Looking to buy a new gun.

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I know you get what you pay for, but would not like to break the bank so $600 is about my limit.

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Without glass - this isn't a bad price point, but I would at least try to set aside $400 to $500 for scope and mounts. At the end of the day, you'll have to see value in it and get more than a couple of uses per season. Honestly, unless you're going to go out more than 5 or 6 times, I would consider borrowing another year or 2 until you know that's what you want to do.

Having said that, Ruger American (and I would lean .308) is a great place to start and still leave a little room for a scope and mount.

Where will you be hunting, Long or short shooting distances?

I'd go .270 caliber and look at some of the budget Savages and Marlins.

.308 in Savage or Ruger American.

.308 is not the best at anything but extremely good at everything.

GG,
Welcome to the world of hunting!

Calibers: Ya don't need a 338 Whiz Bang Ultra Long Super Mag to successfully hunt deer/hog. I'd look at: 6.5 Swede (ammo hard to find), 260 Rem (ammo hard to find), 6.5 Creedmore (a ballistic twin of the 260 but much more in style at this time; ammo can be hard to find and will cost more; you won't find it at the typical Wal-Mart). 270 Win (the first big game rifle I bought after having read of the exploits of Jack O'Conner and his 270). 7-08 (a favorite of the OB, and rightfully so; ammo is not available at all WM's; I've got one in an XP-100 handgun and it's becoming one of my favorites), 7x57 Mauser (ammo hard to find) and 280 Remington. 300 Savage (ammo hard to find), 308 Win and 30-06.

Rifles: Lots to choose from w/in your price range, many w/ low end, but still serviceable, 3-9X scopes. Marlin (I've got one chambered in 270 Win that shoots 1" groups at 100 yards w/ Rem and Win factory and an $80 Pentax scope), Savage Axis, Savage Model 10/12/110, possibly Mossberg and Ruger American. You might also find a Remington M700, as well.

What would I do? Buy the bolt action (7-08 Rem or 308 Win) that feels best in your hands, has the features you want and fits your price range, put a decent scope on it (use a Weaver 1 piece base w/ Burris Signature rings) and go shoot it. In a few years you can upgrade the scope if you want. Nothing wrong w/ more expensive equipment, but you can meet your needs while staying in your budget. Of course, you can sometimes find REALLY good buys on used rifles/scopes at a pawn shop IF you know what your looking for.

Keep us updated.

I suggest a ruger American in .270, .30-06, or .308.

Great, very affordable rifles. Those 3 calibers are the easist (generally) to find ammo for and are all fantastic deer killers.

You'll have some money left over for a decent scope also. A Leupold vx-1 3-9x40 can be had for about $200 and is a very good value at that price.

If you're going budget on the scope, stick to leupold, red field, Nikkon,and vortex. They all have good affordable scopes. Get a 3-9x40 in whatever you pick.

7.08

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308 in Savage or Ruger American.

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this

plus nikon or vortex 3-9x40 scope will come in under $600 and you can hunt anything in north america.

I'm interested if you are in BR.

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I suggest a ruger American in .270, .30-06, or .308.

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Pretty good rifle for a starter. I have one in .30-06



Nikon ProStaff, Ruger bipod, and filled the butt of the stock with Shore 10A silicone to add weight and give it some solidity.

Now it has a Boyd laminate stock.



Definitely likes heavier bullets but even with cheap 150gr CoreLokts it'll keep 4 shots inside a 1.5" dot at 100 yards. My best was 155gr Palma Match load I made and put 10 into a ragged hole a quarter could cover.