Thread: $1000-1500 hunting setup

to be fair guns are my thing, there my "toys" as well as my tools, so If im going to spend all this money on my hobby I do want my rifles to look nice, understand that it makes no difference to actual hunting but its just as much if not more my hobby (and lots of other people ) than hunting itself

Keep an eye out on trade me for a savage Stevens. Not the prettiest, but solid action and very good barrel. Should be around 600. Chuck whatever junker scope it come on and spend the other 800 on glass.

I’d rather have a cheap rifle with a decent scope rather than the other way around... cheap rilfes work, cheap scopes are almost always questionable.

Originally Posted by Manchester

fair call if it was a genuine Martini Enfield.
Instead it was a box of parts consisting of a martini enfield action, a stock with hand calved owners initials and a lee enfield barrel.

All for the grand price of $200

now to try and post a photo of my intentionsAttachment 153647

Greetings Manchester,
With apologies to Marty Henry, that is a nice rifle. Mine was not much better than yours with an original but stock and not much else. It now has a second hand Sportco target barrel and a 4 power Leupold scope and doesn't look anywhere near as good as yours. Shoots well but is Heavy so the Tikka gets to go for more walks.
Regards Grandpamac.

No offence taken @grandpamac nor was I really stirring @Manchester and it's better to see the bits put to good use than in a box or worse put in the scrap.
I like the martinis for their graceful lines, long sight radius and good carry.
Do you have any problems with loading or extracting with the scope their. I've seen a 22k hornet on a BSA 22 action where loading involved some interesting manoeuvres that had to be repeated getting the empty out.
Any how to get this thread back on track.
The howa is good buying as are the second hand options etc, basically anything within his budget will be fine. Whatever money you save going any of these routes spend it on ammunition and learn how to shoot with it. As for optics, the nikko stirlings are perfectly adequate but go bushnell, leuopold etc if you wish, but I think with the lower end scopes in those brands the extra you pay isn't reflected in performance.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings Manchester,
With apologies to Marty Henry, that is a nice rifle. Mine was not much better than yours with an original but stock and not much else. It now has a second hand Sportco target barrel and a 4 power Leupold scope and doesn't look anywhere near as good as yours. Shoots well but is Heavy so the Tikka gets to go for more walks.
Regards Grandpamac.

Mine is still being put together.
The photo shown is what I'm aiming for it to end up like.
The rifle needs a new stock and to be reblued.

Currently been recrowned and open sights attached. Once done, check accuracy then go looking for someone to do a new stock... been with the gunsmith for a year and covid isn't making things any faster

work it backwards.....you have AWESOME budget.
how far you want to shoot you have already in mind....
what sized animal...deer presumably..
happy to chest shoot????
so pin point accuracy isnt paramount,nice but not essential.....anything under 2" at hundy will get you out to 300 any day of the week.

so 2nd hand is really good option.

many many many good solid rifles come up for sale all over the show,on here, on trademe,in shops (with bigger markup)

seen some lovely BSA ,ruger,winchester,zastava,bruno,etc etc be onsold in last year or two.
there was even a 6.5 on here that had had a real birthday do up that sold for crazy cheap price.
IF you buy a 2nd hand rifle that is solid wee preformer....you will learn all about hunting and looking after rifle,then MAYBE later you buy something all flash n shiney,use it for year or so and when sitting on deer carcase will look back and reflect you just shot deer at 50 yards using 2k worth of rifle and the sub 1k rifle in cabinet at home wouldve done job just the same.....and wouldnt have to be so carefull to keep blood n dirt off it going home.the old rifle can be your wet day rifle,your loan to licenced mate rifle...your mate uses/kids use rifle the chuck it in just in case rifle and serve you well forever.
just take look at new prices,then prices 2nd hand sell for,you will soon see that just like cars the price drops as soon as it leaves shop. there is a lot of folks who bought into the creedmore or blackout hype who have since onsold....plenty who buy rifle,get it shooting then get urge for something new,sell rifle and buy something else,loosing money each time...but it keeps them out of pub I guess...better to trade rifle than wives.

Buy something you like, looks, feel and fit matter.
Good secondhand rifles are a good option.
Doesn't have to be stainless synthetic just look after them.
If you are a little bugger or like us older chaps get something that doesn't boot too much 243,7-08 or similar.
Get a good fixed power scope 4x to 6x or similar.
Sight in 1.5" to 3" high at a hundred and go for it up to 250m or so.
It will be your rifle what others think doesn't count.

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

No offence taken @grandpamac nor was I really stirring @Manchester and it's better to see the bits put to good use than in a box or worse put in the scrap.
I like the martinis for their graceful lines, long sight radius and good carry.
Do you have any problems with loading or extracting with the scope their. I've seen a 22k hornet on a BSA 22 action where loading involved some interesting manoeuvres that had to be repeated getting the empty out.
Any how to get this thread back on track.
The howa is good buying as are the second hand options etc, basically anything within his budget will be fine. Whatever money you save going any of these routes spend it on ammunition and learn how to shoot with it. As for optics, the nikko stirlings are perfectly adequate but go bushnell, leuopold etc if you wish, but I think with the lower end scopes in those brands the extra you pay isn't reflected in performance.

Greetings Marty Henry,
The scope is mounted in extra high rings so loading is relatively easy. The original stock is well below cheek line but a wide face gives me some chin weld. The rifle shoots really well chambered in .30-40 Krag. It shot well in .30-30 prior to rechambering with an aperture sight as well. Mine also has the more streamlined action.
Regards Grandpamac.

Something like this maybe...

https://broncos.co.nz/hunting/firear...sh-starter-kit

Do all you need and when/if you feel like upgraded optics etc that's up to you.

Although a good 2nd hand setup is obviously much cheaper.

Good luck with whatever you settle upon regardless.

30 krag, that's not something you see every day.

The Howa is an excellent rifle and wonderful value for money. Nikko scopes are fine and I have used several and fitted hundreds. $1500 should get you the rifle and scope, some ammo and a decent knife, all of which will last a lifetime with proper care and maintenance.

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

30 krag, that's not something you see every day.

Dinny Collings made a lot on Lee Enfield and P14 actions to use up take out target barrels. He rechambered mine in the 1990's. Still chambered occasionally in the US in single shots

Everything's kinda already been said but I'll add 2 cents anyway.

Realistically any of the known main brands make perfectly capable rifles and all occasionally make a lemon, pick what you want not what your mate or the salesman wants. Caliber wise the same applies, out to 400m anything between a 243 and a 30-06 is going to do the job almost the same, each one will have small advantages and disadvantages.

I'll add one word of caution about 2nd hand guns; there's lots of good deals about but unfortunately sometimes things don't work out well. Stick to reputable sources like this forum or local stores and you should be sweet

@Preacher that's the exact setup I'm looking at, but in .308

Someone posted this advice ages ago (and probably in this thread too).

Go to your local Gun store and shoulder Howa, Tikka, Ruger, Savage, etc then look for the second-hand version of what you like.

Lots of people like to throw poo at various brands but there are many good reasons why they're so popular.

Also, it's your rifle so feel free to make it look how you like, and don't be afraid of people you don't know getting concerned about your preferences.

A lot of people like fancy guns, cars, clothes and other "needless" items that are none of our concern

Good luck.