Ideas for my first gun(s)?

[Fishislife1]

Last season I got my hunters ED and my PAL and went hunting with my buddies just south west of spruce grove. I'm thinking of getting my first gun but I'm not sure what to get. I want to start off by hunting small game like grouse and maybe some rabbits .. etc. Eventually I want to get me a nice white tail but I assume I would need a bigger gun for that.

Btw I am really aware of how to handle guns and have shot big guns before


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[Redneck 7]

Start off with a bolt action .22. Cheap to shoot, easy to operate and clean and practice safe gun practice. You can get familiar with zeroing a scope and such, shooting gophers and grouse and rabbits. Lots of targets to shoot as well.

You can familiar yourself with the bolt action style firearm and when time comes buy a varmint caliber like .22-250 .223 or .243 for getting better shooting habits and a good foundation for your shooting technique.

By then you'll know what models and have a good sense how a rifle fits you what you want. Then you can buy a bigger cal for bigger game.

I know 5 people that made fun of me for my first big game gun a .243 and they bought 30-06 or .308's for there first big game gun and they have bad or did have bad flinches because they didn't develope a good base.

When looking at calibers look on this forum because it's beat to death a lot. Use the search and search up the calibers you're interested in. Some calibers cost more then other to buy factory ammo for, shooting is a great sport but can be pricey.

[300magman]

.50 BMG...go big or go home.

[roger]

Without a budget mentioned, id say try to find a good used gun(s).A fitted 22 rim fire, a 12 or a 20 guage shotgun and a 25-06 is a good start for anyone. Does everything alberta can throw at you. Then fill in the gaps accordingly after you specialize in one field or another.

[hilt134]

Keep it simple. If you want small game get a .22lr bolt is always good but semi auto is fine if you like that. On that note if you would like to shoot birds on the wing or maybe go for waterfowl a shotgun is what you need.

As for larger deer rounds if your friends are fine with it do a test of what they have and see what you like. If the recoil worries you go 243 or 270 both are perfectly fine and if you have the aim they will not fail you. If you want a proven all arounder that has more stopping power go 30-06. As for brands i would stick with what you like and can afford. while at the gun counter try not to limit your self by only wanting one particular modle and make.

One note is i would definetly stay on the cheaper side of things. I got rid of two firearms this hear because i thought theycwpuld be good but i didnt like using left handed. I took a loss on both but because they where cheap to begin with it didnt hurt so much.

[graybeard]

I am not going to steer you in the direction of any makes or models but simply the first firearms you buy, consider the fact you may want to sell them down the line. So make sure you buy the one you want first.....less of a $$$ loss.

You can usually find a good used rifle for nearly the same amount of a new less quality one.....IMO

You will get a lot of advice here. After reading a bunch of posts and digesting the advice, you will learn who is giving you good information or feeding you nonsense.

As for me, I would look at 3 firearms and the weigh the easy accessibility to factory ammunition, whether it be at a big box store or a hardware store in some small rural town.

Birds; 3" chamber, 12 gauge....that way you are covered for all birds.
Big game; .243, .270, 308, 30-06
Small varmints; .22 rim fire
Scope; 4x, 6x or 3 x 9 x 40mm

You will find everything you need here on AO, so take your time and review the "Items For Sale".....

Good luck and enjoy your search.

[Ossie]

The previous posts have it right

22 lr in a bolt action......practise for bigger guns
12 guage in a pump action....stay away from the light synthetic stocks
30 06 bolt action covers all "rifle" game in Alberta, cheap to shoot, lots of very good choice

[Fishislife1]

Awesome thanks all of you I'll keep everything you guys said in mind while I look for my gun!


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[DiabeticKripple]

Ruger 10/22

Semi auto .22 that's a heck of a lot of fun. I enjoy shooting it as much as my other rifles

[Fishislife1]

Originally Posted by DiabeticKripple

Ruger 10/22

Semi auto .22 that's a heck of a lot of fun. I enjoy shooting it as much as my other rifles

How much are those roughly?


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[Nyksta]

$350 for a ruger 10/22 plus $60 for a typical rimfire scope and $5 for 50 rounds

[Nyksta]

270 win or 30-06 or 308 win are probably the most common economic and catch all big game cartridges. You will learn a lot after shooting for a few years and you will most likely learn what you do and dont like about rifles and then you might buy something that more suits you if your first purchase isnt exactly your fit.

I quite like Browning x-Bolt in 308 win for a do everything nicely rifle

[Big Red 250]

Originally Posted by Fishislife1

How much are those roughly?


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Can buy a Savage model 64 semi for $199 at Cabela's. I think the savage bolt action is around $249. I have both and I find them to be fairly accurate.

[wildwoods]

It all started for me with a 700 Remington SPS in .270 cal.
Silly thing is that workhorse of a gun had been so dead on with my Hornady ammo of choice I just have trouble putting it down. I bought a .300 WSM in Tikka synthetic stainless for a great price and resold it without firing a shot. Find something that shoots where you tell it to and latch onto it. I would start with a lighter calibre like a .243 or .270 to develope good shooting habits without a flinch.
Small game Ruger 10/22
What can I say, again started with a cheapo Mossberg 12 gauge and that thing just doesn't quit. I abuse that gun and have put thousands of rounds thru it. Never let me down yet. Great pattern and never quits.
To me it's all about performance. Hope his little bit helps

[Prairiewolf]

Originally Posted by roger

Without a budget mentioned, id say try to find a good used gun(s).A fitted 22 rim fire, a 12 or a 20 guage shotgun and a 25-06 is a good start for anyone. Does everything alberta can throw at you. Then fill in the gaps accordingly after you specialize in one field or another.

Very good advice - I should have ready something like this back in 2013!

[Doubledroptine]

Buy a little 22lr, like a Henery. Than go straight to a 7mm, then that's all you'll need.


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[58thecat]

22lr, 12 gauge, 7-08 ...will do everything you will ever need to in North America.

Add later as we all do!

[Salavee]

It looks to me that a 6.5x55 Swede would be a great choice for you. Relatively inexpensive, low recoil, accurate with great bullet selection and deadly. Well worth your consideration as there are a lot of nice rifles available chambered for this cartridge

[Gramps.257]

If you would like a chance to get out and shoot a wide range of calibers let me know though a private message and we will take you out to our private range and you will come away with a good understanding of what you will need.

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by Fishislife1

I want to start off by hunting small game like grouse and maybe some rabbits .. etc. Eventually I want to get me a nice white tail but I assume I would need a bigger gun for that.

Yes, you will need at least two guns, unless you want to blow the grouse and rabbits apart with a centerfire caliber legal for big game. Bad idea IMHO.

I think the best combo of two firearms that will handle everything you will want to hunt in Alberta is a center-fire rifle, say .243 caliber or greater (not getting into which caliber is "best"), and a 12 gauge shotgun. Then you can hunt small game, geese, ducks, upland game, big game, predators, whatever, with that combo.

But the advice about a .22 here is also good for experience and practice. My own personal first guns were a .22 and a 12 gauge, followed by a .270 for big game the next year. Then you start changing and buying, replacing... unless you have good discipline. LOL

[hogie]

Bolt action 22 is always good to have. Get trigger time for cheap.

Big game have a look at 308 win. One nice thing about this cartridge is the available surplus ammo. Much of it will group decent for practice. I have some federal xm80 that will hold 1.5 inches which is not bad for $18 a box. More trigger time for less money.

[Flieguy]

Bolt action 22 for reasons already mentioned.

savage if you're on a budget, ruger american or CZ if you're not

[canross]

As others have said - a reliable solid 22 and 12 gauge are great first purchases. Other guns may come and go, but a tough as nails simple 22 and pump shotgun that you can throw in the truck, take hunting and otherwise enjoy will stay with you forever. It helps that both are cheap to feed too

[stob]

to emulate the aforementioned sage advice... have shot it all and find myself on a second 243win tha tis just a ton of fun and a 308win... the 6.5x55 is great as well and a real great all-rounder... 22lr of your choice and a 12 or 20ga... my 12 is a winnie pump sxt or something that you can pour sand down and still cycle it .. if you move up the ladder the next and last great all-rounder is the 9.3x62 (left to choose 1 gun, that would be it)

[Yaha Tinda]

20 ga. pump or double.

[Roderek]

I just took my firearms safety course and have been doing a fair bit of research on this as well. Most of you are echoing what i have found.

I was thinking of getting a 22 bolt action and a 12 gauge pump to start, then probably going with a 270 or 30-06.

One thing I didn't see mentioned but I saw on a video and thought it was great advice was you should by your 22 in the same action you think you are going to buy your larger caliber rifle in.

As the main reason for the 22 is it is cheap to shoot, so good for practice. if your larger caliber rifle is the same action the mussel memory will be the same.

[rmatei]

Over 50 years I have had a wack of guns and have settled down to just 3.
Ruger 10/22, Remington Wingmaster 12 ga and a Ruger 270 Ultralite. Got every animal/bird I would ever shoot covered.

[700-223]

Lots of good advice above. Figure out what you want to spend, shoulder a few at the store, and pick the one that fits you best. Used rifles are generally a good value, so look hard at them once you figure out what you want.

My $0.02 - 22lr bolt action or semi-auto for first rifle. Bolt action recommended, much better practice for the hunting rifle you will eventually buy. 2-7 or 3-9, fixed are fine, but good scopes available at a reasonable price with variable magnification so I'd go that way. Most important, take the opportunity to shoot other peoples rifles when you have the chance. Save yourself $$$ by getting it right the first time when you try others. You'll figure out what you like faster that way too. When you're ready for a hunting rifle, anything from 243 - 30-06 is great. For deer, any will do the job and differences between them are less than you'd think in terms of effectiveness on deer.

I read similar good advice when I was getting into it 5 or 6 years ago, but didn't listen to enough of it. A few things I'd do differently if I had a chance to do it over - stick with 2-7, 3-9, 4-12 duplex style optics, forget about semi-auto's, only buy rifles you could see yourself keeping forever but don't blow the budget - there are plenty of nice rifles out there new and used that are reasonable, don't bother with ballistic plex or mil-dot reticles as you won't use them until you are a much better shooter, forget about illuminated reticles, and buy the lowest recoiling rifle that will do what you need. Overall, keep it simple and buy reasonably priced stuff that is simple and durable and will last a long time.

I am a gear nut and love to read and have spent hundreds of hours reading everything on online forums, magazines, and books on rifles and hunting. I still do this, but only do it because you enjoy it. You don't need to research the #$!@^ out of it, but its easy to get obsessed.

I've had a 22 since I was 10 (still have it), then got a 223 followed by a 308, sold the 308 and got a 7mm Rem Mag, bought and sold a few semi-auto black rifles, then bought a tikka 243 ostensibly for my daughter. Had a Nikon ProStaff5 3-9x40 on it, changed to a Leupold 3-9 Ultralight and put the Nikon back on it. That little Tikka with a decent Nikon on it may well be my favourite rifle, and I've got much more into my 7mm but don't shoot it any better

At the upper end, a Tikka is about as much as I'd spend especially on a first rifle, and I would look hard for a used one in 243, 6.5x55, 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08 or similar from any quality manufacturer (Savage, Mossberg, Remington, Ruger, Tikka, etc.). Its easy to get magnumitis (I've got it), but these easy shooting rounds up to a high end of 270, 308, or 30-06 will just about do it all. Just as you can't shoot fast enough to win in shooting sports, cartridge power can't overcome bad shot placement.

My bias is that 243 is a little small for some of our larger game like elk and moose while cartridges with only slightly more recoil like any of the 6.5, 260, 7mm-08, have more versatility due to much higher sectional density. Rounds like the 6.5x55 and 7x57 have a long history of use on game this size in Europe and Africa, while the 243 does not. OTOH, if you're not sure that you will hunt moose or elk someday 243 is a good deer and better varmint round than these others. A second hunting rifle is no great hardship anyhow I freely admit this is based on what I've read from sites like Chuckhawks, here, and well-known outdoor writers like Ron Spomer, Craig Boddington, and David Petzal (they all have articles extolling the virtues of 7mm-08 in particular) and not personal experience with these cartridges. I want to buy one, but I'm pretty well covered with a 243 lightweight and 7mm for hunting. As far as Tikkas go, I don't think they're the 'best' rifles out there, whatever that means to you, but they fit me well, I like the trigger, the bolt moves like butter, and I shoot them as well as much much more expensive rifles I've tried. Like I said, its old advice, but a 7.5-8.5 lbs loaded and ready to fire rifle with a 3-9 in any reasonable cartridge will last you a lifetime.

BTW, welcome to the sport and enjoy!

[700-223]

Originally Posted by stob

to emulate the aforementioned sage advice... have shot it all and find myself on a second 243win tha tis just a ton of fun and a 308win... the 6.5x55 is great as well and a real great all-rounder... 22lr of your choice and a 12 or 20ga... my 12 is a winnie pump sxt or something that you can pour sand down and still cycle it .. if you move up the ladder the next and last great all-rounder is the 9.3x62 (left to choose 1 gun, that would be it)

I like it! 243 and a 9.3x62 would definitely be a 2 rifle battery that could hunt the world, but what a difference in recoil between the two!

[sigma1]

22 rimfire, 308 (less recoil than 30-06) big enough for any game, pump 12 gauge that can shoot steel. A 223 is a lot of fun for developing shooting technique if volume shooting in a center fire but more of an addition than staple in a collection. Buy decent used guns and they will appreciate in value.