First rifle advice

[walton6467]

I've been into guns for a few years, but almost exclusively handguns. I've been thinking of getting a rifle that would be a good all around varmint gun or possibly deer hunting. What is the one must have caliber/type of rifle that you can recommend? I currently have a .22LR and a 12 gauge pump shotgun. Those are my only long guns.

 

Give me your recommendations of what to get or NOT get.

 

Thanks.

[xRUSTYx]

.50 BMG ... Will take care of anything & everything.  From blowing up squirrels, to downing polar bears in the arctic.  You can't go wrong with the .50 cal! ;)

 

haha ... j/k

 

Personally, if its strictly used for hunting, its hard to beat Savages in .308.  Good all around Caliber .... .22 for your varmint, and a .308 for larger game :)

Edited December 18, 2012 by xRUSTYx

[z0mbies fear me]

What he said. I love my Savage .308. Really the savage in .223 or 22-250 may better suit you want to use the gun for varmints and whitetail. Lightweight bullets for small critters and heavy for the bigger ones. Edited December 19, 2012 by z0mbies fear me

[vujade]

What kind of 22lr rifle do you have already?

 

To answer your post -  I love 308. Very accurate and you can load it up or down to whatever you need.  It's very easy to reload.  Easy to find ammo (for now), load data and components.  It's not punishing as far as recoil.

No complaints with any of the Savages I've shot; all (even the cheapest $300 entry level Edges/Axis) can shoot half inch groups at 100 with good ammo/reloads.  Harder to find but I also love my Howa 1500 in 308.

[jon29253]

I'll beat the same drum... For an all purpose and deer rifle, get the 308. Maybe a 223 if you plan on plinking/ target/varmint. However, your 22 and shotgun should be enough unless you're looking to hunt.

[RichardR]

.308 is a great cartridge, as is 5.56 but I think that the .270 or .243 make for a better "all around" hunting cartridge at least here in the lower 48.

[Mason]

Get a 30-30 leaver action. They a a great intro to center fire rifles.

[Mason]

I like the Marlin 336. Edited December 22, 2012 by Mason

[nightrunner]

I would suggest an AR AFTER the price gouging dies down. It can do everything. 16" 5.56 upper for home defense, 20"+ .223 upper for varmint hunting, .300blackout upper for hunting deer sized game or self defense, .458socom upper for a real thumper black bear hunting or short range self defense, single shot .50bmg upper for extreme long range/ anti material, .22lr upper for small game, you can even get a .410bore shotgun upper for it

[Jonnin]

a bolt or lever action in a popular caliber from a decent brand.  There are hundreds of great choices.  I find 308 and up rough to shoot out of bolt/levers in large quantities, 243 is about all I would want to spend all day shooting with factory ammo.  Varmint guns.... depends on if you want to recover anything of the animal or not.  The big stuff ruins the target.