best caliber for me

jman7843 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-22-2011, 11:17 PM

Hi there, im trying to get into whitetail hunting right now and am choosing what calliber would be best for me. I was hoping that you guys could help me out with this. I am a 14 year old male and about 170-180 pounds. i have shot guns before but only small ones like .22lr and .17hmr (and 9mm glock pistols) i shot all of these without being able to feel any real kick but now that i want to get a deer hunting rifle im going to need somthing alot bigger than those and was wondering if i should play it safe and go with a 243 or if you think i'll be big enough for a 270 or 30-06 this is important because i want to be able to make the shot with out geting injured in some way shape or form by a gun that is to big for me. one uncle says to go with a 243 and the other is confident that ill be just fine with a 270 or 30-06. can you give me your input on the subject?

on_the_fly · #2 (**permalink**) 10-22-2011, 11:50 PM

my son is 12 and 110 lbs and does great with his 270 with 135 grain remington cor-locks shells. he was shooting a 243 in a youth rossi but realy with the short barrel in the youth model it kicked three times harder than my 270

hunt NH · #3 (**permalink**) 10-23-2011, 02:31 AM

im going to have to say .270. i think the 30-06 might me a little bit much, and the .270 will kill a deer just as dead. the .243 will kill deer to, but the .270 will give you a little more room for error.

turner · #4 (**permalink**) 10-23-2011, 09:13 AM

My vote also goes to the .270. At your age, it may be a good thing to buy a rifle & cartridge you can grow with and not have to worry about moving "up" again at some point. As already mentioned, I'd look to standard 130gr loads as a good starting point. if they seem a bit tough on your shoulder, have a look/try with a reduced recoil load such as the one Remington makes and it will give you power to harvest at 200 yards and only 1/2 the typical recoil of a .270. Practice with the reduced recoil and hunt with them or full power as you'll never feel recoil in the woods anyway. (be sure to check zero, if switching)

Good Luck!

jman7843 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-23-2011, 03:53 PM

A thanks to all of you, this has really helped me. im going to go ahead and get a 270. maybe you guys could help me pick here are the guns im looking at fell free to give me some suggestions on some differnent guns to my budget is $375 for a gun with no scope give or take a few bucks (also can you suggest a scope if the rifle doesnt come with one? i want one for under $125 or so) and for a gun that comes with a scope my budget is up around $475 these are the guns im currently looking at:
Mossberg® 100ATR® .270 WIN Rifle | Bass Pro Shops

Savage 111 FCXP3 .270 WIN Rifle with Scope | Bass Pro Shops
thanks in advance,
jaden

rdrader2002 · #6 (**permalink**) 10-23-2011, 06:04 PM

I have the Savage 111 in .270 with a scope. It has served me well for several seasons now. I use Core-Lokt 130 or 150 grain bullets. Core-Lokt's haven't let me down yet.

My youngest son just turned 16 and he fired the Savage last year with no problems. But he wants to use the .30/30 this year.

Let us know which one you choose, either one will do you nicely.

Good luck and good hunting.

RR

hunt NH · #7 (**permalink**) 10-23-2011, 07:05 PM

my sugestion is spend less on the gun, and more on the scope. iv never lost the chance to shoot a deer because of an inxpencive gun. i have however lost the opritunity to shoot cause a cheep scope failed.

Hunting Man · #8 (**permalink**) 10-24-2011, 06:28 AM

I wouldn't purchase either one as there are better used guns then those two. I agree, it's best to purchase a really good scope.

on_the_fly · #9 (**permalink**) 10-24-2011, 06:47 AM

I have the mossburg 270 n I actualy realy like it, I agree with the others though, I would rather have a 100 dollar gun with a 500 scope than vice versa, I would also look at the used gun market, times are hard right now for a lot of people, you let enough people know your looking for one and you shouldnt have no trouble finding a great deal on a nice used setup.

Karl.Luhr · #10 (**permalink**) 10-24-2011, 09:32 PM

If you are comparing the rifles at a gunshop, add the Marlin XL7 onto your list. The rifle is found onsale for 299.xx, a Redfield Revolution 2x7 will cost you another 150.xx, rings about 25.xx. This is the package a buddy just put together for his brother-in-law and it turned out great. You will depending on your State have to add in sales tax unless you buy the scope and rings online. You will find that rifles will last you a lifetime. They aren't like cars that rust out(if you keep them wiped off), and you will never wear out a barrel in the normal Deer hunting calibers. A rifle you buy today will still be there to give to your Grandson/Granddaughter in 50-60 years.

Karl