Beginner Rifle selection

[benn1124]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this community. I am currently in the process of getting my A&B class licence in QLD and was just wondering what every ones opinions are for getting a weatherby vanguard series 2 bolt action synthetic rifle in a .270 calibre

I have shot before a few times mainly just with a .222 though and also if anybody had some extra info on these rifles would be very helpful

Also I've read a lot of reviews so far all saying how great of a gun they are for the price and that the also come with the SUB MOA guarantee.

Also if any one would be able to point me in the right direction for a decent scope to go with the gun also dont realy know a whole lot about scopes.

Thanks
Ben.

[MeccaOz]

I'd say Nice gun

Some will tell you not to get a 270 straight up... But my best mate started shooting with one and still does, each to their own.

I'd say a nice leupold 3X9 - 40 or 50 would be great but it would depend on what ranges you will be using it over.

I recommend Leupold Because they actually have a life time warranty that is not some bogus legal jibber jabber, that really expires after 2 years.

[benn1124]

Hey, thanks for the feedback.

I'm going to most likely start with shooting pigs once i get the hang of the bigger gun at the range first so I'm making my shots humanely and then probably move to start trying for deer so with the deer id like to be able to shoot from a further distance but not to sure as to what the distance for the pigs will be I wouldn't say more than 100m if that some times.

I will get a smaller gun eventually.

[MeccaOz]

Yup I'd say a 3 X 9 power would be perfect then mate. I myself limit my shots to around 200 meters because quite honestly thats about where it gets to the point of a wound or a kill, and I hate for an animal to suffer. Some variable scopes are a little less accurate than a fixed power but unless you know your own and your rifles limits your better off with a variable, and if you get a leupold if it ever breaks ( and they dont very often ) they will fix it or replace it, and apparently nioa importers will have their own leupold service station in there new building which they are moving into over the next two weeks, so it wont have to go to the states to be fixed or replaced

[Chronos]

firstly i'd say if you're gonna buy a weatherby, or howa for that matter make sure it's not one of those currently under recall for safety issues

http://www.weatherby.com/vanguardsafety

secondly it sounds like you're thought your cartridge choice out well if deer are in your future. the .270 is flatter shooting than a .308 which will help you should you misjudge distances at first

as for scopes 9 times out of 10 a 3-9 power scope in 40mm will do everything you need from a hunting scope and while a 4-12 or higher will help while practicing those longer shots at the range in the field the scope will likely live on 4 or 6 power

good luck with your first purchase

Chronos

[on_one_wheel]

They recon that In a ideal world we would all start out with a .22 because its a cheep way to develop the core skills required to become a good shooter. Starting out big can teach some shooters to flinch ( witch can take a long time to fix ), but as a adult or if you have a big build this will lessen the likelihood of developing the dreaded flinch as you can take the recoil much better than a kid.

Personally I think its wise to start out small but not everyone has the patience to work their way up.

The .270 is a great round that will take most game here In Australia. It is common enough so factory loads should be easy to get.

[benn1124]

i do plan on purchasing a .22 most probably as a seccond gun and im 6'2 and a decent sized build so hopefully that helps with redusing the flinch, iv shot a few times mostly with a friends .222 with what were getting to be some good results at the range, thank you every one for all the feed back has auctually been very helpfull with deciding.

thanks
ben

[bigfellascott]

If you do go with the Weatherby make sure you get a sporter if you want to do lots of walking around, the Varmint versions are heavy and really not needed for hunting deer etc.

I own a few Howa's myself and all have performed very well indeed. As for scopes get something with a good field of view as this will help with taking running shots if needed. A 3-9x50 would be my choice for a general purpose hunting scope - I guess it really comes down to the type of terrain that you will be hunting in for the most part as to what mag/type etc of scope is needed.

Good luck

[Shotfox]

I agree with bigfellascott with the choice of the sporter for the reasons he mentioned. Personally I stick with Leupold as far as scopes go. If you are looking at optics over 10x then quality comes into play and I find Leupold has great low light performance. here is a word of warning once you have chosen your gun / scope & mounting combination. DO NOT let the sales person fit your scope to the gun. Mounting a scope is a precise science and these guys swing off allen keys as if they were building the titanic with no regard to the correct tensions required. Get a proper gunsmith or someone who has experiance doing this and who has the correct tools (tension drivers such as a Fat Wrench) to do the job.

[tucked]

Welcome to the forum Ben.

[VICHunter]

I'm going to most likely start with shooting pigs once i get the hang of the bigger gun at the range first so I'm making my shots humanely and then probably move to start trying for deer so with the deer id like to be able to shoot from a further distance but not to sure as to what the distance for the pigs will be i wouldn't say more than 100m if that some times

.270 is enough gun to take pigs and deer at good ranges humanely. Don't worry about that.

Choose a suitable bullet for hunting and it will do the at 200m - 300m no problem. As a new shooter I wouldn't expect you to be shooting at that distance anyway for a little while.

[Techc]

A 3-9x50 would be my choice for a general purpose hunting scope

Yeah. 3-9x or 4-12x for a bit more distance are the usual favourite for hunting.

Leupold VX-1 offer both of these and are pretty cheap for a decent scope.

[1290]

As a noob, you're jumping straight in and shooting porkers with the 270win??
Most with a bit of shooting under their belt would suggest the rimfire first up to get the technique, handling etc sorted before hitting the hunting grounds and buying your first centrefire mid-cal....

A 12g is also good for 'training'/plinking and offers the recoil you may expect from a centrefire rifle...

If your heart is set then get in to it....
Why the vanguard though?, because others dont advertise an MoA guarantee it doesnt mean they not as accurate as the webbery...their are many makes available on the market at the moment...

[bigfellascott]

As a noob, you're jumping straight in and shooting porkers with the 270win??
Most with a bit of shooting under their belt would suggest the rimfire first up to get the technique, handling etc sorted before hitting the hunting grounds and buying your first centrefire mid-cal....

A 12g is also good for 'training'/plinking and offers the recoil you may expect from a centrefire rifle...

If your heart is set then get in to it....
Why the vanguard though?, because others dont advertise an MoA guarantee it doesnt mean they not as accurate as the webbery...their are many makes available on the market at the moment...

My first time shooting/hunting was with a 303! - I was only 8 or 9 at the time - it certainly did scare me the first time no doubt about it, it kicked and the noise etc was what scared me the most but I soon got used to it over time.

[benn1124]

iv been hunting before with a .222 i know its no as powerful as the 270win, after talking to a few experienced people they have told me to look into a .308 as its cheaper and when i have the skill level get a rifle to hunt for deer, ill be practicing at my local range to get my grouping and accuracy better then SUB MOA before taking to hunting anything as big a pest as pigs are id rather not injure one and have it suffer and die away some where, sorry if i made it sound as tho i was gonna go get a gun and start firing rounds hoping to hit something

[yoshie]

I'd recommend shooting a 270 first before you buy one, it's defiantly on the big game rifle end of caliber choice. If you're ok with it then great, most people don't even get that big. It will take just about everything that walks this continent. The Howa/Weatherby is a good gun, a bit heavy but that's a good thing with a cartridge like 270 as it soaks up the recoil well.

[benn1124]

I'd recommend shooting a 270 first before you buy one, it's defiantly on the big game rifle end of caliber choice. If you're ok with it then great, most people don't even get that big. It will take just about everything that walks this continent. The Howa/Weatherby is a good gun, a bit heavy but that's a good thing with a cartridge like 270 as it soaks up the recoil well.

i don't think ill be getting the 270 i honestly didn't realise it was such a big round but after going to my local store and talking to a few of the guys as well as all the good feed back on here defiantly helped clear things up a little.

[huccl]

i don't think ill be getting the 270 i honestly didn't realise it was such a big round but after going to my local store and talking to a few of the guys as well as all the good feed back on here defiantly helped clear things up a little.

Maybe look at the .243 Win? Start out on light 55gr pills to get used to it and move up to 95gr-100gr once you're on top of it.

[Lorgar]

Maybe look at the .243 Win? Start out on light 55gr pills to get used to it and move up to 95gr-100gr once you're on top of it.

.243 is good, my only comment would be that it's not large enough to legally shoot certain deer in certain states. Not sure about QLD off the top of my head?

You could look at 7mm-08. Much friendlier than the .270.

You can load 120gr pills which are recoil friendly, 140gr is legal for all deer everywhere AFAIK, and if you wanted to go up to heavy 170gr pills for... whatever.

Less recoil for you but still a humane hunting calibre with the mid-heavy pills.

I've dabbled with a few calibres over the years from .22 up to 300 win mag and come back to 7mm-08 as the best all rounder.

2c.

[tom604]

243 is legal to shoot deer in Queensland with a 100gr pill, you can also shoot goats, pigs with a 243, 308 for buff, donkeys ect

a 243 has a bit more kick than a 223 but not much more practice your freehand shots at various distances and if a tree is there use it

[benn1124]

I ended up going with a Tikka T3 Hunter in a .308. I tried out one of my mates 308's and it had a fair kick but felt manageable with my size and with the availability of parts ammo and everything else associated with them it's a much more common round and figured an Ok starting point for pigs.

I was still thinking the Weatherby but after going to QLD gun exchange yesterday and looking at the 2 side by side and holding and comparing both i was sold with the Tikka, also a lot of research had been done on both models so it came down to personal preference, I can guarantee that this will only be one of my many to come rifles, once everything has come back I'm going to look straight into getting a nice .22 to get some rabbits and work on efficiently hunting

Now I've just got the fun part of the process the waiting game involved with waiting for my licence and waiting to get my first PTA back one of the guys at weapons licencing the other day told me i think there is an 8 week backlog i think so fingers crossed it doesn't take too long.

[RDobber]

I ended up going with a Tikka T3 Hunter in a .308. I tried out one of my mates 308's and it had a fair kick but felt manageable with my size and with the availability of parts ammo and everything else associated with them it's a much more common round and figured an Ok starting point for pigs.

A fine choice mate.

The Hunter's are good rifles. .308 might seem like a lot now but as you get used to it, it will feel like less recoil and shooting it will only get easier.

[Wobble]

and figured an Ok starting point for pigs.

.308 is plenty for pigs mate.

Load up some heavy pills, 160gr - 180gr hunting bullets, and it'll put them down with authority all day long.

[Lorgar]

243 is legal to shoot deer in Queensland with a 100gr pill

All deer? Not just Fallow/Chital/Hog?

(Not saying you're wrong, just asking).

[tom604]

I just typed in legal calibre for deer in QLD and looked on the police site and that's what they said.

I don't know if they have Sambar in QLD? too hot? Hell, I don't even know if they have hog

[Lorgar]

Righto then, if that's what it says then there you go. Just surprised was all...

They do have Sambar and Hog in QLD. Only saying that from seeing hunting pictures though, not sure in what parts of QLD they are exactly.

[tom604]

Deer
.243 calibre rifles with 100 grain projectiles are the minimum acceptable. 150 grain .308 projectiles are considered suitable for all deer in Australia.

Last updated 15/11/2012
The Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals sets out the firearms and ammunition suitable for the humane destruction of feral livestock animals.

Pigs
Ground shooting: .243 calibre rifles with 80 or 100 grain soft nose projectiles. .222 or .223 calibre rifles may be suitable in competent hands.

Buffalo, Cattle, Horses, Donkeys, Camels
Ground shooting: .308 (7.62mm) calibre rifles. For cattle, horses, donkeys and camels silver tip or soft point ammunition is preferred except for heavy scrub bulls where hard pointed/jacketed ammunition should be used.

Aerial shooting: For helicopter shooting hard pointed/jacketed projectiles 170 grain (or heavier) should be used.

Goats
Ground shooting: .243 calibre rifles with 80 grain projectiles. .222 or .223 calibre rifles may be suitable in competent hands.

Aerial shooting: .30/30 and .308 calibre rifles.

https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct= ... iJ9bG1R2CA



made a pigs breakfast with the copy and paste thing,,hope the link works,,not to cluey with this stuff yep just checked link is good

[Lorgar]

Ha ha. Yeah it's all showing up good for me.

[AusC]

.243 calibre rifles with 100 grain projectiles are the minimum acceptable. 150 grain .308 projectiles are considered suitable for all deer in Australia.

A .243 is reasonable in most instances I think. A big Red or Sambar deserves something closer to a .308 but they're not all monsters.

Said it before, a 100gr pill moving at 3000fps aint no feather duster.