Thread: First centrefire rifle

Hi Everyone, I am new to this forum. Just wondering what everyone thinks would be a good first centrefire rifle for general use (eg. range and eventually hunting) for me on a very tight budget. i have done shooting before with family/friends and also with cadets which was only .22 and I was thinking of getting a .22 first but I think I would probably get more use out of a bigger caliber. Also, anyone know of decent places to shoot in Auckland? Thanks in advance

Well its auckland so i can only recommend a 7mm08.

seriously tho any standard cal based on the 30-06 or 308 case will serve you well.

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.303...only rifle I know of that comes with factory fitted sights out to 2200 yards...most shootings in Auckland seem to be out West or South ...best big game hunting would be the Zoo

Welcome to the forum mate.

Welcome to the forum!

You say you've not done much shooting?

In that case you might be best going for .223 or something with light recoil so you can get plenty of range time without developing any kind of flinch.

Rifle is dependent on your budget so you might want to sift the trade me site and forum classifieds for a deal including optics.

If you fancy a bigger calibre I would suggest a suppressor to knock down noise and recoil.

There are a heap of options.... so outline your budget and get trawling the internet.

Good luck
Howa 1500 Rifle with Spartan Suppressor Package | Trade Me

at risk of being "shot down'I'd suggest perhaps you lookat the 7.62x39 calibre.its performance with a 125gn load is not too far from the .303 and even better with barnaul ammo its reasnably cheap to run for a starter.recoil is also minimal.It willdrop most game inside the 150mrange and in light bush should be alright.Im running one plus a no4mk1.303 at present ,with intention of adding a .223 to the stable in the near future.anyhow welcome on board,and best of british!

Thanks everyone. Just thought I would get some advice. Any brands of rifle etc that I should get. Just wondering if I got a .223 if I would get all that much use out of it hunting etc, as I'm am aware that it is often regarded as being too small a caliber to do much hunting on bigger game unless your shots are perfectly placed?

Yeah.. It would be too small for deer sized game and if you are not the crack shot then even more so. Even though it's laughed at on this forum the 7-08 would be a decent starting point for deer but how often would you go after them? .243 might be better if you are varminting and you have the option of a heavier load if needed otherwise grab a .223 and learn how to shoot.

Ok thanks, Now that I think of if, I have shot calibers other than than a 22. 2 years ago I shot an m16 and an ak (as in proper ones from the vietnam war) but it was only like 10 rounds in each. It sounds to me that the advice i'm getting is to get a .223 or something around that size and learn to shoot and then get a bigger caliber later on if I want to go for deer?

Originally Posted by un4giv3n

Ok thanks, Now that I think of if, I have shot calibers other than than a 22. 2 years ago I shot an m16 and an ak (as in proper ones from the vietnam war) but it was only like 10 rounds in each. It sounds to me that the advice i'm getting is to get a .223 or something around that size and learn to shoot and then get a bigger caliber later on if I want to go for deer?

Củ Chi tunnels eh?
Those rifles were last cleaned during the war I reckon!

As above, you seem onto it. Get the .22LR, shoot it, get confident etc.
If you want a go at some centrefire calibres in Jafaland, let me know.
I have a few .223s, .270 and .308 to try. Also in safe is a 6.5x55 and 30-06 which I'm holding for others.

A few ranges, some indoor .22/pistol ones and outdoor NZDA ones (I was at the Auckland range today), plus NRA/Service rifle shoots held at various locations.

Get a 7mm08 and start off with that, it has fuck all recoil and won't give you a flinch if you want something smaller then get a 6.5x55 or 243 don't bother with a 223 unless you are bloody good at shot placements on an animal

T





I agree, get a .22, shoot it heaps, best way to practice with loads of cheap ammo.

Then get a versatile calibre like a 308 or one of it's derivatives that will handle deer, pigs, goats, wallabies, tahr, chamois, long range gongs, paper and even rabbits if you are keen.

To me a .223(or similar) is a second centrefire, more specialised for small game. 3rd and 4th would be a long range rifle and a big bore, then you have all your bases covered!

7mm-08 is great but it is well known as the aucklanders gun because we are smart and know a great cal when we see one....
in all honestly here is a list for what I think is a good 1st deer rifle based on both common ammo and price and also shooting ie recoil
243 win
7mm-08
308
6.5x55 (my pick however I reload which you wont to start with)

in my opinion you shouldn't get any bigger than an 308 size case with the exception of the 6.5 there all lower recoil than the 30-06 size case and honestly the less a gun kicks the better no matter what anyone says..... out of that list my views

243 a little to small as an all-rounder ok for goats and the smaller breeds of deer
7mm-08 great all rounder plenty of power for any game in nz from small to the largest and nice and flat shooting
308 great round but wont do any thing the 7mm-08 cant and not flat shooting
6.5x55 great all-rounder less recoil than 7mm-08 but not as flat shooting (reloaded with right bullets it can be) also 6.5 ammo is slightly harder to get

so all of that said I would go 7mm-08 its honestly the most educated pick as a 1st deer rifle in my opinion

some people will say 270 in fact a lot will but I would suggest against it recoil sucks balls with a 270 its not so much a big hard kick but more of a real sharp fast unpleasant one and ive seen more recoil related injuries (with new non experienced shooters) than any other cal

rant over but hope there's useful info there

6.5 x55 or 25-06 would be my recommendations for first centre fire which would allow you to hunt full range of game in NZ. Both have very mild recoil but would still recommend a suppressor as well, regardless of rifle you buy. You only get one set of ears (that work).

Yeah it was at Cu Chi tunnels dogmatix, It would be cool to try some centrefires before I decide what I want/am comfortable with. I was going to get a .22 but I have done a bit of shooting with a .22 and was kind of wanting to get something bigger. Hard to try out other calibers when everyone I know who shoots either has moved or does not normally shoot rifles anymore (someone has offered to take me shotgun shooting)