first rifle

[LiquidGib]

I am looking to get my first rifle and I saw a used Remington 700 - .338 Win Mag , 26" Barrel with a bushnell elite 3200 3-9 scope for what seems to be a decent deal. I am getting this for deer and eventually maybe bear and moose?

Something important to me is minimizing vibration effects. I don't mind paying the weight penalty for this.

Is this a good gun for me?

 

[black dawg]

338 win is an impressive caliber, but not one I would use as a first rifle. Unbraked and at hunting weight the recoil can be tough to deal with. I have owned 2, and eventually sold both..they just weren't fun to shoot.

What does that rifle weigh? braked? what do you mean by minimizing vibrating effects?

 

[realunlucky]

No it's not the rifle for you

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Ridge Ghost]

Yeah, that's way more gun and recoil you need, especially if you are just starting out.

For the animals you mentioned I would be looking at a 30-06 with a 3-9 scope. It will always be enough gun for you, won't beat you up with recoil, and ammo will be cheap and available so you can get plenty of practice in.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Whittaker Guns has Remington SPS(black, synthetic) for $399.99. 270 Win, 7-08, and 7 mag would be more than enough for what you want to do.

 

[338]

NOooo, that is way to much rifle, and it's going to be heavy.

You can get a new Ruger American(.308, .270 or 30-06) almost anywhere for about $400 and then get a new Leopold VX-3I of your liking and you will have a brand new set up for around a $1000.

That pair will most likely out shoot most hunters and be a tough, cost effective, reliable gun and scope that will last you for years.

And it's all made in america to boot.

Just my 2 cent

 

[Blinginpse]

Your higher than balls on a giraffe. 338 geez lol

Go with a 7mag that will do plenty and be easy to shoot

 

[hodgeman]

Yeah....338 is not really a starter rifle. Get something like a .308 or 7-08. Something with less recoil and with more affordable ammo.

The best way to learn to shoot is to shoot a lot...and that's a lot easier with a .308 than that .338.

 

[mtmuley]

Get it. Especially if it is a good deal. The .338 Winchester really isn't that brutal. It will kill anything you point it at. Too many guys that can't handle a normal weight rifle in a normal cartridge giving advice. mtmuley

 

[GKPrice]

I hunted ALOT with nothing but 338 Win Mags for a lot of years - not a "extreme" long range chambering but does well in common long range scenarios - I'd agree with mtmuley about shootable but not in a lightweight unless you want one of those dadburned "crack yer eardrums brakes" which I won't have on a hunting rifle of any flavor - Modern bullets make smaller bores just as lethal though .....

 

[cooperjd]

lots of good deals on new guns these days, i'm not sure i'd go that big for your first rifle. we don't know how you're built, or how much shooting experience you have. if this is your first rifle, then i'm assuming you have not shot much. but i could be wrong. using that assumption, i agree with many above and think its too much gun for your first gun. you do not want to develop bad habits early and flinch because of recoil. my buddy ruined his wife this way, starting her with a .300win mag.

'06, 7mag, 280, the list goes on and on of plenty capable cartridges without the cost, blast, and recoil of a 338. a 7mag is my go-to rifle, but i also have a 338 rem ultra mag. it sucks to shoot off a bench so i really do not shoot it much. its no problem to go shoot a couple boxes of the 7mag from the bench in a day.

if you like the idea of larger heavier bullets, you could look at something like a 325wsm or 338 federal, for larger bullets if you do not plan on trying to shoot really long range.

 

[howl]

If this is your first rifle, then you're probably going to be in a position to learn some things as you go. More recoil makes figuring out what is going on unnecessarily more difficult. You're on the right track with getting something with some weight. It just needs to be in a .308-class cartridge like a .260, 6.5x55, 7mm08, 270, etc. rather than a belted magnum.

If you're in the states, there are so many cheap rifles around there's no need to jump on the first deal you notice. A Ruger American Predator in 6.5 CM isn't expensive, and will do the job.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Whitaker Guns has Remington SPS(black, synthetic) for $399.99. 270 Win, 7-08, and 7 mag would be more than enough for what you want to do.

Whitaker's has a 10% off everything sale going on right now, including guns. It would be a good time to pick up your first rifle.

 

[Timberninja]

Whitaker's has a 10% off everything sale going on right now, including guns. It would be a good time to pick up your first rifle.

Is there a code or similar needed for the 10% discount? Cant find any info on their site.

 

[Timberninja]

Found it.. thanks for the tip!

 

[Desk Jockey]

I would say get it.

If it is the right gun for you, you will know it after one or two trips to the range and in the woods.

If it isn't, you will know and can sell it and the lesson will be learned.

I am not a deeply experienced bolt gun guy or hunter for that matter but I have been shooting for a while. I have mostly owned and shot tikkas and Remington. If I were buying a first gun for hunting and I wanted something that slung bigger bullets, I would get a tikka t3x in 30-06 or 300 WSM or win mag.

I switched to a 300 win mag from a 308 this year. The extra costs of ammo and recoil in a gun that is ~10 pounds scoped and loaded are noticeable. I would shoot and practice a lot less if that win mag were my only rifle.