Thread: First centrefire rifle

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).

Originally Posted by rambo-6mmrem

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

The above has pretty much said it all...as far as caliber choice is concerned.

If you are sensitive to recoil, most are to some degree. I know I am; Reload, or get someone to reload. A .308 loaded soft with a 130 tough projectile will still out perform many like a 243, 223, or possibly even a 6.5mm up close.
I think the main question for me would be 'what rifle do I like?'...

There is a mod 70 7mm08 for sale at the moment. It would do me and it would do you.

Nice selection of Rifles to have a play with!

Very generous offer that... you be able to gauge your recoil level.

I still reckon the humble 22 is a pretty good place to start. Cheapest calibre to shoot, fun as hell. and great to learn all the fundimentals on.

3-4 hundy will pick you up a good yankee one which will shoot tacs and provide you with years and years of service.

Originally Posted by Nick-D

I still reckon the humble 22 is a pretty good place to start. Cheapest calibre to shoot, fun as hell. and great to learn all the fundimentals on.

3-4 hundy will pick you up a good yankee one which will shoot tacs and provide you with years and years of service.

Absolutely right mate. I have a 10/22 that I used today to knock off 3 bunnies. Got one marinating the fridge for tomorrows dinner. A 22 is fun to shoot and an excellent filler when you can't get to a bigger farm or range.

a jw15 scoped cheap as chips 120-150 not much to spend for a cheep practice gun and buy your centerfire as well
biggest piece of advice
1 spend as much as you can afford with rifles you get what you pay for
2 buy a good scope so meny people go and spend 1500 on a rifle and top it with $150 worth of cheep shit class........I was once told "good glass is just as important as a good rifle after all if you cant see the target it don't matter how good the rifle is

Take your time and work out what type of shooting you would like to do and what type of shooting you'll actually do.
A couple or three years ago I finally got my fal. I had always done a fair amount of shooting on my uncles farm, using his guns so never needed to get my own. When I did get it I bought a ruger 10/22, a shot gun and a 223. Then I bought shortly after a norinco Jw15a with the over barrel suppressor because it was bolt action so my then 12yr old son wasn't going to use a semi 22. I now only have the norinco and the 223 out out that lot and I just bought a ruger 17hmr. The reason for selling the 10/22 was the norinco is so good I found myself having that in preference over the 10/22. I sold my shot gun because I want using it much at all and the type of shooting I found myself doing is small game hunting on the farm with occasional goat hunt. At the moment I have the rifles that suit how and what I shoot. The Jw15a for possum, hmr for rabbits, hare and pest birds at longer ranges than the Jw15a is capable of and the 223 if I go on a goat hunt. I'm not one for deer stalking so don't need anything bigger so no point spending coin on that type of rifle. If I was wealthy which I'm not, I'd have a rifle in every caliber just cause, but that's not how it is.

Sent from my work bench

Is there anywhere to shoot centrefires in Auckland other than the Deer stalkers range in Riverhead and the Waiuku pistol club?

Originally Posted by un4giv3n

Is there anywhere to shoot centrefires in Auckland other than the Deer stalkers range in Riverhead and the Waiuku pistol club?

Actually there are 2 Deerstalkers ranges at Riverhead, Auckland and North Auckland clubs.
Clevedon Rifle Club shoot over the summer.
Auckland Service Rifles shoot at Clevedon in summer and on a farm at Waiuku in winter.
Swiss club have occasional invite shoots on their private land too.

Guys, i have "nothing to do with all the "picking" and "hard time" you guys give each other. All the opinions here are excellent and does not matter what kind rifle you get you will enjoy it. Rifle selection is very personal and a good "google" search in calibers regards performance and "costs" will give you a good base.
As said, my humble opinion is, as a "learner" a .22 is perfect to plink and some shooting technic practice, as you want to shoot critters you may need a "bigger" caliber, so, a .223 is a great rifle over all for Target shooting at many different range as you progress and some small ish animals, then come the "big knock down" calibers. The 308 is the must popular anywhere you go, a 30-06 has been a great all around cartridge too for ages and the good old 270 winchester so popular for the "flat" trajectory and now the "new comes" 7mm-08 and 6.5x55 are getting up there for shooters with some experience in shot placement etc in animals and Long range target shooting for the 6.5 caliber.
Many forgot to say, the 7.62X39 caliber is a great caliber too and lately with some "CHEAP" ammo deals, it will do you to play in the range and kill any critters in the bush.

My advise, think carefully about exactly what kind shooting you want to do, research about calibers and performances and ASK all this great people you have in this forum to help you.

Welcome and all the best.

highly recommend go check out your local club before going out and buying anything, try a few different cal's out from members there get educated before you make a decision what people suggest might be well in good but doesn't mean it will suit you as an individual. but you cant go wrong with a .22 everyone has to have one.22 bolt action jw15 or if you go semi a marlin 795 for out the box accuracy

If you want a cheap gun without too much kick you can't go past an SKS semi-auto which fires the cheapest centrefire ammo you can easily get. If you want something bigger that kicks like a cornered girl-scout but still cheap then a Mosin Nagant has sight marks out to 2km and can shoot cheap ammo ($1 per round) too. Both are very robust, incredibly easy to maintain and disassemble and require no special tools (most jobs can be done using just a live round). They both also accessorise quite nicely without having to mortgage the house for parts.