Maine Shooter

.30-30 lever gun. Quite capable of taking a deer and has been doing so for a looooong time.

popeye

IMO I would stay away from anything based on the '06 case, the additional power and recoil aren't what a beginner needs. Recoil and muzzle blast are the 2 biggest things that a beginner worries about. It doesn't matter if how much power a round has if the shooter is more worried about what will happen to his shoulder than keeping the crosshairs on the target.

The 260, 7mm-08, 257 Roberts or 6.5x55 Swede would be my picks for a beginners first deer rifle. All have low recoil combined for good range and more than enough power for deer hunting.

Broek

I like all the ones popeye said but would have to throw in the 308 also. If recoil is a problem, get a 7400 as the recoil of mine in 308 feels like a 22-250. Very easy on the shoulder! If you want a 270 though, just go with that as it's great on deer also.

Pioneer2

I trained my kids on a H+R 158 single shot 30-30 to make them place their first shot correctly.It has a 4x Bushnell Banner and consistantly shoots MOA with both 150-170gr handloads.My 14 year old shot several deer and his first moose with it last year. My older son used his mother's Win 70 FWT in 6.5x55 and dropped several deer until I bought him a 25-06 when he filled out physically.I also like to get kids shooting my scoped Sav99 in .250 Sav ,no recoil and dead deer at the receiving end................set them up on deer travel routes between feeding and bedding area's so 50 yards is the average range over shooting sticks........Harold

eldeguello

What canyou shoot? At age 14, my son started out deer huinting with a 7X57mm Ruger Model 77 with a 140-grain bullet at over 2900 FPS. The next year, he had no trouble at all coping with an 11-pound .375 H&H Magnum. Everyone is different--some beginners are quite capable of handling recoil, yet I know men over 250 pounds who are beat to death with a.30/'06!

I suggest you see if you can find someone who will let you try out his/her .30/'06. If you can shoot it, get yourself one. Then you won't need to buy anything else for any hunting in North America. If you cannot shoot it, try a 7mm/'08 (or better yet, a 7X57mm if you can find one); or a .260 Rem or6.5X55. ANY of these last four will kill the biggest deer (and black bear too) that ever lived in North America with one shot. But you might want to move up in caliber a little for elk,grizzly, and Alaskan brownbear. Like a .338 Win. Mag. later on.....

hillbillyhunter1

If you like the .270 and you must already have some confidence in it, I would recommend it. It is probably one of the most popular whitetail guns around. So if whitetail isgoing to be your mainquarry in the near future, the 270 is perfect and can reach out a ways for longer shots if needed, and is also versatile for other game, withinlimits. I think you just need to find a model that you like and one that is known for reliability.

Another thing that can be overlooked by "new guys" is the quality of the trigger. This can have a substantial impact on developing your skill at the range and in the field, etc. Get one with a trigger that is crisp and fairly light with little "creep". Might look at a savage as great first gun.

Not that you wouldn't, but, always, ALWAYS wear hearing protection at the range. This will helpkeep you from flinching but is even more important if you want to retain your sense of hearing over the long haul (very important). Good luck.

robbcayman

A lot of my friends shoot 270's and they have killed lots of big deer with that rifle. If you are shooting past 200 yards or an area that is wide open then I would get a 270 and scope it.

However, if you are shooting in an area that has lots of thick woods then I would go with a 30-30. The main thing is to shoot a lot before you go and become accurate with your rifle. I think too many guys are caught up in getting huge calibers and fail to practice with them. They believe because they have a large caliber that shot placement isn't as important and I disagree. Good luck, bud.

jeremyd2012

thanks for all info im glad i came here you all have given me good information and i hope i will use it wisely thanks again if anymore comes to mind i will take it thanks

jeremyd2012

does anyone shoot 12 gauge slugs if so i shot one of those about two weeks ago and it felt like a day after skeet shooting at 4H with a 12 gauge benelli whatisthe recoil difference between a .270 and a 12 gauge slug or a 30'06 and a 12 gauge slug if you know im here

James B

260, 6.5x55, 7mm-08 or 270. Ant one of those and they are set for life.