The Official Gun Lovers Thread

[Jaybird]

Best all around hunting caliber is .280. imo

.280 is certainly a good all around round. I cant think of any good rifles chambered in it around $400 though. Maybe $600 and up.

But If we are talking about best all around hunting cartridge instead of a deer rifle around $400, I would say .270 and 7mm Rem Mag would possibly eek out the .280 based on availability and selection of ammo. Although any of the three would be appropriate for all around hunting in all the lower 48, and they all will do basically the same thing...if the hunter does his part.

I like the 30-30 though, as I typically hunt in the Florida brush. And it is also a good round for hog hunting. and the marlin 336 is a short light rifle that comes to shoulder fast. And with Hornandy's ammo, it really stretches the max distance before the round starts to tumble. Plus its a lever gun. Everyone should have one.

But mostly I recommended it because it was in his price range, and if he is going to be shooting further than 200 yards anyways, he is gonna have to invest some real money into a solid bolt action rifle with real glass(not cheap) attached. I would say the investment would be $800 minimum. And for someone just getting into the sport, that can be steep.

But YMMV.

 

[Darrell]

Best 1911 I've ever shot was a WW1 model. The steel it is made from is easily the best steel I've ever seen on any 1911 since.

Nice.

 

[Joe the meek]

Any suggestions for a good "starting" hunting rifle? I am interested in starting to try deer hunting and would like to get a rifle under $400.00 since it wouldn't be used much at all.

I just recently tried duck hunting and really enjoyed it ... Actually ... it is how I broke my ankle LOL! Slipped in mud and tried to save myself from falling. Before that ... never hunted anything and only went shooting once and that was YEARS ago. Anyway, any suggestions as to what to look for? Keep in mind that I am a BIG TIME novice in this so if you can be pretty descriptive it would help as I still am not all that familiar with firearms ... I now know all the differences in loading types and such but I still am a bit confused when it comes to the differences in calibers.

Thanks all

Take Jay's advice and get a cheap bolt .22 and practice the fundamentals, and have fun! The more fun you, the more practice you'll get, and chances are you're going to get better.

Just remember, when you get a rifle, the lighter the gun and the heavier the bullet, usually less fun due to recoil. If you go out and the first thing you get is a scoped .30-06 and you only want to hunt with it, chances are you aren't going to give yourself a chance to have fun and enjoy the "shooting". On bigger cartridges, if you get a scope, make sure it's set properly to feel comfortable and give yourself enough eye relief (eye a couple inches away from the scope) or you may be in for a unpleasant surprise when that scope slams into your eye (just seen it happen more than I thought I would LOL).

General "deer" cartridges for myself are .243 (smaller bullet, sometimes youth start with these), .30-30, .270, .30-06

Savage makes a decent long rifle (I have one of varmint guns in a .22-250 and have been more than happy with it) and they have "Deal packages" gun, scope and rings for well under $500 (although I don't have any firsthand experience those deal packages).

 

[Mercury]

Thanks gents for the info!

Cheap .22 for rifle practice ... good advice. That would be fun to get to squeeze some rounds off with a light rifle while practicing on the ol' aiming. Funny enough, I just got done fixing a laptop that belongs to my friend's daughter and her husband is a BIG TIME hunter here in Oregon and had lots of great advice as well. He suggested on a .30-06 for a hunting rifle as it would be great for both deer and elk. He mentioned that he thought that anything below .270 is rather small for elk ... but people can still do it but just personally feels that .270 up is best for elk.

Anyway, that's funny, Joe, that you mention the whole scope thing. I just recently watched a video on youtube of a guy who had the scope to close to his eye and ended up smacking up against it. Looked painful as hell! That will probably always cross my mind if I ever am looking through a scope now. Savage huh? I will have to look for those deals ... sounds very good. Now the question is if I can get the wife to agree on me having a gun ... hehe.

So here is another question ... recoil ... do they make some sort of shoulder pad that you can wear to help with the impact from recoil ... or is it just something you have to "man up to" and "get used to?" The largest thing I fired, all those years ago, was a .303 British ... I can't honestly remember the recoil on it but I don't remember having any shoulder pain. The 12 gauge that I was using for the duck hunting didn't seem too bad. The shoulder was a little tender but by no means painful.

So, hunting types ... the most ideal that I am thinking of so far would be just wandering through the woods and scouting/tracking (not sure if there is a proper term for this type of hunt.) I like hiking and moving around so this type of hunting entices me the most. Is one type of hunting more successful than the other or is it really all about one's personal preference? Or does it matter on the type of animal and what season you are hunting?

See ... told ya ... big novice when it comes to hunting.

 

[All Else Failed]

You get so used to recoil it is no longer an issue unless you do a shit ton of shooting in one day or if you shoot some absurdly big caliber. Just start of with smaller calibers and work your way up to intermediate ones.

 

[Jaybird]

There are certainly different types of hunting depending on the game and the area you are in.

For deer, a lot of people use tree stands. I have a self climbing one. Its pretty nifty, but not for everyone. Some places allow more permanent tree stands. But certainly, you can just go out and wander around. It is the same as tracking. You look for game trails, water, places where animals seem to pass, etc etc. Make sure to wear some orange though. :tooth

Recoil? eh. Rifles will tend to be felt more than shotguns imo, although that also depends on the type of shotgun. I once shot a 10 ga breech loaded shotgun that I was none to happy with, to say the least.

You will definitely feel a 30-06 more than some of the other calibers mentioned, but you are not going to be shooting it all day either. As All Else said, start out low and work your way up.

The important things....dont forget to be safety conscious, and also, dont forget to have fun.

 

[Joe the meek]

dont forget to be safety conscious, and also, dont forget to have fun.

+1

For recoil, I've never taken a shot at game and have felt the recoil.

You feel the recoil when practicing sitting on a bench LOLRemember I mentioned weight? Generally, given the same weight gun, when you increase bullet weight and bullet velocity, you increase recoil.

Take a 8lb rifle. When shooting a 150 grain bullet at 2,400 feet per second at the muzzle compared to the same weight bullet traveling at 2,900 a second, you're going to "feel it" more with the 2,900 fps round. Now, take that 150 grain 2,900 fps round and put it in a 9 lb gun, you're going to decrease the "felt" recoil because it's a heavier gun.I've got a .300 Win Mag that I shoot hot loads with heavy bullets all day long no problem, and it's enjoyable because the gun is heavy. However, when hunting, it's a trade off because that's extra weight you have to haul.

My lighter .270 kicks more than the .300 Win.When I was a boy I was scared s***less of a 12 gauge because the only gun I had gone hunting with was with a depression era single 16 gauge made in plastic. Thing kicked like a mule and I figured a 12 gauge HAD to be worse. Well, my cousin got the "newer" 1950's pump 12 gauge, and when I finally shot it, I was like "wow, this is nothing", the reason being the 12 gauge he had weighed a lot more than the 16 gauge I had.

If you can shoot 3.5" 12 gauge magnum turkey loads, you can pretty much handle anything a rifle can dish out LOL

I'm not a physicist or mechanical engineer, and comments are based off my own observations, so I could be totally wrong per math equations.

I will mention, that if you've never shot a bow and take it up later, you'll most likely drop the rifles and stick with the bow. It will give you a whole new perspective for 30 yards.

 

[All Else Failed]

Looking to buy a new Mauser soon. Looking for rarer markings too. I really want to get my hands on an SS marked receiver.

 

[Joe the meek]

Mercury

Check your local Orgeon online gun forum for gun sales.

Go to the classified section. Just for curiosity I took a look and on the first page was this .30-06 for $200

KNOW your local and state gun laws for face to face sales in your state.

I've done numerous transactions meeting up with guys no problem.

 

[Jaybird]

$200 for a plain jane 700? If I lived around that guy, I would own it today.

 

[Mercury]

Mercury

Check your local Orgeon online gun forum for gun sales.

Go to the classified section. Just for curiosity I took a look and on the first page was this .30-06 for $200

KNOW your local and state gun laws for face to face sales in your state.

I've done numerous transactions meeting up with guys no problem.

Good call! Didn't even think about that ... but yes I will definitely have to check because I have NO IDEA what the laws are here on that sort of thing. Thanks for all the info!

 

[AUFred]

recoil can be intimidating. I have a Ruger ultralight bolt action in .308. It is a buttkicker. Great rifle if you need to carry all day. Short barrel on it is hard on your ears. Bench time feels like work. The gun is a joy to shoot at actual game because it feels natural.

 

[Joe the meek]

Good call! Didn't even think about that ... but yes I will definitely have to check because I have NO IDEA what the laws are here on that sort of thing. Thanks for all the info!

Here in NC, a long rifle can be sold face to face (as long as both buyer and seller live in NC) without an Federal Firearms License (FFL).

In NC for a handgun purchase, the buyer MUST HAVE a concealed carry permit OR a pistol buying permit given by the local law enforcement agency (usually the county sheriff's department). The buyer gives a copy of either the carry permit or the pistol permit to the seller of the handgun.

I always recommend a bill of sale being signed by both parties for a face to face transaction including drivers license info (this protects both parties IMO).

For an out of state sale in the US for either a handgun or long gun, the seller MUST ship the weapon to a FFL in the buyers state, and the buyer then goes to the FFL to pick up the weapon and the FFL does the paperwork (usually a $20 fee here in NC).

Buying online, beware. Ensure the post count of the seller, and some selling sites will have "feedback" on the seller (good or bad experiences from past transactions from other buyers) or ensure that you get proper documentation if the purchase is out of state. I've done a couple of transactions buying out of state online, no problems.

You can usually find good deals on used guns online if you shop around.

 

[Darrell]

Yesterday I went shopping the "blue tags" (pre-owned section) and found a Glock 36. That's a compact .45 ACP. It was a really good deal. And upon inspection, I'm not sure the original owner even broke it in.

Well, I slept on it, and today, I went back and bought it. I'll get it in ten days, fuck you California. :fing27

 

[Tim]

Did I fail to mention that my wife bought me a S&W M&P AR15 for Valentines day?

I guess that fudge I bought her was pretty kick ass

 

[All Else Failed]

Your wife is a keeper, Tim. haha


Is that the one with the gas piston or does it have regular direct impingement?

 

[Darrell]

Direct impingement.

 

[All Else Failed]

Any of you have surplus rifles? I have a 1945 M44 Nagant, Czechoslovakian capture K98 Mauser and a Enfield.

 

[Darrell]

Direct impingement.

I stand partially corrected. I decided to go actually look at S&W's website. Apparently they offer another model of the M&P AR that has a gas piston.

So technically, both answers are correct. :dunno

 

[Mercury]

My arsenal so far .........