New to rifles looking for suggestions.

V

Viper99

New member
Hello all,
Started with semi-autos then went to revolvers and finally have started to get interested in rifles. At this point, the only rifle I have is a Ruger .22 takedown.

What I want is a rifle for medium size game and one for larger game.

I want it to be semi-auto, wood or synthetic is not that important right now but I want it to be accurate and reliable. Calibers? thinking 223 / 308 but open to suggestions.

$700 is the max and used is fine by me except that I wouldn't know what to avoid or look for in a used one.

Regards to all and Thank You for your responses
 
Apologies to the moderators, I think this should have gone on the semi-auto instead. Can you please move it?
Regards
 
You need a base model ar15 and a .308 bolt gun. Heck, you could get both for under 850$. Or go all cool and go 300blackout and be a super tactical operator like me.

Honestly, all the 600$ range ARs a superbly accurate and a savage axis .308 will do everything you need for 300$

Other calibers could do as well or better or fill two roles, but I like the option of cheap ammo..223 and .308 are great choices for anyone.
 
Sorry guys, I live in CT and no AR are allowed.

How accurate? not really familiar with accuracy when it comes to rifles. I would say as accurate as my 700 limit allows.

That kind of brings me to another question. Why bolt vs semi-automatic? what is the allure of the bolt type?
 
Well, which semi-autos ARE allowed there? How about a Calif-style with bullet button and/or a "no pistol grip" stock?

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well if your talking accuracy, a bolt will get you there a heckuva lot cheaper. but it depends on how accurate you need. I personally like semi's. I don't kno the laws up there, are you allowed to have a mini-14 or sks. I assume a VEPR is probably out
 
Nothing that can hold over 10 rounds or have kind of a gun handle like the ARs.
Ruger minis are allowed. Its confusing really. I think all bolts rifles are okay but I just don't see the point of bolts unless I am missing something important.
 
Easier to clean and maintain, generally less picky about ammo, more accurate than similarly priced semi-autos, very reliable. I'll take a good bolt gun every day of the week.
 
Bolt actions typically will produce better groups, cost less, and require less maintiance. They can be chambered in magnum calibers. I own both semi-autos and bolts and when accuracy matters I will pick up the bolt action each and every time.
Semi-autos are fun to shot and have a cool factor but again if accuracy is important especially at greater ranges they a bolt action is the way to go.
 
Where you are matters. You'll have to read your local hunting regs to ensure there are no odd restrictions. Some places have a minimum calibre for deer and some, like Pennsylvania, don't allow semi-autos. Didn't look at CT's hunting regs.
Anyway, as $700 is your budget, you might want to think in terms of a used rifle. (It's not like buying a car. Takes a great deal of abuse to damage a modern hunting rifle.) Lots of perfectly good, scoped, hunting rifles(bolt actions are more accurate and will be far more common. Usually not a friggin' heavy either. That's just the nature of semi's. If you really want one, you'll likely find a Browning or the like without too much fuss. Will not be new, if that matters.) will be coming up for sale when deer season is over. Thousands of guys will blame the rifle for their bad shot and will be dumping 'em. The assorted gun shops tend to have sales just after deer season too.
The chambering isn't really that critical, but think .24 to .30 calibre(not a 7.62 x 39) in a non-magnum. Any of those will suffice for nearly any game you care to hunt. A .308 or .30-06 will kill any game in North America with a change of bullet. They're not the only game though. The .26 and .27 calibres will do that too. Magnums are loud and expensive to shoot regularly. There's no game in North America, big bears included that needs one anyway.
Forget the SKS for any serious shooting. It wasn't made for accuracy and the sights are just bad. Totally useless for anything bigger than under 100 yard deer, if you have the rifle ammo too. They are a lot of fun to shoot though.
 
Well BARs are on the heavy side for me, so until I could understand what kind of semi-autos are legal vs. not, yeah, I'd have to say Remington 740 / 7400 / 750. Pick your chambering. Can't go wrong with .270 win, .280 rem, or .30-'06 - those 3 are very similar, use the full action length for that rifle, and hit the sweet spot to cover both large and very large game, without being *too* terribly much overkill for coyotes and such.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Semi-Auto-Rifles/BI.aspx?mfg=1000230&mo=3001638

http://www.gunbroker.com/Semi-Auto-Rifles/BI.aspx?mfg=1000230&mo=3001618
 
"Well BARs are on the heavy side for me..."

Depending on the action and stock, they weigh about 7#s +/-. I prefer bolt guns for hunting but, if forced to use a semi, I'd go Browning. Very accurate for the type. The only drawback, and it's significant, is the cost. The weight is a non-issue.
 
Well, I guess you're right - it's just that every time I see one that a friend has, I tend to see the 26" bbl ones with a BOSS that weigh as much as a stripped VW bug.

But the BAR is definitely nicer - so if you can find a light one - maybe a short action one with a 22" bbl - and have the cash, then absolutely go for that one over the Rem 7400 / 750.
 
I can go up to $1000.00 for both but now I am totally confused with so many different calibers. I don't want to end up with a bunch of them but just the ones that are more readily available that would be good for medium type game and one that would put down a brown bear if needed.

I would prefer 2 different and common calibers for the rifles.

Regards.
 
Get a Russian or nice Norinco paratrooper SKS and call it good. 7.62x39 is a fine hunting round out to 150-200 yards. Any farther and you'd be shooting into NY or MA, right?

I think that the 7.62x45 cartridge of the VZ52 would have been a great hunting round if it had survived to be produced in large amounts.
 
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