Thread: New hunter - Advice on first rifle

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 . 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.