Multi Purpose First Rifle/Scope Combo

[phillietimothy]

Hello all, another question for you. I am looking to make my first rifle/scope purchase. As my funds are limited, I need a rifle for several purposes. I would like it to be a learn to shoot rifle, deer rifle, maybe even a predator rifle. At this point in my learning about long range shooting/hunting, I don't need 1000 yard capability. This should save considerable dollars in optics. I would like to reach perhaps 500 yards for now. Caliber wise, I need something without terrible recoil and somewhat flat trajectory. An economical cartridge would also be appreciated. I was thinking a Savage or TC in .223 or .243, as far as optics I would like to be able to experience adjusting for range but I don't need anything fancy at this point. As I become more experienced with this setup, I will step up to a real long range setup. Thanks again for the help, I would like to stay under $1,000 total.

 

[ubettcha13]

Savage 11 in 243 Nikon monarch in 3-12x or 4-16 bdc
Weatherby sub-moa vangard in 243 Burris 3.5-10 at swfa is on sale for $299
Used rifles at your local dealer can be a bargin as well. Most need to be bedded and a crown job which makes them good serviceable rifles
Remington and Savage are the lead donor rifles but a Winchester or some of the others will also make a good choices if you have a smith local to you to do the work on a particular brand.
There are many smiths here that can also tell you which brands they prefer to use to make shoot well.
First rifle you need is a .22 rimfire to learn the basics. I would start with a 22 and shoot for 3 months before the purchase of a center fire anything if your just learning to shoot for starters

 

[angus-5024]

If its your first rifle and your looking for a work horse that isnt fancy I would go for something like a 7-08. its going to be cheap to shoot, light recoiling, and good on deer to 550 yards with the right bullet. a 308 is another good alternative.
I would say to stay away from the 6mm and even 6.5 if your looking for a conventional cartrige, unless it a wild cat they just dont got the engergy at 500 yards for deer. If your looking at just coyotes the plain ole' .243 win is great and can be used on deer to about 250 yards, some will strech it more but I always say too much is better than not enough.

You can try to find a nice used rifle and save some coin, or look at the savage line up. the Stevens model 200 is dirt cheap and I've seen them shoot really well with a little TLC.

There are alot of good scopes out there that resonably price. Im a fan of the Vortex Vipers, for the price they're hard to beat. I was also looking at the falcon Menace 4-14 FFP mill-dot for my next rig.

This is very inexpensive to get you going, but its a start.

 

[yobuck]

i think all the above suggestions are good ones.
one thing needs to be considered however. that is you live in philadelphia co.
no hunting, and not much shooting will be done there. i lived in adjoining bucks co. most of my many years, and there are problems there also.
no center fire rifles may be used for hunting.
im sure other surrounding counties would have similar laws.
certainly there are gun clubs where center fires could be used for target shooting. langhorne rod and gun club, and doylestown fish and game are but 2 im familar with. im not sure if the old holmesburg club still exist.
a rimfire would be a good choice, especially in 17 or 22 mag.
they are permitted in bucks co at least, and possibly others as well.
lots of groundhogs and other varmits can be taken with them.
they would also give you the oppurtunity to learn how to dial a scope.
initial investment would be reasonable.

 

[phillietimothy]

Gentleman, thank you for your responses. Please forgive me for taking so long to respond. I will be taking your advice, I will be purchasing a Savage Mark II GL 22lr to begin with. Thanks for all the great info yobuck, I was not aware of the centerfire restriction. My preliminary focus at this point will be small bore silhouette, by the way Holmesburg Fish and Game is still in existence. I will be joining the club. Angus-5024, thank you as well. I did not mean to imply that I would attempt to shoot a deer at 500 yards. I was trying to say - I wanted a multi-purpose rifle that could be used for deer and target shooting to 500 yards. As I mentioned earlier in this post, I will be starting off with the trusty Savage 22lr. Thanks for the cartridge info; I was not aware that the 7-08 was economical to shoot, I will keep that in mind for my first real rifle. Ubettcha 13 thanks; as you have already read in this post, I am going with the Savage 22lr.

 

[rscott5028]

A quote from a book called "Precision Shooting at 1,000 Yards" goes something like, "The road to 1,000 yards starts at 50 feet."

...making reference to 22 long rifle.

Excellent advice.

Have fun and be safe!!

 

[liltank]

I have the MKIIFV and the thing will flat out shoot. But instead of the GL, you may want something closer to the style of rifle that is generally used for long range shooting both in target, tacticle, and hunting.

This is my suggestion with a good scope that you can transfer to the big rifle when you finally jump in to the centerfire stuff. I like Nikon Buckmasters, Falcon Menace, Bushnell elite series (3200, 4200 Tactical), and the SWFA SS 10x44. These are all very practical low price optics that will function well. Hawke and Vortex should be considered. I have and enjoy the Vortex Viper 6.5-20x44.

My next 22LR setup:
Savage Arms Firearms > Mark II TR

EGW Savage MK II (1 3/8 Ejection Port) Tactical Picatinny Mount - $39.99 : Evolution Gun Works , World Class Precision Parts

Hawke 4.5-14x42 Sidewinder Tactical 30mm Riflescope or Vortex 4-16x44 Viper HS 30mm Rifle Scope

Weaver Tactical 6 Hole Pictainny 30mm Rings

Harris Ultralight LM S Series Bipod

Tank

 

[paulp]

There is also frank's on Blakeston st in Torresesdale there is one off red lion rd in N/E I forget the name they both let you fire 22LR and 12ga oo and slug no bird shot

 

[Unofficial Gun Addict (UGA)]

Phillie... If you actually dont already have a stash of 22lr shells... I would pass on this caliber. I'm not sure what things are like in your neck of the woods, but out here, 22 ammo has been off the shelves and impossible to find for 2 years now. I got a savage mkiifvsr 2 Christmas' ago.. And have barely been able to use it. It's not even broken in yet.

Get a gun you can actually get ammo for and go out and shoot! If you are looking for a light recoiling riffle with cheap plentiful ammo... I'd go with a .223 and if you want to stay with savage... There are some excellent options available and affordable too. The savage hog Hunter .223 I own shoots fiocchi ammo into .3x five shot groups apt 100 yards, and you are going to get a lot more power and distance compared to the 22lr. Most importantly....you can find ammo virtually everywhere.

If you are limited to rimfire cartridges... Well. That stinks... And you are really restricted to a few options. In that case, I'd go with a 17hmr. Flatter shooting... More powerful, and easier to find ammo for. Accurate as heck too. Savage has some great options for the caliber also.

That my 2 cents anyhow. Good luck.

 

[paulp]

My son just got 150 rounds yesterday there is a 3 box limit in phila

 

[Unofficial Gun Addict (UGA)]

If you are willing to go stand in line outside sportsmans at 500am and wait until the store opens at 900am... You might be able to get a box locally. We have limits also... But limits don't really matter if you aren't one of the first few in line.

It's a joke. I stopped laughing a year or so ago.

 

[WildRose]

If its your first rifle and your looking for a work horse that isnt fancy I would go for something like a 7-08. its going to be cheap to shoot, light recoiling, and good on deer to 550 yards with the right bullet. a 308 is another good alternative.
I would say to stay away from the 6mm and even 6.5 if your looking for a conventional cartrige, unless it a wild cat they just dont got the engergy at 500 yards for deer. If your looking at just coyotes the plain ole' .243 win is great and can be used on deer to about 250 yards, some will strech it more but I always say too much is better than not enough.

You can try to find a nice used rifle and save some coin, or look at the savage line up. the Stevens model 200 is dirt cheap and I've seen them shoot really well with a little TLC.

There are alot of good scopes out there that resonably price. Im a fan of the Vortex Vipers, for the price they're hard to beat. I was also looking at the falcon Menace 4-14 FFP mill-dot for my next rig.

This is very inexpensive to get you going, but its a start.

I'm sorry but the above is so far from correct it isn't even wrong.

The 6.5x284, 6.5 Creedmore, .260 Rem, 6.5x55, 6.5x57, and most certainly the .264wm all have more than enough energy to kill a deer well beyond 500yds.

If I were starting over today and had only enough money to buy one rifle for everything it would be a .260 Rem, 3.5-10x56 Leupold, and if I were limited to factory offerings it would be a 700bdl in .260 Rem.

Float it, bed it, put a good rail on it, find a load it likes and you are in business.

If I could get a Mod 70 chambered in 260 I'd go that route instead.

 

[Litehiker]

My choice is a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 Creemoor.

The suggested Nikon Monarch scope would be a very good "starter scope". Good glass for the money and well made internals.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I see PaulP (with his whopping 2 post count) decided to revive this necrothread from 2011.......

Nothing irritates me more than a newbie dredging up an old thread, then never coming back.