Best hunting rifle?

[GM.Chief]

My wife and I are looking to purchase a hunting rifle in the near future for deer and/or hogs. What are yall's opinion for the best decent low to medium priced rifles/calibers?

 

[dbgun]

Remington/Mossberg/Savage in .243 or 25-06 for a first rifle.

 

[M. Sage]

Depends on terrain and some other things. How big are the deer in your area? What are you comfortable with? How long are the shots you'll likely take?

 

[Bullseye Shooter]

My first deer rifle was a .243 Winchester. I still have it and have shot lots of deer with it. All one shot kills. And I had a friend in Montana (he passed on) who used a .243 on elk, but he was able to get relatively close and place his shots. Having said that, if you're talking only one rifle for both deer and hogs, I would look at a .308 Winchester. A little easier on recoil than a .30-06 and cartridges with varying bullet weights and styles are available. The .308 will do pretty much anything a .30-06 will do with less powder.

I'm a big fan of Savage bolt actions. Excellent rifle with an inexpensive price compared to Remington and Winchester models.

 

[dee]

There's no one perfect cartridge. I've used .223, .22-250, .243 and .30-06. I've had animals run with all four even with the .30-06 and hit was a perfect hit right through the vitals( heart and lungs were toast ). So I think it just depends on what the shooter wants personally. But keep in mind the smaller the caliber the less forgiving it is about shoot placement.

 

[country_boy]

I use a semi auto sks with soft points. Always takes down a buck in one shot.
Not really a fan of bolt action rifles.

 

[dbgun]

There's no one perfect cartridge

Agree, but if this is your first rifle & your wife is also going to shoot it, then IMHO the .243 is the way to start off with. If it's just you that's going to do the shooting, then I recommend the Win. 270 (in any name brand).

 

[Posit]

Given the lack of more specific information - and probably even with more info: Savage or Tikka in 25-06. Low to medium price, both accurate out of the box, 25-06 will drop anything you're likely to run into in Texas, and most other places as well.

 

[kingofwylietx]

My wife loved taking hogs & deer with her brothers .243. When it was time for her own rifle, she went with the 25-06. Either of those are great starters and either will kill anything native to Texas. We know a lady that shoots a 30-06, but it does have more kick. I think it's easier to learn on something that doesn't intimidate you with its recoil. Due to that reason alone, I'd start with .243 or 25-06.

 

[dee]

I would also try and find people who have a few models of rifles cause different models and makes recoil different aven though they may be the same caliber.

 

[GM.Chief]

Thanks evryone!!! While I'm still not quite ready to purchase (finances are what they are) I feel a little bit more prepared in my research on the best rifle for us. I have a bit of time while I save up to continue looking into the best option for us but you've definitely narrowed it down for me. Any advice on what type/power scope we should be looking for would also be helpful. Thanks again.

 

[dee]

3x9x40 is a great all around power for hunting as far as brands go I've had some good experiances with Bushnell's and Simmons.

 

[Big country]

3x9x40 on a .308, .243, or a .25-06. That is the set up I would look at for beginners, and I would suggest a wood stock over a synthetic. The added weight will help reduce recoil. I've heard good things about the TC Icon It has an aluminum bedding in a wooden stock (very pretty gun) Just my

 

[Starker]

I saw a cool Kimber rifle in a gun shop yesterday. That was the first time I had seen one. It was really light and perty, too!

This is it.

 

[M. Sage]

I use a semi auto sks with soft points. Always takes down a buck in one shot.
Not really a fan of bolt action rifles.

I was going to point that out. An SKS or AK (or .30-30) is good for deer and hogs out to 200 yards if you do your part. That's why I asked about the range they planned on taking shots. If you're in brush and won't shoot farther than 150 yards, a .243 or .308 is money wasted, IMO.

 

[dee]

.30-30 is my fav. brush gun. Can't go wrong with a Winchester lever gun.

 

[Rifleman55]

I would also consider a Savage in 7mm08, low recoil and good balistics, .243 is a great varmint round, .25-06 is also a good round, i have killed deer with that caliber, I still prefer the grand old .30 06. For women and youngins the 7-08 would be hard to beat.

 

[Big country]

I was going to point that out. An SKS or AK (or .30-30) is good for deer and hogs out to 200 yards if you do your part. That's why I asked about the range they planned on taking shots. If you're in brush and won't shoot farther than 150 yards, a .243 or .308 is money wasted, IMO.

M. Sage is right tho if you are in heavy brush the 30-30 Is unbeatable. I've never killed a deer with anything but a 30-30. And it is pure poison to a hog at 100 or less. It does have some recoil on it, so it may or may not work for you're wife. It all just depends on how she takes the recoil.

 

[Old Man of the Mountain]

If it is for East Texas with lots of brush, short range shots (not over 150 yards) on white tail, then a .357 lever action might be just what you want.

It is low recoil, which your wife might appreciate, and lower priced ammo.

A .357 JHP out of a rifle barrel (develops more velocity due to the long barrel giving the expanding gas more time to push the bullet) will drop a deer right in its tracks!

If it is for shot range like that, you might not need a scope either, depending on your eyesight.

If it is for longer ranges, I would go with the 3-9X 40 mm as that is the standard deer rifle scope size and it sells fairly cheap right before hunting season, even a good Leupold will sell for a reasonable price that time of year. And I would go with the .308 caliber as the caliber is a great all around long range caliber, comes in lots of variates, and sells for less than some of the others.

 

[Texas1911]

I don't understand the recoil excuse. In hunting you are taking very few shots, and honestly you don't feel the recoil. I've shot .22 LR to .460 Weatherby Magnum, and would feel fine with either.

If you are "recoil sensitive" then opt for a heavy gun in a .30-caliber bullet, or a light gun with a .243 / 6mm bullet. In Texas you can get away with just about anything on most of our game. We just got back blowing up small varmints with a .204 Ruger.