Thread: Advice for first centrefire rifle

If I was you deff get a surpressor on the .308 I know another new be hunter and new to rifles got sold a .308 as his first rifle with no can and he missed his first few deer because he developed a flinch.
If I was you I would look at a .260 or 6.6x55 tikka.
Yea we don't have a lot of deer in the Naki but plenty of goats. Best to join the local deer stalkers meeting this Wednesday night great way to get on hunts with other older hunters.

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Originally Posted by 25/08IMP

......Best to join the local deer stalkers meeting this Wednesday night great way to get on hunts with other older hunters.....

Sound advice

Originally Posted by 25/08IMP

If I was you deff get a surpressor on the .308 I know another new be hunter and new to rifles got sold a .308 as his first rifle with no can and he missed his first few deer because he developed a flinch.
If I was you I would look at a .260 or 6.6x55 tikka.
Yea we don't have a lot of deer in the Naki but plenty of goats. Best to join the local deer stalkers meeting this Wednesday night great way to get on hunts with other older hunters.

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That sounds like the right way to go about bro. Thanks for the input ill definitely look into joining to the deerstalkers hopefully they can point me in the right direction

Yea there is always some of us old buggers that will take young fellas out for a hunt.
They are also just starting there range shoots for the year which is a good way to try out rifles of different cal etc. PM me if you want meeting details etc or contact details.

Originally Posted by Been Upto

That sounds like the right way to go about bro. Thanks for the input ill definitely look into joining to the deerstalkers hopefully they can point me in the right direction

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https://www.guncity.com/howa-m1500-s...calibre-317388

this would be my pick, stainless/synthetic.
of course you could pay $400 more for a bit of engraving on the side that says "wetherby" as its the same rifle
chuck on a decent scope and go for it.

I like tikka but sadly I think they are over priced for what they are in nowadays
Id go for a howa they are as good as a tikka imo but at the price point of 900 ish as apose to
A tikka for 1500 or more depending on the model
That’s 500 you could spend elsewhere like a good scope

Yes I would Suppress it less noise less recoil

Im not a fan of 308 but it will shoot a deer no worries
I would go 7mm-08 but it’s your money and rifle so up to you

Originally Posted by rambo-6mmrem

I like tikka but sadly I think they are over priced for what they are in nowadays
Id go for a howa they are as good as a tikka imo but at the price point of 900 ish as apose to
A tikka for 1500 or more depending on the model
That’s 500 you could spend elsewhere like a good scope

Yes I would Suppress it less noise less recoil

Im not a fan of 308 but it will shoot a deer no worries
I would go 7mm-08 but it’s your money and rifle so up to you

Cough, what is this "just as good as a Tikka" business? Remember the great @Toby described the Howa as an improved Sako.

Shop with an open mind, go into a few stores and pick up and fondle a few rifles. Choose what 'feels' and 'points' best for you. There will be one that you don't want to hand back, buy that. If there are two you don't want to hand back flip a coin. Don't look at the coin when it lands, buy the one you were hoping the coin said to buy.

Calibre doesn't matter too much, they're much of a muchness in all honesty. Buy one in a reasonable chambering from what is available for the rifle you want. Tikka, Savage, Browning, Howa, Sako, ... there are plenty of good makes out there

i have a bushnell 4.5-18x40 c/w burris z rings for sale that would do the job well on a howa

I have 2x Howa's in 223 and 7mm08. They are set up the same way, both suppressed. When I swap from the 223 to the 7mm08, the muscle memory is the same. The 223 is cheaper to learn on, and doesn't kick.

Think of it like this:
to buy factory 7mm08 per box of 20:$40-$80 $2-$4 per pop
223 per box of 20:$25-$40 $1.25-$2 per pop

(These figures from Wild outdoors, Gun city sells premium Federal for $99 per 20)

So a day at the range spent learning swiftly gets expensive. If you shoot 40 rounds of 7mm08, it will set you back $80-$160.

Originally Posted by Max Headroom

So a day at the range spent learning swiftly gets expensive. If you shoot 40 rounds of 7mm08, it will set you back $80-$160.

40 rounds?! My last day at the range I went thru 130 rounds I don't wanna work out what that cost me...

A light 308 can kick quite a bit, personally I have never noticed it firing at an animal but do notice it at the range. You will never be undergunned with a 308 in NZ, but you could probably say the same for a lot of smaller calibres too.
I have never had a suppressor on a centrefire rifle, they aren't essential and could be added later, but always use hearing protection at the range or on goat bomb-ups, and any other shots where you have time to put plugs in or muffs on.

The reason that I went Tikka was I could buy one with a threaded 18 inch barrel off the shelf. No gunsmiths up here and couriering a rifle is now a hassle.

Sounds like a fine first choice for a rifle man. Whack a suppressor on there and rock some tally's for rings. No point going rail for most uses, just extra weight.

308 will do the job, nothing wrong with 7mm08 or 6.5 creedmoor either. 18-20" barrel is a good compromise of handy in the bush with still enough speed for open country.

Throw a wtb post up in the buy and sell section also, often some good deals going around, there's blokes on here change rifles more than their undies

Personally I would go with the Tikka Superlite.
Superlite vs a lite with threaded barrel - price will be about the same.

Cheers for the support guys! I appreciate all of your comments and inputs!.

Good choice for your first centre fire, there plenty to choose from, but a Tikka will usually shoot and shoot accurately. And if money is tight the Tikka rings work fine, possibly for years to come. Most calibres will work for you, but dont get all flustered with the hype and hoopla over the various choices, a 308 will take most anything you want to shoot in NZ. But do spend your money wisely on your scope, spend as much as you possibly can, and then some. Keep the posts coming, we're keen to see how you get on, and to see young fella's having fun hunting.