Thread: Hunting Rifle

Looking for a hunting rifle targeting deer around Canterbury and the West Coast.

Pretty new to firearms and deer hunting so not sure what to look for or what budget I should have for a rifle to suit.

What do you guys suggest for someone starting out?

I suggest going along to your local Deerstalkers range on a shoot day and try a bunch of rifles till you find one that fits you , and that you like. Only you will know that fit - the rest of us will just be sharing our personal preferances and prejudices

Tikka T3 in 308 with a Gunworks suppressor. Or one of the lower end Bergara.

Buy a .22lr and about 1000 rounds. Play around with it, shoot at range, shoot in wind, shoot prone and standing until they're all gone.

Then buy a 6.5crd, .308, whatever takes your fancy. Get it second hand, bung a 3-9 variable scope on it, a hundred odd rounds through it and get hunting.

You should be able to pick up a rifle for $1200 or less.
Once you start getting a feel for your preferred hunting style then open the wallet.

Originally Posted by sportco62

I suggest going along to your local Deerstalkers range on a shoot day and try a bunch of rifles till you find one that fits you , and that you like. Only you will know that fit - the rest of us will just be sharing our personal preferances and prejudices

Yeah, if you're pretty new the HUNTS course could be what you're looking for, or help make some contacts

Originally Posted by sportco62

I suggest going along to your local Deerstalkers range on a shoot day and try a bunch of rifles till you find one that fits you , and that you like. Only you will know that fit - the rest of us will just be sharing our personal preferances and prejudices

That's a good idea. Planning on joining the local Deerstalkers anyway.

Originally Posted by Farmer_John

Looking for a hunting rifle targeting deer around Canterbury and the West Coast.

Pretty new to firearms and deer hunting so not sure what to look for or what budget I should have for a rifle to suit.

What do you guys suggest for someone starting out?

as some on here have said a lot of personal preference involved - but some things fixed in concrete - 1) it must be accurate - get someone who can shoot to try it out - get a guarantee if you can - 2) it must be reliable -mechanically sound without faults - 3) it has to be fit for purpose i.e a 12lb target rifle will not suit as a hunting rifle - 4) get a common caliber and not one that will require reloading - a suggestion will be .308 25-06 270 7mm08 7x57 303 all would fit the bill - a mauser style action - and you will have a huge choice I suggest you take time and look at lots - fortunately there are not many real dogs i.e makes with real faults - just many worn out from a lot of use or lack of care- but they can be fixed if you found a nice make like an early Sako with a stuffed barrel worth considering

Buy a rifle with a black stock and stainless barrel.

Then when you buy your next one get one with a black stock and a stainless barrel , your mrs with think that they are the same rifle and you'll stay out of trouble with her.

I agree with @Barry the hunter. Get a Mauser action, that is to say, "Controlled Feed," NOT, "Push Feed." Learn the difference.
Someone on the forum was advertising a Mauser 98 action in 7x57. That would be a perfect starting calibre, in a quality rifle, which will last you a lifetime. Somewhere around $1500 - $2000.

I have a choice win mod 70 in 243 cal would suit you to a tee but at present I'm in Oz so no deal but something like that is the ducks nuts, pretty to look at and does the job. Tikkas do the job too but butt ugly.

I wouldn't get too bothered on whether the action type you should have is "push feed" or "controlled round feed". Either is fine in rifle calibres for NZ deer. There are rifle makes available with CRF if that's how you decide to go but probably most makes these days have Push Feed so this is mostly what you find when rifle shopping. Either action type is well made and reliable enough in modern rifles that you will not be disadvantaged by whichever you decide to buy.

Being new to hunting don't go with a light caliber ie 223 they work but you have to be confident and place your shot well, look at something that will shoot 140grn plus projectiles. Look at availability of ammo to some calibers you can't get factory loads, 308 is a good all rounder and still has reasonably priced ammo around and is available just about every where, don't be shy to use a packet or 2 shooting at targets at various ranges first to get familiar with your chosen rifle and dialed in as for brand of rifle it's personal choice nothing wrong with a howa if that's your budget most rifles will shoot, the usal let down are cheap rings and mounts don't skimp there

I have a tika 308,gunworks suppresser,$600 scope on top.Buy ammo and shoot deer.Simple as,nothing complicated.

Agreed.

- Tikka (pretty much every single one shoot well out of the box with factory ammo - Sako ammo are usually a good starting point)
- 308 - large versatile calibre that can kill everything out to 300 (as a beginner you will not be shooting that far!!!), abundant factory ammo AND components if you ever wanted to reload, from light varmint loads to subsonic bullets, everything possible. Recoil still manageable, even for sensitive shooters.
- Either an entry level/second hand Leopold or Burris scope (there are other brands as well, stay clear of Ranger scopes - Garbage)
- DPT Suppressor (definitely get a suppressor, I personally like DPT because of its modularity, you can dissassemble and clean it)

Nobody ever regretted getting a setup like that, Since Tikka is such a popular gun, selling it will not be an issue.

Join Deerstalkers, socialise, meet people, do hunts course and club hunts.

Also: get to a rifle range, ideally one allowing positional shooting and longer than 100m shots. (your local deerstalkers will likely be able to help)

An additional 22lr bolt action rifle (again the Tikka T1x would be an ideal option here - but it does add up) will allow you to literally shoot 100s of practice rounds and practice positional shooting, later go rabbit/possum shooting as well without spending 1000s on ammunition. Because you do want to practice your shooting.

Other things to remember too is just like ammo, a barrel is a replaceable part so don't get too hung up on them been "shot out."

308s will take a beating before needing to be replaced, but a 308 bolt face will give you a great range of calibres to choose from in the future when you come to the time of re-barrelling.