Best first rifle for hunting

I'd say a .22. Buy a nice bolt action, used or new and spend the rest of the money putting decent glass on it. Start on squirrels and ground hogs and if you decide you like it, branch out from there; you can eat the squirrels and most any farmer around would more than likely give you the keys to the barn if you wanted to shoot ground hogs for them.

I use my pellet gun to shoot chipmunks in my yard lol!

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

I use my pellet gun to shoot chipmunks in my yard lol!

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You shoot alvin??? Evil! Lol

I will be hunting deer. I've not fired anything other than a .22 in long guns. Not too bad of a shot at 50 yards, but that's the only target I have available right now. I've also fired .380 .44 .357 and 9mm. My aim is pretty good with them but again at 50 yards max, and probably closer to 20-25 yards with all except the .380. I will be hunting in NC maybe some in the mountains (Morganton area) but mostly out towards the coast.

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Originally Posted by AK907

Most standard factory hollowpoints are designed to expand rapidly and not penetrate. Basically they are cheaply made bullets with a cool name.

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Cheaply made? How so? Aren't they made pretty much the same, other than the tip? I've shot a lot of different hp handgun rounds and they perform pretty much the same as round point rounds other than some feed better than others. I'm talking about handgun rounds though, and not hunting rounds. Is there a difference?

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Originally Posted by sho220

I'm talking about handgun rounds though, and not hunting rounds. Is there a difference?

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Yes there is. Defensive handgun rounds are designed to be deployed at a fairly close range. 7 yards is the average distance for a gunfight. Hollow point rounds work very well at creating a debilitating wound channel without over penetration.

For hunting, the shot ranges are much greater, and aside from the fact that hollow points pack less kinetic punch at those distances, the actually hollow point nose of the bullet makes it a ballistic nightmare because no two rounds act the same way when traveling down range. Not a good thing for accuracy.

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Originally Posted by Rob

You shoot alvin??? Evil! Lol

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No, its Theadore, he can't run fast enough..lol

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Originally Posted by Slim

Yes there is. Defensive handgun rounds are designed to be deployed at a fairly close range. 7 yards is the average distance for a gunfight. Hollow point rounds work very well at creating a debilitating wound channel without over penetration.

For hunting, the shot ranges are much greater, and aside from the fact that hollow points pack less kinetic punch at those distances, the actually hollow point nose of the bullet makes it a ballistic nightmare because no two rounds act the same way when traveling down range. Not a good thing for accuracy.

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Thanks for the info. I can definitely see how distance can affect performance, but I still don't understand how hp's are more "cheaply" made? All the components are basically the same, the tip of the bullet is just designed differently. How would that equate to being cheaply made?

The way the gun market is now...You can get a nice used gun for $500.00

Have you thought about an "action" you would like...Semi or bolt ?? The bolt actions would probably be a little cheaper. Auto Remingtons like the 740 or 742 are nice and come in a variety of calibers. Bolt actions...Even more so.

Whatever you decide to get, do yourself and the "game" you are hunting a favor...Practice with the gun...Get comfortable with it and make the first shot count.

Happy "Hunting" (So to speak) :)

30-30 is a good deer rifle. I second buying a used gun at a reputable store. If you have plenty of friends/family who hunt, ask to try out their guns at a range with them, to see which suits you best BEFORE you buy one.

If you have any near you, check out the AppleSeed shoots too. I haven't made it to one myself but my friends really liked going to the ones they attended, and it's usually free for women too(for all the lady shooter out there!!), and they'll really help you out a lot.