Need Help With Purchasing My First Rifle

[Sam Bhullar]

I've done enough research and it's time to go test fire both .308win and .300win mag in 10BA Stealth & 110BA Stealth. But I am getting more inclined towards .308 since it's good enough for any game, lesser recoil, lesser noise, and most importantly a lot cheaper than .300win mag (3:1). 10BA Stealth seems to check all the boxes as compared to 110BA Stealth; more rounds in mag, lighter than counterpart (which is a good thing when hunting), less recoil, and cheaper ammo.

Anything to say about Ruger Precision .308win? I heard some really good stuff about it too.

 

[Dawico]

I've done enough research and it's time to go test fire both .308win and .300win mag in 10BA Stealth & 110BA Stealth. But I am getting more inclined towards .308 since it's good enough for any game, lesser recoil, lesser noise, and most importantly a lot cheaper than .300win mag (3:1). 10BA Stealth seems to check all the boxes as compared to 110BA Stealth; more rounds in mag, lighter than counterpart (which is a good thing when hunting), less recoil, and cheaper ammo.

Anything to say about Ruger Precision .308win? I heard some really good stuff about it too.

They are a decent rifle but are another half almost of what the Stealth costs. Many guys go looking for a new trigger for them right away. Not an issue with a Savage.

My Stealth in 6.5 CM with my handloads gave me my first ever sub 1/2 MOA 5 shot group. All the other groups were very close to that during load development. It did even better today. My Stealth will shoot, that is for sure.

I have a thread in the rifles section and will update it with today's trip. I think you will be impressed with how it did today.

 

[Wiliamr]

.308 Win is an excellent choice. The fodder for my beloved M14 and M60. This round will do most anything you can ever need a round to do. It is easy to reload, accurate and easy on the shoulder. Savage makes a fine rifle and, in my opinion, is generally underrated for accuracy and general longevity of parts.

 

[heritagejl]

22lr is your best bet

I do not know you or your shooting experience. I can only go off what you posted. I will make a couple assumptions. 1) You have never fired a large caliber rifle. You have never fired a 300 win Mag or 338 Lapua. If that is so, find your strongest friend and ask them to full body weight, punch your shoulder holding nothing back. That will give you a good feeling for what the large calibers feel like. Not trying to be an ass about this, but I have seen too many new shooters show up with a heavy recoiling rifle at the range, and fire a few shots only to walk away in disgust. A 22 LR rifle would be a great way to learn basics of rifle marksmanship. For any game in North America short of a moose or grizzly, 30-06 is all you need with .308 Win, 7mm-08 .270 Win being more than adequate. For Texas deer .308 is fine or .270, .243 are more than enough.

As far as going hunting, you will most likely need a Hunter Education Class, license and about 1500 to 5000 dollars for a lease. Odds are not many people with a lease are going to invite a new hunter on a lease. You can try for a Texas Parks and Wildlife hunting drawing, but your odds of being successful without a great deal of experience are low. Your best bet is to find someone who is an experienced hunter to take you under their wing and tutor you on the science and art of hunting.

I would have to agree with Williamr here. Starting out with the idea of going on the 1000yrd range is only going to set you up for lots of disappointments. There is a huge difference between plinking at 100 meters and getting out to 1000. There is a lot of math and fundamentals involved, and most ranges that accommodate that range will make you qualify on shorter ranges before they let you loose on the long ranges. So with that in mind, I would go with the crowd and get a nice 22lr with a heavy barrel and work on your fundamentals cheaply. Then after you are dialed in, then move up to a Remington 700, I personally own a m24 variant in 308 and find it very enjoyable to shoot. But I also have spent 2x the rifle cost on the optics, so keep that in mind. Lastly, keep in mind, that unless you are shooting in way west Texas, you will almost never take a kill shot out more than 150-200 yards. Taking shots out to 1000 meters to kill animals without the proper training is going to waste time and ammo. Just my 2 cents.