Thread: rifle

Morning all,

being new to the hunting scene and wanting to get opinions from those with more experience and knowledge then myself, any recommendations on a rifle for a beginner hunter? Ive shot a 7mm-08, 223 and a 308, im thinking a 308 would suit but happy to hear options and thoughts on the topic

Yes. Look around for something second hand with good scope. You dont need a vari power, but if it comes with the rifle......

The beauty of a 308 is that ammo is available anywhere, and they normally aren't too fussy.

150grn soft point will knock anything down if you shoot it in the right place.

Shoot your rifle as much as you can before you hunt. You will get familiar with its trigger and shot placement at different ranges.

time in the bush hunting is the best you can spend.

Originally Posted by tac a1

Yes. Look around for something second hand with good scope. You dont need a vari power, but if it comes with the rifle......

The beauty of a 308 is that ammo is available anywhere, and they normally aren't too fussy.

150grn soft point will knock anything down if you shoot it in the right place.

Shoot your rifle as much as you can before you hunt. You will get familiar with its trigger and shot placement at different ranges.

time in the bush hunting is the best you can spend.

good advice Tac A1 the only thing I could add is if you find something you like put a post on here and someone will look at price for you so ya not getting ripped off - someone on here may have something in a .308

270 is a good choice too. Seems that at present a second hand 270 will often sell for less than the equivalent rifle in 308. I am guessing that perhaps the 270 buyers are buying 6.5 prc ? Anyway there is nothing hunting wise that a 308 can do that a 270 cant do better

Would suggest you invest in a suppressor to protect your ears no matter what calibre you choose. 308 is a great all round solution for open hunting and bush hunting, a wide range of ammo and excellent availability. I own a 7mm08 (tops hunting and longer range shooting) and 223 (bush hunting) and enjoy both. 7mm08, did suffer from ammo availability during covid and still not a huge range of production ammo on the shelves. 223, great availability of ammo. Both are excellent calibres and really enjoy using them. At a push the 223 is my favourite calibre, much lighter recoil and a joy therefore to shoot. Bigger isn't always better. Great shot placement is key on any calibre.

.308 is good, .270 is good, the 6.5's are good (depending on bullet) - and 7mm-08 is extra good.
It recoils less than the .308 and .270 and it will kill anything in this country. My mate shoots one and I've seen him deck animals (farm) out over 500 yards,
I reload and shoot 7mm, and if you go that way - bullet selection is quite extensive ........ or used to be.

If you're gonna buy and sell, then I suppose you gotta look at resale value - I don't do that, I just buy and shoot until it's buggered. I've owned my main 'shooter' (BRNO 7x57) for 54 years and it will still shoot one and a half inch at one hundred yards. I've put over 3,000 rounds through that gun and it will probably do my son another thousand or so - then you re-barrel it.

That BRNO has never given me a 'lick' of trouble. The scopes I've put on it have, but that gun - never.

I read somewhere about 12 ft/lb of recoil is what the average hunter can tolerate with out developing a flinch - and the 7mm-08 is around that range.
There are 'Recoil Charts' online ........... look them up.

Oh yeah - just saw the post above mine - I forgot about suppressors - they change the game.

Just keep in mind when we had a ammo/component shortage many 6.5 and 7mms were virtually impossible to buy for.
.308s are awesome all rounders. Basic 3-9x scope for all around hunting and a suppressor and you'll be good to go.
.270 is another good option, shoots a bit flatter than the 308 and ammo was always easy to get.
.243 is a good low recoiling option that still kills well.
7mm08, 6.5x55, 6.5 creedmore are also good options but as stated, for quite a while there components were very hard to come by.

For a first rifle I would go with the .308. It really is the do everything calibre for New Zealand with the added benefit there is plenty of ammo available for it. As to recoil, when your hanging off the end they are all much of a much regardless of calibre in that class and you won't feel it when shooting an animal anyway. Hit the hills and enjoy.

work out what you want to shoot,at what range...what your budget is....and then buy that nice older 243 savage that popped up three weeks ago and be happy for years.

Originally Posted by tac a1

Yes. Look around for something second hand with good scope. You dont need a vari power, but if it comes with the rifle......

The beauty of a 308 is that ammo is available anywhere, and they normally aren't too fussy.

150grn soft point will knock anything down if you shoot it in the right place.

Shoot your rifle as much as you can before you hunt. You will get familiar with its trigger and shot placement at different ranges.

time in the bush hunting is the best you can spend.

I've got a 7mm-08, it's great but that's the only problem with it. Of the 2 go with a .308

Any of the cartridges (not calibers) you have mentioned will do the job. It is probably more important to find a rifle that fits you and you feel comfortable with.

Originally Posted by Shearer

Any of the cartridges (not calibers) you have mentioned will do the job. It is probably more important to find a rifle that fits you and you feel comfortable with.

And that's probably not a dumb way to go about it either ..................

Being new to hunting, scratch the .223. The .308 is probably the best bet, and has a wide array of factory ammo readily available.

Personally after a 10 year hiatus from hunting (or even shooting at all, because of international travel) I came back into the game with .243 because that was the only way to swing the purchase "yes babe you will be able to play with it also". Well she never once ended up shooting with me. I have since upgraded my partner but the little laser beam Browning is still in the stable.

Ultimately depends on the usage you require. Where you hunt, what you hunt, and how confident you are with shot placement.

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

270 is a good choice too. Seems that at present a second hand 270 will often sell for less than the equivalent rifle in 308. I am guessing that perhaps the 270 buyers are buying 6.5 prc ? Anyway there is nothing hunting wise that a 308 can do that a 270 cant do better

Im a big .270 fan, so pretty much agree. However the modern world has done something too the 270 that the beginner has to be aware of. Its a cartrdige that was designed and gets its best performance easily with a longer barrel. Dont buy a 270 if it has a 20 or 21inch barrel. look out for one with a 24 inch barrel.

I’d go 243.