Dave writes:
I’m shopping for a deer rifle–I’m an older dad of young boys, never hunted before, no family tradition, high time I started, et c. et c. Midlife deal, whatever. Anyway, I’ve been researching for more than a year now and have come to a few conclusions:
- 30-06 is my preferred load for whitetails. I’m new, I want something with a soft recoil.
- Marlin is making a bunch of affordable, quality rifles right now. Like the X7 and 336W. But they seem to have a bewildering variety.
- The Tikka T3 Lite looks awesome, but is not commonly available chambered in 30-06. Maybe .243? That’s supposed to be light
Care to provide any guidance for a fellow car Jew who doesn’t want to spend much over $500 and wants to put meat in the freezer? I am–forgive me–prepared to pull the trigger on buying one after the new year.
So what you’re looking for is an accurate firearm for under $500? I think you’ve come to the right place.
Let me stick a caveat in here real quick: I’ve been hunting a grand total of once in my life. I am by no means an expert on hunting, but I understand the issues and mechanics involved with firearms in that environment and based off that assessment I offer the following opinions on the matter. I’m always open to suggestions and alternate firearms, so please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section.
First and foremost your firearm needs to conform to the legal requirements set forth by your state. In Texas you can use anything you darn well please to hunt deer, but other states like Pennsylvania and Illinois restrict the firearms by requiring a “manual” action instead of semi-auto capability or restricting hunting to shotguns only. I’d make sure to take a peek at your local gun laws and check with your friendly neighborhood taxidermist to see what people in the area are using.
When you’re looking for a deer rifle (once you’ve determined a rifle is your firearm of choice) there are four criteria you need to consider when selecting the model and caliber.
- Accuracy
- “Stopping Power“
- Weight
- Rate of Fire
Accuracy is the most important feature of a hunting rifle or any rifle in general. A rifle that can’t hit where you’re aiming is of no use whatsoever, and especially with live and moving targets the ability to accurately place your shots is the key to ethical harvesting. While you don’t necessarily need to run out and get a 1/2 MoA rifle you should preferably make sure that whatever you get will give you no more than a 2 MoA spread at the distances you’re intending to shoot (2 inches at 100 yards). Anything more and you start risking shots veering off target and maiming instead of killing or rupturing the digestive organs and ruining the meat.
Stopping power is another word for muzzle energy, which is a factor of muzzle velocity and bullet weight. The muzzle energy of a firearm will tell you how much force you’re exerting on a target downrange, and generally more is good. The more energy that impacts the target the greater the hydrostatic shock will be and the greater the internal injuries for the animal. In an ideal world the animal should drop instantly after being hit but more often than not they like to run into the woods, and the greater the internal injuries the sooner they will stop running. Something over 2,000 ft/lbs of force is highly recommended.
Weight is another major concern. For my Texas hunting trip I had both my Weatherby Vanguard Carbine and the Weatherby Sub-MoA TRR available to me, and while the TRR would technically be more accurate I chose the carbine instead because it was much lighter. You’re looking for one or two precision shots from a cold barrel, and as long as you’ve sighted your rifle for that cold barrel it doesn’t matter as much how heavy a barrel you have. And your body will thank you for choosing not to lug around the extra steel that you never really use or need.
Rate of fire is the final consideration. What if you miss that first shot but you still have a deer staring you in the face? What if a pack of wild hogs comes out of nowhere and you get the opportunity to take a shot at them? Break action single shot firearms are great for accuracy (and sometimes the only option available to hunters for legal reasons) but being able to put more rounds on target is never a bad thing as long as its done accurately.
For me, that narrows the field to bolt action and lever action firearms that fulfill all four requirements while still staying in the “under $500” range. If you want to consider something a little above your price range you might want to look into a Remington 7600, one of the more historically popular pump action deer rifles.
Let me give you some recommendations for bolt and lever guns which meet your (and my) criteria for a good deer rifle. These firearms have either been fired by me or someone I trust and I’ve linked to their reviews for quick reference:
- Weatherby Vanguard Carbine (~$400) — Have I mentioned the Weatherby? Because I like the Weatherby. Especially with the new Series 2 coming out in 2012 the price on these older models will be dropping pretty rapidly in the coming weeks and months.
- Mossberg 100 ATR (~$350) — The 100 ATR is an “okay” rifle that can’t be improved much. The Weatherby has some room to grow if you make adjustments, but the 100 ATR isn’t going to get much better than factory condition. Nevertheless it’s $50 cheaper and comes with weaver mounts on the top as well as iron sights and a free floated barrel.
- Marlin 336W Lever Action (~$380) — Marlin has a bit of a spotty track record here at TTAG, what with their guns having a propensity for being broken or otherwise crappy looking when coming straight from the factory. Nevertheless I do like their 336W lever action rifles, and so does Ryan Finn.
If you’re looking for the “perfect” lever action firearm, the Marlin 1895 XLR is in my mind the perfect gun. It’s beautiful, takes the straight walled .45/70 Government cartridge and packs quite a punch. Not really something that meets your criteria for “cheap and low recoil” but I thought I’d throw it out there for consideration.
As for ammunition, I would highly recommend you reconsider your choice. The Springfield .30-06 cartridge would require a long action instead of a short action, and ballistic performance at greater distances isn’t nearly as good as the smaller and more efficient .308 Winchester cartridge. .308 is generally more widely available, cheaper, easier to reload, and “reduced recoil” or “managed recoil” hunting ammunition for .308 is widely available from Remington and other manufacturers and according to the local gun stores quickly sells out the weekend before hunting season every year.
In short, depending on local laws you can definitely have a high quality hunting rifle complete for under $500. Any of the above firearms with an okay scope (like this one) and a sling will still be below the $500 mark yet give you accurate shots and comfortable hunting. My recommendation is to stick with a bolt action rifle in .308 Winchester, lever action and pump action firearms are also available and accurate.
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Okay, a few observations about this article I thought I might mention.
1. Dave mentioned in his question that he was looking for a 30-06 preferably, and wanted a gun that did not kick much. Every shooter is different with regard to recoil tolerance, but most hunters who only shoot a few times a year sighting in and hunting find that the 30-06 is the max recoil they can tolerate. Many won’t admit to that, but it is true. I grew up in the industry with my father running a gunshop since I was 10, and I’m now 34, so I have had opportunities to observe quite a few types of shooters and their responses to different guns. The recommendation of the 308 comes into play here as well. It is typically built on a shorter, lighter action. Combine that with a lightweight, cheap injection molded stock, and it will kick as bad as most 30-06’s will. My point is that for someone wanting a starting hunting rifle, a 30 caliber is not necessary, perhaps even too much gun for simple whitetail hunting. I would suggest something lighter such as a 243 or 25-06. If those aren’t manly enough there is the 270 win, 7mm-08, amongst others, but I would stick with the first too. Both are widely available. Realize you forgot your ammo after you drive several hours to hunt, if there is a Wal-Mart nearby, they will have those. Both are more than enough for whitetail. My most used deer rifle is a 25-06 on an old Husqvarna HVA action. Whitetail don’t require the big guns to bring down.
2. As far as superior ballistics for the 308 over the ’06, I would disagree. Some factory loads might seem superior since some ’06 loads are kept a little more moderate, but in truth the 308 is little more than a shortened ’06 case. Loaded to the same pressures and with same bullets, there is no doubt that the ’06 is superior. Simple put, more powder behind the same bullet even if a touch less efficient. As far as availability goes, I don’t know of many calibers in this world that are more available from as many companies, in as many combinations as the ’06. The 308 is widely available as well, but the ’06 certainly doesn’t lag behind it in any way.
3. I would not recommend a lever-action for the first gun over a decent bolt-action. Simply put, levers are not as accurate. I’m not saying that because I dislike them. I have owned several. But simply put, they have too much attached to the barrel to have the same quality of harmonics as bolts do. I know, I know…leverolution ammo and what not, but the harmonic issues caused by the magazine tube are not negated by that. If you must have a non-bolt, I would recommend one of the cheap Remington pumps. The autoloaders are 500 shot guns, but the pumps are much longer lived. They are generally more accurate than lever guns can be. I had an old 760 in 30-06 as a woods gun, and while it looked rough it could hold just over minute of angle. It has been replaced with a newer 7600 in 35 Whelen.
4. One thing I did not see mentioned (unless I just missed it) was a used gun. I would highly recommend starting with one of those than a cheap new one. If Dave looked around some I am sure he could find a nice used gun of better quality than the new ones. Perhaps even cheaper. There is nothing wrong with older guns. Most of my deer rifles I routinely use are older than I am (my 25-06 HVA – $400, 30-06 Remington Model 30 Express (factory sporterized 1917 Enfield for those that don’t know) $400, 35 Whelen Remington 7600 $350, 8×57 Mauser on a sporterized military 98 $300 into it) and as cheap as any mentioned here plus they are nicer controlled feed guns (aside from the pump gun). To get a good deal requires some research and patience but there are many like that out there.
5. Almost forgot this. As far as the Tikka goes, I would not recommend it as a first gun. Not because they are bad guns at all. I have been eyeballing a true short action Tikka T3 in 243 at my dad’s shop for a while, and I keep saying I ‘ll buy it if no one else does. My hang-up with them is that they are modern European guns. European makers have a bad habit of changing models or parts, and all replacement parts like magazines (which the T3 has a removable plastic magazine) become unavailable except on the used market of what is already here. Old models such as 98 Mausers have more parts than one can dream of for them since there are so many guns out there. Just some food for thought there.
As I said just some stuff that caught my attention about the article.
@Brion, some counterpoints if I may…
I agree that the 30-06 is typically more gun than most “weekend” hunters can tolerate effectively and certainly very few will ever admit it. However, saying that the difference in weight of the 30-06 vs the weight of a 308 is sufficent to make the 308 feel like a 30-06 is misleading. Looking up the specs to the Remington 700 SPS, the 30-06 version weighs in at 7.375lbs. The 308 weighs only 0.125 lbs less, or around 2-oz (7.25). Two ounces in a deer gun is the equivalent of 0.2-oz in a handgun… you’ll never notice the weight advantage (or disadvantage).
On the topic of recoil still, the .270 is far from what I (and most other) hunters would consider “light”. It isn’t far off from the recoil of a 30-06 and is certainly greater than a 308. The following link is helpful for those who aren’t familiar with relative energy levels and recoil velocity –> http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm
Brion, very thoughtful. Thanks. You bring to mind an old saying among photographers: “The best camera is the one you use.” Meaning it doesn’t matter how good it is if you don’t like it.
Used guns are definitely on my radar, but it doesn’t seem like much savings, at all. I do have a potential loaner arranged, which I get the feeling may be a little like a man “loaning” out his wife. The guy who suggested it–really good hunter, good friend–was kind of…weird, about it.
I never thought about obsolescence. I just kind of assumed it would all last forever.
Savage in .270 replaced the crappy scope with a $150 Nikon still around &500 accurate and light enough to carry all day….you don’t really feel recoil when you have fur in the crosshairs
Savage in .270 replaced the crappy scope with a $150 Nikon still around $500 accurate and light enough to carry all day you don’t really feel recoil when you have fur in the crosshairs
Savage in .270 don’t really feel recoil when you have fur in the crosshairs
Some affordable guns:
1. Mosin 91/30
2. Mauser 98 (or any other ripoff milsurp)
3. K31
4. SMLE