r/canadaguns • u/Western_Wish4280 • Jun 01 '26

Buy recommendations Best first hunting rifle to buy?

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 !

15 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

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14

u/Western_Wish4280 Jun 01 '26

Man you all are the GOATS. My wallet will cry with a tikka t3x and chambered in 308 but fuck it. One gun to rule them all. Im down

10

u/hafetysazard Jun 01 '26

.308 will do everything you need it to at hunting distances, and the Tikka is really a great rifle at a decent price for what you’re getting. From North America to Africa, .308 is probably the best all-hunting cartridge for medium to large sized thin-skinned game.

3

u/Western_Wish4280 Jun 01 '26

Take my upvote. I think its the best decision to learn and use the 308 win. People have always told me to stay away from it as a beginner and mostly theyd use 6.5 creedmoore or 243. Couldn't be a fan of the 243 as its super limiting say if i go on an elk hunting trip . With all that being said, i think i just got indoctrinated into the 308 club xD

3

u/Additional_Fold_1350 Jun 02 '26

Yeah skip the 243, way too under powered for elk or moose, unless your shot is perfect,

Unless your my father in-law who got his first deer at 11 with a good old Cooey 22LR single shot!!!!!!!! Says he shot that doe in the eye and it dropped on the spot at 50 yards as he tells the story. Didn't have a license even and didn't know better. Was back in the late 50s, and they were poor so he was out rabbit/bird hunting for meat and seen a deer and shot it. Got them through the winter in a wood heated cabin with no insulation.

6

u/Hotdog_Broth Jun 01 '26

Sound like you’ve saved yourself from making the usual “I wish I had just bought the tikka” comment a few months down the road

3

u/Murray3-Dvideos Jun 01 '26

Your getting steered astray from a hunting standpoint by those who are recommending a .308 over .270. .270win is a superior choice considering your demands. Id ONLY choose .308 if you plan to do target shooting as well.

1

u/epnk420 Jun 01 '26

Definitely go with the Tikka I made the mistake of buying a Savage 110 never again, got the wife a Tikka T3X Lite Compact in 243 it’s a much nicer rifle just wouldn’t take it for elk due to caliber

1

u/Western_Wish4280 Jun 01 '26

Im short as well. With 5'7 and pretty skinny. Should i get the t3x lite or the t3x compact??

2

u/epnk420 Jun 02 '26

The compact is shorter length of pull and maybe shorter length of barrel (could be wrong on barrel length) my wife is 5’5 I think and it fits her good, to me it’s too small but I’m 6’2 but I can still shoot it. And you can get them in lite and compact versions combined so it’s lighter which is nice for hunting