You'd be mad to buy a .303 in this day and age
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You'd be mad to buy a .303 in this day and age
I bought one
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g2...ps24f838e3.jpg
But when with a little shopping around you can find Weatherby/Howa/Remington 700/Winchester 70 in the 500-600 range used quite easily, I can't see why would you buy a century-old sporterised lee-enfield which is absolutely inferior in every way and not all that much cheaper
I just love these threads :D
Every guy and his dog wades in with dont buy this or only get that, or this caliber/rifle sucks.
Is it for bush hunting in NZ ? If so, pretty much anything 6mm and above with reasonable case capacity will be perfectly fine, and gimpster that includes "absolutely inferior" cartridges like 303 as well. Anyone telling you a cartridge in the above range is not suitable for hunting NZ bush is talking thru his sphincter :D
What's the total budget, including scope and other hunting bits and pieces (binocs, pack etc) ? Don't quite see the point in blowing all your money on the latest "super" caliber / flavour of the week rifle, and then not shooting or hunting coz you don't have the other gear.
Not so much the cartridge as the busted ass rifle, if you can afford 300 bucks for a piece of shit sporterised lee-enfield you can afford 500 for a used remington 700
Like no shit it'll work, but it doesn't make any sense to buy it. Even finding .303 ammo is kinda hard these days.
$300 came with a new barrel that had 40 shots iirc through it. Much rather this over a poxy remington. .303 ammo seems to be easy to get hold of in Wairoa farmlands has it.
Attachment 19689
In saying that I agree with you not every .303 is $300 and has a new barrel and is in good tidy condition but they are out there
Toby yours is bloody nice too mate!! Haha Gotta love the ol' smellys
I bought my second Tikka .308 2nd hand with a shitty Nikko scope on it for $800 and my mint CG 6.5x55 for $400. After Mark at Custom Cartridges tweaked it a bit and I fitted a Leupold scope, she's as good as any other rifle I've shot with... Total spent about $1000
Don't think you could get a cheaper first rifle than this ready to go.
Tikka T3 lite 7mm08 suppressed | Trade Me
Since I don't know you, which means personal preference doesn't come into it, we will be sensible while also considering value for money.
Go and buy a package deal for a Howa 1500 blued/synthetic for around $800. Any caliber you like from .243 upwards. A 7mm08 would be good, or a .308.
You could use the Nikko Stirling scope it comes with, and once you get another couple of hundred together, you should use that Nikko Stirling to prop the front door open, or throw it into a river so you can hear the 'plunk' sound, and then buy a Leupold VX1 from the USA for pretty cheap.
Go forth into the wilderness. Get out and learn about hunting deer. It's an accurate and well made rifle, of a superior design. The scope is perfectly servicable and won't break easily. If it does, they will give you another one for free.
This set up will last you for the rest of your life if you don't drop it off a cliff or lose it crossing a river.
Answer is simple and is the best advice I got when I went through this a few months ago:
Go play with the ones within your budget. Get the one you like best.