Help Me Choose a Rifle

For large and small game(even though still overkill) Id get a lever gun in .357/38. Marlin and Rossi make good lever guns. Plus its fairly inexpensive and easy to reload 38s and 357s if you decide to start reloading.
 
SpookyPistolero said:
If a .22 is even on the 'maybe' list, then the answer is .22. They are incredibly versatile, rugged, and cheap to feed. Fun to shoot, easy to learn on, easy to teach with. They also don't wear you out over long shooting sessions.
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I agree. You can get a Marlin 795 for around $100 on sale or with rebates. I personally recommend the 981T tube-fed bolt action.

It's two guns, but I'd recommend a Marlin 336 in .30-30 and a good .22 from Marlin. You can find decent used 336s and a plethora of .22s in just about any pawn shop (are pawn shops still legal in California? :D)
 
strongbowhunter said:
OK i'm sure i'll catch some flak, but here we go........my personal choice is a savage 110 in 30-06. Alright stop laughing, hear me out on this. You can load real heavy, 220 gr for large game, or light 110 gr. with reduced load for small game, without liqufying it.
Accelerator rounds for crow is some real fun(looks like a featherduster exploded).
I do some reloading for this and have had alot of sucess on both ends of the power scale. All around this old favorite is still a good choice, just look up the load data. jmo.
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+1 on the 30-06. It's a very good, all around caliber. Lots of different ammo choices, very versatile. First decide on the caliber, then go and pick your rifle.
 
strongbowhunter said:
OK i'm sure i'll catch some flak, but here we go........my personal choice is a savage 110 in 30-06. Alright stop laughing, hear me out on this. You can load real heavy, 220 gr for large game, or light 110 gr. with reduced load for small game, without liqufying it.
Accelerator rounds for crow is some real fun(looks like a featherduster exploded).
I do some reloading for this and have had alot of sucess on both ends of the power scale. All around this old favorite is still a good choice, just look up the load data. jmo.
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I would agree with this. Its always easier to go down in power than to go up. A .308 bolt gun would also fit the bill. Either has a WIDE variety in ammo to fit all needs.

TR Graham
The Glocksmith
 
Several responses now have said that anything capable of taking the larger game will blow up small game.

That has NOT been my experience.

I've killed scores of small game critters with my SKS- rabbit, squirrel, possum, coon, birds, all the way down to mice and grasshoppers. The deciding factor in meat destruction is the bullet used. If you're using cheap milsurp hardball (full metal jacket) the rounds basically poke a hole through without doing any more damage than a .22 with hi-vel hollowpoints. Actually less in some cases. It often takes several rounds to stop a coon or possum with hardball- they simply do not blow up. Buddy once skinned out a coyote I'd hit with both hollowpoints and fmj rounds- the difference was night and day. The hollowpoints made a real mess, but you could have eaten the meat right up to the hole left by the fmj's.

Considering your needs, I think the 7.62x39 round has a lot going for it. Ammo is cheap enough for blasting at the range, ($5 a box compared to $30or more for some of the high power rifles mentioned) and it will work for small or bigger game by just changing the load. Several manufacturers offer bolt action hunting type guns in this caliber now.
 
my $0.02:

the most popular calibre in Australia amongst professional 'roo shooters is the .223 Rem.

however, i would personally get a .303, Lee Enfield or Lithgow, both are fine.
 
sambo. said:
my $0.02:

the most popular calibre in Australia amongst professional 'roo shooters is the .223 Rem.

however, i would personally get a .303, Lee Enfield or Lithgow, both are fine.
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IMO, Ammo choices in British .303 are limited and sometimes hard to find (at least in North America).
 
the possum said:
If you're using cheap milsurp hardball (full metal jacket) the rounds basically poke a hole through without doing any more damage than a .22 with hi-vel hollowpoints.
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My brother shot a bobcat in the chest with an AR-180 several years back. The 55gr FMJ 5.56 poked a nice exit hole about 4 inches across. :D Granted, on something bobcat sized, the bullet has a bit more room to do it's damage that it would in a squirrel or something.
 
SpookyPistolero said:
If a .22 is even on the 'maybe' list, then the answer is .22. They are incredibly versatile, rugged, and cheap to feed. Fun to shoot, easy to learn on, easy to teach with. They also don't wear you out over long shooting sessions.

You'll probably never hear advice against a 10/22, they're good rifles.

I prefer bolt actions when it comes to outdoor rifles/.22's. My Savage MkII is extremely lightweight, has synthetic furniture that I don't have to baby, and has good iron sights on it. It's just a boringly accurate, handy, fun rifle. Also dirt-cheap!

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This is good advice. Everyone should own a .22. I have a 10/22 but I also live in Oregon where it's legal to own machine guns and silencers so I can't tell you to go with one, not knowing Cally restrictions on semi-autos.:D
 
the possum said:
Several responses now have said that anything capable of taking the larger game will blow up small game.

That has NOT been my experience.

I've killed scores of small game critters with my SKS- rabbit, squirrel, possum, coon, birds, all the way down to mice and grasshoppers. The deciding factor in meat destruction is the bullet used. If you're using cheap milsurp hardball (full metal jacket) the rounds basically poke a hole through without doing any more damage than a .22 with hi-vel hollowpoints. Actually less in some cases. It often takes several rounds to stop a coon or possum with hardball- they simply do not blow up. Buddy once skinned out a coyote I'd hit with both hollowpoints and fmj rounds- the difference was night and day. The hollowpoints made a real mess, but you could have eaten the meat right up to the hole left by the fmj's.

.
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Not to start another ethics debate but FMJ ammo is illegal in most states to hunt with.

Great suggestions all round but you guys talking about 06s and such downloaded, viable point, but does the OP handload? If not, it is a moot point. As I said in my first post, a good 22 is a good place to start. New England firearms make very resonable priced single shot centerfires that in my experience shoot very well. With some shopping around it should be possible to find one in a popular caliber suitable for large game and a solid 22 for the small, for around 300 bucks for both. Chris
 
First, hunting in CA is a lot different that most of the posters here are familier with. For Deer, antelope, elk, bear, or sheep (yes, all of these are available in CA) you will have to stalk them. That means shots usually in the 200+ yards arena. .30-30 ain't gonna do it. No how, no way.

You can't hunt anything other than varmints with any of the .22's in CA.

So, that takes almost all of the lever guns out of the running. Not that any of them are gonna work for varmint either. The only levers that will work are the big Winchesters and the Brownings in "high power/modern" loads. Those ain't cheap.

Bolt action rifles are not too expensive, provided you figure out what you want. You can find old Remingtons used for under $300 every now and then, and with iron sights you can get most of what you want without spending a bunch. Start adding scopes and hardwear and the price goes up quick.

The cheapest ammo is going to be "surplus", most of which isn't anymore. But the calibers are always going to be the service ones. Both .30-06 and .308 can be loaded down to .22 with sabots, as could any other .30. Most of the medium bores will kill everything listed above as well as varmints (I've loaded 6.5 Swede with everything from a 55 grn to a 160 gr bullet and killed all the critters listed except sheep, as well as javalina, coyote, and feral dogs in CA with it.)

Basically you can find what you want, but your best bet will require you to learn to load your own ammo.

I'd suggest .30-06 or .308. Or if you're really good get a 6.5 or a .25 (.25-06, .257 Roberts).

You might give serious consideration to a Thompson Contender with multiple barrels.
 
Shotgun said:
This is good advice. Everyone should own a .22.
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+1 :thumbup:

becoming a competent marksman is about one thing - practice and lots of it. and the only way to do it affordably is with a .22

plus they are versatile - while not legal for taking larger game such as deer, there have been probably thousands of deer taken with .22s especially during the 1930s Depression

although there's no excuse for not having a 10/22 :D - I'll recommend a Savage or Marlin bolt action. I think there's something to be said for having to methodically rack the bolt between shots that will help you to settle your mind and breathing properly and learn to take each shot with care and precision. And a bolt action is inherently more accurate (apparently the Savage .22 bolt actions are crazy accurate out-of-the-box) and that'll allow you to push the gun and yourself to see what you can achieve. The skills you build with a .22 will serve you well with any other rifle you ever pick up. Some of the best military snipers got their start squirrel hunting as young boys with .22 rifles.
 
You can get a milsurp Mosin Nagant for less than $100 bucks, so you might as well get a .22 rifle as well and still be under $300.
 
a .338 Federal Ruger Target Grey Frontier would be pretty sweet for 3-400 yard shots, deer, bear, elk, sheep... if you're relatively new to long range shooting it'll take a few years to get good at longer ranges anyway. I have one in .243 for backcountry backpacking. price tag, 500 dollars or so. 300 Win Mag and 30-06 are popular long range multipurpose calibers, velocity and pill size ranges are pretty extreme. the only "cheap" ammo you'll find out there right now is rimfire... and even that's expensive. Do yourself a favor and invest in 750 dollars worth of RCBS reloading gear, and you will be able to make your own cheap ammo for life. I have a Parker Hale 1200 Super in 7mm Rem Mag and the performance is almost unbelievable-but unless you're trying to take targets out past 800 yards the ammo cost won't pay off. A Savage 10FP, SSG69, FN PBR or Remington 700 SPS Tactical are all superb shooters right out of the box for 6-800 dollars and come with decent stocks. Y
 
Foilist said:
You can get a milsurp Mosin Nagant for less than $100 bucks, so you might as well get a .22 rifle as well and still be under $300.
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A good mosin with matching serials and a non-counterbored barrel can be superbly accurate, InsaneMachine has one that drives tacks all day-touching groups at 185 meters. You have to get good polish milsurp ammo or make your own, because all the commercial stuff sucks and most of the milsurp will eat out your barrel with corrosive residue. If you're going the cheap milsurp route stick with a K-31, the factory military issue ammo is matchgrade (11cm spread at 600m) and the rifles are superbly accurate with actions like glass.
 
Alright, based largely on the recommendations here I've decided to start with a .22. There have been recommendations on manufacturer and features but I could use more. I hate buying junk but don't want to buy a stock .22 for eight hundred dollars.

I like the thought of a lower maintenance synthetic stock, but I'm not sure what advantages wood has. I would prefer something I can nearly abuse but not worry to much about. Are there any advantages/disadvantages to the stainless barrels? Should I stick with a blue'd steel?

I've seen some recommendations for Ruger 10/22's and Savage. Can I go wrong with either? Should I just pick the less expensive of the two?

Lastly, What is the deal with these vintage refurbished military rifles I see at Big 5 Sporting Goods? I've seen mention of some and am curious if I should just grab one of those too? When I was a child I bought a .303 and rounds were not cheap. Will I find this to be the issue with most of these rifles? I saw one today for one hundred dollars. I think it was some Slavic Mauser, but I'm not sure. Should I just pick one of those up also and see what it can do?

To those that were curious. No, I don't and wont load my own rounds (at least until I get more familiar and invested in firearms) yet.
 
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Ruger 10/22 is one of the most popular rifles of all time for many good reasons, but since you live in Cali, most of them are moot points for you. (for example - folding stockfor easy packability and high capacity mags are out for you)
The Savage bolt action is a good gun.
the Henry .22 lever action is another -- and has the advantage of being able to fire .22 short, long, or long rifle, which makes subsonic ammo for small game hunting simple and cheap.
part II: mil surp Mausers and Moisin Nagant rifles are often surprisingly good shooters. Current manufacture ammo will not be cheap, unless you find a Mauser chambered in .308.
 
Iboschi said:
Alright, based largely on the recommendations here I've decided to start with a .22. There have been recommendations on manufacturer and features but I could use more. I hate buying junk but don't want to buy a stock .22 for eight hundred dollars.

I like the thought of a lower maintenance synthetic stock, but I'm not sure what advantages wood has. I would prefer something I can nearly abuse but not worry to much about. Are there any advantages/disadvantages to the stainless barrels? Should I stick with a blue'd steel?

I've seen some recommendations for Ruger 10/22's and Savage. Can I go wrong with either? Should I just pick the less expensive of the two?

Lastly, What is the deal with these vintage refurbished military rifles I see at Big 5 Sporting Goods? I've seen mention of some and am curious if I should just grab one of those too? When I was a child I bought a .303 and rounds were not cheap. Will I find this to be the issue with most of these rifles? I saw one today for one hundred dollars. I think it was some Slavic Mauser, but I'm not sure. Should I just pick one of those up also and see what it can do?

To those that were curious. No, I don't and wont load my own rounds (at least until I get more familiar and invested in firearms) yet.
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look for matching serials if you buy a milsurp rifle, and I suggest a K-31. 7.5x55 is a kick butt cartridge and you can find the surplus ammo tins for like 50 cents a round. It's what the swiss olympics shooting team used into the mid 70's. Stamped or engraved, don't settle for electropencil. you want a nice clean bore with solid rifling, check out the action to make sure there's no pitting or rust anywhere.
 
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