Thread: First rifle advice

Greetings @Kiwimaverick,
My first new rifle, closing on 50 years ago, was a .308. Choice was limited at the time to that plus the .270 and .243. Other calibres were available at the time but not that common. Today I would need to decide between the .308, 7mm-08 and the 6.5 Creedmoor but for a first rifle would likely stay with the .308 with an 8 inch barrel twist due to ammo availability and ease of handloading. A little boring but effective. Probably not the answer you were hoping for.
Regards Grandpamac.
PS. We can buy other rifles in the future so your first choice is not carved in stone.

6.5cm, 7mm08, .308 can all reach out to 300 yds without really trying. .243 can too but it is starting to get a bit marginal by then. As has been touched on a 300yd shot is an infrequent event in the bush. With the calibres listed, you also get a shorter action = less weight, less overall length, and less recoil.
Of the three listed, the 6.5 and.308 have a few advantages over the 7mm08.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not a .270 hater and granted they do shoot flattish out to 300 yards, but a .270 works better with a longer barrel and a higher magnification scope. Neither of which are easier to hunt with than a shorter barrel and lower magnification scope in the bush.


At the moment it’s rather difficult to sell a second hand rifle, if I was buying right now, I would just put a wtb up in the BuySellSwap.

Also know that the GC package deals might look like a simple foolproof option at a glance, but they leverage this image as a marketing tactic to include knockoff components that you wouldn’t buy if you looked into it. If you do want to buy new, you’re better off buying bare rifle and then choosing the scope/rings/suppressor yourself.

As far as answering your actual question, my vote would be for the Howa if it fits you. I don’t have one myself but I know a few people that do and they all seem to be able to shoot reliably. Also since it is a common rifle, it is easy to source things like scope bases and after market stocks etc.

Originally Posted by longshot

6.5cm, 7mm08, .308 can all reach out to 300 yds without really trying. .243 can too but it is starting to get a bit marginal by then. As has been touched on a 300yd shot is an infrequent event in the bush. With the calibres listed, you also get a shorter action = less weight, less overall length, and less recoil.
Of the three listed, the 6.5 and.308 have a few advantages over the 7mm08.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not a .270 hater and granted they do shoot flattish out to 300 yards, but a .270 works better with a longer barrel and a higher magnification scope. Neither of which are easier to hunt with than a shorter barrel and lower magnification scope in the bush.


At the moment it’s rather difficult to sell a second hand rifle, if I was buying right now, I would just put a wtb up in the BuySellSwap.

Also know that the GC package deals might look like a simple foolproof option at a glance, but they leverage this image as a marketing tactic to include knockoff components that you wouldn’t buy if you looked into it. If you do want to buy new, you’re better off buying bare rifle and then choosing the scope/rings/suppressor yourself.

In terms of scope rings, does anything fit on anything, or does it depend on the rifle and / or the scope, that’s my current understanding of it at least.


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A rifle either has a Picatinny/Weaver rail, 11mm/16mm/19mm dovetail or holes where a rail or bases can be fitted. With some it can be hard to find bases or a rail that fit.

With some rifles, (generally the dovetail ones) the rings attach directly to the rifle, with the rest you usually need to fit bases or a rail and the rings attach to the bases/rail.

The rings you buy need to be compatible with the rail or dovetail and as low as possible without being too low for the scope to be clear of the bolt.

Scopes will either have a 25mm or 30mm tube as well, so the rings need to be of the correct diameter.

You will easily source the mounting gear for a Howa and the forum can help if you’re not sure.

Keep an eye out on second hand guns too....Graham Campian has some nice ones that woul dbe in Budget and if you can save a few $$$ omn the rifle by getting 2nd hand, you free up money for a better scope.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/search?m...isting=1486103 The 6.5x55 Husqvarna model 1600 looks good too...



As for 270 versus other calibres, everyone has an opinion, but my advice is check out which calibres are most plentiful in the stores In both different brands and how much they carry in stock. Ballistically 270, 6.5/06,7mm08, 308, 30/06 et al are all very similar in ballistics out to 300m. Ammo is an expensive item to carry in stock for a shop so they carry more of the popular selling brands.

Welcome to the club.

I was hellbent on a howa purely on package price as first rifle. Everyone convinced me to save if need be and go tikka. Glad I did, bought the Burris 4.5-14 package from HnF $2100 came with bipod/bag/rings. Bought 308 for cheap ammo and no shortages. Came threaded so added suppressor later (and cut down from 20 to 16). Have changed glass twice now too but as it came off the shelf took goats out to 450 yards. First centre fire I ever shot and plan was to have one gun in the safe. Been 3 years and haven’t bought a second gun yet so worked out pretty good in my book. Definitely recommend spending the money first time round.

after shooting from the top of the north thru the bottom of the south with a 308 i am now a devoted 7mmRM fan.

Just stick to your plan. Get a 270. 95% of hunters in NZ are using suppresors now anyhow so the "oh but they kick hard" argument is a mute point, and most the people who say they'll kick the shit out of you got told that by their uncles cousins best mates neighbor Ricky and they let it get to their head when/if they ever did fire one, or they think you have to have a rifle with some badass acronym name and head to toe kuiu gear to shoot a deer
Heaps of factory ammo, components etc, easy to reload for, you wont end up with no ammo or projectile availability in cycles like happens with the 6.5 and 7mm calibers in cycles over the past few years, shit tonnes of info out there on
possible loads etc and they just work. Can load 110s and smack over goats or long range hares on the cheap or stoke up 150s or 145s and go chase bull tahr round the alps.

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

Just stick to your plan. Get a 270. 95% of hunters in NZ are using suppresors now anyhow so the "oh but they kick hard" argument is a mute point, and most the people who say they'll kick the shit out of you got told that by their uncles cousins best mates neighbor Ricky and they let it get to their head when/if they ever did fire one, or they think you have to have a rifle with some badass acronym name and head to toe kuiu gear to shoot a deer
Heaps of factory ammo, components etc, easy to reload for, you wont end up with no ammo or projectile availability in cycles like happens with the 6.5 and 7mm calibers in cycles over the past few years, shit tonnes of info out there on
possible loads etc and they just work. Can load 110s and smack over goats or long range hares on the cheap or stoke up 150s or 145s and go chase bull tahr round the alps.

AGREE.

my first rifle was a 270win that I got in 1996. Only reason I changed rifles was to swap from wood/blued to stainless/synthetic.
I have 110g hollow points for wallabies and up to 150g for bigger animals.
Put a decent pad on the back and suppressor on the front and forget about the bullshit of it kicking too hard.
Hold it into your shoulder properly and gently squeeze the trigger until it fires. Don't be scared, Don't jerk the trigger.
Do try and buy a suppressor to save your ears.

Thanks for your insight Ryan and Rumpy, I appreciate it. My thinking is that a 270 makes sense for the game at hand, yes a .243, 6.5mm, 7mm would do the same job, but on the off-chance I end up on a trip further afield, having one rifle with the legs for longer distances is a good choice.

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

Just stick to your plan. Get a 270. 95% of hunters in NZ are using suppresors now anyhow so the "oh but they kick hard" argument is a mute point, and most the people who say they'll kick the shit out of you got told that by their uncles cousins best mates neighbor Ricky and they let it get to their head when/if they ever did fire one, or they think you have to have a rifle with some badass acronym name and head to toe kuiu gear to shoot a deer
Heaps of factory ammo, components etc, easy to reload for, you wont end up with no ammo or projectile availability in cycles like happens with the 6.5 and 7mm calibers in cycles over the past few years, shit tonnes of info out there on
possible loads etc and they just work. Can load 110s and smack over goats or long range hares on the cheap or stoke up 150s or 145s and go chase bull tahr round the alps.

Recoil on the 270 is about the same as 308, 30/06 et al. Where muzzle energy is similar recoil is the same. I think the reason the 270 got the reputation for big recoil is that the earlier loads tended to make a louder BANG with a bit more burn outside of the barrel. Subconciously the brain interprets Bigger Bang = bigger recoil....which is part of the reason suppressors seem to tame more recoil.

Originally Posted by timattalon

Recoil on the 270 is about the same as 308, 30/06 et al. Where muzzle energy is similar recoil is the same. I think the reason the 270 got the reputation for big recoil is that the earlier loads tended to make a louder BANG with a bit more burn outside of the barrel. Subconciously the brain interprets Bigger Bang = bigger recoil....which is part of the reason suppressors seem to tame more recoil.

Powder charge also makes a significant contribution to recoil, more per grain than the projectile. The .270 uses powder charges up to 60 grains or more compared to less than 50 grains in the 7mm-08 so recoil and blast will be greater.
GPM.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Powder charge also makes a significant contribution to recoil, more per grain than the projectile. The .270 uses powder charges up to 60 grains or more compared to less than 50 grains in the 7mm-08 so recoil and blast will be greater.
GPM.

Definitely. I would almost go as far as saying it make most of the difference between the various similar calibres. The math is actually pretty simple- the muzzle energy will exactly match the recoil energy. The 270 and 30/06 case is a little larger than the 308 case so can handle a bit more powder.....but most factory loads will be fairly close - or close enough that up to 300m, most animals or shooters wont really notice much difference...

One thing in your favour if you buy secondhand is that for no good reason that I can ascertain, 270 is slightly out of fashion

Great cartridge but marketing bollocks has deemed other things newer and shinier are more desireable

Consequently on the secondhand racks there are some good 270s that turn up from the normal inevitable churn of death, retirement, emigration, WHY

The best tools are the quality ones you can buy from some old bugger who is going in to a rest home..

.270 in either the browning or the howa will last you a lifetime but don't forget the scope aswell.
I have seen many good rifles ruined by crap scopes or crap rings.
I personally just picked up a good tikka package with a Burris scope for $2k that I am quite happy with but there is bound to be a browning or howa deal out there to be had.

The only downside to the howa I have noticed is they seen to be quite heavy in the standard format but there are some light weight versions out there.