Gun for a new hunter

[JimP]

For a beginner hunter I would stay away from the 6.5 caliber.

Granted a lot of moose have been taken with the 6.5x55 but look at the requirements to get a hunting license along with the shooting requirements in Sweden.

 

[serdog]

Stock design and weight makes a difference in felt recoil. I have a Weatherby vanguard wilderness in 30-06 and felt recoil isn't very pleasant. A heavier rifle with a good butt pad like a Winchester m70 is much more enjoyable to shoot. So in saying that i would look at something with more heft rather than a light weight. I would also look at 308 win/30-06 before i would look at the 6.5mm for dedicated moose/caribou hunting.

I learned that from going from a No.5 (feels like a 12 gauge with full loads) to a no.4 (About like a .30/30) aka the hard way

 

[mauser98]

I learned that from going from a No.5 (feels like a 12 gauge with full loads) to a no.4 (About like a .30/30) aka the hard way

Steel butt plates on Lee Enfield's don't help out much.

 

[serdog]

Steel butt plates on Lee Enfield's don't help out much.

The number 5 has a rubber "recoil pad" that only makes it hard to get good hold on the rifle

 

[cash_tx]

I got my first real deer rifle at the age of 17; a preowned Browning Safari Grade in 30-06, and the recoil wasn't a problem. With the adrenaline of the hunt combined with the thickness of a winter coat, I never even noticed the recoil in the moment. And for extended range sessions on the bench, strapping on an inexpensive PAST recoil pad effectively neutralizes any bite of recoil from the '06.

All that being said, I almost never want to discourage the acquisition of a new gun. ;-)

 

[YL1X]

Buy what you can afford, save the rest for hunting trips. The highest price isn't always the best.

 

[homeless]

having a 30-06 without a doubt the great one and only 7mmRM