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A good solid hunting round for beginners ?
- Thread starter Romulus
- Start date
Smokey Joe
New member
What to get the kid brother
I have to go along with the .30'06, for all the reasons above stated, plus one area that hasn't been mentioned: When (not if) he gets into handloading, he'll have the most versatile cartridge ever designed, and the widest variety of bullets, powders, and loads, to work with.
As to practice, practice, practice, I couldn't agree more. But what you're practicing mostly is sight picture and trigger squeeze. This can be done with a good-sighted .22 LR, which I would suggest getting. Then the cheaper-ammo .308 argument goes right out the window! Get him a couple bricks of quality .22's, and tell him to come back for a couple more when those are gone.
The kids (above) who bragged about shooting Dad's 12 ga. ... What did they shoot, shoot, shoot all summer afternoonÑNot a big noisy12, certainly not Dad's deer rifle, nothing to brag about, just honing skills with the li'l ol' .22. Then it was potting rabbits in the fallÑand Mom doesn't like picking shot out of the bunnies she frys.
Then before deer season Dad takes the kids out to the range and each kid gets a box of '06 to burn up. The kids always complained about the kick at the range (but not enough complaining so Dad could say "well, if you'd rather not go deer hunting...") On a deer, they never even noticed. But having burnt up all those .22 rounds, and studied bunny and deer anatomy, they knew how and where to place the shot, and THAT, my friends, is the most important thing.
I have to go along with the .30'06, for all the reasons above stated, plus one area that hasn't been mentioned: When (not if) he gets into handloading, he'll have the most versatile cartridge ever designed, and the widest variety of bullets, powders, and loads, to work with.
As to practice, practice, practice, I couldn't agree more. But what you're practicing mostly is sight picture and trigger squeeze. This can be done with a good-sighted .22 LR, which I would suggest getting. Then the cheaper-ammo .308 argument goes right out the window! Get him a couple bricks of quality .22's, and tell him to come back for a couple more when those are gone.
The kids (above) who bragged about shooting Dad's 12 ga. ... What did they shoot, shoot, shoot all summer afternoonÑNot a big noisy12, certainly not Dad's deer rifle, nothing to brag about, just honing skills with the li'l ol' .22. Then it was potting rabbits in the fallÑand Mom doesn't like picking shot out of the bunnies she frys.
Then before deer season Dad takes the kids out to the range and each kid gets a box of '06 to burn up. The kids always complained about the kick at the range (but not enough complaining so Dad could say "well, if you'd rather not go deer hunting...") On a deer, they never even noticed. But having burnt up all those .22 rounds, and studied bunny and deer anatomy, they knew how and where to place the shot, and THAT, my friends, is the most important thing.
Another Option...
For about $200 you can get an amazingly nice rifle--a Yugo M48 unissued Mauser. It's much better than any current production under $1,000. Arguably it's even better than the high-end stuff, especially since you won't get all upset if it gets a scratch or two in the bush. I've smacked mine full-force into trees with blows that would have destroyed most modern hunting rifles, with no ill effects (at least on the rifle--the trees had some major dents). It's designed to survive wars, after all. The 8mmJS cartridge is ballistically very close to the .30'06 (it inspired the .30'06, actually) and may even be a bit better for hunting because it takes larger bullets. The only drawbacks of the rifle are the few extra pounds of weight and the potential problems adding a modern scope. And of course it doesn't look like the rifles everybody else is using--if you consider that a drawback.
For about $200 you can get an amazingly nice rifle--a Yugo M48 unissued Mauser. It's much better than any current production under $1,000. Arguably it's even better than the high-end stuff, especially since you won't get all upset if it gets a scratch or two in the bush. I've smacked mine full-force into trees with blows that would have destroyed most modern hunting rifles, with no ill effects (at least on the rifle--the trees had some major dents). It's designed to survive wars, after all. The 8mmJS cartridge is ballistically very close to the .30'06 (it inspired the .30'06, actually) and may even be a bit better for hunting because it takes larger bullets. The only drawbacks of the rifle are the few extra pounds of weight and the potential problems adding a modern scope. And of course it doesn't look like the rifles everybody else is using--if you consider that a drawback.
Smokey Joe
New member
Rifle for the kid brother
Amen to Cosmo's comment about the Yugo MauserÑThe good old days of abundant cheap milsurp rifles are here again! You can even get an adjustable peep sight that drops right into the base for the original sight, no modification. It's called the MoJo sight. You'll have to do a search for the website. A peep sight is a big improvement on the original military item.
On elderly, cheap foreign military ammo, though, I would hesitate. Some is corrosive, which means if you shoot even 1 round, you are in for a hot-water scrub of the bbl. Right away. Every time. Followed by your regular cleanup with Hoppe's or equivalent. Even the stuff that says non-corr. I would suspect, unless it comes from a first-world country and is of quite recent in manufacture.
Don't modify the original military arm, though, unless you are willing to take quite a bit of flak from the cruffler community. These are people who collect, restore, preserve, and cherish the old milsurps.
Having said all that, if you want a rifle that it's easy to mount a 'scope on, and has a less heavy and better fitting stock, you should get a modern rifle. .30-'06 IMHO.
God Bless America
ÑSmokey Joe
Amen to Cosmo's comment about the Yugo MauserÑThe good old days of abundant cheap milsurp rifles are here again! You can even get an adjustable peep sight that drops right into the base for the original sight, no modification. It's called the MoJo sight. You'll have to do a search for the website. A peep sight is a big improvement on the original military item.
On elderly, cheap foreign military ammo, though, I would hesitate. Some is corrosive, which means if you shoot even 1 round, you are in for a hot-water scrub of the bbl. Right away. Every time. Followed by your regular cleanup with Hoppe's or equivalent. Even the stuff that says non-corr. I would suspect, unless it comes from a first-world country and is of quite recent in manufacture.
Don't modify the original military arm, though, unless you are willing to take quite a bit of flak from the cruffler community. These are people who collect, restore, preserve, and cherish the old milsurps.
Having said all that, if you want a rifle that it's easy to mount a 'scope on, and has a less heavy and better fitting stock, you should get a modern rifle. .30-'06 IMHO.
God Bless America
ÑSmokey Joe