First post, help with rifle choice.

I

irva

Inactive
Hey guys, i have been a lurker on the forums for quite some time, but this will be my first post. So lets start with my experience so far.

I'm a young shooter (just turned 18), i've been shooting .22's since i was little though. The only guns i have shot is the household glenfield 60, and then my friends mosin nagant and .45 acp 1911. I just bought a 12 gauge mossberg 500 about 15 minutes ago. I pick it up tomorrow. I am a good shot with the .22, even though 90% of the time it doesnt have a scope and if it does, then its a 8$ airsoft scope from walmart.

I work, but not nearly enough since i've been in college for the past year. That's the problem, i can't afford a lot of ammunition for expensive caliber rifles. I don't think ill even be able to afford to shoot my 12 gauge. I want a basic level rifle (such as savage axis or Remington 700), with a decent scope, but i need to know what caliber to get in. I would like the caliber to be affordable enough where i can plink on the weekends accurately at 100-150 yards, but also next season i want to be able to go out and take a deer with the rifle. I was thinking 5.56(.223) (S&W M&P 400$ AR15 perhaps?) or .308 (thats even pushing it), unfortunately things like 7mm are out of the question. Also we have a coyote and bear problem around my area in NH, but hopefully the shotgun can offer the solution for that.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.
 
You're not really going to find a rifle caliber that's cheaper to shoot than a .223.

The cheapest .223 ammo is about .20 cents per round plus shipping. If you have a good gun shop near you, you might be able to find something locally that competes with that price.

Cheap .308 is about double that at .40 cents per round, which is about the same as Mosin Nagant ammo these days.

If you can get together about $200 bucks, you could start reloading for .308. About $30 for dies, $35 for the lee hand press, $35 for a pound of powder, another $50 or so for a scale, some case lube, a trim die. Bullets can be had for about 20 cents a piece, primers are 3 cents a piece.

Keep in mind if you're shooting long range rifle and you're actually trying to do it right, you won't go through as many rounds in a session as you will with a shotgun or .22. I blow through 50 or 75 rounds every time I take my shotgun out. I blow through 100 (and sometime way more) every time I take my .22 out. You can make 20 rounds last a long time behind a scoped rifle if you're actually concerned with accuracy and learning to read wind.

I shoot 45-70 at longer ranges, and I don't remember the last time I took more than 20 rounds to range unless I was going for the entire day.
 
Thanks for the reply, im leaning more towards .308, even though i wont be able to shoot it as much, but it leaves a little more room for error when it comes to killing game like deer and even coyote. And thankfully i never even have to go to the range, my back yard is about 150-225 yards flat, then a steep incline hill. So i can shoot there whenever.
 
(dons flame suit)

I don't think .223 is great choice for deer sized game ..... I'd go with a .308 and Lee handloading kit ......

.... though IF you handload, the particular caliber is pretty irrelavant: 7-08, .243WIN, etc won't cost any more or less to reload than .308 ..... something based on a less common case might be slightly more for cases (various Mausers, 7.62x54r ....) but if you are saving all your cases and not making gun-beating, case wrecking max loads, that's not a huge expense difference .....

.....were I in your shoes, I'd get the best deal I could on a used bolt action "deer rifle" off a consignment rack somewhere ..... get a Lee Kit, and endeavor to wear them both out....... right now, before deer season, lots of people are trading in their old deer rifles in, or selling them on consignment, to raise cash to buy the newest, Next Big Thing that all the gunrags are ravin' about at the moment. ....... if you wait until about February, there will be a similar wave of "used" guns hit the consignment racks, as Christmas Bills become overdue, and construction work has been dried up for a couple of months due to winter weather .....
 
If money is that tight, don't discount the benefits of practicing with air rifles.
They provide very good range time at very low cost.
Just a thought.
 
I think you're on the right track with the .308. While not as cheap to shoot as .223, .308 is a lot more versatile and can cleanly take any game in North America with the right ammo.
 
Welcome aboard.

For the rifle, no centerfire rifle will be cheaper to shoot than a .223. Also, I have a Savage Axis SS in .223, it was a good shooter out of the box, but after a new stock and tweaking handloads, it is right up there in group size with the 700's and all my "nicer" guns. BUT, I also tend to agree with jimbob that a 223 is not a great idea for deer, and depending where you live may actually be illegal for not being big enough.

One thought to consider is this: if you want to deer hunt, are on a students budget, and already have a 12 gauge on the way, ever thought of deer hunting with it and using slugs? Here in OH, that is the only option we have had forever (new law last year allows straight-walled rifle rounds). You can either buy a rifled barrel for the 500 or buy forster type slugs and shoot them as is from the smooth bore 500.
 
Thanks for all the information guys. I don't think i want to get into reloading just yet, although when the summer comes back around or spring break and im working 40-50H a week and have spare money, then a reloading kit is something i may just pick up.

Also, i have practiced a lot with air rifles, while they're fun and all, they just dont do the same in unstable environments like say even a .22 in the wind / rain.

A local gun/pawn shop has a Remington 700 30.06 with an average scope for a pretty decent deal, so if i don't go with a .308, i was thinking something along the lines of that.

But here in NH including the place i will be hunting at doesn't really offer "clear" shots past say 50-100 yards. I feel like a .223 with good shot placement can easily handle that, isn't that so?

And yes i gave slug hunting a thought, and it was something i planned on doing, but practicing with slugs wouldn't be the cheapest haha (my local walmart, box of 20 1oz foster slugs is 22$!!!!)
 
It's possible to kill a deer with a slingshot, but remember that traditionally the lowest power round thought suitable for deer was a .30-30, which can carry 1000 ft lbs to almost 200 yards.

.223 doesn't carry 1000 ft lbs to 75 yards. Then you have to factor in bullet choice. Most solid .223 rounds are known to ice pick in combat, and are just as likely to do that in a deer. Expanding .223 rounds typically have explosive expansion paired with very shallow penetration.

If I were going to hunt deer with a .223. I would keep the distance very short and I'd probably end up spend a ton on specialized ammo.
 
A man only really needs 3 rifles in my opinion(of course I have about 20 :D)

.22lr, .223 and either a .308 or a 30-06. No hate for the lever guns here so a 30-30 is always a great choice.

If your hunting thick brush I suggest buck shot or slug as you said earlier. But as you said, it gets expensive to practice with. I use a 10.5" Super Blackhawk .44mag. I consider it to be the ultimate brush gun and quick to point/easy to handle in the thick stuff.
 
Snyper said:
Those were manufactured before Remington took control of Marlin
Click to expand...
Yep.

The JM stamped Marlins are much better quality rifles than those produced after Remington closed down the original plant and started making "Remlins".
 
alright this is for all of you shotgun guys, wax slugs.

Bird shot is considerably cheaper....i can buy a 50 round box here for 10-15$, instead of the 1.25$ each slug...i know there are some negative side effects, but if i dont play on doing 1000's of rounds of it, are wax slugs fine just for "plinking" or target shooting?
 
Go to a few gunshows. Feel and fondle various bolt actions to check the fit to your body's dimensions.

I had a table at gunshows for some thirty years. I've handled many and many a "good used" bolt action. I never found a problem with shot-out rifles, and damage to the bore or crown was a rarity. So, I suggest browsing pawn shops. They generally have maybe 50% of the asking price invested, so there's lots of room for bargaining. Cash talks.

Gunshows and Craig's List are good places to look for reloading gear. It doesn't wear out, absent abuse. I'm still using dies which were not new when I got them in the early 1950s.

By and large, the .308 is a good cartridge for any game critter in the lower 48.

I happen to prefer the Sierra reloading handbook. The appendices have far more useful information than any of the others. Definitely worth the money.
 
Best of to worlds would be Savage or Ruger in 6.5 Creedmoor. Iow recoil and can go 1000 yards. I'm a 308 cal. Bench rest shooter. The 6.5 Creedmoor is my next caliber rifle. Read up on the caliber. Has the recoil of a 223 shoots further the a 308. Hope I helped.
 
While I agree with the 6.5 Creedmoor, being that he will be shooting factory ammo, it's hard to beat .308 for availability of ammo on the shelves for anything from varmints, to plinking ammo, to big game loads...
 
No disagreement there. I Love the 308,though the 6.5 Creedmoor is growing fast. I'm seeing a lot of custom and sniper rifles in that caliber.
 
"...$8 airsoft scope..." That is for a toy gun, not any kind of real firearm. Even a .22.
"...223 doesn't..." Depends on the ammo and bullet. Hornady American Whitetail 60 grain Interlock ammunition has 988 ft-lbs. at 100.
You still have to check your State hunting regs for the legality of using a .223 for deer. Pretty much anything else is likely out of irva's budget range. Even if reloading is an option.
"...are wax slugs fine just for "plinking" or target shooting?..." No. Those are only used by the 'Quick Draw' game players. Really only in the case to keep the powder in. They're not a projectile.
 
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