Choosing a beginner deer rifle

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bobbo

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I was thinking today about some good, small-caliber deer rounds for beginners (light recoil, low purchase price, cheap ammo, utility for certain small game/varmint shooting). What do you think of these options in a single-shot, lever-action or a cheap bolt-action:

.243
.30-30
.357 Magnum (.38 special for practice, plinking)

Also, which action:
break-action
Levergun
Bolt-action

BTW, this is prompted by a hunter safety course I'm taking (felt like a safety refresher couldn't hurt anything, and there is free coffee, haha), and there's all these small kids I wouldn't want to hand a 300 Win Mag to.
 
A .243 WInchester is a good choice. Ammo is plentiful at Walmaart at $14 a box. More trigger time is more practice. With a good scope it s deadly at 200 yds .
 
I would look at a 243 > 25-06 > 7mm-08 calibers in a bolt action rifle. Visit gunshows for ideas and perhaps a fair price on a used gun. I would look at Savage as my No. 1 choice new.

Caliber choice really depends on "how much" varmint hunting and what the varmints are. My first rifle was a Mossberg 243 which I used for both groundhogs and whitetail deer. I tend to favor the .243 win in general. If you do occasional varmint hunting (like a couple times a year) and the varmints are big or you're just shooting groundhogs around your house, I would lean toward the 30-30 win caliber, or my standard recommendation of something in the 270 > 308 > 30-06 power range. More recoil to be sure, but not bad when you consider that many use 7mm, 300 win mag and similar calibers for deer hunting.
 
An open sight 30-30 would be a great starting rifle for deer. Plenty of ammo choices, small size for going through brush and lever-action is just plain cool. Still one of my favorite rifles. Fun factor is , well FUN.
 
I second (or third/fourth) the 30-30 comment. Level action gives off a old west feel for younger new hunters.. Gimmicky yes but if it's enough to keep them interested through their first bought of buck fever I'll take it!
 
A friend of mine, money in hand, asked me the same question. We went out and bought a new Savage synthetic stocked 7mm08 bolt action rifle for around $300. He has never regretted the choice. His first two years he nailed two bucks and two doe from varying ranges. It also can double as a groundhog rig.

Of the choices you offered I would clearly choose the .243. It is a B choice for deer, but entirely adequate. I like slightly heavier bullets. I would rate the .30-30 as a C choice because of its more arched trajectory and available rifles. While I love lever actions they are lousy choices for beginners. The .357,in my opinion, is an F choice. It lacks both the energy and range for effective deer hunting.

I use a 6.5x55 which I consider ideal for deer. In my ideal category are the .257 Roberts (waning), 7mm08, .260 Remington, 7x57 Mauser, 6.5x55 Swede. Good all around cartridges include the .308, .270, .280, and the venerable and uniquitous .30-06.

Everybody has their own opinions. (mine come with years of shooting experience) Good luck to you. Picking a caliber and a rifles is part of the fun.
 
Oooh, I'll play... Bolt rifle, .243, 257, 260 or one of the 6mm's. I like the 6mm Remington. You could migrate to the 6.5's also, they are pretty easy on you, the 6.5 Creedmoor is quickly becoming a deer hunting favorite, so I hear! Don't forget the 6.5X55 either.

Lever... 243, 30-30, 32 Remington.

Break Action... Same as the bolt rifle.

I don't know, all my young'uns started doing deer around 10 or 12 IIRC, and I do remember what caliber they all shot, the 7mm-08, it was all we had for them to shoot that wasn't a pile driver on one end! They all shot it well, all the gals!

The fit of the rifle is of the utmost importance, many a bad habit has been birthed from shooting a firearm that did not fit the operator correctly, and even stout recoil isn't felt as much IF the stock fits you correctly.

Length of pull, comb height, (this one is probably the most important and the least adhered to) and the balance is important as well...too heavy on one end or the other changes everything, everything a young shooter cannot compensate for, be it from lack of knowledge or strength.
And really, you should not HAVE to compensate for anything, if all is right.
 
bobbo;

I actually posted this response in another thread about lever action and truck guns, but I think it applies to your thread as well.

I love my Marlin 336c 30-30. Cheap ammo, accurate with open sites, un-noticable recoil, and here in the Southeast it will put down every critter out there. ;)

If I could only keep ONE game rifle out of all that I own that lever action 30-30 would be it. It may not be the best at anything, ( accuracy ,distance,power etc..) but it covers so many bases so well that it just might be the best all round :)

.........Tentwing
 
357mag lever action

you can go from 110grn all the way over 200grn.

You have a wider choice of ammo, and it'll give you a reason to get a revolver in same.
 
I will not start someone out on a levergun no way no how.

Halfcock cafetys where the trigger must be pulled over a live round to put the gun on "safe" isn't something you want a child or novice doing. Which marlins crossbolt works around this issue but introduces problems of it's own. 9 tomes in 10 an excited beginner when confronted with a deer will drop the hammer on the crossbolt in the excitment thus not bagging thier deer and getting frustrated with hunting in the process.

They might be inaccurate but Imo the best platform for the beginner is the break action single shot. Simply because such a rifle with an x-fer bar safety is safe by default and is only "hot" the moment before you shoot. All you have to do is teach em to not touch the hammer till they're ready to shoot
 
.243 or 30-30 would be a wise choice, 357 would only be good for short distances. Have you considered 7.62 x39 Remington had bolt action 798 two years ago also CZ got their 527 chambered for it as well, also you can get semiautomatic SKS, they are cheap and durable and reliable.
 
I like a bolt action or single shot in .243, .257 Bob, .260 or 7mm-08 for a beginner. I really like the 7mm-08. I'd avoid the lever actions for the same reasons as Krochus mentions above. Remember that nowadays you can buy reduced recoil ammo off the shelf, so larger cartridges (270, 308, 30-06) can be tamed for smaller shooters. You could take an adult rifle in a more substantial cartridge and cut down/change the stock for a shorter LOP.

We're using a Remington Model 7 youth with a 20" barrel in 7mm-08 for our 11yr old. We took 2 deer with it this last season, both with one shot using Remington Managed Recoil. I picked the 7mm-08 over the .243 as I felt it was a better choice for black bear and could be used for elk if the opportunity ever arose.
 
The Savage Model 10 they sell at Walmart for right under $400 in .243 would be my choice. It's a great gun, has the amazing accu trigger, and is just a all around gun in general. Now the $400 package includes a cheap Simmons scope. It seems to be decent and get decent reviews. I say decent as it doesn't seem to be good but not crap either. They seem to work and will get you by until you can afford something nicer. They just aren't the clearest. It also comes with a sling. Overall, I'm just not sure that package can be beat.

My second choice would be a Marlin XS-7 in .243 or a XL-7 in 25-06. With this you would have to buy a scope. It also has a trigger similar to the accu trigger although I'm not sure how good they are. This seems like a nice choice also but I think the Savage is a better choice.


If you don't want to spend the money for a Savage you can get a Stevens 200 for cheaper without the scope and without the accu trigger. It's basically an older model 10 without the accu trigger. However, to me the accu trigger would be worth the extra price difference.
 
my 1st deer rifle was SKS :)) I got it at the gun show for 80 bucks, of course Florida deer are small but I think 7.62x39 is capable for northern bucks as well, ammo is cheap and abundant, don't like semiautomatics go for bolt or single shots
 
Anyone know a young shooter under 18 that even cares about cowboy style lever guns? All the kids I know want to be a sniper these days. :scrutiny:

I think bolt action is the way to go, but I wouldn't get a single shot. I'd get a detachable magazine rifle and give 'em one bullet at a time until the young shooter is competent. Plus, as much as scopes are apparently required on all rifles these days, I'd prefer to set up the rifle in question with an aperture sight. They can get a scope for Christmas if they still want one. :p
 
An H&R single shot break open in .243 would be ideal for a beginner. Light weight, inexpensive, little recoil, fairly cheap and widely available ammo, and since you rarely get a second shot at a deer anyway why do you need a repeater?

Another huge plus is that when the gun is broken open it's a positive proof to fellow hunters that the gun is in safe mode and unable to be fired. A beginner could easily forget to put the safety on or fail to eject all the shells from a repeater and that could be disaterous.
 
I agree with krochus. No lever action, it doesn't make for a good platform with a scope. A beginner will do well to get a bolt action in .270, .30-06, or .308; you can always only load one round if you want to for safety.
 
action bolt - they are more accurate than a break action in general, lever action just weighs you down.

Caliber - low kick, either the .243 (longest effective range) or the .30-30 are pussy cats. Don't think your going to find a .357 mag in a bolt gun... but it would have the shortest effective distance.

the .243 will be the most common gun, but bolt .30-30's are out there for you to fine. I like mine.

That said, a bolt .243 will be the most accurate AND easiest to find while having the longest legs. I'd prefer the .30-30, but the bolts are getting more difficult to find.
 
.243 will not break your wallet esp ammo is cheap at Walmart. And its freaking accurate to say the least. Light recoil , too.
 
I'm not a fan of getting people single shots as their first gun. Everyone seems to think that's a great idea for their kids or even spouses. Sure they are cheap but are the kids going to really like them? Yet something I see way too often is almost new single shots for sale. It seems like a lot of people try to buy their kid one because they are cheap. Then it turns out their child doesn't want or even like the single shot and wants to sell it relatively quickly to get a bolt action or semi automatic. Instead of doing that and taking a loss on it I'd just get him a bolt action or semi auto to start with.

I'm just not a huge fan of single shots and the above seems to be something that happens way too often.
 
... according to slow1der it might be a good idea to
buy a used single-shot :) .. in any of the above caliber.

:)
 
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