New Hobby: Help me pick the right cartridge

[silvertip-co]

30.06 works great for eastern hunting and Colorado. Wife and I came here from PA and we both elk and deer hunt here with 30.06.

270 is good too with Hornday Superformance 130gr, very flat shooting for the wide open spaces and hard hitting. Ammo for either cal is relatively cheap in bulk which is always a consideration for lots of practice and hunting. I like the 270 for antelope but also have a 300 win mag for reachin out further.

Good luck finding the right rifle and calibre for you, and thank you for your service.

 

[JP100]

Just my ten cents worth. I would reccomend the .308 or .270. both are great alrounders cheap and plentiful ammo. .308 will be cheaper but if you are shooting open country a .270 will help with longer shots.
In terms of what rifle I would reccomand Tikka T3s. I dont know how popular they are the US. But I have not seen any brand to shoot so well out of the box and be consistant and reliable. Alot of profressional hunters in New Zealand use them. We own two and they both shoot 1/2 MOA groups with factory and handloads.
Good luck. Im sure whatever you choose will work well for you

 

[Manualman]

I have to agree with most of these guys. A 308 or 30/06 will do it's job if you do yours. Shoot whatever you are comfortable with and put the bullet where it belongs. I also want to thank you for your service. By the way does your wife have any sisters? LOL

 

[iknowftbll]

I have to agree with most of these guys. A 308 or 30/06 will do it's job if you do yours. Shoot whatever you are comfortable with and put the bullet where it belongs. I also want to thank you for your service. By the way does your wife have any sisters? LOL

Haha, yeah, she's pretty awesome, isn't she? Sorry, she's also an only child! Here's a pic of my Remington after I got the scope mounted.

 

[TX Shooter]

Congrats, nice looking weapon. I didn't catch what cal. you ended up with but I'm sure it will do the job. Don't forget to break in the barrel properly in your first trip to the range.gun)

 

[iknowftbll]

Thanks. I went with the .30-06 for this one. In a couple of years I will probably get the same rifle in .243 for my wife and kids for when they accompany me on deer hunts.

 

[TX Shooter]

Exactly what I did and then om down the line a 270 split the diffrence. All good choices to do the required jobgun)at their effective range.

 

[gjk5]

Thanks for your service from me too.

The .30-06 was what I was going to suggest as well. Having hunted in SW VA and growing up there off and on, spending my teens and twenties living and hunting in S TX and now living in CO, I can tell you the .30-06 will do you right. Just fine for those small deer up in VA and down in TX, great on hogs and I have put down elk and Muley quite nicely with one shot up here. Great broad-spectrum round.

 

[iknowftbll]

GJ,
How do you like living in Colorado? I am not as familiar with Western Colorado, mainly the front range area and the mountains through the central part of the state. Great place and I can't wait to get back there and do some alpine hunting at the higher altitudes.

Meanwhile I am happy to be here in Virginia. We moved here from California where the states seems to be in denial that the 2nd Amendment applies to California residents too. Virginia is a much more reasonable state when it comes to gun laws.

As I prepare for my first hunting trip this fall, I've been studying the laws here to make sure that I have all my bases covered. I am registered for a first-time hunters course that covers topics such as safety and ethics. This is required by the state, but it seems like it is just a good idea to do, plus it's free! I also purchased my general license yesterday, and I'll soon be getting my Deer, Bear, Turkey license. I didn't realize that they rolled those three types of game into one license. I was just planning to hunt deer and bear this year, but if I have turkey tags on my license, I'm going to use them! I don't have a shotgun that is a legal hunting gun, but I do have a .22 mag by Savage, so I'll give that a try until my budget (and wife) allow me to get a more suitable turkey gun. And you can bet I'll be smoking that turkey over applewood!

This is excited as I've ever been about starting a new hobby. I appreciate all of you who have contributed to the discussion. Your advice has been considered. Now that I have selected my gun, I am shifting to other gear requirements. I will not be using a GPS. I'll be hiking out to my hunt locations the old fashion way: map and compass! I also assume that I'll need a good knife, and of course, suitable hunting clothes. What am I missing?

Oh, and do any of you hunt with a side arm? I am thinking of bringing my wife's S&W model 60 loaded with .357 magnum rounds. My other choices are a .45 or a .22, both 1911 models.

 

[TX Shooter]

I always carry my 357 Python loaded with 158 gr hps when hunting. If the deer shows up at 20 yards or less the handgun makes the shot. Also a bypod tall enough to use setting or standing is a must, you don't always have a tree or limb handy to steady the shot.gun)

 

[gjk5]

GJ,
How do you like living in Colorado? I am not as familiar with Western Colorado, mainly the front range area and the mountains through the central part of the state. Great place and I can't wait to get back there and do some alpine hunting at the higher altitudes.

Meanwhile I am happy to be here in Virginia. We moved here from California where the states seems to be in denial that the 2nd Amendment applies to California residents too. Virginia is a much more reasonable state when it comes to gun laws.

As I prepare for my first hunting trip this fall, I've been studying the laws here to make sure that I have all my bases covered. I am registered for a first-time hunters course that covers topics such as safety and ethics. This is required by the state, but it seems like it is just a good idea to do, plus it's free! I also purchased my general license yesterday, and I'll soon be getting my Deer, Bear, Turkey license. I didn't realize that they rolled those three types of game into one license. I was just planning to hunt deer and bear this year, but if I have turkey tags on my license, I'm going to use them! I don't have a shotgun that is a legal hunting gun, but I do have a .22 mag by Savage, so I'll give that a try until my budget (and wife) allow me to get a more suitable turkey gun. And you can bet I'll be smoking that turkey over applewood!

This is excited as I've ever been about starting a new hobby. I appreciate all of you who have contributed to the discussion. Your advice has been considered. Now that I have selected my gun, I am shifting to other gear requirements. I will not be using a GPS. I'll be hiking out to my hunt locations the old fashion way: map and compass! I also assume that I'll need a good knife, and of course, suitable hunting clothes. What am I missing?

Oh, and do any of you hunt with a side arm? I am thinking of bringing my wife's S&W model 60 loaded with .357 magnum rounds. My other choices are a .45 or a .22, both 1911 models.

I love W CO, hunting and fishing is great, weather is mild, access to lots of public land is abundant (there are about 25K contiguous ac of BLM that starts about 250 yds from my front door).

The one major thing you are missing (and the FIRST thing you should buy) is a very good pair of boots, IMO the most important piece of hunting gear next to a gun! If you have to go Cabela's/BassPro route then Danner's are always a pretty safe bet. Plan on spending at least $200 for decent boots, up to $400+ for GREAT boots.

Next buy a comfortable GOOD pack (NOT a Walmart pack) to carry stuff and put as little in it as possible .

Clothes are almost irrelevant as long as they are comfortable and definitely have some decent rain gear.


ETA: I almost always carry a M65 .357.

 

[bruce_ventura]

Meanwhile I am happy to be here in Virginia. We moved here from California where the states seems to be in denial that the 2nd Amendment applies to California residents too. Virginia is a much more reasonable state when it comes to gun laws.

... I will not be using a GPS. I'll be hiking out to my hunt locations the old fashion way: map and compass! I also assume that I'll need a good knife, and of course, suitable hunting clothes. What am I missing?

Oh, and do any of you hunt with a side arm? I am thinking of bringing my wife's S&W model 60 loaded with .357 magnum rounds. My other choices are a .45 or a .22, both 1911 models.

If I didn't have roots in CA I wouldn't be here either. To dam many people.

If you're hunting alone I recommend you take a SPOT tracker with you. Yea, I know you can take care of yourself. You do it for your wife and kids.

I used to carry a sidearm when hunting. Now I leave it in the truck. I finally realized my best self defense is the rifle in my hands. Why would I drop that to reach for a pistol? I use a Gunslinger holster to carry my rifle when I'm just hiking to/from the hunting area. I can flip the rifle off my shoulder pretty fast, although not quite as fast as I can draw a pistol. It's a minor compromise that saves me the weight and inconvenience of carrying the pistol.

I hike a lot in rattlesnake country, so I wear SnakeGardz gaiters. They also keep the stickers out of my socks.

 

[iknowftbll]

The one major thing you are missing (and the FIRST thing you should buy) is a very good pair of boots, IMO the most important piece of hunting gear next to a gun! If you have to go Cabela's/BassPro route then Danner's are always a pretty safe bet. Plan on spending at least $200 for decent boots, up to $400+ for GREAT boots.

Next buy a comfortable GOOD pack (NOT a Walmart pack) to carry stuff and put as little in it as possible .

Yeah, footwear is important. For starters I will probably stick to the boots I wear for military use. I have a couple pairs that I've worn on 20 mile hikes with over 80 pounds of gear on my back and made it without blisters. I may look into nicer and lighter boots in the future, but for now I have to spread out "start up" costs, so for now I'll use what I've got. I'll probably get a couple nice pairs of socks though.

I'll be looking at Gander Mountain and REI for a pack. I have one that I can use for kayak excursions, and I even wore it when I climbed Mt. Blanca in Colorado back in 2004. But I will be looking for an upgrade here nonetheless.

@Bruce Ventura,
That's actually a good idea. I googled SPOT trackers and they seem like a sensible piece of gear especially since I am also getting more into kayaking, and planning some kayak/camping trips in the near future. Plus I do a lot of hiking. I don't plan on hunting alone, but may consider that anyway.

 

[trebark]

I'll be looking at Gander Mountain and REI for a pack. I have one that I can use for kayak excursions, and I even wore it when I climbed Mt. Blanca in Colorado back in 2004. But I will be looking for an upgrade here nonetheless.

Although GM and REI have some nice packs, look at the 'tactical' packs like 5.11. I have a RUSH24 and love it. They also make a RUSH12 and 72 (the numbers refer to the number of house in your 'mission')

Military & MOLLE Backpacks | 5.11 Tactical

The pockets of the pack are great and with all the MOLLE points on the outside, you can add extra pouches etc. on the outside. They will also carry a 3liter water bladder.