Thread: New to hunting: Caliber decisions.

Hi Everyone,

I'm a young guy new to Hunting but not the outdoors, I'm a keen outdoorsmen with a lot of experience as a guide, trapper, and tramper.

I sat my license test last weekend so will hopefully be able to get a rifle in the next 6 months or so.

What are peoples thoughts on a starting caliber. I live in the south island and regularly come across reds, fallow, tahr and chamois so they are the likely candidates for a hunt.

I've been recommended 7mm08 by a few people and 270 by a gun shop. For a beginner the differences between calibers seem to be moot point but I want to set myself up for the future.

Cheers,

hey bro anything from 243 - 308 will do you just perfect

I think what you are looking for is cartridge recommendations. Caliber is simply the size of the hole down the barrel.
As above, anything from 6mm to 30 cal will do the trick. Don't get too hung up about it. Everyone has their favorites but there is little between them for your average hunter.

Have you had previous experience with firearms ? A mates rifle ? Getting a chance to test fire a couple of different rifles & calibres would help you decide what suits & fits you best. Caliber is one aspect, but brand of rifle & how the stock & weights fits you or not, is also important. When you shoulder the rifle some will feel better to you than others. A bit like buying tramping boots, some fit you better than others. In terms of calibres for some one starting out as @199p says anything in 243 to 308 would be a good choice. Personally for a first rifle I’d suggest 708 or one of the 6.5’s ie 260, 6.5x55 or Creedmore. Make sure you get a suppressor & have enough budget for good reliable scope.

A Suppressed 308. Job done

If you don't want to start out reloading early on get something like a .243 or .308 with a good selection of ammo off the shelf. You can and probably will move onto another more specialised cartridge after getting more time out on the hills etc.

I could sell you a fancy carbon bergara 7mm rem mag with a braked maniatis suppressor, timney trigger etc. Asking under $2k all up. Doesn't come with a scope. Quite a good option for open country otago hunting.
If you're near Dunedin you could collect.

Originally Posted by chainsaw

Have you had previous experience with firearms ? A mates rifle ? Getting a chance to test fire a couple of different rifles & calibres would help you decide what suits & fits you best. Caliber is one aspect, but brand of rifle & how the stock & weights fits you or not, is also important. When you shoulder the rifle some will feel better to you than others. A bit like buying tramping boots, some fit you better than others. In terms of calibres for some one starting out as @199p says anything in 243 to 308 would be a good choice. Personally for a first rifle I’d suggest 708 or one of the 6.5’s ie 260, 6.5x55 or Creedmore. Make sure you get a suppressor & have enough budget for good reliable scope.

What he said, far more important to be able to put what ever bullet you chose where you want it. Fit and feel will help a lot with that.

I’m assuming when you say hunting , you are talking about Deer / Goats etc ?
If that is the case , the next question would have to be , Have you shot a Centerfire Rifle before ?
Recoil is a major consideration for a new shooter and no mater what the “ Harden up you soft Cock “ crowd say , it will influence your enjoyment and success .
Availability and cost of ammo is another contributing factor to being able to practice and learn your new rifle .

So here’s my 2 cents worth…….

Get a 243 / 6.5 Creedmore / 308

Personally I think the 308 in a light hunting Rifle is borderline to much recoil for a new shooter , but then I’m a “ Soft Cock “remember

If I didn't own a 270 I would own a 308 or 30/06. End of story. And wouldn't be without a 223.

I don't see the point of going 7mm-08 when you can just get a 308. During covid there was a real shortage of factory 7mm-08 and it looked like a right pain in the ass for everyone who had one. You ideally want a calibre that is popular in the states (such as 308) as there will always be ammo and a good selection of it, you never know what random economic situation is going to make ammo unavailable again.

If you are going to get an ultra-light rifle I would step down to one of the 6.5 cartridges for more manageable recoil. The ballistics on the 6.5 projectiles are such that they tend to overtake the 308 in velocity and energy around 400m or so, with less recoil. Creedmoor is the most popular, very popular in the states and I have never had problems getting a wide selection of ammo for it. Beware though, if you get a Creedmoor you will suffer a lifetime of being called a hipster and having a man bun etc etc haha! I started out with a Howa 308 which was comfortable to shoot but I got sick of lugging it up mountains as it wasn't that light. I went to a Tikka Superlite and decided to try 6.5 Creedmoor for a change. No complaints with the calibre. Seems to recoil about the same as the 308 but on a significantly lighter gun. 243 is also a very popular light recoiling cartridge and I would happily use it hunting deer.

270 is similar to 308 but a bit harder hitting, ok if your gun has enough mass but recoil becomes more significant if you have a light rifle.

7mm Rem Mag and a lot of the WSM cartridges etc have very good range and are great in the open country but the rifles tend to get rather heavy with long barrels, large suppressors, generally large scopes with higher magnification and parallax etc. They also tend to have an intimidating amount of recoil for new shooters. I went bush/river clearing hunting with a mate who had a 7mm Rem Mag. Most of your shots need to be taken off the shoulder/leaning on a tree or kneeling without much time to set up nicely with a bipod in this country. The large gun looked like a real pain in the ass in this situation, difficult to shoulder offhand, long barrel annoying in the bush and likely to scope yourself if you have to take a shot on an awkward angle etc. You also really want to run a big magnum suppressor or a muzzle brake. Big suppressors are heavy and muzzle brakes absolutely ruin you or your mates hearing if you get caught out without hearing protection.

7mm-08 or 308 can't go wrong with either.

I would go (from most preferred to least preferred recoil wise) .243, 6.5mm (swede or Creedmoor), 7mm08, .308, .270.

308, the it will do it all calibre, i have shot every thing from goats thru reds with one.
easy ammo to get anywhere, massive choice of loads.