Thread: First Rifle Choice for the Novice Hunter. Some more Notes From an Old Fudd

Imo.... 22lr for plinking and a 243 for everything else.
Can upgrade to different cals after picking up more skills

Originally Posted by Happy Jack

Just recently bought a 22" .308 with the suppressor it has sygnificantly less recoil than the 18" one it's replaced and is hardly anymore than my 20" 22-250. The .308 is still one of the cheapest to feed out there.

That would be my inclination. First point is that a new shooter needs to spend time getting used to the rifle to become properly proficient with it.

The 22LR should be the go to for a start- it is the cheapest to feed and a great way to develop good shooting habits and technique. No recoil so wont promote a flinch.

As for centrefire calibres, there is a few things to consider that may or may not be compatible with each other so compromise may be needed..


For recoil averse there are 243, 6.5 (especially the x55) 7.62x39 and 30/30 cals, and lets not forget the humble 303.....These all are a bit lighter on the power and recoil so are good on that front- Of these I would pick the 6.5x55 or 303 almost every time. Most new shooters will not be accurate enough yet to take 200-300 or longer shots competently / confidently so the reduced power of the 30/30 or x39 cals will still be more than adequate.

The other main consideration is ammo cost- if it is too expensive to shoot frequently, then it will start to sit and not be practised with. A decent supply of ammo at reasonable prices helps - and this is where 308 and 223 really come into the picture. And the 7.62x39. These are all mil surp calibres and the cheapest ammo will likely be mil surp etc as well- so bear in mind good hunting ammo will still be at a similar price to other calibres though may be slightly cheaper due to popularity. For a new shooter hunting larger animals I would not recommend the 223. It is capable but it needs more precise placement and a badly wounded animal suffering is enough to put a real damper on a new shooters enthusiasim. The larger calibres a re little more forgiving of errors in shot placement...

The first thing I usually suggest to someone asking this question is to pop into the nearest 3 or 4 shops that sell ammo and see what calibres have the most choice on the shelf (popularity)

Seocndly I suggest starting with a 2nd hand gun. The calibre choice is usually more along the lines of it is the best value firearm you can find will determine what calibre you get- it will be whatever that rifle is chambered in.....

And suppressors really help with new shooters.

agree with a lot you say Timmalatlon but cant agree with 30.30 and 7.62x39 they dont have any range -- squaw guns - give the new hunter a chance - 308 suppressed recoil as a lot have said should be quite okay and they have enough to take a red out to 300 easily and with some knowledge and target practice 400 - leave the 6.5 mm 243 to the guys with knowledge of its capability's- I would after over 50 years of hunting not recommend one and yes I have used them - - a .22 a 223 or .222 for meat hunts a .308 for the roar and a 12 gauge shot gun done deal - later a 7mm rem mag for thar

People have forgotten to spec in good quality hearing protection- i.e ear muffs with noise cancelling

Aside from proper technique developed through practise and instruction, this is a major part of avoiding bad habits (flinch) when shooting centre fire rifles.

The ear buds/plugs don't work as the pressure wave still hits the soft tissue around your ears.

Ain't it a funny thing,the humble 177 slug gun/air rifle doesn't even get a mention anymore? Yet it teaches how to aim,how to hold,muscle memory and with a small amount of thinking can be used SAFELY in most town sections. Trying to get novice shooter to line up rifle when they don't have those basics,takes a fair bit of patience.I need to find really cheap slug gun for mate to use.funny I sold off the one I had only a few months ago lol

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

308 suppressed recoil as a lot have said should be quite okay and they have enough to take a red out to 300 easily and with some knowledge and target practice 400 - leave the 6.5 mm 243 to the guys with knowledge of its capability's- I would after over 50 years of hunting not recommend one

Have a mate whose old man was a culler ,he used a 243 when mate got his licence he told him get a 308 your not good enough to use anything else and you need what you hit to stay down.....,

yes you are right Mickey Duck cheap target practice just a pity cant be used in suburbs despite a good set up but yes a definite plus to teach new shooters

Originally Posted by scotty

Have a mate whose old man was a culler ,he used a 243 when mate got his licence he told him get a 308 your not good enough to use anything else and you need what you hit to stay down.....,

those old boys knew what they were talking about - The NZFS for over 50 years supplied .222 .308 and 270 and nothing else (well not quite right some still had supplies of .303 ) -because they had been proven - yes some cullers used .243 but had to supply their own ammo or swap supplied rounds for it

new hunter
1st keep it simple. There is no need to go out and spend big money on a 1st rifle a Howa Ruger or savage all good options for a good yet cheap rifle

2nd caliber assuming use is deer and goats I wouldn't go too small it seems very tempting to go for 223 however this is fine for someone with experience, but new hunters tend to get a bit over excited, and marksmanship can take a bit of a dive also they are less prepared to pass up an opportunity if the perfect shot isn't presented and so sometimes will take a less than ideal shot so I suggest something with a little more grunt but keep in the short action so min 243win max 308 with the exception of 6.5x55 which is long action but more like a short action ) always get a suppressed package regardless is caliber chosen

which brings me to 3rd for fuck's sake don't buy a big cannon as a 1st rifle all it will do is teach you a bunch of bad habits

Originally Posted by rambo-6mmrem

new hunter
1st keep it simple. There is no need to go out and spend big money on a 1st rifle a Howa Ruger or savage all good options for a good yet cheap rifle

2nd caliber assuming use is deer and goats I wouldn't go too small it seems very tempting to go for 223 however this is fine for someone with experience, but new hunters tend to get a bit over excited, and marksmanship can take a bit of a dive also they are less prepared to pass up an opportunity if the perfect shot isn't presented and so sometimes will take a less than ideal shot so I suggest something with a little more grunt but keep in the short action so min 243win max 308 with the exception of 6.5x55 which is long action but more like a short action ) always get a suppressed package regardless is caliber chosen

which brings me to 3rd for fuck's sake don't buy a big cannon as a 1st rifle all it will do is teach you a bunch of bad habits

yes Savage good writeups on accuracy not pretty but pretty effective - big calibre yes dead right get some experience first - but a whole world of hunting out there - bad habits yes I watched a new hunter shoot a heavy caliber one day and he flinched so badly he actually turned his head and shut his eyes when he pulled the trigger

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

yes Savage good writeups on accuracy not pretty but pretty effective - big calibre yes dead right get some experience first - but a whole world of hunting out there - bad habits yes I watched a new hunter shoot a heavy caliber one day and he flinched so badly he actually turned his head and shut his eyes when he pulled the trigger

i have experience with the cheaper models of all the brands above they are all pretty rough finish with the best finish quality being Howa but all 3 shoot very well and at the end of the day that's what matters most

my 3 caliber suggestions for 1st centerfire assuming factory ammo
1st of all always gets a suppressed package this helps a lot with the bad habit's thing
243,7-08,308 with 308 being my personal least favorite but easy to get ammo for and they are effective for "normal" hunting applications
7-08 is an excellent compromise between power and recoil my personal favorite suggestion for someone wanting a good all-round deer rifle

243 is great as well but gets a little lacking with bigger animals (body shots) I once shot a big red stag 1st shot was a good one, but he pretty much didn't even flinch he would have died in hindsight, but we didn't want him running I had to put another 2 in him before he dropped 243 is perfect for fellow or goats

personally i run 6.5 (for the most part ) but i reload

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

agree with a lot you say Timmalatlon but cant agree with 30.30 and 7.62x39 they dont have any range -- squaw guns - give the new hunter a chance - 308 suppressed recoil as a lot have said should be quite okay and they have enough to take a red out to 300 easily and with some knowledge and target practice 400 - leave the 6.5 mm 243 to the guys with knowledge of its capability's- I would after over 50 years of hunting not recommend one and yes I have used them - - a .22 a 223 or .222 for meat hunts a .308 for the roar and a 12 gauge shot gun done deal - later a 7mm rem mag for thar

If you are going out to 300m then I agree but for all the new shooters I take out, I have tried to get them within 150m and at that range the x39 and 30/30 are capable with light recoil..(esecially if they are a younger new shooter ). I am reluctant to push a new shooter to longer ranges until I know they are capable of consistantly hitting wha they aim at. And I agree, 308 suppressed would be my first preference as well.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Ain't it a funny thing,the humble 177 slug gun/air rifle doesn't even get a mention anymore? Yet it teaches how to aim,how to hold,muscle memory and with a small amount of thinking can be used SAFELY in most town sections. Trying to get novice shooter to line up rifle when they don't have those basics,takes a fair bit of patience.I need to find really cheap slug gun for mate to use.funny I sold off the one I had only a few months ago lol

I started out that way but when I got my centrefire I realised how completely rubbish most slug guns' triggers are. Taught me nothing about trigger control that I can think off

you may have learnt more than you realise yes most of them are crap triggers but to get groups requires mastering that crap creep and second stage

… said it before. 30-06. You want their first few hunts to be good ones with the deer down and no searching in the scrub for it.

Yes I think new hunters are different now to what they were back 50 years ago: bigger, taller, stronger, often with more money. Plus with a suppressor they can carry an 8 or 9 lb rifle no trouble and handle a bigger cartridge than we could. Also some can afford a new rifle like s Tikka or Sako or an X Bolt - considerably easier for a new shooter to use and learn with than a trusty second hander. Any thing that “needs a lot of love” is best left to older shooters.