I went hunting last season and borrowed my buddy’s rifle for it. He likes a Weatherby 7mm. He has good taste. It’s also expensive taste.
I am looking to not have to borrow his rifle this season and show up with my own, but also not looking to spend that much cash, as I’m still new to the game and not sure how vested I am in the process. I’m also completely out of my element when it comes to this. I’ve fired a lot of handguns before, but rifles are a new world to me, and there are lots of opinions regarding which round to use and which company to go with.
I’ve hit up Cabela’s and checked out the used rifles. I see a LOT of Savage Arms rifles there. I’m wondering if that’s a sign that a lot of folks AREN’T fans of them, if they end up selling them to Cabelas.
Be curious to hear some opinions on what a good, budget rifle would be. Something around $550 new or used
I have put tons of meat in the freezer with a Savage 110 (.270 Winchester) over the years. It is a very no-frills hunting rifle, but there’s nothing wrong with it, as long as the person using it is competent (as with any weapon). Now that I can afford such things I have a Browning X-bolt 7mm-Mag that I have used for elk. I don’t really know the prices of them anymore, but you can’t go wrong with the classics like Remington 300 or Winchester Model 70 in any of the classic “mid” calibers like .308, .270, 30-06 or 7mm-08. (I’m sure some of the fancy dudes on here will disagree, but if you’re looking for budget rifles, this isn’t a bad starting place.) Throw a 3-9x scope on there and you’re golden for Midwest whitetails. They grow them big there!
My disclaimer here is that for the past 5 years I’ve only hunted with a bow, but I’ve been hunting whitetails with various rifles since I was 10.
Another vote for the .270 caliber. It’s excellent for white tail without ruining a lot of meat and can be versatile for bigger game too.
To stay in budget I would recommend a Ruger American or Mossberg Patriot, both new. For used rifles check out Weatherby’s Vanguard series. I think it’s chambered in .270 as an option.
Ruger is known for making rifles better than their price. Mossberg is a budget brand but modern machining has closed a lot of gaps. Classic Weatherby’s are a high end brand a step before custom rifles, and they partnered with Howa for the Vanguard series for mass production.
Scopes are important too. Keep in mind they can be pricy as you consider total cost. Vortex and Nikon make low cost but quality options.
The thing about rifles is they’re easy to under buy and leave you wanting more. If stretching a few hundred more dollars is doable I’d recommend looking at Tikka or Browning.
I own Remington, Winchester, Savage, Mossberg, Ruger and Henry. All are very well made and all have basic models. You cannot go wrong with these brands.
If you like the Weatherby brand, I would suggest the Vanguard S2. They are guaranteed sub moa and reasonably priced. Mine is in 30-06. I have taken 2 elk and a mule deer with mine. One elk at 430 yards.
.270, 30-30, 30-06 or .308 are all great calibers for deer. All shoot pretty flat arcs and can take out deer at 300 yds (.270 at 300 yds might be pushing it). I would look at Marlin or Henry lever actions. Personally I prefer lever actions for their simple mechanisms and ease of use (I also shoot left handed and trying to use a right handed bolt gun left handed sucks a lot).
They used to be in your budget, but i’ll be honest and say I don’t know anymore as I haven’t bought a gun in a long time.
Used is definitely the way to go especially on pure hunting rifles, they generally don’t get shot a lot and as long as you can look into the barrel and at the firing pin for any obvious issues you shouldn’t have a problem.
Oh, invest in good optics if you can. Or if you want challenge yourself, iron sights are the way to go.
It looks like I fell for a trap I see all the time in training: I was thinking that the presence of so many brands and rounds meant there were many pitfalls to watch out for, but it looks like, instead, it just means MANY ways to succeed at this task.
When I pull the trigger (pun intended) on a rifle, I’ll be sure to update.
Depending on your price range I’d look at the Rem Model 700. An ADL
model can be had in .270Win and 6.5 Creedmoor from Cabella’s for $525 - $640 depending on caliber, minus rings and glass.
I’ve done long range shooting with the M700 R5 in .308 and it’s a great gun.
I keep kicking the can down the road on becoming a deer harvester, but this could be the year.
The new Ruger American Gen II’s have my eye, but it does seem like it’s really hard to end up in a bad rifle these days. What I really want is a Winchester Model 70 Super Grade, but then I’d have anxiety about taking it into the woods. It would probably become just like my Colt Python, an expensive thing I occasionally use for fun, but not a tool meant for a practical application.
My current conundrum is whether or not to go with one of the newer flat-wall rifle cartridges that can be used in states I might move to soon that prohibit normal rifle calibers. My home state of Indiana used to only allow shotgun and muzzleloader, but now allows flat-wall rifle cartridges like .350 legend.
I can’t imagine many shots in New England that I would take with a .308 that I wouldn’t hit with a .350 legend and my likelihood of winning the moose lottery remains low, so I’m starting to think that .350 legend might be the way to go.
Does anyone have any thoughts on those straight-wall cartridges if my only concern is harvesting deer east of the Mississippi?
Even if I remain in New England, I often travel to the Midwest. Bag limits are ridiculous and a trip back to Maine with lots of deer meat can be made in two day’s drive. I don’t particularly care about a big buck, but I wouldn’t pass one up.
Optics are the other thing I’ve spent a little bit of time learning about but don’t have any experience with. It seems like a roughly $500 budget gives a huge range of choices that probably won’t be a make-or-break difference when it comes time to put a round through Bambi’s mom. I’m thinking a 3-9x40 will be good for a .350 legend setup.
Any thoughts on this would be also be appreciated.
I’ve hunted with lever action 45-70s and 30-30s. They’re great inside their range, which is typically shorter than tapered cartridges, but I actually appreciate them in brushy conditions given a shorter rifle length to wield, at least in a lever platform.
Not sure what your scenario looks like but as long as you’re not taking mid to long range open country shots you should be fine. I don’t have experience with a 350 specifically.
My buddy, who’s a long distance guy, is a bit of a glass snob. His theory is buy once, cry once. He usually recommends Lupold, Vortex, ect. High dollar, but he says the customer service and repair services at Lupold make up for it.
Get the best glass you can afford. 1st focal plane if you can. After that it’s all up to what ranges you’ll be shooting and what reticle you like and will work with your ammo and dope.
Now, that being said, I put a $300 Primary Arms 1-6X24 on my AR and it works just fine. Only issue is it’s 2nd focal plane, so the holdovers are only correct at max magnification.
As a hobby I do some long range shooting and this is where scopes really begin to shine. I like Schmidt and Bender, but this is extreme overkill for whitetail hunting.
You definitely don’t want to go cheap on scopes. They’re arguably more important than the rifle itself. Vortex has great options across price points, and Leupold is an excellent choice. I believe they both offer lifetime warranties and you can’t beat that.
Leupold isn’t inexpensive but they are very clear, they manage low light well and they hold zero. Vortex’s expensive options can compete up, and their more economically priced stuff is very good.
I just learned Nikon, an earlier rec, no longer manufactures rifle scopes. This is a bummer because they were another big value option. Not sure what service would look like on a used scope.
