Thread: First Rifle...seeking advice

Just my 2c regarding ammo cost..

Sure, go for something "common" and easy to source. However - one of the big things I have learned is that not shooting ammo on paper because of the cha-ching factor is plain stupid. You're cheating yourself. (I did this when I first got Black Beauty - I would only do sessions of 5 rounds at the range and then purely hunt and not practice any more shooting)

How much do we spend on vehicle, fuel, maint, rifle, scope, pack, food, gear, the list goes on. How much value would you put on a wounded deer or a missed deer because you are un-practiced? $500? $1,000? By that I mean, "How much would you spend to make that deer come back and your bullet actually connect with it..?"

In my opinion, every dollar spent on ammo that is fired down range is a dollar well spent.

The suggestion of purchasing/borrowing a .22 to put a considerable amount of rounds through is not a silly one.

Good luck to you mate and welcome to the wonderful world of hunting

Originally Posted by kotuku

being a fellow cackhander ,ive been happy to use righthanded weapons all my shooting career.lets face it manufacturers dont produce a lot of lefthanders and if you buy you end up paying$100-200 more anyhow.get used to doing all ya drill,righthanded then just throw rifle or shotty to your left shoulder and bingo!

@kotuku. You are obviously not a real lefty. Those of us lucky enough to to be blessed by the left hand of God himself never refer to our identifiable advantages as being "cack handed".

@TimK This here looks like it would fit your bill perfectly left Handed Savage 7mm-08 | Trade Me
They retail for around $1500 I think with the Accustock?

And this if you want to consider .270 Savage .270 Stainless Syn L/Hand Weather Warrior | Trade Me

Wills had a left handed set up with scope and suppressor in stainless 308 I think if I had the dollars I would of bought it

Thanks all! I'm definitely left eye dominant. I did a lot of air rifle target shooting when I was young left handed. Ill see what all my options are after shooting a couple.

You'll be lucky to find a new lh 22 I got the second last one a couple of months ago

At the risk of throwing something else into the mix. The browning X bolt looks good!

Originally Posted by TimK

At the risk of throwing something else into the mix. The browning X bolt looks good!

I'm a big fan of the X-bolt. It's what I bought and funds weren't an issue. Give it a try in the shop, it has some really nice features. Mag sits flush and is rotary so usually holds 1 more round than most competitors with non-protruding mags. It doesn't come loose easy either. The half-cock is very noticeable - you won't go past it by accident or a tiny bump won't take it off. You can unload a chambered round with the safety on. The safety is nice. Build quality is really good too. And mine is very, very accurate. Can't comment on them all obviously, as that's the only one i've shot, but it's a ripper.

This is where whats-his-face chips in with how ugly the stock is but can't say i've ever noticed it .

Originally Posted by MattyP

I'm a big fan of the X-bolt. It's what I bought and funds weren't an issue. Give it a try in the shop, it has some really nice features. Mag sits flush and is rotary so usually holds 1 more round than most competitors with non-protruding mags. It doesn't come loose easy either. The half-cock is very noticeable - you won't go past it by accident or a tiny bump won't take it off. You can unload a chambered round with the safety on. The safety is nice. Build quality is really good too. And mine is very, very accurate. Can't comment on them all obviously, as that's the only one i've shot, but it's a ripper.

This is where whats-his-face chips in with how ugly the stock is but can't say i've ever noticed it .

Originally Posted by kiwijames

@kotuku. You are obviously not a real lefty. Those of us lucky enough to to be blessed by the left hand of God himself never refer to our identifiable advantages as being "cack handed".

wrongim100%real bloody lefty-the only weapon ive ever fired righthanded was the bren gun cause left handed was impossible -it made you look like a randy octopus trying to have a multi wank.
needless to say my efforts werent exactly according to the book as somehow i sprayed next door shooters targets till a very short tempered range NCO applied a boot to stop me!

Tikka T3.... There, I said it. They are accurate!

Originally Posted by Dougie

Just my 2c regarding ammo cost..

Sure, go for something "common" and easy to source. However - one of the big things I have learned is that not shooting ammo on paper because of the cha-ching factor is plain stupid. You're cheating yourself. (I did this when I first got Black Beauty - I would only do sessions of 5 rounds at the range and then purely hunt and not practice any more shooting)

I don't think anyone's advocating not practicing due to the cost of some rounds. Purely talking about factory here by the way as I don't reload. I buy the good stuff for my 308 and the factory ammo it likes costs about $50-$60 per pack of 20. I don't mind paying this and don't think about the cost when shooting. And that is cheap as chips compared to some more unusual calibers.

I imagine a lot of people don't have a spare few hundred to go and blow on a few packs of ammo. And why would you when you can buy another stick that goes boom and will kill anything yet the ammo is half the price with far more selection? When you start talking about $4-$5 a round for some of these more uncommon (wankier ) calibers that aren't long range magnums well....I think you're silly if you pay that for negligible gain. If you reload then all fine...but looking at the prices shops charge for the less mainstream calibers is ridiculous. I know i've had jobs in the past where having a spare $50 laying around was a luxury and it would probably go to beer before ammo.

So I stand by if you're not going to reload then go with the obvious 308, 270, etc .

tikka is a great option as a lefty as theres not meny models or cals they dont make left handed they are garenteed 1moa rifles out of the box but most are more accurate than that they have fantastic addustable triggers and wonderfully smooth bolts

most pepole that dont like tikkas dont have very good reasons for it ether just bullshit ones like this aucklander rifle bullshit or everyones got one(by the way thats coz there a fantastic rifle for the money)
or to easy to lose the bolt (lern to carry a rifle probley ie closed bolt empty chamber keeps shit out ya action to) the tikkas have very light bolt releases so carrying with bolt open bumping on ya pack is a sure way to lose the bolt its simple to avoid -dont carry it with the bolt open.....

Yeah, I was one of them .... Don't know why it took me so long to play with one...Love the fact they are accurate and look like someone gave a shit when they put it together.