some sort of .22 rimfire (Remington 597? Marlin Model 60? Ruger 10/22?). Would I have just as much fun and end up with just as an affordable of a good time with a .223 or .243?

3) Only once did I ever shoot a shotgun, and I loved it. I would love to try trap shooting down at the Langley Gun Club (which I'll have to go pay a visit to) - and from my reading I think I'm loving Benelli on the Shotgun front (but again, I realize I'll need to hold a few to see what feels right).

If anyone has any additional recommendations for a n00b to get involved in any of this stuff in the Fraser Valley area (or books to read) - suggestions are welcome.

Thanks all!

[rhinogeek]

And my joke :-D:

A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a priest were out for a Sunday afternoon flight on a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble.

In spite of the best efforts of the pilot, the plane started to go down. Finally, the pilot grabbed a parachute, yelled to the passengers that they had better jump, and bailed out.

Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining.

The doctor grabbed one and said "I'm a doctor, I save lives, so I must live," and jumped out.

The lawyer then said, "I'm a lawyer and lawyers are the smartest people in the world. I deserve to live."

He also grabbed a parachute and jumped.

The priest looked at the little boy and said, "My son, I've lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the last parachute and live in peace."

The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, "Not to worry, Father. The 'smartest man in the world' just took off with my back pack."

[BOOTS!]

no replies yet eh? here's my $0.02

If you want a rifle, that actually goes bang for cheap, which you can take to the range to blow off 100 rounds and not break the bank, then get an SKS.

You can get crates of 1120 rounds for around $180, and the rifle itself doesn't cost more than $200, or shouldn't. You can add cool looking accessories, optics, a neato stock and so on and so forth. All for cheap.

As for which rifle for hunting and which round. Well, i'll leave that to the 'experts' around here who have shot more deer than i've even seen. :)

[r106]

Everyone should have a 10/22. I love mine, it has more rounds through it than all my rifles put together, and works great for grouse. As for a hunting caliber a .270 or any .30 cal should do the trick on anything in B.C. As for at the range a SKS is fun so is a 10/22. you can find cheap .223 ammo around also. I wouldn't be putting 100-200 rounds through my hunting rifle in one trip to the range the barrel would get to hot and my wallet would be empty LOL
________
LAMBORGHINI SILHOUETTE HISTORY (http://www.lamborghini-tech.com/wiki/Lamborghini_Silhouette)

[brian]

1.Most hunting rifles won't let you shoot off 100-200 rounds at the range without a large time commitment. Their thin barrels will heat up fast, which means you'll need to take longer breaks between shots/groups. During range sessions I would usually bring two center fires and a 22LR. In 2-3 hours at the range I'd go through about 40 rounds on the center fires total and as much as my concentration could handle with the 22LR.

Last time I bought factory ammo, the cheap stuff for a 270win. was running just below $20 for a box of 20 and most others were priced somewhere in the mid $20-30 a box. If you get into reloading your cost per round goes down, but you shoot more so you don't save much money. You can find surplus rounds for the military calibers (.223 and .308) in bulk for cheaper. But I don't know what their supply is like these days.

2.For cheap and fun, rimfire is pretty damn cheap to feed. I like my CZ (after trigger work).

3. no idea about shotguns

[4570hunter]

Definitely Ruger 10/22 it lasts and it's fun to shoot. Hunting rifles I had two
30-06 and 45-70 both work well but I dropped the 30-06 and now I only have 45-70 big bore but the ammo is cheap to make and not that expensive to buy.
Close range or long range (300 yards) it is for every animal that walks this earth. It does not leave meat damage that other calibers do, just holes one on each side usually. It is a 45 caliber and an old caliber to boot. It can be made with many different set ups like iron sights, ghost rings or scopes.
Depending on the model you buy you can have some real fun accessorizing
it. I have one for my horse scabbard and another 36 inch barrel with tang sights and another with a scope. They are real fun to shoot at the range or go hunting with.

[rhinogeek]

Thanks a bunch for all the info guys. Appreciate it. Next time I'll try to limit to a couple questions instead of about 700. :)

And good to know about the SKS and 22LR, and that you don't tend to take a hunting rifle to the range to shoot 100 rounds. That question in itself demonstrates my n00bishness, I guess. :neutral:

Happy Saturday.

[Moose Guide]

for a first rifle I would look at a .30-06, then if you need to you can add a .35 whelen or .45-70 later and a .223 for cheep shooting and coyotes

[lineofsight]

1. All the calibers you listed work well - the .270 probably flattest, the .30-06 probably most versatile, the .308 a short action so slightly different ergonomics, little lighter, little cheaper to reload (less case capacity) but likely not enough to matter to a decision. Are a couple threads in debate of .308 and .30-06 - the ones that conclude that the .308 is superior are correct :) Rifle very much personal choice and use dependent, may also want to look at T/C Icon - flat bottom receiver mates to bedding block with 3 action screws, free floated 5R rifled barrel, adjustable trigger, single stack DM, integrated bases...

2. Marlin 60 reasonable enough (especially on a thumbhole laminate stock from Boyds). If want to spend a bit more money, CZ 453 is probably my favorite rifle - accurate enough to enjoy shooting at 100m, great trigger (with a bit of polishing), can shoot a fair bit and not warm barrel, and cheap ammo. The T/C R55 is also a bit more, very accurate semi (but heavy, less likely to take hunting than Model 60 or CZ453). Centerfire no where near as affordable as .22 if thinking .223 or .243. Have not heard anything about the 597 that would make me want to buy one.

[ufishifish2]

Hey Rhinogeek, that was a good joke. The wonderful vault of information and opinions on this site is now open to you.
As far as caliber, any 30 cal. will do you fine for most everything you want to shoot in North America. The types of rifles you mentioned (Tikka and Browning X-bolt) are IMHO both excellent rifles and I would encourage you to consider both of them (if they are in your price range). The X-bolt comes with a far superior recoil pad. There are of course many others that are excellent as well. Without knowing what your financial situation is, it is kinda hard to comment.
As far as shotguns, I prefer Over/Under (O/U) shotguns for shooting sporting clays and trap. They seem to hold their value very well and they are always in high demand among the enthusiasts. My preference is for either Browings or Beretta's in a 12 guage, but it is totally up to the individual's preferences and a little too early for you to know what you like. Either way, best of luck in this rediculously addictive hobby.

[ROM]

Welcome:

A 3006 in the savage accutrigger can be a great 1st time big game rifle. Keeping in mind it can take a number of years to determine what kind of hunting you like and how you will be doing it. Savage out of the box accuracy is great and the 3006 is great for everything except big big bears. And people even use it for that.

As for plinking I like the CZ in 22 but you could consider a 17 if you wanted more range. A rimfire is a great way to improve shooting at a lower cost.

R

[behemoth]

If you are serious about learning how to shoot your gun, then learn how to reload. You will learn your shooting skills faster and cheaper, and have more fun doing it all:mrgreen:

[sparkes3]

17 is not as cheap as a 22 or even a 22 mag

[bsa30-06]

If you think your interested in a sks have a look here www.leverarms.com (http://www.leverarms.com) they have some in stock aswell as ammo deals.A 30-06 would be a good place to start as far as a hunting rifle goes,you can still buy ammo for about $22.00 a box (@ walmart).Also ammo for a 30-06 is readily available just about everywhere you go.A 22 is a must they are dirt cheap to shoot,all my kids shoot my cooey and really enjoy doing it.Dont know about shotguns havent bought one yet.

[RBH]

My advice on the hunting rifle: don't cheap out. Buy a quality gun and a quality scope. If you have to stretch the budget, do it. The purchase price of the gun is only the first part of your investment in something that can serve you well for 30 years or more. You will also spend money on fitting out that gun to your satisfaction: scope mounts, scope, sling, this, that, etc. etc. The other part of your investment is getting to know the gun and becoming proficient with it. That takes time and practice. You need to spend time with gun, shooting it, trying different brands of cartridges, different bullets, different ranges, etc. in order to develop real confidence in your ability with that gun and that chosen cartridge. These things -- money and paractice -- mount up over time and if you buy a 'cheap' gun (i.e. a gun for now but not for the long haul) a lot of your 'post purchase' investment will be wasted. So buy a quality firearm that you will want to hunt with for a long time. You will never regret it. "Price is soon forgotten but quality lives on."
As for cartridge you can't go wrong with a 270/308/3006. I would go with a 308 (slightly less recoil than 06) but that is me. If you live in open deer hunting country I would go 270. Between the three, the similarities far outweigh the differences.
You will not be going to the range and blasting off 100 shots at a go, and if you do you will be doing yourself a disservice. That is a lot of pounding and will very likely give rise to a flinch. I say shoot no more than 20 shots with your centre fire in a day and spend the rest of your time shooting a 22 and honing your shooting skills.
As for the 22, YES get a quality 22. I suggest a bolt action. Best thing you can do for your shooting ability. Intersperse centrefire practice with shooting your 22, allowing you to avoid flinching/trigger tugging/etc and maintain smooth shooting practices.
Those are my thoughts. GOOD LUCK!

[rhinogeek]

If you are serious about learning how to shoot your gun, then learn how to reload. You will learn your shooting skills faster and cheaper, and have more fun doing it all:mrgreen:

Heh, I've already started reading a bunch on reloading as well. I found a few (what I perceived to be good) tutorials online, and a couple of excellent YouTube videos that seemed to cover all of the basic steps in a half decent way.

If anyone is interested:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5peM3mZA4bE
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oys7VQC1EZk
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r4EJikriRM
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr1QR3t35_U

Thanks again to everyone for all the great suggestions / info / direction.

[scallywag]

okay first you buy a remington 597 then you buy a remington 700 sps in 270 or 30 06 if i only had one hunting rifle i would probably buy a 30 06 but i love my 270 then if you still want a shotgun get yourself a remington 870.. that is what i would do if i was to do it all over again.. ps if you buy any of those and dont like them you will be able to sell or trade any of them in less then a week..

[rhinogeek]

2.For cheap and fun, rimfire is pretty damn cheap to feed. I like my CZ (after trigger work).

Brian - which model CZ do you have in rimfire?

[thebigrig]

Hi all,

1) A good hunting rifle (probably a Browning XBolt or Tikka T3 from my reading, but I need to go give them a feel at the store before I figure out what I like) - I'm open to suggestions on caliber here. This would very likely be used on a range at first, since I've never shot anything larger than a .22cal, and hopefully some deer and slightly larger game hunting after that. From all my reading, I'm thinking that .270 Win, .30-06 or .308 Win are probably my best bets. One of my questions here is regards to ammo affordability - if someone wants to blow through 100 or 200 rounds at the range, are cartridges really going to run you around $1.00 a piece? Do folks buy larger lots of ammo suitable for range use for a lower price? Or am I just a cheapskate?

I would go with the x bolt based on feel, quality. I think it is the better made rifle. The tikka is also a very nice gun, and every single one I've shot has been very accurate. I would go with the one you like best. The .308 would be the cheapest ammo to buy or make. It has better accuracy than the 06, and three times the barrel life of the 270. I use cheap bullets for range use no use in throwing premium hunting bullets down at paper.(unless your working up a load or sighting in)



2) Also looking for something that is cheap and fun to shoot. I'm thinking some sort of .22 rimfire (Remington 597? Marlin Model 60? Ruger 10/22?). Would I have just as much fun and end up with just as an affordable of a good time with a .223 or .243?

3) Only once did I ever shoot a shotgun, and I loved it. I would love to try trap shooting down at the Langley Gun Club (which I'll have to go pay a visit to) - and from my reading I think I'm loving Benelli on the Shotgun front (but again, I realize I'll need to hold a few to see what feels right).

If anyone has any additional recommendations for a n00b to get involved in any of this stuff in the Fraser Valley area (or books to read) - suggestions are welcome.

Thanks all!

Check out the cz rimfires I love my 453. You would be better off with a .22 than a 243, 223. Reason cost of ammunition. Use it to practice shooting.

The supernova is a great shotgun. Doesn't feel cheap like those 870's(wingmaster excluded never shot or held one).

[.330 Dakota]

No Bias here----JUST FONDLE A SAKO ONCE...I DARE YA