Need to buy new rifle...need advice

bearcat · June 9, 2000, 09:36 AM

I have a Mossberg 500, pump .12 gauge but am considering buying a new rifle to hunt deer, bear and boar in our area this upcoming season. Need some feedback before I spend a lot of money on it.
The weight is a main factor in my choice. The area I hunt is very wooded and steep. Visibility is anywhere from 40 to 100 yards.

1. What is your hunting rifle/gun of choice? Brand? Why do you prefer
this one?
2. What grain bullet would you use for deer, wild boar and bear or small game?
3. Do you use a scope?
4. What do you consider the most important about buying a new rifle/muzzle/shotgun? Cost, weight, range, caliber, etc.
5. What do you consider the "perfect" hunting rifle for mountainous, thickly wooded terrain?

Anything you might add will be appreciated.

------------------
"Hunt to Live, Live to Hunt"

Calif Hunter · June 9, 2000, 11:27 AM

I use several rifles, but it sounds to me like a Remington Model 7 or something similar in weight in .308 or 7mm-08 would be just right for you. My 30-06 gets the most use for big game hunting. Some may recommend a 30-30 (and I have one, too) but I have found it lacking on shoulder shots for big wild boar. I use a scope. FOr your ranges, a low power variable (2-5 power?) would be fine. Cost, accuracy, range and power needed are all factors when I decide what to use or buy. In .308, a 150 grain would be good for deer but I'd step up to a 165 or 180 for bear or pig. (A 165 gr would be a great "one round for all selection). In 7mm-08, a 140 gr sounds about right.

[This message has been edited by Calif Hunter (edited June 09, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Calif Hunter (edited June 09, 2000).]

Art Eatman · June 9, 2000, 11:32 AM

If you're hunting from a stand, "short and handy" is less important. You have more choices, but my personal preference would be a bolt-action. If you walk and stalk, you're maybe gonna take snap-shots, so short and handy gets to be more important, and a semi-auto or pump would be quite rational.

Bear and boar seem to justify more "Oomph" than most of the sub-30-calibers.

.308, .30-'06, 8mm Mauser...Any of them will do; I'd go toward the heavier bullets.

For hunting inside 100 yards, I don't know of any rifle that won't be plenty accurate. Good-used is generally as good as brand-new. Rifle, scope, mounts; I'd be surprised at needing more than $400-$500, including scope, mounts and sling. And a box of ammo...

Within the above BS, I tend to go by "feel". Whatever just feels best when you hold it, when you put it to your shoulder. A rifle with "feel" makes it easier for you to become skillful. "Awkward" is a handicap...

Hang around; more folks will chime in with good words. And wander some gun shops and gun shows. Don't be in a hurry.

Hope this helps, Art

bergie · June 9, 2000, 01:09 PM

1. I use a Savage 110 in .270 W with a synthetic stock, and sometimes my dad's Howa .30-06 in a laminated wood stock. I like my .270 because it has more oomph than the .243 that I used to have, and does the job out as far as I'm willing to shoot a deer.
2. In my .270, I usually use 130 gr. 150 or 165 gr. in the '06. We got no boar or bear around here. For small game (rabbits, squirrels), I use a .22.
3. yes
4. All of those you listed, plus intended use, and then of course as Art pointed out, the thing has to FEEL and look right to me. Might not work or look for someone else, but it aint theirs.
5. For the critters and conditions that you described, I would probably go with a .308, maybe a Rem. pump or semi-auto, or Browning lever or semi. A bolt action with a shorter barrel (comparable length to these others) would probably be a little bit lighter. I don't know if I would scope it or not, if 100yds would be the longest shot. What would be the average shot? I read somewhere a while back that most of the deer in the country are shot at less than 100 (actually, I think it said around 50 but I am not sure). If I was to put a scope on, it would be low-power, wide-angle, its too easy to get "lost" with much magnifaction at close ranges. A red dot might be okay, I had one on one of my .22 rifles for a while, worked great for bangin bunnies.
bergie

Al Thompson · June 9, 2000, 01:19 PM

Moved to the Art of the Rifle forum..

June 9, 2000, 09:36 AM	#1
bearcat Junior Member Join Date: December 28, 1998 Location: Tellico Plains, TN, USA Posts: 9	I have a Mossberg 500, pump .12 gauge but am considering buying a new rifle to hunt deer, bear and boar in our area this upcoming season. Need some feedback before I spend a lot of money on it. The weight is a main factor in my choice. The area I hunt is very wooded and steep. Visibility is anywhere from 40 to 100 yards. 1. What is your hunting rifle/gun of choice? Brand? Why do you prefer this one? 2. What grain bullet would you use for deer, wild boar and bear or small game? 3. Do you use a scope? 4. What do you consider the most important about buying a new rifle/muzzle/shotgun? Cost, weight, range, caliber, etc. 5. What do you consider the "perfect" hunting rifle for mountainous, thickly wooded terrain? Anything you might add will be appreciated. ------------------ "Hunt to Live, Live to Hunt"

June 9, 2000, 11:27 AM	#2
Calif Hunter Senior Member Join Date: May 10, 2000 Location: La Palma, CA, USA Posts: 165	I use several rifles, but it sounds to me like a Remington Model 7 or something similar in weight in .308 or 7mm-08 would be just right for you. My 30-06 gets the most use for big game hunting. Some may recommend a 30-30 (and I have one, too) but I have found it lacking on shoulder shots for big wild boar. I use a scope. FOr your ranges, a low power variable (2-5 power?) would be fine. Cost, accuracy, range and power needed are all factors when I decide what to use or buy. In .308, a 150 grain would be good for deer but I'd step up to a 165 or 180 for bear or pig. (A 165 gr would be a great "one round for all selection). In 7mm-08, a 140 gr sounds about right. [This message has been edited by Calif Hunter (edited June 09, 2000).] [This message has been edited by Calif Hunter (edited June 09, 2000).]

June 9, 2000, 11:32 AM	#3
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	If you're hunting from a stand, "short and handy" is less important. You have more choices, but my personal preference would be a bolt-action. If you walk and stalk, you're maybe gonna take snap-shots, so short and handy gets to be more important, and a semi-auto or pump would be quite rational. Bear and boar seem to justify more "Oomph" than most of the sub-30-calibers. .308, .30-'06, 8mm Mauser...Any of them will do; I'd go toward the heavier bullets. For hunting inside 100 yards, I don't know of any rifle that won't be plenty accurate. Good-used is generally as good as brand-new. Rifle, scope, mounts; I'd be surprised at needing more than $400-$500, including scope, mounts and sling. And a box of ammo... Within the above BS, I tend to go by "feel". Whatever just feels best when you hold it, when you put it to your shoulder. A rifle with "feel" makes it easier for you to become skillful. "Awkward" is a handicap... Hang around; more folks will chime in with good words. And wander some gun shops and gun shows. Don't be in a hurry. Hope this helps, Art

June 9, 2000, 01:09 PM	#4
bergie Senior Member Join Date: April 19, 1999 Posts: 567	1. I use a Savage 110 in .270 W with a synthetic stock, and sometimes my dad's Howa .30-06 in a laminated wood stock. I like my .270 because it has more oomph than the .243 that I used to have, and does the job out as far as I'm willing to shoot a deer. 2. In my .270, I usually use 130 gr. 150 or 165 gr. in the '06. We got no boar or bear around here. For small game (rabbits, squirrels), I use a .22. 3. yes 4. All of those you listed, plus intended use, and then of course as Art pointed out, the thing has to FEEL and look right to me. Might not work or look for someone else, but it aint theirs. 5. For the critters and conditions that you described, I would probably go with a .308, maybe a Rem. pump or semi-auto, or Browning lever or semi. A bolt action with a shorter barrel (comparable length to these others) would probably be a little bit lighter. I don't know if I would scope it or not, if 100yds would be the longest shot. What would be the average shot? I read somewhere a while back that most of the deer in the country are shot at less than 100 (actually, I think it said around 50 but I am not sure). If I was to put a scope on, it would be low-power, wide-angle, its too easy to get "lost" with much magnifaction at close ranges. A red dot might be okay, I had one on one of my .22 rifles for a while, worked great for bangin bunnies. bergie

June 9, 2000, 01:19 PM	#5
Al Thompson Staff Alumnus Join Date: May 2, 1999 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3,611	Moved to the Art of the Rifle forum..