need some help on rifle/ shotgun choice.

well, im getting ready for next season and i am in the process for looking for a hunting rifle. my buddy reccomended a savage 243 for deer. Im on a budget of about 250- 350 dollars. i was checking out the 5oo series of pump shotguns from mossberg for deer and dove and quail . ive heard good things about them. any suggestions

 

Can't go wrong with the Mossberg 500. You can find all kinds of different barrels and accessories for it. Hundreds of law enforcement agencies use the 500 and so does the military. I have the long barrel on mine right now, but I want to put a foldable stock and a shorter barrel on it for home protection, then I can switch back to the log barrel for hunting.

If you want a cheap hunting rifle the Remington 710 is decent. They come in .270, 30-06, 7mm, and 300 win mag. I have the 30-06. I bought it at walmart for $250. I sighted it in last weekend and it shoots well.

 

I have a S&W .243win for deer and I absolutely love it. My dad gave it to me when I was 16 and it perfect for my east coast deer hunting. I'd say anything over .270 and you are needlessly destroying meat. I've brought them down from 200 yards with it so it does not lack stopping power. I love it in the somewhat close hunting I do in the woods here in VA.

My shotgun recommendation is the remmington 870 (express). Its the most reliable pump I have ever come across. If you want a semi-auto you have to dish out a bit more. For O/U or side by side there are much fewer mechanics so you don't need quite the quality brand. I've had some durability issues on a mossberg I picked up when Dick's move locations.

 

I love my Mossbergs!

 

Howa rifle is a good deal. They make for Weatherby.

Mossberg is solid.

 

yep, definitely the mossberg 500. i use mine for duck and then i also have a slug barrel for deer. as for the rifle, like someone stated earlier anything more than a .270 is too much for the east coast side. however i went with the 7mm mag since i plan on moving around.

 

are guns from Walmart the same quality as any where elese? they have a mossberg 5oo for 247$ i was thinking about about buying it there. unless they are crap quality from there.

 

i got my mossberg 500 field and deer combo for about $250 or so. comes with feild barrel and scoped slug barrel. mossberg makes some great guns..............and you can use this one for buckshot or slugs. i'd definitely go with the 500, especially if the area you hunt isnt real open.

 

Same guns.

 

i use a .30/.30 and my .270 round here............south carolina. love them both. some guys shoot a big ol' 300 win. mag round here.................too big for most places here though......just my opinion tho.

 

yeah i knew mossberg had alot of great quality stuff. but i had heard that guns from Walmart were made with cheaper parts than guns that are bought from actual gun stores.

 

nah man..............same guns.

hell..............the mossberg i got from k-mart when i was 16 is still going strong................never had a problem with it.

 

great to know. and i can still run buckshot through those right?

 

My ailing father-in-law would know; he's a gun encyclopedia. They're the same.

 

wow. i bet thats great to know if you ever have a question about guns. just go to the father-in-law.

 

Hell ya.

 

you run buckshot thru the field barrel..............and slugs only thru the slug barrel. but.....with the field barrel.....you can run slugs thru it too.......but performance wont be what it is with the slug barrel. you need sabot slugs for the slug barrel.........................and regular slugs like buck hammers and such,for smooth bores, will work good from the field barrel.

 

YEAH!!! allright thanks guys. looks like im gonna buy a 500.

 

Yeah, I've been picking his brain about guns for a decade. I will miss him.

 

Allright, thats good news. i plan on doing more than just deer hunting with the 500. so versatility is a plus.