I'm thinking about deer hunting for the first time this fall, and I'd like to be sure that I have an appropriate gun for it.
Background: I'm 28, living in NW Vermont, and have a modest collection of guns, but have never hunted.
Any hunting that I DO end up doing will be in VT, so figure mostly woods with the occasional clearing or cornfield. Terrain likely to be quite hilly if not mountainous.
I'll be taking the hunter safety course this fall, and will be hunting with an experienced friend.
The guns that I have:
H&R 20 gauge single-shot
Yugoslavian SKS (unissued but shot quite a bit by me, with bayonet & grenade launcher)
Savage 23D in .22 K-Hornet
Of these, the SKS seems to be the "best", but it's a hefty thing, and I can't say that the grenade launcher or bayonet seem all that useful. Also I'd have to block off the magazine somehow to keep it legal ( <6 rounds in an autoloading rifle)
The 20 gauge would work, and is nice and light, but I'm unsure of its accuracy with slugs. Guess I need to go to the range.
Also the sights leave something (quite a bit, actually) to be desired.
The Savage is a nice rifle, and I haven't found any caliber restrictions for Vermont, but I'd prefer to stick with something a bit more powerful.
So those are my current options.
OR I could go out and buy a deer rifle! Only problem is that I AM on a budget. I can spend probably $300 without breaking the bank.
I'm set up to reload, so ammo cost isn't a huge concern.
The local shop has some used 30-30 lever guns for around $300.
Pros: Light, handy, classic deer rifle.
Cons: ammo more expensive, would have to reload to get much practice with it.
I could try to find a cheap SKS or other surplus rifle. I'd like to have a "beater" SKS anyhow, just because I don't want to modify the Yugo. Or a SMLE. This would be a great excuse to get one of those.
SKS:
Pros: cheap surplus ammo (7.62x39) for practice, inexpensive rifle.
Cons: questionably accurate, hunting ammo harder to find. Lousy sights, would probably get a set of aftermarket peep sights.
SMLE
Pros: solid, powerful bolt action. damn cool rifle.
Cons: ammo a bit harder to find. Heavier than the SKS or Winchester.
So let me know what you think!
Thanks,
Owen
Background: I'm 28, living in NW Vermont, and have a modest collection of guns, but have never hunted.
Any hunting that I DO end up doing will be in VT, so figure mostly woods with the occasional clearing or cornfield. Terrain likely to be quite hilly if not mountainous.
I'll be taking the hunter safety course this fall, and will be hunting with an experienced friend.
The guns that I have:
H&R 20 gauge single-shot
Yugoslavian SKS (unissued but shot quite a bit by me, with bayonet & grenade launcher)
Savage 23D in .22 K-Hornet
Of these, the SKS seems to be the "best", but it's a hefty thing, and I can't say that the grenade launcher or bayonet seem all that useful. Also I'd have to block off the magazine somehow to keep it legal ( <6 rounds in an autoloading rifle)
The 20 gauge would work, and is nice and light, but I'm unsure of its accuracy with slugs. Guess I need to go to the range.
Also the sights leave something (quite a bit, actually) to be desired.
The Savage is a nice rifle, and I haven't found any caliber restrictions for Vermont, but I'd prefer to stick with something a bit more powerful.
So those are my current options.
OR I could go out and buy a deer rifle! Only problem is that I AM on a budget. I can spend probably $300 without breaking the bank.
I'm set up to reload, so ammo cost isn't a huge concern.
The local shop has some used 30-30 lever guns for around $300.
Pros: Light, handy, classic deer rifle.
Cons: ammo more expensive, would have to reload to get much practice with it.
I could try to find a cheap SKS or other surplus rifle. I'd like to have a "beater" SKS anyhow, just because I don't want to modify the Yugo. Or a SMLE. This would be a great excuse to get one of those.
SKS:
Pros: cheap surplus ammo (7.62x39) for practice, inexpensive rifle.
Cons: questionably accurate, hunting ammo harder to find. Lousy sights, would probably get a set of aftermarket peep sights.
SMLE
Pros: solid, powerful bolt action. damn cool rifle.
Cons: ammo a bit harder to find. Heavier than the SKS or Winchester.
So let me know what you think!
Thanks,
Owen