First gun, got my PAL last week.

[u/FitOrganization9403]

Norinco M334 Mauser, first of Hopefully many guns.

I'm looking forward to shooting it, I haven't yet.

[u/HappyCan7250]

Have you used many other bolt guns? Congrats on the purchase, I have looked at these, but unfortunately some bad reviews on them have always turned me off. I hope yours works well though and shoot nicely. It's exciting getting your PAL after all the waiting and paperwork so welcome to the club.

How does the bolt feel? What made you pick the M334 over something like a Savage Axis for around the same price?

Honestly, the best affordable bolt gun I have ever used, and that outshoots my more expensive rifles, is still my Savage 334 (despite sharing 334 in the name, it's a totally different rifle vs the Norinco M334, just happen to share a similar model name). Check them out if whenever you decide you need another rifle (Which will be soon, it's a bit addictive), although I would recommend probably getting a 22lr next so you can practice really cheap.

Congrats man. Get out and shoot as much as you can.

You sort of did things backwards though haha, usually a 22lr or 223 is someone's first rifle, it'll be a little tougher to learn good technique and marksmanship starting with a 308, but it is a great caliber and very versatile.

[u/FitOrganization9403 → u/HappyCan7250]

Until recently I've never even handled a firearm. In hindsight this rifle may not have been the best choice for a complete novice. Maybe I should have pick something less powerful.

The bolt dosen't feel too bad, it's fairly easy to operate. The gun hit everything i was looking for Wood stock, nearby, not too costly. It was going to be this or the Norinco trench gun, Clearly the rifle won.

[u/HappyCan7250 → u/FitOrganization9403]

Still cool man, it'll be a good hunting and bush gun. It would be kind of fun to try and refinish the stock on that thing, you could probably get it looking pretty nice if you sand it down and refinished it with an oil and clear coat. I did it on a beat up SKS stock and it turned out really nice. 

Like I said, id recommend getting a 22lr to practice with, and maybe a 223 if it's in the budget for get 2. 308 is a great versatile caliber, just going to be a bit expensive and it recoils a bit, not crazy though and the heavier wood stock should soak it up a bit better. 

223 is really nice because it has a little bit of kick to it, whereas 22lr can feel like a pellet gun sometimes because it has virtually no recoil, and you're pretty limited on distance/wind with 22lr. I really like 223 because it still feels like a proper rifle round, and it can reach out to 500yd.

GoTenda (gun store online and in Ontario) has a promo on right now where for like $220 or so you get a Norinco bolt action 22lr and 500 or 1000rd of ammo for free with it, it's a great deal if you have a bit of money to spare still. 

For 223 you can probably find a used Savage Axis for $400 or so, but a 22lr would be the best option to get the hang of it and get your form and learn about cheek welds, proper scope setup and use, and all the other basics of firearms use and ownership.

Have fun man! Get that thing out to the range or crown land as soon as possible and see how you like it. Guns hold their value really well at least so even if you decide you want something else, you'll get almost all of your money back if you decide to sell it too, but 308 is great so you can always hang onto it and just get more familiar using a cheap 22lr first.

Don't scope yourself! Remember to keep your head back from the scope a bit! I did it once on a 308 and it left a pretty bad bruise above my eye for a week.

[u/HappyCan7250 → u/FitOrganization9403]

By the way, a great option for a budget but well made scope when you're ready, if you don't wanna spend much (they get very expensive) is the Vortex Triumph. It's a 3-9x40 and is probably the best value starter scope out there. Stay away from the "no name"/Chinese stuff, some of it works, but the Vortex Triumph also comes with good quality rings, and 308 kicks enough that crappy Chinese rings and scope probably won't hold up. The Vortex Triumph 3-9x40 is around $140, and considering it comes with quality Vortex scope rings (that cost about $50-$60 on their own too), getting the Vortex scope and rings for $140 is a great value. Bass Pro had them on for $129 a while ago too.