Thread: Firearm choices

This has been a hot button topic for many years for shooters. Stuff is constantly coming out, and preference tends to make a large portion of the recommendations. I'll give you my 2 cents ...

If you want a all-purpose NEW shotgun then the Mossberg 500 series or the Remington 870 series are very hard to beat for price and reliability. Both are available in a variety of lengths, calibers, and color schemes. I suggest looking into the combo packages for either. I know Remington offers a rifled slug barrel and 26" normal barrel package, and last time I was in the market the Mossberg package had a short and long barrel package. Changing barrels isn't difficult, but if you don't care to do that then a moderately priced Benelli supernova wouldn't be a bad pick for bird hunting.

As for the rifle, your question requires a bit more input as the ranges for all three of those game vary wildly depending on location and animal. I have never been to Canada, but common ranges for Texas deer and hog are less than 100 yds from my own experience here. I've never hunted bear nor moose, but from second hand talk of my father and his brothers it sounds like Moose / Caribu are taken quite a bit farther than my experienced distance and Bear can be taken from 50 yds on up depending on how much gun you're packing. So, all that aside, my opinion is that if you want to hunt all three with the same gun and have it applicable wherever you go you're probably going to want something of the .308 or .30-06. Other calibers will do the trick fine, but either of those are readily available (i.e. not super expensive) off the shelf, and come in a number of loadings so you can get the right tool for the job. As far as brand and model go there are more choices under the sun than I can count when it comes to bolt action rifles. I'd handle anything you're thinking of buying beforehand to make sure it's a comfortable fit for you. When it comes to buying one though, i'd keep my eye open and ear to the ground. Just about any new rifle off the shelf will get you going, but around this time of the year manufacturers offer rebates, discounts, and incentives to get you in the buying mood. I'd wait until you see a good deal and then act on it. Take it to the range and get it sighted in and working well. If you decide that model isn't for you, well it'll hold its value just fine so find some one to trade or sell it to. The rifle choice isn't as important as your experience with it. Just be sure to not skimp on optics when you get around to it, or IF you buy a combo rifle/optic setup, know that the optic will do you fine to start but will need to be changed eventually. New rifles are a dime a dozen, good optics are priceless.

Remington 870 shotgun

Remington 700 .308 rifle

Hub you have to remember the game in Canada is much larger than most American game. Remember the Elk in Banff, AB? Compare them to the ones we see in Colorado or Montana. I would go with a bigger caliber rifle. The .308 or 30-06 I think would be a better fit.

Shotgun wise.... I would look at something that can shoot a 3 1/2 inch shell for goose hunts. You will like the extra reach with the 3.5in when shooting waterfowl or geese. Especially if you are shooting the Greater Canadian Goose. (I wouldnt use a 3.5inch shell when partridge hunting though....2 3/4 in will be just fine.) I'm partial to Browning's or Remington's myself.

Hope this helps.

I can only speak for shotguns as I don't hunt big game, but I have a really expensive Belguim made Browning over under 12 gauge that I only hunt dove, quail, and phesant with. I can't shoot steel shot through it and I don't want to take it waterfoul hunting where I will get it wet so I bought another cheap 12 gauge just for that.

I bought a winchester ranger 1300, you can find it for about $300 if you look around. I haven't had any problems with it and it came with modified, full, and improved cylinder chokes. I can shoot 3 inch magnum steel shot through its full choke and it has been a pretty reliable little gun. Killed many a duck with it. Do you have to shoot steel in Canada? It also doesn't beat up my shoulder too much, the recoil is padded pretty well, so even when going through a couple of boxes of magnums I'm not hurting the next day.

Here is a link to it on Winchester's site.

Model 1300, Ranger®, -- Winchester Repeating Arms -- Historic Product Model

Shit I just noticed that says historic model, I guess I'm old and you can't buy it anymore lol.

Winchester stopped making guns. But you can find a decent used model in good shape it'd be a good buy.

Originally Posted by RudeMood

Winchester stopped making guns. But you can find a decent used model in good shape it'd be a good buy.

Holy shit they quit making them completely? Damn only ammo now? I need to keep up with current events.

dont forget canadian meats frozen before you kill it and its a bit pricey but cant go wrong with