Looking for my first hunting rifle
 

Hey everyone and thanks in advance for the advice and apologies for the long read.

I’ve been trying to get into hunting the last 5 years but getting married, moving a couple times and having a kid have all knocked it down the list. I’m hoping next year is the year and am already starting to plan things out for next fall. First step is getting a rifle!

Budget is on the smaller side, looking at around ~$1000 for gun and optics.

I want something that’s fairly versatile as deer, elk and moose are all on my wish list and at least for the first couple years I’ll likely only have the one rifle.

I’m a lefty (also left eye dominant) and my experience with firearms is restricted to a lot of .223 and 12 gauge shooting. I’m fairly small framed (5’10” - 160lb) and ideally would like a rifle on the lighter side.

I’ve had a recent shoulder injury and, while hopeful that everything will heal up as good as new, ideally the cartridge would be lighter on the recoil side.

I’ve done a bunch of reading on various calibers but would love some recommendations from people that actually hunt where I live!

It might be slightly above your price range but I would suggest a Tikka T3X in 270win and chances are you’ll never need another big game rifle. Top it with a Nikon prostaff 5 scope and that should still be under $1500.

Savage Axis in 7mm-08, they are readily available, shoot very well for the money, should fit you well, they have adjustable triggers, comes with a detachable box mag and are a bargain at $449.00, you then have $500 to spend on optics.

Thanks for the responses so far. Ive looked at some Tikka’s and they are nice rifles. I saw a lot of rave reviews for the Ruger American. Anyone have any experience with that rifle? One round that also caught my eye was the 25-06.

Tikkas are great rifles and will require little or no upgrading they have excellent triggers out of the box and shoot well. I prefer the stainless as they can take a bit more weather with no rust threat on overnight long backcountry trips. A stainless rifle out of the box will last your lifetime and longer. The 25-06 is a fantastic caliber and works well on elk moose and deer it’s my favourite go to rifle with 100 gr billets. The only down side to the 25-06 is factory ammo may be difficult to find so don’t be afraid to stock up. If you get into reloading the ammo downside is eliminated.

One of the best rifles for the money, and customer reviews are outstanding, is the Weatherby Vanguard 2.

Chambered in something like 7mm-08, 270 or 308 you will have an outstanding "one rifle to do it all". These cartridges are all light recoil for most shooters.

I have 3 of them and all three shoot sub MOA right out of the box with factory ammo. A little bit of work to them an they become tack drivers.

Add a scope for around $300 and you are right around your budget number.

Just try and find a rifle with reviews/performance/value that good at that price point ......

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/29807...t-action-rifle

Ruger Hawkeye

I have a savage axis and a couple Tikka’s, I’ve also owned a Ruger American and here’s how it goes. All three rifles are accurate, as accurate as some that are 5x the price. The stock on all three are plastic, but as the price of each rifle goes up so does the quality of the stocks. The stock on both the Savage and the Ruger is really cheap looking and feeling, the Tikka is a step above. All three have plastic magazines, both the Ruger and the Savage magazines are double stack where as the Tikka is a single stack and again the magazine plastic quality looks and feels better on the Tikka. The bolt on the Savage is, well, I guess you could say it functions, it has a 90 degree throw where as the Tikka and Ruger both have a 70 degree throw. The bolt on the Tikka is one of the smoothest on the market, the Ruger isn’t too bad. The trigger again goes to the Tikka, I think it’s the same one used by Sako, as is the barrel. The older axis model had one of the worst triggers on the market, I can’t speak for the new one.

I can almost guarantee if you by an Axis or American, once you get into Hunting your going to want to buy a higher end rifle. If you buy the Tikka you will be able to buy upgraded aftermarket parts like the trigger guard, the bolt shroud, or even a high end stock.

In my opinion the little bit extra you spend is a huge upgrade in quality.

Ever tikka I have owned or have are the best bang for your buck,like Kurt said there's tons of add ons etc ,for the tikka.If you can find a 270 or 6.5 x55 or the CM,that's the way I would go.I seen 2 stores with the tikka t3x for 999.00

It would be hard to improve on a T-3 in 6.5x55,or 260rem, or 7mm-08 with a Nikon scope. For less money, the Weatherby Vanguard is an excellent rifle as well.

Is the Vanguard even available as a left?

X2 on the 7mm08. After all sorts of adventures over 30 years my favorite for all I wanna do is the 6.5x55. If I wasn’t hand loading for it I’d buy a 7mm08, basically a ballistic equal, and a pleasure to shoot.

Good point, my mistake, not available in a left handed rifle. I would definitely be looking at a T-3.

I sent you a PM on a nice rifle available. I can not view your profile so you may not receive the message. I think you may need more posts to access PMs?

I have a T3x and a Savage Model 16 Weather Warrior. Much, much prefer the Tikka.

x3 on the 7mm-08 , very pleasant to shoot and a great assortment of bullet choices - if you eventually get into hand loading.

I enjoy 308 and 7-08, 7-08 just a bit more - slight ballistic advantage :)

https://ronspomeroutdoors.com/blog/7...beats-the-308/

I missed that point ..... you are right ......they do not make Vanguards in lefty. Mark V only - which, of course, is way more money.

I don't have much experience with any less expensive rifles ..... but do know the Tikka (as mentioned) are pretty darn good. I just hate the beating those stocks put on a guy - they seem to kick like a mule. Maybe it's the wrong fit for me, but I find that to be the only thing I don't like about them.

Limbsaver

I’m one of the different guys on here but I had a Tikka and sold it. I much prefer my Remington 700’s. The budget you are looking at, $1000 all in, maybe look at the Browning or a Savage. I know you can get Rem 700 ADL’s in a bit cheaper than that as well. The 700 is one of the most versatile platforms out there.

Yuppers.

I started out with a 270 tikka - lefty.
Changed out original scope for a Nikon buckmasters I think.

Works awesome.

Thanks for all the feedback. Still a couple months until I plan on pulling the trigger on a purchase. I’m leaning towards a Tikka in either 7mm-08 or 25-06. Will definitely be keeping my eyes open for used ones to help on the budget.

rifle.
 

First, I second the PROSTAFF 5 scope choice. Lots of useful features that you will need right out of the box and you won't find yourself wishing for more. Second, the rifle, As a lefty myself I was in a similar situation 35 years ago. I opted for a Ruger 77 30-06 and couldn't have been happier. Great price and it killed what I aimed at. That being said, It was a 2+MOA rifle and hunting the Oregon plains meant some long shots and sometimes more than 1! Don't get caught up on left and right handed rifles. Today I own 2 left handed rifles, a .300 Win ( a great cal. choice) by Hill Country Custom Rifles and my dream rifle, a Weatherby .257 WbyMag. A rifle maker I would suggest is Bergara, they make great rifles, very accurate and priced right. I have a number I shoot competitions with and they are all right-handed. Back in the day, I also found that if you can pick up a good piece of equipment here and there instead of all at once it doesn't hurt the pocketbook quite so much. One big reason I like the PROSTAFF 5 is Nikon's BDC reticle and dialing it into my shooting data. Check out Nikon's Spot On Ballistic Program. It takes the guess work out of holdovers.

Welcome to hunting!
I can't disagree with the recommendations submitted already. If you want something a little different, Tradex canada has Zastava's in left hand. They have several chamberings including 6.5x55. These are a well built rifle compared to the generic stuff at the same price.
Also, the used market is a good way to get higher quality for a price point.
Let us know what you get.

Have one of these, love it. Only complaint is the trigger could use a pound or two

My Tikka in 308 Win is as accurate as one can hope for. Tons of bullet options too.

The Vanguard triggers are quite easy to adjust - although you have to pull the stock off and pop off the magazine shroud (not externally adjustable like some are).

I have adjusted the trigger (backed the screw all the way out until it pops off) then screw it back maybe one full turn and tighten up the nut. The trigger comes down to about 2 1/2 lbs.

This does cause some additional travel before it breaks, but it breaks cleanly and crisply once you take it up.

Overall a pretty darn good trigger for a "budget" gun.

I just picked up a sweet Tikka T3 stainless rifle today, too bad you’re a lefty or I’d pass it on to you.

One thing I would suggest is to look for used rifles, you can generally get a much better rifle for the same price. I once got a used 7mm browning rifle and a quality scope with rings for a little less than than the cost of the rifle.

270 win or 6.5 creedmoor...the creedmoor will equal the 270 with about 4 lbs less recoil energy. Not sure what’s available but those would be the top two choices for cartridge imo. Weather vanguard or Howa 1500...same action...Howa 1500 action. You can get McMillan stock in classic sako down the road...seen a lot of Macmillan stocked vanguard stainless that are pretty drool worthy rigs that shoot. Tikka another fave of mine, the laminate stock is 3/4 lb heavier than synthetic which makes recoil that much easier as they are light rifles! Little bit lore money for laminate stainless though...worth it? Another one I’m curious about is x-bolt in creedmoor, I’ve never been a browning guy but have to admit there is some curiosity on the xbolt platform, look into it. Good luck

Most of the suggestions here are going to be well above the stated $1000 budget with optics if you buy new...ie;Tikka/Ruger Hawkeye etc are $1200+ rifles NIB before optics.
I bought a Ruger American .243 for my 13yo son’s first rifle and wouldn’t hesitate to buy another,in fact,been quite tempted to pick one up for myself in .204R but I’m leaning more towards a new “buy once/cry once” coyote rig.It’s a good sub-MOA shooter and sweet to carry all day.....and if the plastic stock is a concern,several stock makers are now producing quality aftermarket stocks for the American and you’d still come in under the cost of a new Tikka even with a $400 aftermarket stock.
Personally speaking,I don’t find the factory stock all that awful to begin with,and let’s get real here,it’s an entry level hunting rifle,not a custom long range precision rifle so who cares,it’ll drop 300 yard deer stone cold dead as good as any $5000 custom wearing a $3000 optic.
As for chambering,in hindsight I wish I had bought him a 7mm-08 as I’d feel a lil more confident with him stepping up into bigger game then WT with a bit more cartridge then .243 and the 7-08 is a great cartridge capable of taking any game in AB cleanly,while at the same time gentle on the shoulder for youth and recoil sensitive hunters.
You can pick up a new ‘Mercian for under $600 if you shop around,substantially less for a gently used model,leaving $400+ in the budget for a decent scope.
That said,I’d advise that you steer clear of any package “deal” rifle/scope combos that retailers offer,almost without exception the included scope is a piece a crap hardly worth the extra $200 that you’ll pay and want to replace soon afterwards anyhow vs a naked rifle and choosing your own optics from the get go.