by Rod_outbak » 24 Jan 2019, 8:35 am
Given we are talking your first centrefire rifle, I'd suggest going with a .223 with a 1:8-1:9"" twist barrel or therabouts(I'd suggest 1:8" if you can do it).
.243, 7mm-08 and .308 are all great calibers(and I have them all!), but even a .243 can be intimidating for a first-time shooter.
.223 with a faster twist is plenty good enough to shoot distance on a range, and you can shoot one all day.
At this stage in the game, you need to get comfortable with shooting; first & foremost.
[Paves the way for filling the gun-safe with bigger bitier stuff in the future...]
If my first centrefire had been my Tikka 7mm-08, I'd have likely taken up chess as a hobby instead....
I love that rifle dearly , but it has taken some getting used to (and some tweaking as well)
A 75gn pill in a .223 is pretty good with wind, and hits pretty darned hard as well; out in the field.
Also; .223 ammo is really easy to source, and some of the factory stuff is pretty freaking awesome. I had a mate here the other day; sighting in his Tikka T3x .223. He was using 55gn Hornady V-Max factory ammo, and it was shooting as good as anything I've seen custom loaded for a particular rifle.
13mm groups from factory ammo is plenty good enough for hunting ammo!
We bought a .223 Howa 1500 Hunter Stainless with the synthetic stock; back in September. Damn thing shoots ~18mm groups out of the box, and has been an absolute champ.
Not the flashest rifle, and not the most high-tech, but a great, solid, reliable firearm.
The rifle cost me $880 incl though my LGS (Outback QLD - you'll likely source is cheaper than that in Victoria), and even with a rail, rings and scope, I could have the rifle set up for under your $1500 limit.
There are things on the Howa that I'll tweak over time, but the rifle shoots really well and reliably out of the box. Cant ask for more.
One point to think about; you mention wanting the rifle for both target and hunting?
Bear in mind that the ideal setup for hunting might heat up quickly on the range(which then starts to affect your grouping.).
A heavier/longer barrel might be better for target work, but will reduce how prepared you are to walk any distance with it.
If you are only likely to be hunting from a vehicle(or varminting), with the occasional short walk, but spend most of your shooting time on the range, I'd tend towards a heavier (and maybe slightly longer) barrel.
My thoughts; doubtless others will have their own point of view.
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Sharing the extreme love with cats in Outback QLD