New hunter - Advice on first rifle

Hi Team, big fisho here who's moved rural and now 200m away from Kaimai bush. I've always wanted to get into hunting and have now applied for my Fire arms license. Looking forward to learning but this is a whole new world to me so pretty overwhelming. Mainly going to be bush hunting with trips down to central north island. Ive got a 2k budget for my first rifle. From reading some thread it sounds like good glass is key. My mates told me buy secondhand .308 and buy a good Leupold scope. Sound like the right idea? Thanks in advance. Nathan

yip spot on with that..there was a great howa under that on here yesterday at really good price.

Good advice. Be patient and wait for a second hand deal to come up.

The advice is good. The danger is salesmen who'll do their damest to sell you what they have "in the shop" - hang out for the right bits that fit the advice.

Mint thanks guys! Any brands in particular I should be looking out for?

Good rifles come up on here pretty regularly..

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Originally Posted by Nathanhough

Mint thanks guys! Any brands in particular I should be looking out for?

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yes - early sakos and Tikkas would be my first choice - both generally shoot very well and were well made with good triggers - some now may have had a lot of use so you will need someone with nous to make sure your barrel has life left and not shot out - next earlier Remington's Winchesters and Rugers - many of the earlier Remingtons shot extremly well especially a model called the 788 - made as a budget rifle it shot well above its lowly appearance -but all well made and reliable -parts generally available and saleable - now I know I will get howls of protest but early BSA Parker Hale Midland while readily available some were lacking in the accuracy department and now getting a bit long in the tooth - parts could be an issue - but many have been well looked after and had accuracy work done or even a new barrel so worth a look - also worth a look Savage Marlin Bergara all shoot well - there are some nice home builds out there to especially those based on the Mauser 98 actions well tried and tested action - most modern rifles shoot better than most NZ hunters in truth - its just that some are up a level in quality especially Sako and Tikka - but I will say that modern Sako are way over priced in my opinion - at the end of the day its what that rifle does on a target that counts - buying here on the forum you could get a test target with the rifle and get looked after by someone who is not trying to rip you of and many on here are bargains compared with our two big gun chain stores - take your time and use it so it becomes familiar to you - what to avoid - well as a new hunter I would avoid lever action for now -why well bush stalking you need to carry it with a round in breach as just two noisy to load if an animal is close -

Legend thanks for the info Barry

When my wife found out that there were rifles that could be unloaded without taking the safety off (either through a bolt unlock button or a 3 position safety), that pretty much ruled out Tikkas and a few other brands (but not Sako!).


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

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

- what to avoid - well as a new hunter I would avoid lever action for now -why well bush stalking you need to carry it with a round in breach as just two noisy to load if an animal is close -

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Barry,Barry,Barry....my good man...... really enjoyed your speil and agreed with it right up till you typed this really weird bit.... I take it by you typing that,that you have never hunted with a lever action?????
one of the very reasons people use them for bush stalking is the ABILITY to carry it SAFELY with a round chambered and hammer down on half cock....it CANNOT fire until fully cocked and trigger depressed no matter what tricks you try...animal is sighted,identified beyond all doubt rifle is raised to shoulder and cocked with thumb as sights come to eye,bang flop knifework time. yo ucan even do it silently if your CAREFUL and hold trigger back,pull hammer right back and release trigger THEN release hammer...TRY IT UNLOADED MANYTIMES to get hang of it first. rifle is then cocked and ready to fire.... its the reason single shot break open rifles and shotguns are so popular too for young folks under supervision.

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Barry,Barry,Barry....my good man...... really enjoyed your speil and agreed with it right up till you typed this really weird bit.... I take it by you typing that,that you have never hunted with a lever action?????
one of the very reasons people use them for bush stalking is the ABILITY to carry it SAFELY with a round chambered and hammer down on half cock....it CANNOT fire until fully cocked and trigger depressed no matter what tricks you try...animal is sighted,identified beyond all doubt rifle is raised to shoulder and cocked with thumb as sights come to eye,bang flop knifework time. yo ucan even do it silently if your CAREFUL and hold trigger back,pull hammer right back and release trigger THEN release hammer...TRY IT UNLOADED MANYTIMES to get hang of it first. rifle is then cocked and ready to fire.... its the reason single shot break open rifles and shotguns are so popular too for young folks under supervision.

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okay take ya word for it most I have seen there was a distinct click as they were cocked

Tikka T3 in stainless/synthetic, -suppress it later

A 308 will be perfect and feed it quality factory ammo 150g or heavier

A Leupold VX-3HD in 3.5-10x40 at $1099 will last a lifetime and suit the light/nimble Tikka

You could use that rig anywhere in NZ and thoroughly enjoy yourself

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

okay take ya word for it most I have seen there was a distinct click as they were cocked

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yip agree 100% thus the trick mentioned ...learnt it as a 10 year old stalking rabbits with winchester external hammer single barrel .410....pretty much doing the opposite as what you do to uncock it if the shot doesnt happen.

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Originally Posted by Nathanhough

. My mates told me buy secondhand .308 and buy a good Leupold scope. Sound like the right idea? Thanks in advance. Nathan

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yes.....
so now the the calibre is (rightly)sorted dont be shy about going into h&f or broncos (i see your in tauranga ) and go see your wise mates and try out as many different makes as you can , do this with no money in your pocket .
feel and fit, LOP, weight will all be factors..... as far as quality anything in your budget will be comparable once you know what feels right and shoulders well for you , you know what to look for..... the synthetic vs wood is a trade off personally i prefer a wood stock and put up with the weight because some synthetics make a distinctly unnatural noise when you bang it against a tree in the thick stuff like you get in kaimai.......
the lever vs bolt action thing .....my 30/30 weighs around a kilo more than my bolt action (wood stock)

If a rifle fits nice you should be able to look at a dot on the wall of shop and lift rifle to your shoulder nice and quick and the crosshairs should be on the dot without moving your head around. My rifle doesn't fit me properly but I've learnt to get my head on the stock in the right place to turn deer into meat.

Welcome aboard

Good advice from your mate. Plenty of good shooters secon9hand for sale.
Tikka would be my pick due to after market parts to add on later if you wish.

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Originally Posted by RUMPY

If a rifle fits nice you should be able to look at a dot on the wall of shop and lift rifle to your shoulder nice and quick and the crosshairs should be on the dot without moving your head around. My rifle doesn't fit me properly but I've learnt to get my head on the stock in the right place to turn deer into meat.

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You're a natural Rumpy.
Only reason you missed those tahrs is the wind was blowing at zillion miles an hour.
Was hunting with a couple of swedes and the weather was just the same as when me n rumpy were trying to connect, anyway they(the swedes) estimating a 12 inch drift at 200 mtrs, and they were bang on. So no wonder trying to connect was a bang/ n hope.

Don't get hung up on calibre. First time shooter I would suggest stepping down a little from the 308 unless its in a heavier rifle, (not that it's a bad choice) and look at 243 or 7M08.
Stick to common main stream established calibres to start with so you can get ammo anywhere. North island, 243,7M08, 308, Maybe the 6.5 CM , for south island some may want to step it up a little 270, 3006, 7mm Rem Mag etc etc etc.
Glass, 2-8, 3x9, 2-10, 3-12 etc, for bush shooting a bottom end of 1x to 3x power is good, 4x is starting to get to restrictive for bush work. Remember you may be needing to find your target in the scope at 10 mtr or less.
You will get better glass and quality internals with a scope that has a 3 or 4x zoom rather than a 5x zoom.
Z

308 is a great caliber , i have shot lots if medium and bug game with one, it all comes down to what rifle fits you though. i'm 6'2 but have the arm reach of a 6'4 guy ( dont ask me in metric)
so length of full is a bit of an issue even on 22 rugers
the general rule is hold the until its in the rest of your elbow then your trigger finger is just on the trigger, so fit is just as important as caliber
yes 308 is great, a bloody good all rounder but consider the 7mmRM

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.

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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.

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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.

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Originally Posted by Eat Meater

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.

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When you shoot a rifle it creates a condensation which contains ammonia along with various other residues inside the suppressor. When you store a rifle with the suppressor on, particularly with the muzzle up that condensate will rust the barrel.

supressor on for storage - ask gun store owners how many rifles come in with suppressor locked on barrel and require some more than gentle persuasion to un screw and no not mine - corrosion has been at work

I personally think that the best way to learn the skills necessary is using a .22LR on small game. Just my 2 cents worth.

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Originally Posted by ElDax

When you shoot a rifle it creates a condensation which contains ammonia along with various other residues inside the suppressor. When you store a rifle with the suppressor on, particularly with the muzzle up that condensate will rust the barrel.

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Right.
I usually run an oiled patch through the rifle when I put it away. (I'm not wanting to start a new debate here!)
But the seized suppressor I understand.

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

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Originally Posted by Nathanhough

Hi Team, big fisho here who's moved rural and now 200m away from Kaimai bush. I've always wanted to get into hunting and have now applied for my Fire arms license. Looking forward to learning but this is a whole new world to me so pretty overwhelming. Mainly going to be bush hunting with trips down to central north island. Ive got a 2k budget for my first rifle. From reading some thread it sounds like good glass is key. My mates told me buy secondhand .308 and buy a good Leupold scope. Sound like the right idea? Thanks in advance. Nathan

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Your a big fisho so your answer is exactly the same advice you would give someone just starting fishing, that is assuming you wouldn't say buy a big boat, some expensive game rods and just head out there :thumbsup:. You dont know what you dont know, so get around people who do know and listen / learn from them. Rifle wise keep it simple and cheap and shoot it lots. I'm guessing the best fishermen are those who spent hours catching small fish and those skills directly translate into bigger stuff. The same with hunting and shooting, you probably dont want to hear this but a .22lr is just that.