Best first hunting rifle to buy?

[u/Western_Wish4280]

Hi all!

I have recently got my PAL and wanna go hunting this fall.

I dont wanna hunt moose for a couple years. The only reason for getting a gun rn is to hunt whitetail deer.

I know people would say buy a tikka t3x lite and all.

But i dont wanna buy it right now. Wanted a rifle chambered in 270 Winchester/ 6.5 CM for the forgiving trajectory and recoil as im super new to shooting. But in a couple years id go buy a tikka t3x chambered in 308 winchester.

I have narrowed down my search and these are the rifles i would pick one from:

1. Winchester xpr bolt action (270 win)

2. Weatherby vanguard (270 win)

3. Mossberg patriot predator(6.5 CM)

4. Ruger gen 1 bolt action(270 win)

5. Savage axis xp2 (6.5 CM)

Please help me choose and if need be advise on other models.

Edit: I thank all of you who have given me excellent advice. I really didnt know the gun community in Canada is soooooo friendly. You guys are all amazing !

[u/hafetysazard]

Recoil isn’t really an issue unless you’re shooting 100+ rounds in a range session which is just not gonna happen with a hunting rifle; and with the way scopes and bases are made these days, you’re not going to really need to worry about it, “shooting flat,” either unless you go all out and zero your rifle to take full advantage of a maximum point blank range zero.

The difference between point and shoot distance (6” target zone) between .308 and 6.5cm is like 30-40 yards, but you only worry about that out past 250 yards, anyways. If you’re doing a bog-standard 100 yard zero, it doesn’t make much difference at all. If you plan on shooting further than that regularly, you’re probably going to want something a little closer to a varmint or target rifle; not something you want to be able to beat around the bush with.

Your standard hunting rifle in medium-bore cartridges aren’t really going to be very useful for hunting out past 400 yards max; bullets will slow too much, expansion will be iffy, and the bullet has lost a lot of energy that it won’t penetrate well. New shooter, probably under 300 yards is going to be your limit. Plus, not a lot of hunting scenarios are going to give you an opportunity to setup with enough stability to be able to shoot much further than that.

If you really want to go long distance for hunting, you’ll have to be in .300 PRC or .338 Lapua territory to be ethical.

[u/Western_Wish4280 → u/hafetysazard]

If i get the tikka t3x, how would ut fare out against new brunswicks weather and what chamber should i get it in for the one gun to rule em all rhetoric

[u/hafetysazard → u/Western_Wish4280]

The .308 is the best all-around cartridge for taking a hunting shot within 300 yards anywhere in North America. It is ubiquitous, and has the greatest selection of reloading components if you’re going to go down that road. Walk into any store that sells ammo, you’re going to find .308 hunting cartridges, pretty much anywhere on the planet.