First rifle purchase... looking for opinions

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Agreed,,All calibers stated will kill a deer.Myself, I would go with the 308 or 30-06. and that would be because of accuracy only. Any one of the formentioned would get the job done. The 243 to me is a little on the wimpy side only because your bullet weight is semi limited. More than enough to do the job,but still kinda wimpy. I guess to me a 243 is more down the line of a varmint rifle:)
I know millions of people use them every year with great results.
 
Myself, I would go with the 308 or 30-06. and that would be because of accuracy only.
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Accuracy? The caliber has a whole lot less to do with accuracy than the individual rifle does.

The .243 has plenty of power to punch a good sized hole through Bambi's engine room out to at least 300 yards.... pushing 3K+ f/sec with a 100 grain bullet - BC's in the .375 range.... that's enough gun for a 200 lb ruminant ...... I shot a good sized buck with one when I was a kid ..... 250 yards away and that thing hit the ground like an invisible bus hit him.
 
marlins are fine rifles as well. i have a 925 i paid under 200 for. it shoots very well. i was originally looking at the rem 597 and at the time they had magazine issues. im told by a friend who owns one that has since been fixed.
 
Most shooters cant exploit the accuracy of an off the rack ww2 mauser much less a sub moa rifle. Any rifle that is not tumbling bullets through the target will be accurate enough to kill deer.
 
Accuracy? The caliber has a whole lot less to do with accuracy than the individual rifle does

True jimbob,But the 30 cal is inhearantly the most accurate cartridge out there.
Yes,,As i stated the 243 is more than capable of dropping a deer. Hey people do it with a 223 these days too. IMHO- it is a Varmint caliber. All rifles are different(we all know that). I sighted one of my co-workers 243 in this year for deer hunting. Rem,youth model.(what ever model that is) Started with a box of 100 gn.Thing would key hole at 50 yards,pushed it to 100 yards and went out to random 4 or 5 inch groups. Went out next week with it and a box of 85 gn. Thing key holed at 100 yards with no problem. Im just saying to me--A 243 is a varmint rifle.
 
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Slappy, your numbers are funky:
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Not my numbers Jimbob, Hornady's numbers.


RC20, I don't believe anyone suggested a 30-06 was "needed" for killing deer. What I said to the OP was if you are only going to kill deer, then get the .243 if you thought you may get a chance to hunt larger game in the future, the 30-06 is a good all around cartridge for hunting in North America.

imho the advantage for the .30-06 only applies to large bullets that most people don't use and long barrels which most people don't use.
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Buzzcock, I know quite a few folks who would disagree with that "opinion".
 
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Hey, I had a Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55 once, believe me, it was nothing to be sneezed at! Back then you could only buy ammo from Norma and it weren't cheap. I ended up selling it to a "friend" on credit, and never got paid for it.

For what it is worth, I've always heard that the .22LR is the most inherently accurate round in the world.
 
Ok-Let me refrase this statement. The 30 cal is the most widley used and most versitile cartridge ever designed. Accuracy was the wrong word (sorry). Any bullet can be fired accurate is true. The 30 cal is just #1 all around for hunting and target shooting. Although lots of new ones are up and coming fast for long range shooting. between all the 30's out there,308,30-30,30-06 300,338 ect ect there is no other cartridge in it,s leauge.

I will add this also.

As both a Firearms Dealer and Long Range Rifle Team Competitor, I would recommend the 308 caliber as the "perfect" round. The 308 offers the most impressive numbers of bullet styles and weights, but is the most popular competetion ammunition used today.95% of the professional competitors shoot 308's and all you would have to do is witness a competition and you would notice this fact almost immediately. The 308 is an incredibly accurate round and is the round still used most often by Law Enforcement and the Military in special operations situations......
Source(s):
Gunsmith/Gun Shop Owner-Dealer
Firearms Appraiser/Military Firearms Collector
NRA Life Member /35 Years Firearms & Hunting/Shooting Experience
 
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Back when I stated my opinion, I suggested the 308. That is not because I think the 308 is anything special, but more because Bubba's Hardware in West Leroy, Wyoming or Alabama probably has a box of bullets for the non-reloader. I don't shoot a 308 and don't plan to buy one. It's a make-do cartridge that Uncle Sam wanted for replacement of the 30-06. It's Ok, but not great. I don't want one for deer hunting. If you are going to hunt deer, buy a 270. If you are going to shoot coyotes, buy a 223. If you aren't a target shooter, why in the world would you justify buying a 308? Again...it's Ok, but you can do better.
 
im with 603country on this one. He pointed out a simple truth, the 308 is a compromise cartridge. If you are a hand loader the 308 is just a waste of time in comparison to the 30-06. Like i said origionaly get a 30-06 , there is a reson why its the most popular cartridge in the world.
 
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243 270 308 30-06

Shot a lot of deer with .270. I dropped my first many years ago at 197 measured yards and it fell like it had a house dropped on it. Shot the next one at 85 yds same thing. 1 at 40yds same thing. The last 4 with it were shot in the 125-135 yard range all heart lung shots and everyone ran about 30 yds and piled up. I bought a .243 2 years ago and shot it a ton before taking it to the woods this year. Opening day I shot a 200# plus 11 pt at 136 yards. Classic heart lung shot. Deer ran 30 yards and piled up.

Original stock on the .270 stomped me, Bell & Carlson cured that. The .243 is
sweet.

The 30-06 generates around 26 pounds of free recoil and the 270 is very close. -The .308 around 18 pounds and the .243 even less.
 
Honestly, I think you should just go with the .270 since you haven't shot in a while. The 30-06 will hurt when you're not accustomed to it. The .270 isnt so bad, so someone with little experience can use it well enough.

I think the BEST thing to do is to buy a Marlin 795 or Mossberg 702 Plinkster just to have a .22 on hand to practice with for cheap. Fundamentals are always important, right? :)

Those .22's are the cheapest of the cheap, I myself own a 795 and couldn't be happier. I love it. Now you can probably afford the .270 rifle and also a .22lr.

Just my .02, but I hope I helped a little.
 
Good job Big Mikey! You took some good advice and now have a decent .22LR to practice with and may be back in the future, if not totally confused by all the opinions stated.

Continuing this discussion probably won't help Big Mikey at this point, since he's out having fun with his .22LR, but everyone needs to feel they know best what someone else needs, so the thread will probably go on for another 10 pages. :eek:
 
Picher said:
Good job Big Mikey! You took some good advice and now have a decent .22LR to practice with and may be back in the future, if not totally confused by all the opinions stated.

Continuing this discussion probably won't help Big Mikey at this point, since he's out having fun with his .22LR, but everyone needs to feel they know best what someone else needs, so the thread will probably go on for another 10 pages. :eek:
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Amusing, isn't it? 90% don't even read the thread. What rifle!? .308! .308 Ah! .308!

Guys... OP bought a gun... He's out shooting it already. Read a little.
 
but everyone needs to feel they know best what someone else needs,
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Speak for yourself:

It matters not what I am in favor of: I have my deer rifle. You, on the other hand, are looking for yours.
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The OP is going to try out a variety of calibers next week .... I'm sure he'll get back to you on his first impressions on all of them. That will really make this thread a long one, as I am sure sombody's ego will get bruised......
 
Mossberg?

I have looked at a few different rifles now, and I think I know which way I want to go. Dick's has a Mossberg with a wooden stock and attached scope for $350. It has Mossberg's version of Savage's Acutrigger, (they call it the "Lightning Bolt Action Trigger System" - a bit cheesy, but no big deal), and it is available in all of the calibers I am considering. Does anyone have any experience with this particular rifle, or Mossberg hunting rifles in general?
Still not sure which caliber, but will be test firing several next week, so that should help.
 
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