New to rifle shooting...

[Shanghai McCoy]

Got a young friend who is wants to get a bolt action center fire rifle. Being young,25, he doesn't have a lot of money so there's that to consider. He also doesn't have much rifle experience but I can help with that.
Anyway, I suggested the 223 for caliber and,after some thought, the Ruger American for the rifle. I have a Savage that I like but the Ruger seems like a good deal, they are available and they seem to be well thought of here.
Any other suggestions..?

 

[e rex]

one of the two you named would seem about right to me. Don't know what the possibility of deer hunting coming later might be but a .243 would seem like an option.

 

[horsemen61]

6.5 Creedmoor in either the Ruger or savage of his choice!

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

one of the two you named would seem about right to me. Don't know what the possibility of deer hunting coming later might be but a .243 would seem like an option.

He's not a hunter yet but that is a possibility.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I have Savage and Ruger bolt actions. I like both very much. Like the others said both are good to go.

 

[NorthBorder]

Since money is an issue then 223 would probably be the best option for a centerfire.

 

[gotboostvr]

He's not a hunter yet but that is a possibility.

If he's not a hunter, I'm assuming this is for target practice? Prone/ bench shooting the majority of the time?

One of the Savage 110 Varmints can be found for ~$500 and would be excellent in 223 for paper punching.

The Ruger Predators or a Savage Axis heavy barrel, would be my #2 and #3 pick, respectively.

If he does decide he wants to hunt, and wants a lighter barrel in a heavier cartridge, he's only a $100 take-off barrel and $20 bolt head away if he runs one of the Savages.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

Given the parameters, I think the .223 Ruger American is a good recommendation.

 

[md7]

.223 ain’t a bad way to go if he just wants to learn and shoot. Granted, ammo is more expensive but 7-08 or 308 will be a little more versatile if he ever wanted a rig to hunt with

Savage
Ruger
Bergara

Would think any of those should be obtainable at reasonable cost and be decent shooters

 

[M65Man]

Have older friend who just got into it last couple years and he got the Savage Axis in 308. He didn't trust himself to zero it so I done it for him. Shot some Winchester fmj and if remember right a few Win PP. It's a good rifle for the money and I know the Ruger is! I got to also lean towards the 7mm-08, less recoil, probably as cheap on ammo and plentiful. Great round but so is the 308! If anything other than 223.

 

[jmr40]

For punching holes in paper out to 600ish yards, varmint hunting, and even deer in a pinch 223 is a good choice. The Ruger is a lot of gun for the money.

 

[redneck2]

Used .223. I had some flavor of Savage .223 bolt I sold a few years ago for $200 IIRC. That would have been a really good first rifle.

 

[Legionnaire]

Agree with others. For inexpensive target shooting, .223 Rem. For longer range or for hunting, 6.5 Creedmoor. Pick whatever launcher he likes and can afford.

 

[LimaCharlie]

If I could only have one rifle, it would be a 30-06. It can be loaded from varmints to anything in North America. I would look at used rifles.

 

[d2wing]

Another vote for the .223. Accurate, easy to shoot, cheap and plentiful ammo. Plenty for varmints and great for target shooting and plinking. Ok for deer if needed. Either Ruger or Savage.

 

[CapnMac]

Depends what the local availability is, to some extent.
Savage has some nice combo rifles that include a decent(ish) scope, and already mounted.
Which can prevent some sticker shock down the road (and/or prevent trying to develop skills with a $50 scope in $25 rings).
Ruger American is a fine rifle.

For my 2¢, the recommendation of .223 is excellent, ammo is very available, and in any number of choices, and at several economies.
(Possibly, too many choices, actually.)

Now, .243 would be a fine choice too, but finding ammo under $30 a box will vex a newbie. The wide range of loadings in .243 will not help much, either.

 

[Varminterror]

Either a Savage or Ruger will be fine - but I will encourage purchasing either a model with an upgraded stock, better than the standard factory polymer stock, or a standard model as well as an aftermarket stock to be transplanted. Pillar blocking and glass bedding are typically the best energy investments into these actions to get the most out of them.

223rem is a good option.

 

[ECVMatt]

Ruger American, .223, and a good scope. Then shoot as often as possible.

Stepping up to the .243 (A favorite of mine) or the 6.5 will limit the amount of shooting with no real gain unless hunting. If that is only a possibility then I would skip it all together.

 

[Captains1911]

If only for target shooting, 223 makes a lot of sense. If medium to large game hunting is a possibility, then. 243 might be a better choice.

 

[InTheSwamp]

Ruger American, preferably the Predator, in 223.

 

[Remington1911]

As to the caliber, it is very hard to argue with the 223.

As to who made it, ford vs chevy argument.

 

[TonyAngel]

I like the ruger American. The ruger hammer forged barrels are nothing to turn your nose up at either. I like the 5.56 ranch model, but I have 5.56 stacked high and deep for the ARs.

If hunting might be in the cards and of course depending on where he'll be hunting and the distances, 7.62x39 might be an option. Cheap plinking fodder is available as well as good hunting ammo. For that matter, I've seen many deer dropped with a wolf hollow point at 125 yards.

 

[citizenconn]

I concur with the Ruger or Savage recommendation. For caliber I would recommend the .308 because it is more versatile for whatever his needs might be now and in the future. Its a more than capable target rifle to 800 yards and is good for hunting for just about anything one might want to hunt in N. America. I would recommend the 6.5 CR but a lot of newer shooters at the range tell me the cost of 6.5 CR factory ammo compared to .308 Win over the last year has forced them away from the 6.5 CR.

I shoot handloads almost exclusively so that is not an issue for me, but it certainly seems to be for a lot of newer shooters as I am seeing probably 4:1 ratio of .308 brass at the range lately. Looking at Ammoseek I don't see a huge difference in prices between 6.5 CR and .308 Win myself, but a lot of newer shooters are probably buying at the LGS where things might be different.

 

[NorthBorder]

This is mine.


It is a Stevens (Savage 11 I believe) that is no longer made. I used it a lot for coyote hunting and it was dead nuts accurate with Black Hills 52 gr JHP.
Easy to carry, easy to shoot. The trigger is adjustable, not an accutrigger. I don't know but I believe the Savage Axis was an iteration of this model.
(I added the pic because this thread should have some pics).

 

[Turkeytider]

I got my first rifle about 2 years ago, getting a late start in rifle shooting ( 73 ), the only prior experience being in the service many years ago ( 14s and 16s ). I opted for a package rifle from Savage, a 110 Storm in .223 with a Vortex scope. Got it for casual range use and the occasional possible coyote and pig opportunity. Could not be more pleased with both gun and scope. It has functioned flawlessly and with loads it likes is almost boringly accurate and precise at 100 yards ( longest range available unfortunately ). At our local range, the vast majority of rifles are AR/AK platforms with more " traditional " bolt action hunting rifles bordering on rarely seen. Of those, my experience has been that the majority have been Savages in the Axis line, mostly Axis IIs. While IMO the 110 is a more substantial model rifle, I`ve yet to encounter any of the Axis II shooters who were dissatisfied with their rifles.
Having said all that, as much as I like the .223, if I had it to do over again I would VERY seriously consider the same gun in .308 instead. That caliber just covers more "ground " IMO as compared to .223. Either way, ditto on either a Savage or the Ruger.