Hunting Forum

I agree with fine point my first gun was a 357 marlinfor 190.00 my second a 1906 springfield/remington in 30-06 it was the best buy for 90.00 and me and my son-inlaw and 3 grandsons have used them for all types of hunting.

Since modern center fire rifles are my least favorite weapon to hunt with I only own one. A Remington Model 722 in .300 SAV. that my dad bought brand new right after WWII. Topped with a 4 power Tasco scope my dads work buddies got him when he retired in 1975. Can't get much cheaper than that but damned if that gun doesn't kill deer and bear just as dead as any gun I have ever seen.

Fp, that's a good point and I'm not sure how I missed it, I meant to include it. While you can get a new rifle for the amounts I mention, if you look around you can often get a better quality used one for the same price. This also opens up a whole myriad of other "obsolete" calibers I hadn't mentioned.. To maintain the 50 state legal for big game, this still precludes the 6.5x55, but adds the 8x57 you mention and the excellent 300 savage gb mentions. Throw in the 300 win mag (a bit high recoil for most shooters), the 7mm rem mag and the 7x57 and you have most of the formerly sporter calibers. If you hunt open sights and ar willing to use military rifles, the 30-40, 7.62x54r, 303 Brit, 7.65 French, 7.7 arisaka and 7.5x55 Swiss also may be added. With many of those you almost must reload.

I intentionally don't get into reloading because I don't do it and start up costs. Most budget hunters don't shoot as much or use a 22( another topic) for most practice and would never recoup the cost of starting reloading. However, if you are a volume centerfire shooter it does become near mandatory, especially for the budget minded as it will greatly reduce your costs.

Btw, if you have a low dollar scope, please put some of your thoughts about it's performance down as I'll never cover it all

as the average new rifle (rifle, rings, bases and scope) rig costs something north of 850, and close to 2k for those guys setting up kimbers with premium scopes, to my current salary for some full customs with european glass my numbers are intended to show how cheaply one can get out the door with a full rig ready to hunt all the same game.

GB shows another thing I intended to mention. A gun you have (or can borrow from family who quit hunting) is ALWAYS more budget than one you must buy. If it killed elk and deer 50 years ago when new, and there were far less elk and deer, it can do the same thing today, the gun is then not the limit, the operator is.

One small thing I have noticed about choice of caliber when trying to stay on a budget is that certain caliber shells come on sale in the stores where others don't. 30-06, 308, 30-30 and 270 are on sale in just about every store, for 20% off every year a week before deer season opens. Then the same calibers seem to come on sale at one store or another a couple of more times a year. Other caliber rounds almost never seem to come on sale. I have never seen .300 SAV on sale.

Shotgun shells always come on sale before bird season. I haven't payed full price for shotgun shells since I can remember. Department stores with small sporting goods sections quite often have the best deals.

Keep it up GH this is a great thread for a cheap skate like me.

Unfortunately that bit about ammo is too true. My favorite caliber is a 7mm-08, but while it's the smallest cartridge and weight of the four I mention it's also often the most expensive for ammo because it's the least popular of the four. At the local walmart I can but -06 or 270 federal blue box for $17 it's typical $23 or more for 7-08 ammo. That's also the downfall of all the military rifles except the 7.62x54, ammo will be pricier and more difficult to find than the three or four most common ones, in the case of some of them impossible to find out of your home.

gB, could you review your tasco? Timber, lowlight? How about the scope on your inline? I'm guessing it's not real high priced either...

Also, follow sales, there's a leupold 3-9 on sale for 155 right now around here... If you're a budget hunter, become a disciple of your wife. She probably knows how to sale hunt/bargain hunt better than you do (mine does), while your purchase quarry might be different, tactics are similar

All I know is that old Tasco is a 4x32 and has never needed any adjustment since it was sighted in in 1975. Doesn't have any kind of name on it.

Scope? inline? Now that's funny! Here in Oregon Muzzle loader season is a "primitive" season. Open ignition and iron sights only. I take that back, as of this year they do allow fiber optic sights. I have a Hawkins style sidelock. I had to pass on a 75 yard shot this morning because the light was just to low. Hard to see a gray front sight aimed at a gray deer on a gray morning. I bought that gun close to 20 years ago for less than $200.

Fixed 4x... That tasco is still available for $22 on walmarts website... Hasn't been resighted in 35 years...

save money-buy a rifle with iron sights,it will have to be used because most manufactures dont make guns with iron sights on them annymore.

If your eyes are up to it you can hunt iron sights. Many people, especially as they get older, can't focus on sights. However, if you can see sights and find a good price, iron sights are a nice choice. Some fiber optics like truglo, hi viz, and trijicon can help you extend shooting light. Truglo is generally the least expensive, the truglo 4x (a very budget friendly $50 with rings) I have on the kids 22 has never given me trouble.

Another tip that will help the budget hunter...GET IN SHAPE... Why? Colorado still offers otc elk tags on public land, Montana offers otc sheep tags on public land, Alaska offers otc tags for moose and caribou on public land, no guides or outfitters required. Hunts of a lifetime at prices even many budget hunters can save up for... But these are all tough hunts that require you to walk and work for it. Get in shape, it'll save your health, which saves money, and allow you to budget your hunt of a lifetime. Talk to your doctor if it's safe for you first. Montana, Wyoming and Colorado all have accessible public land mulies and antelope... But you'll need to walk... Sometimes 100 miles a week.

What are some budget scopes you'd like to see compared?

a consideration if you travel is the availability of ammo in odd locales. some airlines require that ammo travel separate from guns if you are able to do one of the public land hunts, if they lose your ammo, how hard is it to find? i stopped by a local hardware store to see how hard that would be, i found several boxes of ammo, most obvious..30-30, 30-06, 270, 243, 308... but two that weren't 280 and 35 remington... the last not as suprising when you realize that remington pumps and marlin lever guns make up a preponderance of local firearms. everything else was shotgun and 22 loads. something to think about when you pick a budget gun if you may be travelling.

I have a Simmons 4x32 scope with their Pro Diamond reticle. I bought it new at Wal Mart years ago for $70. It has taken an enormous beating of many 12 guage 3" magnum and 20 guage magnum slugs and turkey loads. The diamond reticle helps with rangefinding somewhat and the scope does pretty good during low light in the field but not as good in the timber. If you stay with a fixed power scope, you can get into the big name brands relatively inexpensively and get a better quality glass. If i find some better examlpes Ill put em on here in a little bit.

At this point final tally looks like this. I'll use a used Winchester ranger with sights and a mounted 4x leupold in 30-06, then if I get something use the new savage edge with the vortex diamondback 2-7 in 7-08. Both guns are untested using ammo i've never hunted with before... I'll let you know overall impressions after the season.

A little more on fixed power scopes.

I was on walmarts website and noticed that they list new weaver K series (fixed) scopes. A4x--&a6x. Both within $2 of $150, my personal preference cut off. These scopes are rated to 10,000 shots from a 375, for comparison, only one other company I know of rates scopes like that, bushnell. A variable bushnell rated at 1000 shots starts at 199, a bushnell rated at 10,000 shots starts at 299... Basically double. Basically you get $300 scope quality for only $150.

Oddly studies have shown that most people when hunting only use a single power of a variable power scope. Ineastern states it's 3 or 4, western states 4-6. Basically you are stating the obvious when you buy fixed and saving to buy 6 boxes of shells to practice with... Or a weeks groceries if more applicable to your budget.

A tasco, like the one GB says has lasted him 35 years costs only $23 at their website, a simmons like j.hunt has around $70 now. A number of low cost brands have them as well, stay within fixed powers and you will get better reliability.

As for low light shooting, the tasco lists an 8mm exit pupil, almost 2 mm more than the human eye... Asinine the scope can gather more light than your eye can use.

Btw, normal pupil size is 3-6.5mm according to the police. If your eyes go above this it's typically drug induced, wether by a dilating chemical for eyeexams or other substance. A human pupil can be dialated to 9mm (if you are 15, the medically determined healthiest your eyes will be) using chemicals. Basically, in ultra low light, anything over 6.5-7 is more than your eye is capable of using.

Great thread!! I did spend some money on my most recent rifle, a Rem 700 SPS in .308 ($600 out the door). You can get decent optics for a reasonable price too. I topped it with an entry level Leupold VX-I, 3-9x40 for $230. When you total that I have a rifle for most big game in the lower 48 states (Deer, Elk, Moose) for $830.

Another budget tip... Actaully a twofer...

We mentioned buying used, if you focus on the -06 you can get great deals right now because a number of people have been trading their -06 for short mags... Somewhat ridiculous as they hunt the same game and with hornady superformance or federal high power loads they quite literally do the exact same thing...actually there's something the -06 will do the wsm does not without hand loads, push heavier than 180 grain bullets, necessary for some hunting.

Anyway, resultantly, there are a lot of -06 on the market making them cheap. There's also, if you find the right store, used -06 ammo on the market. If you can find still sealed boxes or unfired brass loads these are safe to use. I just got some nosler custom ammo doing that, half price because it was 'used' although unopened.

With that, unless your ammo gets discontinued, it's generally cheaper to use what you have, if it's accurate, than to resight your rifle, even with cheaper ammo because of the ammo expended resighting.

Btw, resighting is not to be confused with shooting to make sure zero hasn't changed, nor with practice.

On practice, given the current cost of ammo and the knowledge that practice makes perfect it's a good idea to practice, while slightly pricey initially this will save you money long term... Buy a 22 with a scope. Cabelas and bass pro have savages for sale for 200 this weekend. Accurate and reliable, plus cheap to use. Many times marlins run around the same price and are a nice option.

200 seem expensive? Let's compare. A 22 with 500 rounds, 218. 500 rounds of 30-06 ammo? $4-$500 if yup use the cheap stuff for practice. See the savings? I typically shoot 300+ rounds a year through a bolt action 22 with a 1" scope. Costs me $10 a year vs 270-300 to get that same practice from a big game rifle.