Thread: New hunter - Advice on first rifle

Originally Posted by ElDax

Have you ever shot a center-fire rifle before? I think that is going to determine what caliber you want to invest in. When I was young and doing a HUNTS course one of the other guys had bought a .300wsm because the salesman at hunting and fishing said it was the "best" only problem is it gave him a flinch which is a very bad way to get into shooting.

I would say .243 - .270 and anything in between is pretty safe and if you plan on suppressing the rifle that will further reduce recoil, my first center-fire was a .308 and that would be my suggestion.
Main points to consider would be

-low magnification scopes make better use of light than a higher mag scope in the same conditions and have a better FOV so better suited to bush hunting, I wouldn't go for anything with a higher base mag of 3x or maybe 3.5x
-when deciding on caliber it's worth considering the fact that you have to feed it as availability of ammunition is definitely a factor these days, even more so if you aren't reloading
-if you do buy a suppressed rifle make sure not to store it with the suppressor on as it will root the barrel- worth keeping in mind when buying second hand as previous owner might have fallen into that trap.

sounds like you're on the right path.

What's the issue with stirring with the suppressor on? Specifics?

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.