first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

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first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by boltnich08 » 06 Mar 2016, 7:02 pm

ohk so I'm going rifle hunting tomorrow. purpose of the rifle is ideally only going to be used for non competition target shooting and hunting id say the largest animal id be going after would be goats. primarily foxes, rabbits and cats etc.

so ive been trying to set by budget at the 800 dollar mark with a scope
there are two entry level rifles ive been looking at so far
1. Remington 783 - 756$
2. savage axis - 599$
both come scoped

but now I've been looking and have come across howa. I'm looking at the howa 1500 custom tactical FDE (ill try post a picture ) it has a distinct pistol grip. that I love.

my questions are

1. what rifle out of the Remington and savage would you buy considering the price and first time buyer.

2. what out of the two Remington and savage is better to mod at a later date with cooler pistol grips and butts ?

3. should I spend the extra bit of cash and get something like the howa

4. is there anything that would fit better into my price budget and that I could build into a pistol grip style rifle ? like a remingtom 700 or a howa 1500 or Mossberg tactical .243
Attachments
howa 1500 tan bipod.jpg
howa 1500 varmit 2k
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howa barrel.jpg
barrel to build 300$-$500
howa barrel.jpg (3.27 KiB) Viewed 4248 times
howa 1500 tan.jpg
howa 1500 $1300
howa 1500 tan.jpg (33.41 KiB) Viewed 4248 times
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by Gregg » 07 Mar 2016, 9:27 am

Welcome Bolt,

For your hunting, any centre fire calibre will be more than enough for foxes, rabbits and cats.

If this is your primary focus you could look at a .223 with a fast twist, this would be plenty and the fast twist would let you shoot heavy/long bullets for your target shooting.

Got goats (and pigs too maybe?) IMO you would want something a little bigger, something like a .243 or .260. The .260 Rem in particular is a very versatile and efficient cartridge with good range range and would tick all the boxes for you.

I'm a bit out of the loop on Remingtons these days, not to condemn them but they have had a bit of a string of unfavourable reports over recent years compared to the other ones. Do a bit more of your own research on that is all I'm saying.

Howa on the other hand has a reputation for consistently accurate rifles.

Pistol-grip vs straight-grip is really a matter of personal preference. Some shooters like pistol, some don't. If it feels more comfortable for you then it's the one for you.

Personally I wouldn't look at a Mossberg over a Howa or Remington for what you're building.
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by sandgroperbill » 07 Mar 2016, 2:32 pm

Ok, do you have any experience at all shooting?

If not, I would suggest a .22lr to learn the basics and get lots of practice. The howa looks cool, but you'll get a lot more practice for your money from a .22.

If you're set on the options above, I would look seriously at the howa 1500, weatherby, savage or ruger american.

It all depends on fit. Don't buy based on internet pictures. You need to feel them to find which one will fit you best.

Have a look through, you'll find a lot of this has been covered before in other threads
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by Norton » 07 Mar 2016, 3:11 pm

While there is merit in the 'get a 22lr for your first rifle' argument I gotta say (respectfully) it's not the best advice for boltnich08, IMO.

If we were all millionaires sure, get one of everything. But 50m shooting as your only discipline gets old fast IMO and a 22lr isn't going to be enough for hunting goats as OP is interested in..

Given the budgets OP is talking about I'm assuming there aren't the funds to buy a 22lr for the sake of learning the basics then buying another rifle to do the actual desired job.

Bolt, the .243 is a good hunting calibre, the only hitch will be if in time you also want to hunt the larger species of deer as their are minimum calibre requirements that it wouldn't meet.

Otherwise small deer, goats, pigs, cats etc. will all go down to it easy.

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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by sandgroperbill » 07 Mar 2016, 3:44 pm

I asked if the op already had any experience, and reccomended a .22 if not, didn't say everyone had to start there, some people are fine starting with a centrefire, some aren't. A .243 isn't exactly a high recoiling calibre, so may be fine, but even if you get a centrefire, its still good to have a .22. And second hand .22s are cheap and reliable.

http://www.ozgunsales.com/listing/36259 ... _good.html

The above is under $200 and slazengers are good, reliable .22s. Getting this alongside a centrefire will allow plenty of cheap practice and the ability to go hunting for larger things.

And no flames from me, norton, its good to have discussions and different opinions, and I see where you're coming from.
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by AusTac » 07 Mar 2016, 3:53 pm

If your set on a centrefire and won't go for anything over goats .223 in a howa action is the go, heaps of custom/tricked out howa's around

That said i've shot the savage axis ( .308 ) and its not a bad rifle, good to learn how to clean/maintain and if something does go wrong, well its not the end of the world

My best advice is buy something on the cheaper end, shoot the s**t out of it, then you can go, i don't like this, i wish it had this etc etc you'll be real dirty on yourself if you go all out first off and something happens
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by boltnich08 » 07 Mar 2016, 4:31 pm

ohk so I have had development today fellas.
I started at one side of Adelaide and went through everygun shop. coincidently the local gun shop is winning so far.

so Mossberg has a new 223 night train edition coming out but the saleman does not know when or how long its going to be. I did look at the 308. night train and blimey it looks mental ! well it tickles my fancy a lot.

however he did have a very nicely setup howa 1500 with thumbhole (feels amazing in the hand) with a 6-24-44 scope and bi-pod only thing id like to then upgrade the magazine to a 10 round.

and sorry I knew as soon as I posted I should have said I'm not new too shooting by anymeans just new too purchasing a new personal firearm, ive been shooting since I was a wee tacker. hahah

so further questions are

1. howa or Mossberg

2. if I cannot get the Mossberg 223 should I get the 308 just because it feels amazing and light and looks awesome for the price? $1340
3. howa1500 223 with the scope bipod thumbhole grip stock for $1495


thanks for all the feedback people appreciate it heaps !
3.
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howa 1500 thumb scope..png
howa 1500
howa 1500 thumb scope..png (93.15 KiB) Viewed 4198 times
mossberg-night-train-green 308..jpg
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by sandgroperbill » 07 Mar 2016, 4:40 pm

Ultimately it will come down to whichever one fits against your shoulder best and feels the best balanced to you, but if I had to choose without getting to actually pick them up, I'd go the howa. I like Howard actions, there's plenty of after market stuff, easy to replace bits and pieces if need be, known to be reliable and accurate and they are more common over here than mossbergs.

Now, some people like mossbergs, but my personal opinion is I much prefer howa
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by GLS_1956 » 07 Mar 2016, 4:46 pm

I know the Howa only by reputation and it is favorable. My Remington is a 700 with varmint weight barrel and 308 chambering, I've had it many decades and I'd not hesitate to get another 700. The anecdotal history on Remington's budget priced rifles has not been the greatest, but it is improving to the point that the two people I talk to that have the 783 are satisfied with them, both are in 243Win. I've heard nothing bad about the Savage Axis and Savage's reputation is solid.

My suggestion is to take a good long look at the action/trigger/barrel and caliber. As long as stock and scope are acceptable and usable you can always upgrade as time and money allow. Remember if you buy an action/caliber you don't really like, you'll never really be happy with the gun.
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by boltnich08 » 08 Mar 2016, 12:00 am

thanks guys. for all your input missus isn't hiffed about the blown budget but all in all paying a little more will save in the long run.
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Post by Gwion » 08 Mar 2016, 12:54 am

Howa. Buy that Howa. It will be a better rifle in the long run. Any idea how old it is and twist rate? Older ones are 1:12, newer ones 1:9, which will give you better bullet choice for distance target shooting and hitting power for the odd goat (with accurate and sensible shot selection at realistic range). The 1:12 will still be fine, just keep you under 60-64gn bullets. Find out before you buy it.
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by Title_II » 08 Mar 2016, 1:29 am

Yeah, looks like the budget went up a bit.

Night train? I can't believe they named a rifle that. Night train is a punchline:

http://www.bumwine.com/nighttrain.html

Don't let the 0.5% less alcohol by volume fool you, the Night Train is all business when it pulls into the station. All aboard to nowhere - woo wooo! The night train runs only one route: sober to stupid with no roundtrip tickets available, and a strong liklihood of a train wreck along the way. This trainyard favorite is vinted and bottled by E&J Gallo Winery, in in Modesto, CA. Don't bother looking on their web page, because they dare not mention it there. As a clever disguise, the label says that it is made by "Night Train Limited." Some suspect that Night Train is really just Thunderbird with some Kool-Aid-like substance added to try to mask the Clorox flavor. Some of our researchers indicated that it gave them a NyQuil-like drowsiness, and perhaps this is why they put "night" in the name. The picture (above right) shows that the subject that drank Night Train is down for the count, while the Cisco guzzling subject is ready to rock. Guaranteed to tickle your innards.
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by happyhunter » 08 Mar 2016, 7:26 am

You will find Browning Abolt2 rifles in stainless for that price. For the cash you get a bedded action, floating 3 lug bolt and action sized to suit the cartridge and a better quality rifle than any of those mentioned so far. Browning are made by Miroku in japan.
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by boltnich08 » 08 Mar 2016, 11:39 am

I have now found two second hand howa 1500

https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=71147 have yet made contact with this owner about twist

https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=73650 twist is 1/12

opinion's please
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by Wm.Traynor » 08 Mar 2016, 1:05 pm

Boltnich,
To research Mossys you could look up
mossbergowners.com
:)
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by wheedle » 09 Mar 2016, 9:53 am

Title_II wrote:Yeah, looks like the budget went up a bit.


They quickly do that :lol:
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by Title_II » 09 Mar 2016, 10:27 am

wheedle wrote:
Title_II wrote:Yeah, looks like the budget went up a bit.


They quickly do that :lol:


I'll never talk a mate out of a gun :)
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by Baronvonrort » 09 Mar 2016, 7:21 pm

boltnich08 wrote:but now I've been looking and have come across howa. I'm looking at the howa 1500 custom tactical FDE (ill try post a picture ) it has a distinct pistol grip. that I love.


That stock is a MDT HS3, I prefer the MDT LSS but each to their own some prefer old fashioned stuff.
www.mdttac.eu

I would suggest getting a Howa barrelled action then buy the stock and fit it or buy it already fitted to an action.
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Re: first rifle ? pistol grip rifle? HELP

Post by Xerox » 10 Mar 2016, 1:52 pm

Norton wrote:(Waits for the flames :lol: :friends: )


That's the 'other' forum where everything explodes when you have a different opinion :lol:
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