Thread: Good caliber to start hunting with?

I love my remmington 7mm-08. Just my 2c worth.

300 RUM. that will have you sorted for all game in NZ

Congrats on passing the first obstacle. By going with an A7 in 308 you have chosen a rifle you feel comfortable with and a calibre that will humanely drop anything you shoot
Are you bush hunting or tops shooting?

I remember wondering why there was such an attitude of calibre not matering when I made my thread like this. Now I understand, haha.

308 is a good choice - the same way I eventually went. Spend as much as you can on a scope. The old, "spend as much on the scope as the rifle cost," is a good guide. You won't regret it. You will regret buying $400 pieces of crap unless you limit yourself to quite close range. The scope's more important than the rifle if anything.

Originally Posted by TyrinnS

Hi thanks for that, I want to shoot anything from dear to goats to pigs and so on. Cheers

When I was young I wanted to shoot lots of dears with my gun too.

Originally Posted by 10-Ring

When I was young I wanted to shoot lots of dears with my gun too.

I still do! However wanting to and the harsh reality of middle age family man are two different things

I use a 243 in the UK and shoot Foxes, muntjac, Roe and Fallow with it and it does the job well, But Im not sure Id want to shoot a big Red stag in the roar with it. If I were in your shoes I think Id go 308...

Originally Posted by MattyP

I remember wondering why there was such an attitude of calibre not matering when I made my thread like this. Now I understand, haha.

308 is a good choice - the same way I eventually went. Spend as much as you can on a scope. The old, "spend as much on the scope as the rifle cost," is a good guide. You won't regret it. You will regret buying $400 pieces of crap unless you limit yourself to quite close range. The scope's more important than the rifle if anything.

There are a couple of very good, reliable scopes around for under the 400 mark. They may not be fancy, but they sure as hell work

Originally Posted by Nick-D

There are a couple of very good, reliable scopes around for under the 400 mark. They may not be fancy, but they sure as hell work

What are the nikko diamond scopes like for entry level centrefire?

Shooting 308 indicates he won't be shooting at extreme ranges.
My Sako 75 308 has a Weaver V9 sitting on top. Works fine and proven in the bush from 8m (deer was a bit blurry at 3m so waited for a better picture) to my longest shot 137m across a gulley.
Quality of optics for sure but don't need to spend $kazillion to put food on the table. Unless the Weaver breaks it won't be coming off

Originally Posted by hawkfish

I use a 243 in the UK and shoot Foxes, muntjac, Roe and Fallow with it and it does the job well, But Im not sure Id want to shoot a big Red stag in the roar with it. If I were in your shoes I think Id go 308...

Not sure why people say such nonsence. A 243 will bowl a very big stag anytime over no problem, esp in the roar bush stalking where the distance shooting is going to be shortish.Its a proven fact that if you about to shoot a 140-150kg stag with a 243 the bestplace to aim for is the shoulder and its yours. Why, because the best perforance out of a 243 round is where it hits bone and thats a fact. Behind the shoulder on a big stag still will kill it but it could run quite a long way before it drops hence some people lose it. Neck shot will kill it on spot but a big stag can have a big blown up neck and room for error not hitting it right in the spot hence again can drop one then its up and off. Middle of the shoulder its dead and wont go far at all if anywhere. 243 is way under rated in the roar. Last roar i shot 4 good stags, biggest 140kg plus, another one at least 120kg all one shot kills and the most anyone of the stags went was 50m which i shot in the chest. A 243 is awesome out to 200m and for roar hunting thats whats coming with me, even thou a have just got a 308 for longer ranges. Still, a 308 is even better at longer ranges but a 243 will do anything a 308 will do with 0 200 m with shotplacement. Aim at that shoulder young man!!

And that is what it is all about - shot placement
I have seen a mate drop a 12pt with a 223. When we put it on the hook it weighed 76kg. A heavy carry

Originally Posted by sako75

Shooting 308 indicates he won't be shooting at extreme ranges.
My Sako 75 308 has a Weaver V9 sitting on top. Works fine and proven in the bush from 8m (deer was a bit blurry at 3m so waited for a better picture) to my longest shot 137m across a gulley.

Nothing wrong with the Weavers IMO, I have a v9 on my 308 and have shot wallabies out to 300+ with it.

I think some people tend to exaggerate how much you need to spend on gear for normal hunting, nothing wrong with spending the extra if you want something nicer but a $1000 scope won't necessarily get you any more animals than a $400 scope! (unless you're shooting longer range, in which case you probably have enough experience that you don't need to ask about it on a forum).

Originally Posted by deer243

Not sure why people say such nonsence. ........and thats a fact.

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's nonsense. As you pointed out, good shot placement with a .243 is sufficient. The problem can arise when a new hunter and some not so new too, get buck fever and may not place the shot in the best spot, especially on a big Red stag like we get here in our local pine forests. Some of these stags can go over 170kgs dressed and you don't want them running 50m. A heavier cartridge such as the .308 30/06 etc with a suitable bullet gives a little more leeway as regards shot placement.

I didn't mean that all $400 scopes were rubbish....but there's definitely some that are. All I am saying is that he's bought a nice rifle...A7's aren't at the low end, so why put a cheap scope on it and limit it? If I was him I would try my best to put a nice scope on it to make it useable at various ranges. And you pay for scopes with large multipliers (2-10x or 2-12x or 3-18x, etc).

Otherwise he will be here in 6 months or a year asking what calibre/scope for longer range, or for closer range. That's part of the fun....I realize that. But for my first centerfire I wanted something I could use from a few meters to a few hundred meters. Will end up saving him $$ in the long run.