Looking for suggestions

[soup]

I'm sure this has been covered countless times and I'm sorry if I am repeating something.

I'm new to firearms in general. By new I mean... maybe a month lol. I bought a Mossberg 500 20 GA Field/Deer combo because .. well I have always been interested in shooting and now my boss and owner of the company I work for want me to get involved in hunting as well. I bought the shotgun because around where I live you are only allowed to hunt with a shotgun.

My question is... I would like to get a rifle to use "up state" but I know nothing as far as what is good and what I should look for etc. My family has a house in Monroe county bordering SGL 127 and a few guys from work head up further north (I forget the town) close to the PA/NY border for deer. I guess what I would like to know is what would you guys suggest for a beginner. I really do not want to spend a lot on this either. While browsing Cabela's and Dick's I've seen some sub $200 guns but I don't know if they are any good or not.

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks
Tj

[MTechnik]

Hunting deer in PA woods?

You can get a nice lever action .30-.30 that will do JUST fine. A nice marlin 336 is a great rifle - henry and winchester also still in the market - but I think winchester has moved production off-shore, and henry isn't the same Henry that made rifles 100 years ago - just the same name. from what I have heard, tho, the imperato family that runs henry now are excellent with customer service.

Or you can get a .308 that is a bit overkill, but can be used for more. Savage model 10, Ruger 77, Remintton 70/700 series rifles all come to mind here..

Just remember - no semi-auto hunting in PA. Take a hunting course. if you have questions about specific rifles, ask away - someone will have an opinion.

[soup]

Hunting deer in PA woods?

I guess??

Just remember - no semi-auto hunting in PA. Take a hunting course. if you have questions about specific rifles, ask away - someone will have an opinion.

Thanks. I did register for a Hunters safety course in March. I am planning a trip to the store tonight to get an idea of what is out there. If I have any questions I'll be sure to ask. Thanks again!

[Tomcat088]

There are a few options actually. If most of your shots are going to be within 100 yards, you could think about using slugs out of your shotgun. Another option as MTechnik stated might be to go with a .30-30 lever action. If that type of rifle isn't really your style or something that you don't like, I'd say that you should look at a bolt action rifle. The savage's are great shooters out of the box, and a bit cheaper than the Remington 700 rifles. I don't think the actions on the Savages are quite as smooth as the Remington 700's, but the savages are still very nice rifles and are accurate. You will probably see a rifle floating around called a Remington 710; alot of people are going to try to sell to you when you ask for a cheaper Remington 700. I would recommend that you stay AWAY from that rifle, it is almost totally plastic and pretty loose. Also, eventually you may want to get some accessories for your rifle, and the Remington 710, which has a plastic trigger guard and no bottom metal, will pretty much make it to where you can't upgrade that rifle at all. The Remington 700's are nice accurate rifles, but they will usually cost you a bit more than the savage's; part of this will depend on what models you are looking at. A Remington 700 or some of the savages will be a rifle that you can accessorize and grow into as your tastes may change as a hunter or shooter.

Now if you were thinking about going the bolt action route, the caliber recommendation that I'd probably make to you would be .243. The .243 is similar to a .308, because a .308 is the parent cartridge. Some guys back in the day just took a .308 (7.62mm bullet) and necked it down to a .243 (6mm bullet). This resulted in a more flat shooting cartridge, but it had to use lighter bullets. The lighter bullets means that you will have less felt recoil, and the cartridge will be flatter shooting. Sometimes lighter bullets are pushed more by the wind at longer rangers, but the .243 usually has less wind drift than the .308, simply because the sheer speed of the bullet. There will be others who will recommend things like the .30-06, .270, etc. These cartridges will go through barrels a little faster, they will have more recoil, and the ammunition will be a little more expensive. You can use the .243 on anything from ground hogs to the largest deer, and even antelope if you're careful in shot placement. The cheaper ammunition will allow you to practice more, and the light recoil will help you keep from developing a flinch which would wreak havoc on your accuracy. Then you would be fighting a bad habit from the beginning of your shooting days, which isn't a good thing. Hope this helps, and if you have any more questions feel free to ask, all the members here are happy to help.

[Pukindog]

One of the most favorite of all PA deer rifles/cartridge combos is the Marlin 336 chambered in .35 Remington. Mount a good low power variable scope ( Leupold 1.5-5X ) on a good set of rings and mounts ( no see throughs or swing mounts ) and you have a winner.
Jeff

[SuperMoose]

I have a .30-06 which apparently is one of the most versitle rounds out there. It's a Remington Model 710 which I bought from Cabela's new for ~$330. It's one of the lower end Remington models but I was told by several people for deer hunting and especially a first time gun its not a bad one. It has a synthetic stock so warping won't be an issue if it gets wet. That being said it has only had range use from me as I have never been hunting (because I can't find someone to take me and no one in my family hunts). Just my .02 I'm sure people who actually have experiance hunting might be able to weigh in on this topic better.

-edit
Just read Tomcat's post above, everything he says about the 710 is true. However I bought it mainly with the intention of range use and hopefully at somepoint hunting. For me it was a base model to get into rifles. It shoots decently and I haven't had problems but I'm sure other suggestions are probably better.

[Karys]

+1 on the Marlin lever actions.

A Marlin 336 in .30-30 or .35 Remington is all you need for deer hunting in the northern counties. I've hunted with a 336 in .35 Remington until recently and it's never let me down.

You can really save some money if you shop the used market. Used 336's tend to run extremely cheap because there's so many of them around.

[K31]

I would go with a Rem 700 in 7mm08 or 308. Something light and handy. If you go with the 308 you can buy cheap 7.62x51 ammo to practice with. Remember to save some money for a scope and rings.

[338winmag]

i just boutg an mosberg model 100 atr in 30.06 it has impresed me and i got the gun and a 3to9 scope for 270.00out the door at dunums

[Bearhands]

+1 on the training course!

You are relatively close to one of these gun shows, maybe a friend might accompany you and then you'll have a world of things to look at:
Mar 1-2 Gilbertsville (Valley Forge Area) Gilbertsville Fire Dept Appalachian Promotions
Mar 7-9 King of Prussia, 700 tbls $75 Valley Forge Convention Center valleyforgegunshow.com
Mar 8-9 Leesport, Leesport Farmers Market Appalachian Promotions


I'd suggest aquiring or borrowing a buddy's 22 bolt or lever action and aquainting yourself with the basics, though I'm sure the course you are enrolled in will cover lots of things.

Best of luck and happy and SAFE hunting!