I am a noob to the Hunting and got questions

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Gatman

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I am looking for an inexpensive rifle to start hunting whitetail deer. I am left handed so if it is a bolt action rifle I would ask for a left handed one. I am also unsure of what caliber either. My friend recommends .30-06. I am also unsure about scopes. I plan to hunt in Wisconsin and IL. I also want to move out to the Pacific Northwest and would like to be able to use it out there and here in the midwest. I have been looking at a Remington 700 but I am confused about their lefthanded models. They seemed to have a lot of them varying in price. I am looking for a standard rifle not anything special.

I am also looking to get a .22 for small game; mainly squirrels and rabbits. Any suggestions on one that isnt to much money. I am mainly a pistol shooter but I do have a shotgun for Home Defense. Its a Mossberg 590 in tactical black and all the fun accessories. I was mainly looking for a decent hunting rifle now and then when I have the $$$ an ubertactical rifle.
 
kinda need a price range to go from... i am very familiar w/ remingtons, but not the left hand versions.

anyway, the least expensive remington 700's are the sps, which replaced the adl. either will serve you well.

do not even trifle w/ the 710 - it pains this remington fan to no end they even put something like that on the market.

for cartridge: this debate can get huge. for a first gun, i reccomend something like 25-06 or 308, though a 30-06 kills deer just fine.

for a scope: do not cheap out. get at least a leupold vx-2. keep the power range down if you'll be in close quarters. look to a leupold 2-7, or 2.5-8.

other remingtons: the 700 bdl has a shiny finish and hinged floorplate. the 700 cdl has a matte finish and hinged floorplate. the 700 sps is synthetic stock, and has a hinged floorplate. the 700 adl is either synthetic or hardwood, and has no floorplate. the 700 mountain rifle is a lightweight gun, beautifully executed, but probably not what you want. the 700 titanium is an ultra-lightweight gun, synthetic stock, and probably not what you want... etc.

anyway, go w/ a 700 sps for your first gun. chamber to whatever tickles ya between a 257 roberts and 300 mag, and you'll do fine. if you want a little classier looking gun, go 700 cdl.
 
You're buddy's right. The .30-06 will kill any game in North America with no fuss.
How much money are you looking at spending for a scoped rifle? Decide that, then hit your local shops and gun shows for a used(inexpensive being your operative word. s'ok.) scoped rifle in .30-06 or .308. Used rifles are not like used cars. A used, scoped, left hand, bolt action will be more difficult to find, but not impossible. Any left handed Rem 700 is the same rifle with different featuures. An internal mag or a removable mag, but the action is the same.
Plan 'B' would be a lever action chambered in .45-70. Handedness mostly goes away and the calibre will drop a deer poste haste.
A .22? A Ruger 10/22.
What choke is your 590? A cylinder bore or rifled barrel with slugs(no buckshot) will do for deer. No folding stocks or any of the other silly ass aftermarket foolishness required. Just good sights and good ammo. And shot placement at 40 to 50 yards.
 
As one lefty to another, it can be difficult to find a good, inexpensive left-handed bolt gun.

I lucked out and found a really nice Remington Woodsmaster 742 carbine (with a Leupold Vari-X II 3-9x40 scope) for $270 at a pawn shop; it's a semi-auto, and I don't mind the brass being tossed across my face, since it ejects pretty clear.

Since I bought that, I've found a couple of left-handed Savages for decent prices (under $300).

If you keep your eyes peeled on Gunbroker and Auctionarms, you can find reasonably-priced left-handed bolt guns by Savage and Remington, especially if you're willing to expand your caliber choice to include .270 (essentially a necked-down .30-06).

What sort of price range are you looking for?
 
FYI
NO rifle deer season in Illinois. Shotgun slugs, muzzleloader, handgun, and archery seasons but NO rifle deer season. Your mossy could be chamber plugged to 3 rounds max and then be legal. handgun legal if .357 or larger, non-semiauto, 4" barrel or more.
any bolt rifle in the 7mm, .308, or larger would be adequate to cover your other requirements. You might want to borrow or at least handle a couple to see how important the lefty bolt is. some southpaws shoot righthand rifles with no complaints, others feel the lefty config is essential. Plenty of good used huting rifles out there.
I bought a used but like new Ruger .270 with a Leupold VX2 3X9 with case, sling, and 2 boxes of cartridges for $400. I didn't really need it but I couldn't see passing it up. look around. some folks are reading all the glossy gun mags and think they need to trade up to one of the new "short magnums" or latest whizbangs. others are going to be feeling the pinch of high fuel and heating costs this winter and the used gun market always reflects that.
 
I've got to disagree with some of these answers here.

Why not look into a good levergun, like a .30-30? It will kill any deer in North America, it's light, affordable, plentiful, and if you get a Winchester, it'll eject the brass almost straight up.

Unfortunately, if you are going to be deer hunting in Illinois, you can't use a rifle, so this would be strictly for your surrounding states. Don't overlook Iowa though, I hear the deer hunting there is pretty decent.
 
If you want to go inexpensive, but want a great rifle/scope combo, you might want to check out Savage rifles with the AccuTrigger. You can get an 11GL in just about any caliber (I'd stick with short-actions like .243, 7mm-08, or .308), the triggers and overall accuracy are outstanding, and you can get a brand-new one for less than $500 without having to look too hard. For a scope, try a Nikon Buckmasters 3-9x40 with Leupold rings and bases. The whole package should be less than $700, and you'll have a very accurate rifle with an outstanding scope.

Savage 11GL in .308: $479
Nikon Buckmasters scope: $159
Leupold Rings & bases: $50

Smackin' down a buck with your new rig: Priceless

Hope this helps -- good luck!
 
Gatman,

Like Kingcreek said, no rifle season in Illinois, there are also parts of WI that are shotgun only.

Putting a plug in the mag tube of that 590 will work, but it has to be long enough so that you can only have 2 in the tube and one in the chamber. A wood dowel rod (IIRC, it was 3/16" that I got to make plugs for my daugther's Mossberg 500 in 20 ga.) cut the right length will work. Unscrew the cap that holds the barrel, drop the dowel in through the screw hole, and you're good to go. That's the less then a dollar solution.

Next question is where are you going to hunt ??? If you plan on doing it in Illinois you better get to Illinois DNR first check to see if there are any tags left in county or special hunt area (most state parks and other public lands are special hunt areas) and then put in for a tag in the random daily drawings. If you were born after 1 Jan 1980, you also need to get the Hunter Safety Education class in. That will be a little tough, as most classes are either full up or have been completed.

If you have any other questions about hunting in Illinois, click on my name and send me a pm or an e-mail.
 
Try a right handed rifle. You may like it. I am a righty and have shot many LH guns, no problem...EXCEPT I value my teeth too much to shoot an ultralight .338 in a LH model. Stay in the lower cals and shoot with no fear.
~z
 
I saw a new left handed Remington Model 700 BDL (30-06) at a gun shop locally on Wednesday. So the Remingtons are out there, you just have to find them.
 
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