Best beginner rifle (Vanity)

Vanity ^ | 10-18-03 | Me

[dogbyte12]

I am about to finally leave the urban jungle of Los Angeles and move down to both Louisiana and South Carolina. While I do fish out here, I have only gone hunting a few times with borrowed equipment.

I am interested in starting to hunt, and would love for any freepers to give me recommendations on a good beginner rifle, something that isn't so pricey, but reliable, as well as any other gear that I will need as a beginner.

I am not a stranger to handguns, or to military rifles, I qualified expert on both a .45 and an M16, so I am not starting from scratch, but I am looking for a rifle for deer hunting basically that will not set me back too much money, yet still be a decent value. I plan to not spend that much money so it can be economical. I do know how to fabricate a carcass, and would love to hunt for meat, without the cost of hunting making it more expensive than going to the supermarket.

Any help in this regard, web sites, consumer reports, etc, would be much appreciated. Thanks all.

[lodwick]

lol - same here...moma's not on board with all the stuff that's accumulating here.

I truly hope that she's right, and I'm wrong - but I wouldn't bet a plug nickle on it.

[Eagle Eye]

Does anyone know if there are any in the Florida Panhandle, or South Alabama?

There is one in Pensacola about every three months at the fairgrounds. Milton has one about every 6 months at the Santa Rosa country auditorium. Ft. Walton Beach has one about every 4 months at the fairgrounds. There's also a nice one in Mobile a couple times a year. That's about all I can tell you.

[Squantos]

Oh agree.....101%. I have a number of .22's and even as a kid I got my first deer with a .22 long rifle. A Winchester 74 my Dad had won in a poker game the night my Mom was bringing me into the world.

I'm pretty much of the opinion that a .22 is single best caliber for filling the pot with meat when times are hard. These days a good little bolt or 10-22 ruger is cheap and ammo is plentyful...............so far.

Best last ditch .22 survival gun IMHO would be a little S&W .22 revolver with a 3 inch barrel and adjustable sights w/ Barimi Grips and a lanyard stud. My new S&W 317 is as close as one can get to a good little camp gun for just such tasks.

Stay Safe !

[dogbyte12]

Wanna throw in a new variable. I happen to be left handed. Should I get a left handed rifle? Does it matter? It did piss me off when I was in the military when I caught hot brass on my cheek when using a M16A1, the brass guard on the M16A2 though seemed to do the trick.

[Louisiana]

30-30 is great for hunting in Louisiana - wait till you get out of L.A. and get to La. - go to a pawn shop and pick one up for under $150.

[TexasCowboy]

"22's ? .... I think he said deer hunting not squirrel sniping .........:o)"

Even for squirrels, I prefer a .410 with bird shot.

I think a big mistake parents make is to switch a kid from his bb gun to a .22 rifle.
He fails to realize the difference. There's no kick and practically no sound. He doesn't realize that he's shooting a high powered rifle that will kill just like .300 Magnum.
I disagree that a .22 is a good gun to learn on.
I got my boys a .243 and a .270 for their first rifles, and they knew they were shooting a rifle, not a bb gun.

[Eagle Eye]

LA? Lower Alabama! (aka Florida panhandle)

[yarddog]

Swarovski make a pretty decent binocular too.

[yarddog]

Just where is the Santa Rosa County civic center? We used to play Milton and they were always good.

[Jeff Gordon]

Winchester model 94 30-30

This has been a great hunting rifle for over 100 years. Nothing has happened to change that. Those manufactured before 1964 are keepers for for at least another century.

[Squantos]

LOL........Wish the Dish /Direct TV folks would let me choose my channels vs a "package". I'd pretty much have the History Channel, Discovery & Discovery Wings , FOX News, Tech TV, AMC, Comedy Channel for South Park , OLN & Outdoor Channel, Spike Channel for the Saturday Noon Car shows , and of course the Playboy channel just to keep up with "trends".......Olny wat "E" when Brooke Burke reruns of Wild On are showing....:o)

........Don't much like the food channel cept for that show "Good Eats" with Elton Brown. Girl Friday and I laugh our butts off at his "nerd" approach to the science of cooking. The Food Network could do more with that guys show and less of old BAM what's his name.....

Stay Safe !

[Melas]

I'm not sure about South Carolina, but Louisanna is heavily wooded, so you can avoid the high-power, flat trajectory rifles, which tend to be more expensive anyway. 30-30 lever action is fine for those distances. The 243 is also a very popular rifle in East TX/Western LA. Still you can't go wtih a 30.06.

[wardaddy]

Send them a copy.

[wardaddy]

Yes...in BA I would opt for a lefty if available particularly for deer hunting or an EFD scenario.

[vortigern]

These threads are funny. Ask a simple question and everyone in the universe who has an opinion about everything in the universe comes out of the woodwork.

The first question I would ask you is: Do you want to hunt deer or do you want to learn how to shoot a rifle? Those are two very different skills and two very different questions.

You want to hunt deer? This season? or next? If this season, frankly, you don't have enough time to get proficient with any of the recommended deer rifles, since deer season, in most states, is almost here.

The good news is: You don't need a rifle to hunt deer. Many states limit deer hunting to shotgun slugs only. A shotgun slug is a powerful and deadly deer hunting weapon. While I'm not familiar with regulations in Louisiana or South Carolina -- YOU need to be -- if you're going to be moving into those states and plan on hunting deer.

Good luck to you and happy hunting and shooting!

[Eagle Eye]

If you know where the old K mart is on Hwy 90, it's across the street in the government complex. On the map it's Hwy 90 and Avalon Blvd. I-10 to avalon blvd north about 2-3 miles on the right at the T-intersection on 90. It's the smallest of the bunch, but good for the local guys.

I got a pair of Moisin-Nagant rifles and an handful of ammo for $80 there once. The both shoot fine, but I gotta tell you that the first round out of a nearly 100 year old rifle that shoots a large cartridge had me rather nervous even after careful cleaning and inspection.

FWB has theirs at the armory actually. Usually pretty crowded and gets plenty that don't go to P'cola.

[Squantos]

BB & Pellet rifles are inexpensive way to learn safety and accuracy . Proper sight alignment ect.....albeit squeezing a trigger on a daisy red rider for that crisp letoff is moot pretty much it still teaches the basics.

Such was a rig my Dad mandated for me and my siblings. We proved our selves on such before we were able to go unsupervised. Lordy Help us if he caught us goofing with a gun after that. I think my butt still has size 12 boot scar's on it .....He'd kicked us so hard when we did something unsafe......child abuse by todays standards ...Pure educational back then !.

Stay Safe !

[AnAmericanMother]

Is what else you have in the bag a State Secret?

My daughter is getting ready for her Wilderness achievement in BSA Venturing, and one of the things she needs to demonstrate is planning and filling a survival bag.

She is prowling the internet for good lists, but we are always open to suggestions!

[Melas]

I'm sure there are exceptions, but for most hunters, it's not cost effective, at least not in East Texas where I'm familiar with the hunters.

The average hunter in ET buys his hunting licents on the way to make the payment on his 4 wheeler which he uses to get to and from his expensive deer stand, which is in the middle of his deer lease which he's already paid for this year.

If he gets one this year, chances are he'll haul the carcas to one of the many butchers/grocers/body shops that sprouted "Deer Processing Here" signs the week before hunting season.

Final result: The meat only comes to about $300 a pound. Lol, of course you mileage may vary. If you're really frugal, you'll still be surprised at how expensive the meat really is after expenses, most notably that license.