As someone who is getting into hunting, what rifle should I invest more money into?

Hey guys. I applied for my FAL at the start of this year so I still have a bit of time before I actually get the piece of plastic saying I can own a firearm... While I am waiting I am saving as much as I can for a couple of rifles.

I know for a fact I want a 22LR and a larger calibre rifle (either .270 or .308). I have been told that its best to spend more on a .22 since that is the rifle that will get used more. So I am after a bit of advice and to open a discussion around this.

Would I be better putting more in to get a nice .22 such as a CZ and cheaper hunting rifle like a Savage Axis (for example)? Or go mid tier .22 like a RAR? Should I go the other direction and get a cheaper .22 and get a better large animal hunting rifle?

Thoughts? Would appreciate serious replies :D :D :D

For what its worth, I live in central Auckland. My in-laws are out by Miranda and have a large section which is good for bunnies. They are also ~30mins drive from a few DOC hunting blocks.

a older wooden stocked norinco jw15 will do ALL the rabbits you would ever want.... the modern ones are more hit n miss.
a good rifle with a very good scope is better than the other way around...that said a basic 4x32 will do a fine job too.

at end of day you wont loose $$$ on a 2nd hand .22lr if you decide to upgrade later...and a good scope will stay with you forever...hint here,if its got leupold on side,it will be good...and you dont need to spend thousands....

there are heaps of good 2nd hand rifles come up on this site....save your pennies and keep watching....when licence arrives ASK as often folks have something in cabinet and will offer it up forsale if know someone wants something like it....

I think you could easy pick up a good 22 for around $500 and $1500 to 1700 should see you right for a good condition second hand high power, and if you look around you may pick up the whole package for these prices (scope included) Some real good deals come up here so keep an eye out.

I have a Savage Axis in 223, shoots really well.
Don’t think you have to buy a Sako straight off.
After all, this is the start of a lifetime addiction :thumbsup:

A JW15 will be $300. That Churchill 3006 would be a great first rifle imo. Good solid Mauser 98 Action and a calibre that will flatten game without being nasty to shoot recoil wise. There is a Bushnell elite 4200 for sale at a good price - all set for $1000 - $1100

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Originally Posted by Mohawk .308

You’ll be wanting a tikka 7mm08 mate given your in Auckland and all. :)

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2nd that or in 308.

Got any mates that hunt? Try theirs out and see what you like

Buy well second hand and you will be able to resell later for what you bought it for

Take your time


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Originally Posted by Mohawk .308

You’ll be wanting a tikka 7mm08 mate given your in Auckland and all. :)

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Why do you say that? Please excuse the ignorance

yes spend a little more on a .22 and target practice ( lots of it ) and bunnys - go bolt action and suppressed - be patient and look at what scope is on it if second hand - a must is a good trigger -Begara Tikka CZ Anshutz all good but dont look away from earlier rifles Reminton 541- Marlins shoot well -your problem with earlier will be to check accuracy and state of barrel - get it checked out including if possible on a paper target (tells no lies ) and then centerfire -well most of the modern crop will all shot well -some budget ones like Remington 783 or Savage models are quite surprising in accuracy - as are some cheaper earlier models such as Remington 788 - they will do you while you save and you may not be putting to many rounds thru a centerfire - but my main advice after some 55 years of hunting is learn to find deer - fancy rifle no good if ya cant find a deer to shoot at

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Originally Posted by Tall kiwi

Why do you say that? Please excuse the ignorance

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It’s an old joke that we are all sick of(only cause I just got one myself haha) that dorklanders all sip lattes and shoot 7mm08s


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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

a older wooden stocked norinco jw15 will do ALL the rabbits you would ever want.... the modern ones are more hit n miss.
a good rifle with a very good scope is better than the other way around...that said a basic 4x32 will do a fine job too.

at end of day you wont loose $$$ on a 2nd hand .22lr if you decide to upgrade later...and a good scope will stay with you forever...hint here,if its got leupold on side,it will be good...and you dont need to spend thousands....

there are heaps of good 2nd hand rifles come up on this site....save your pennies and keep watching....when licence arrives ASK as often folks have something in cabinet and will offer it up forsale if know someone wants something like it....

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Thanks. I have seen a lot of people talk about the JW-15s but kinda looked over them due to some models being a hit or miss. Def hear you around good glass.

Thanks for the advice!

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Originally Posted by Bill999

Got any mates that hunt? Try theirs out and see what you like

Buy well second hand and you will be able to resell later for what you bought it for

Take your time


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Yeah I do. I plan on reaching out to them later on. They were the ones saying to spend a bit more on a .22

Just try a few out Cz are nice rifles so they arnt pointing you in a wrong direction but I’m far more happy with my ruger 1022 cut to 12 inch barrel
It just costs nothing to try something out before committing to a Cz because they are a pretty rifle

If you wanted to spend less and still have the same sort of accuracy but less niceness the norinco jw15 is a direct copy made in China for a fraction of the cost and they tend to have the same sort of superb accuracy


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I started out hunting not far down the road from where your in-laws have their land.

My first rifle was a JW15 and the second was a Winchester M94. If I was starting from fresh today and not funding my hunting from firewood money after school I would start with a bolt action CZ in whichever configuration I like the feel of. And the centrefire would be a short accurate suppressed bolt action or single shot at the cheaper end of the scale, maybe a Howa mini in 6.5G. Or a Bergara single in .308. Preferably Stainless but even a good condition .303 would fit the bill.

The logic being that the .22 is pretty easy to look after unless you want to strap it to the front of your quad for when your working dogs inadvertently bail a pig. Something tells me that’s not you. It will loose minimum amount of value (either to you or in the retail sense).

A fair chunk of your formative hunting is probably going to be in the Western Kaimai ranges. Lots of supplejack. If you have something like a Walnut Stock CZ 550 or a Sako that is your pride and joy, it will be exhausting trying not to get it scratched or wet, you won’t be able to concentrate on stalking and consequently won’t see any deer. The experience won’t be fun and you may end up preferring to concentrate on the rabbits and your centrefire will then become what is known around here as a ‘range queen’ or ‘safe queen’. It may even end up in the Buy sell swap.

If you buy a relatively cheap centrefire rifle you can just get on with the hunting, there will or won’t come a time when you need to upgrade, in either scenario you won’t regret having started with your knock around gun which you will probably still keep partly because you shot your first deer with it and partly because it will still be a useful gun.

Hi, welcome to the hunting fraternity. I bought my first 22 over 30 years ago, a S/S Ruger 10/22 with a Tasco 4x32 scope, it now has an old Leupold vari-x 11 3-9x40 on it and is still going strong after many thousands of round and god now's how many rabbits hares and possums! A nice 223 or 22-250 are a lot of fun on rabbits, hares and magpies and a great way to improve your longer range shooting. My first centerfire was a Sako Finnbear 270 with the afore mentioned Leupold kicked a bit but I still liked it and began my love affair with Sako's, now have two Sako 75 22-250s, a varmint and a S/S and a 75 270 rebarreled to 280ai. I think a Tikka with a good 3-9 or 3.5-10 scope in 7mm08, 308 or 270 would be hard to beat for starters. That's my story and personal thoughts, hope thats of some help and I hope you enjoy your newfound hobby and talking with the great bunch of helpful knowledgeable fellas on this forum , cheers Brett.