Budget vs expensive hunting guns?

[Axis II]

How many of you guys run budget hunting guns like Mossbergs, 870's, cheap 22lr, cheaper deer rifles? I've always been the weekend warrior and buying all my hunting guns at 18yo with a crappy job i purchased bare bones stuff that i'm noticing a lot of people consider junk like a Mossberg 500, Savage mark 2, Savage axis, Stoeger O/U. Barnett crossbows, cheaper compounds. My hunting has now become an obsession and using some friends higher end stuff and seeing what other guys are using I am starting to feel i need to "keep up with the jones's" i guess you would say.

I've never had an accuracy issue, reliability issue with any of my gear and feel it gets the job done enough and i don't need a $800 bow, rifle, shotgun to hunt with but then i start thinking man a semi auto 12ga would be nice and maybe a semi auto 20ga for rabbits and toss the O/U, sure would like an accu trigger savage 22lr instead of the 4-5lbs thing I've got now, sure would like a nice Matthews compound or ten pt crossbow but do we really need all these features for hunting or is it just a "cool factor thing"?

Have any of you guys started off with cheaper stuff cause that's all you could afford and figured its good enough and still have them or have you upgraded?

 

[FL-NC]

I've had "all the stuff". I have some custom handguns, AR's, and long range rifles worth thousands of dollars that would look totally at home in a SOCOM armory, but they are mostly for fun/training (although more than 1 critter has fallen to some of them). My hunting guns that I actually use: Rem 870 express ($170 at Kmart in the mid-90's) with duck, turkey, and rifle sight smooth barrels, Ithaca 37 (bought for $100 from a guy who needed $) with 28" mod and 20" slug barrels, Moss 930 with turkey and duck barrel (my go-to for everything with feathers now), Wally world Rem 700 243 ($300 ish, 2000) a Ruger American predator in 308 (less than $400, and I wish I had got the 6.5 CM instead) and a 30 year old 10-22. Bought my x bow at Academy last year on sale after deer season. None of these guns are higher-end, they are all cheap(er) middle of the road guns. They all work FINE for everything that I hunt. In fact, I was hunting this AM for deer with a 20 gauge bolt action Mossberg with buckshot, just because. There are lesser lights in my hunting arsenal as well that just take up space, are loaner or backup guns, etc. Are you a successful hunter with your "cheap" guns? Are they reliable and consistent? Are you shooting critters at such a distance that higher end rifles will make a difference? Do you shoot good enough to exploit the difference in higher quality guns VS what you already have? Also consider how much you actually hunt, because that is how much use your guns are going to get. Are you booking super expensive elk hunts in Montana? Hunting in Alaska or another place with extreme conditions, where you really need a better rifle?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Like an old Remington 870, with three barrels (now 3 barrels that is, bought over time)? How about several H&R Single Shot rifles, in .223, .22, .308? Plus an H&R Stainless, 12 ga, single shot with a 3½ chamber and screw-in chokes? A Savage 311 16 gauge with choke tubes installed, plus adaptors to shoot 20 gauge shells?

It doesn't matter what they look like or cost...., do they hit and do they deliver a projectile or projectiles that will harvest the game in a humane manner? The deer or elk or birds have NO IDEA if they are harvested with a Kimber, or a Beretta, or a Greener (if one must ask what is a "Greener" then one simply cannot afford such <said with pompous accent> ) or if you take them with a Handi-Rifle, a Sears Ted Williams 12 gauge, or a Savage 311.

I saw Phil Roberts in an episode of Duck Dynasty, select a scoped, single shot, handi-rifle in I think .30-30 to go hog hunting. The man has millions, yet he chose a gun set-up running less than $600 (assuming he had a $350 dollar scope on the rifle).

"When you get into the real wilderness far from rich men's preserves and summer hotels, you will find there some mighty hunters who make mighty kills with guns that would bring only the price of scrap iron in New York." Horace Kephart, Camping and Woodcraft 1918

LD

 

[Patocazador]

I have four 870's and a Barnett crossbow. IMO the best rifles I have are older Remington 700's most with reworked triggers. I have two Weatherby Mark V's but prefer the 700's.
You can use the old 870 for a duck, dove, quail, deer, or hog gun when hunting and turn around and use it for a fence tightener or crowbar and it still hangs in there.

 

[Choctaw]

I fit into the budget category. I want hunting firearms that can accomplish the mission but as a law enforcement officer I have never felt justified in using my family's money to purchase high-end guns. My gun budget isn't as large as many of the guys on this forum. That's life. However, I have simple tastes and those tastes extend to my selection of firearms. I am perfectly happy with my lower cost guns because they do the job I expect of them. We keep a little H&R Buffalo Classic carbine in 45 Colt on the Mule and it is a pig killer extraordinaire. My two Mossberg Patriots have been excellent hunting rifles. My Winchesters and Remingtons work just fine.

 

[ccoyle]

To put game on the table, you need a firearm, but beyond that a dove, for example, cares very little about whether you knocked it down with a Maverick 88 or a Holland & Holland Royal SxS. It's equally dead either way. We hunters are the ones who get the enjoyment not only out of what we do, but the tools we use to do it with. So a big part of the question is, are you happy with your hunting tools? If so, then who cares what the Jones clan is using? Personally, I derive a great deal of satisfaction from what I carry in the field, which is why I saved up my pennies until I could afford just the rifle I wanted (it's the CZ in my avatar photo), but before that I filled some tags with far less aesthetically pleasing guns -- but the venison tasted the same. And if any of the Joneses are snooty about their firearms (I suspect fewer of them actually are then we might think), I at least (being a person of very modest means) would never look askance at a hunting buddy who has to or chooses to hunt with a budget gun. Unlike personal enjoyment of a firearm, camaraderie doesn't depend on what the other guy is using.

 

[Axis II]

I've had "all the stuff". I have some custom handguns, AR's, and long range rifles worth thousands of dollars that would look totally at home in a SOCOM armory, but they are mostly for fun/training (although more than 1 critter has fallen to some of them). My hunting guns that I actually use: Rem 870 express ($170 at Kmart in the mid-90's) with duck, turkey, and rifle sight smooth barrels, Ithaca 37 (bought for $100 from a guy who needed $) with 28" mod and 20" slug barrels, Moss 930 with turkey and duck barrel (my go-to for everything with feathers now), Wally world Rem 700 243 ($300 ish, 2000) a Ruger American predator in 308 (less than $400, and I wish I had got the 6.5 CM instead) and a 30 year old 10-22. Bought my x bow at Academy last year on sale after deer season. None of these guns are higher-end, they are all cheap(er) middle of the road guns. They all work FINE for everything that I hunt. In fact, I was hunting this AM for deer with a 20 gauge bolt action Mossberg with buckshot, just because. There are lesser lights in my hunting arsenal as well that just take up space, are loaner or backup guns, etc. Are you a successful hunter with your "cheap" guns? Are they reliable and consistent? Are you shooting critters at such a distance that higher end rifles will make a difference? Do you shoot good enough to exploit the difference in higher quality guns VS what you already have? Also consider how much you actually hunt, because that is how much use your guns are going to get. Are you booking super expensive elk hunts in Montana? Hunting in Alaska or another place with extreme conditions, where you really need a better rifle?

Not going on extravagant hunts just local and sometimes out of state deer and turkey hunts. I think my most expensive piece would be my Marlin 1895 with scope and only got that cause of a deal. Ive been successful with my rifles but the shotguns are kind of another story. follow up shots on bunnies and birds are sometimes hard with the pumps or O/U. Yeah, i don't need to sling 3-4 shells at a bird but there had been a few times ive had pheasants flying all over and couldn't get that pump fast enough.

 

[Charliefrank]

I haven't ever upgraded. Every firearm I've ever purchased was the most quality I could afford at the time. I never bought crap and I never bought top of the line. That being said the only reason I now own guns that are pricey is that I bought them many years ago and now they're somewhat collectable. Model 29 purchased in the seventies, Ruger 77 purchased in the early 80's etc.

 

[Axis II]

I thought about this today because turkey season is coming up in a month or so and it seems everyone is running around with 3.5'' auto loaders decked out in camo with fiber optic sights. Not sure if they are more a pleasure to use/carry or sometimes a turkey needs another shot or what?

 

[ccoyle]

I thought about this today because turkey season is coming up in a month or so and it seems everyone is running around with 3.5'' auto loaders decked out in camo with fiber optic sights. Not sure if they are more a pleasure to use/carry or sometimes a turkey needs another shot or what?

This made me chuckle, because I took my first turkey with an ancient, beat-up Stevens 16-gauge single-shot (an heirloom gun) that was in such horrific shape that any reasonable person would probably think I was risking my own life by shooting it. Later I "upgraded" to a bolt-action 12-gauge with a broken ejector; that gun was gifted to me. Every bird I have ever shot with either gun has been one shot DRT. Grand total spent on turkey guns: $0.00, but I had fan mounts on the wall same as the next guy. No style points, though.

 

[Axis II]

This made me chuckle, because I took my first turkey with an ancient, beat-up Stevens 16-gauge single-shot (an heirloom gun) that was in such horrific shape that any reasonable person would probably think I was risking my own life by shooting it. Later I "upgraded" to a bolt-action 12-gauge with a broken ejector; that gun was gifted to me. Every bird I have ever shot with either gun has been one shot DRT. Grand total spent on turkey guns: $0.00, but I had fan mounts on the wall same as the next guy. No style points, though.

I see all these shows, online stuff, in person where a guys go to is a semi auto and it makes me think man there has to be a reason for it and same thing with the $1k bows and stuff.

 

[ccoyle]

Mind you, if I had money to burn, I would probably LOVE to have a dedicated, tricked-out SA turkey gun. But I don't, and it's not real high on my gotta-have list, so for now I get along with what I do have.

 

[Choctaw]

Mind you, if I had money to burn, I would probably LOVE to have a dedicated, tricked-out SA turkey gun. But I don't, and it's not real high on my gotta-have list, so for now I get along with what I do have.

I totally agree. There are certainly very nice guns out there I would love to have. However, my two sons are currently attending the same university and they have a freakish need to be fed on a regular basis.

 

[GAF]

My deer hunting rifles run from $550 up to $1300 with out a scope. All of them go hunting at one time or another. The cheapest is as accurate as the most expensive, but the most expensive looks more like art than the cheapest.

 

[George P]

The only thing you need for a "tricked out" turkey gun is the right ammo; and it does not need to be 3.5" or even 3". Our granddads and great granddads did just fine with their SxS, single shots, and pumps. Instead of trying to make 75 yard shots, focus on your calling techniques

As far as budget guns, guess that depends on your budget and what you consider low end versus high end. I read a lot of threads where folks balk at paying more than a few hundred, expecting a quality SxS, but think nothing of dropping $2K+ on a 1911 or AR. There's a lot more labor involved in getting the SxS right than the other two.

As for keeping up with the Jones', I prefer to think of it as pride of ownership, no matter what the gun is. I shoot a Beretta A400 for sporting clays; some might think that is expensive at ~$1400; but it works. Of the regular guys I shoot with 2 shoot Kolars, 1 a Beretta DT-11 and the other has 2 Kreighoffs. NONE of those guns go for less than 12K. If I hit the lotto, I'm off to Italy for a pair of bespoke Perazzis. Until, I have pride in my A400 and I'm not too bad with it for an old guy.....

But, hey - if you're just looking for an excuse and justification to buy another gun............nothing wrong with that either.
Personally, I would rather have 3-4 higher end guns that I shoot all the time, than 6 safes of guns I either don't like or shoot....YMMV

 

[FL-NC]

I thought about this today because turkey season is coming up in a month or so and it seems everyone is running around with 3.5'' auto loaders decked out in camo with fiber optic sights. Not sure if they are more a pleasure to use/carry or sometimes a turkey needs another shot or what?

My 930 with its extended turkey choke doesn't throw patterns any better than my 870 with its extended choke. But the auto doesn't kick near as bad, either. As far as the second shot on a turkey, I never had to do that but I could really easy. Its also nice to have the autoloader for other feathered critters, but on something like dove I have no issue using the Ithaca 37. I decided not to go with 3.5", 3" is fine for me so far. Maybe you could find a good used auto that you can get aftermarket stuff for easy (like chokes, vent rib fiber sights, etc.) and just camo it yourself. On my 930, I bought the turkey barrel on sale from Mossberg- it was already camo. For the stock and handguard I used that mossy oak adhesive stuff that you shrink on with a hair dryer. The only part that isn't camo is the receiver. If I had a decent O-U (esp in 20 gauge) I would keep it. Can't ask for better for rabbits, quail and the like.

 

[LocoGringo]

If your equipment works for you, great! If you're in the field and not worried about messing it up because it's a "budget" gun, great! There's a lot to be said about peace of mind.

The more expensive stuff isn't any more deadly, but there is a certain pride of ownership that goes along with having something nice that you've worked for, done your homework and researched, and have in your possession when someone else looks at it and says, "that's a nice rifle/shotgun/pistol/crossbow/whatever".

It really comes down to pride. If your weapon of choice works for you, hasn't failed and completes the job, who cares? If you and your buddy both take a trophy 8-point buck the same day and your rifle/scope cost $600 together and his combo cost $2000, who wins?

 

[Skoghund]

If your equipment works for you, great! If you're in the field and not worried about messing it up because it's a "budget" gun, great! There's a lot to be said about peace of mind.

The more expensive stuff isn't any more deadly, but there is a certain pride of ownership that goes along with having something nice that you've worked for, done your homework and researched, and have in your possession when someone else looks at it and says, "that's a nice rifle/shotgun/pistol/crossbow/whatever".

It really comes down to pride. If your weapon of choice works for you, hasn't failed and completes the job, who cares? If you and your buddy both take a trophy 8-point buck the same day and your rifle/scope cost $600 together and his combo cost $2000, who wins?

Agree with above. I like nice guns, always have done. I have six guns that would be classed as higher quality. The latest, a double cost over $ 100000. Personally its about pride of ownership. I'm not a rich man by any means. I don't smoke, drink very little and don't gamble. My only hobby is hunting. As mentioned in another thread i bought a Heym-Ruger many years ago. i've shot hundreds of deer everything from Muntjac to Moose and a few boar. That rifle had a hard life and it was money well spent. None of my guns are safe queens. As my late father, a man who never earned a lot of money once Said, Always buy the best you can afford. So thats what I've done. I have mates who have also shot a lot of deer with more budget rifles. Respect to them.

 

[George P]

Skoghund - do you own a Flodman?

 

[Choctaw]

I think it is the memory of our hunts that is important. I can relive my hunts by looking at my guns because I can remember exactly how every ding or scratch occurred. Those memories are not tied to the value of the gun.

That being said, I would really like to have a Rigby double rifle in .470 Nitro Express. That would be cool.

 

[kscharlie]

I have never bought the cheapest and have never bought the uber-expensive. Although there is some truth that "you get what you pay for", there is (to me) a point of diminishing returns. I pretty much have and shoot "middle of the road" guns from Winchester and Remington. 870 Wingmasters, Winchester Model 12s, Rem 700, Win Model 70. I grew up in an era of nicely grained walnut and deep rich blueing. That's what I like and pretty much what I own, with a few exceptions. Over the past 25 years, I have killed over 50 longbeards, all but 2 of them taken with a Mossberg 9200 camo turkey model that I puchased new in 1994 for $430. Walnut and blue are nice to look at, but it doesn't make the bang any louder or the game any deader!!

 

[marksman13]

I hunt with the guns I enjoy shooting which for me means my SCAR-17, M1A and various AR-15s. I have owned several "budget rifles" and all of them worked quite well, but I slowly traded all of them off over the years.

 

[Axis II]

My 930 with its extended turkey choke doesn't throw patterns any better than my 870 with its extended choke. But the auto doesn't kick near as bad, either. As far as the second shot on a turkey, I never had to do that but I could really easy. Its also nice to have the autoloader for other feathered critters, but on something like dove I have no issue using the Ithaca 37. I decided not to go with 3.5", 3" is fine for me so far. Maybe you could find a good used auto that you can get aftermarket stuff for easy (like chokes, vent rib fiber sights, etc.) and just camo it yourself. On my 930, I bought the turkey barrel on sale from Mossberg- it was already camo. For the stock and handguard I used that mossy oak adhesive stuff that you shrink on with a hair dryer. The only part that isn't camo is the receiver. If I had a decent O-U (esp in 20 gauge) I would keep it. Can't ask for better for rabbits, quail and the like.

Yeah, got a stoeger O/U 20ga. Currently running a Mossberg 500 12ga in Mossy oak hair dryer tape.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I guess I have middle of the road stuff.
Not a budget Remington 770, but certainly not a premium rifle either.

My 2 deer rifles are a Weatherby Vanguard and an old tang safety Ruger M77. I really like both and even if I get to the point where I think I'm justified in spending several times the money on a nice rifle, I'll likely still keep these 2. They're good shooting rifles.
The handguns I hunt with are single action Rugers. Again, middle of the road stuff.

 

[LoonWulf]

Ive got mostly semi custom rifles at this point, and none of those are over 1k, a browning Citori. For bows i have a Martin Lithium ltd, and a chinese made recurve (which is AMAZINGLY good for the cost) again nothing top of the line, but all a little more refined than the bargin basement options.
Even my Mossberg 802s sporting a custom stock, and a bunch of trigger work.
None of them kill anything deader than my Mossberg 88, my Savage 110, my Remington 597, my bear whitetail, or my Samick Sage (also chinese and cost about what my newer bow does). Where i can tell a difference is in the handling, and general enjoyment of use. Eventually everyone I know has gone to a "nicer" piece of equipment in any sport/hobby they are passionate about, but most of us also realize we dont NEED it, it just makes our time doing what ever were doing more enjoyable.

SO.....My opinion is use what you like and like what you use. If your happy with the bargin basement item, GREAT, its probably a very solid tool. If you find yourself wishing for something nicer, save up till you can get what you want, and enjoy what you have in the meantime.