I am in the market for my first rifle. My uncle is a dealer and can get
a Savage .270 WSM stainless with a black syn stock for around $400
(with the acutrigger)

My question is... Should I go for the Short mag? Is it a solid cal.
that will always be around now? Or should I stay with a more common cal
like .270 or 7mm?

I live in Utah and plan on hunting mostly Elk but want to keep my
options open.
I am searching for the most bang for my buck ( I really only want one
rifle to do as much hunting as I can, I will borrow from family if I
need to). But I want a gun that will last generations and be very
usefull and cheap to use. I know thats a lot. So I am welcome to all
comments!

Thanks !!

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From:	Pete Stephenson
Subject:	Re: First rifle help
Date:	Sat, 22 Jan 2005 14:20:19 +0000 (UTC)

In article ,
"ericchile" wrote:

# My question is... Should I go for the Short mag? Is it a solid cal.
# that will always be around now? Or should I stay with a more common cal
# like .270 or 7mm?

Personally, I go for tried-and-true.

My firearms are all in the following calibers:
* 9mm Luger (cheap, plentiful, sufficiently powerful for my needs)
* .22 Long RIfle (most popular cartridge in the world, enough said)
* 12 gauge (pretty much the gold standard of shotgun gauges, not going
away anytime soon)
* .30-06 Springfield (a classic, hugely popular, and very able/flexible
rifle cartridge)

I'll soon be buying an SKS which fires the abundant and cheap 7.62x39mm
round.

For a first rifle, I'd stick to a common and flexible cartridge. The
whole "magnum mania" is, in my opinion, a silly marketing ploy to sell
new cartridges and then the new rifles required to shoot them.

There's not an animal in North America that the .30-06 Springfield isn't
capable of killing. The .270 is very similar in performance to the
...30-06. Why go for "goofy", relatively new calibers when there's a
plethora of existing, high-performance calibers?

IMHO, I say stick with a common, relatively long-running caliber. The
...270 is a good choice. The 7mm Remington Magnum is likely a but too much
gun for a first rifle. Remember, short of the .50BMG, rifle cartridges
don't look like much, but they pack one hell of a wallop as I learned
after buying a bolt-action .30-06 and thinking "Bah, this should be
painless!" A bruised shoulder and some mild swearing later, and I
learned to respect the caliber for being as powerful as it is. :)

--
Pete Stephenson
HeyPete.com

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From:	Thomas Reynolds
Subject:	Re: First rifle help
Date:	Mon, 24 Jan 2005 05:53:55 +0000 (UTC)

"ericchile" wrote in message
news:css82m$liv$1@grapevine.wam.umd.edu...
#I am in the market for my first rifle. My uncle is a dealer and can get
# a Savage .270 WSM stainless with a black syn stock for around $400
# (with the acutrigger)
#
# My question is... Should I go for the Short mag? Is it a solid cal.
# that will always be around now? Or should I stay with a more common cal
# like .270 or 7mm?
That is a fair price as the list is $660, but given your qualifications
about using it inexpensively and for years, you would be better off perhaps
getting the .308 which is also available in that model by Savage. The round
will be at least as effective on elk and costs much less and is universally
available. Away from home do you even know where to buy the ammo? You can
pretty much be sure you can buy .308 in any store which sells any ammo at
all. It is a better work horse in my opinion.

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From:	michaelb8309 at yahoo.com
Subject:	Re: First rifle help
Date:	Mon, 24 Jan 2005 05:54:33 +0000 (UTC)

ericchile wrote:

# My question is... Should I go for the Short mag? Is it a solid cal.
# that will always be around now? Or should I stay with a more common
cal
# like .270 or 7mm?
#
# I live in Utah and plan on hunting mostly Elk but want to keep my
# options open.

# I want a gun that will last generations and be very
# usefull and cheap to use.

If you want a rifle that you will be able to purchase factory ammo and
fresh brass for 20 years from now then the safest bet is to select a
270 Winchester, 7mm Rem Mag, or 30'06. Some of the short mags -
perhaps the 300 WSM - may become as popular as the standard length
magnums they strive to duplicate but I predict most will not. For my
money stainless is neither here nor there (I hunt in the snow, not the
rain) but I am nonplussed by the cheap injection molded plastic stocks
that come on most "stainless sythetic" rifles. I recommend you select
laminated wood instead, or use a plain wood handle until you can afford
a better quality fiberglass stock. As for economy you might buy a
rifle for which inexpensive surplus (or second world quality) ammo is
still commonly available, but of the 223, 7.62x39, 7.62x54r, 303
British, and 7.62x51 NATO only the last is an elk capable round
available in a modern rifle. Otherwise the only way to make an elk
rifle cheap to feed is to handload for it. Truth be told handloaders
don't really save any money, but they shoot a lot more for the money
they spend. Good hunting!

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From:	Joseph Oberlander
Subject:	Re: First rifle help
Date:	Sun, 23 Jan 2005 13:28:44 +0000 (UTC)

From:	Nick Hull
Subject:	Re: First rifle help
Date:	Sat, 22 Jan 2005 14:20:20 +0000 (UTC)

In article ,
"ericchile" wrote:

# I am in the market for my first rifle. My uncle is a dealer and can get
# a Savage .270 WSM stainless with a black syn stock for around $400
# (with the acutrigger)
#
# My question is... Should I go for the Short mag? Is it a solid cal.
# that will always be around now? Or should I stay with a more common cal
# like .270 or 7mm?
#
# I live in Utah and plan on hunting mostly Elk but want to keep my
# options open.
# I am searching for the most bang for my buck ( I really only want one
# rifle to do as much hunting as I can, I will borrow from family if I
# need to). But I want a gun that will last generations and be very
# usefull and cheap to use. I know thats a lot. So I am welcome to all
# comments!

Useful & cheap means ,308

--
Free men own guns, slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/

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From:	Natman
Subject:	Re: First rifle help
Date:	Sat, 22 Jan 2005 14:19:49 +0000 (UTC)

On Sat, 22 Jan 2005 00:51:34 +0000 (UTC), "ericchile"
wrote:

#I am in the market for my first rifle. My uncle is a dealer and can get
#a Savage .270 WSM stainless with a black syn stock for around $400
#(with the acutrigger)
#
#My question is... Should I go for the Short mag? Is it a solid cal.
#that will always be around now? Or should I stay with a more common cal
#like .270 or 7mm?
#
#I live in Utah and plan on hunting mostly Elk but want to keep my
#options open.
#I am searching for the most bang for my buck ( I really only want one
#rifle to do as much hunting as I can, I will borrow from family if I
#need to). But I want a gun that will last generations and be very
#usefull and cheap to use. I know thats a lot. So I am welcome to all
#comments!
#
#Thanks !!
#
Your concerns are well founded IMHO. There are over a dozen short
magnums between Winchester and Remington. At least 5 of them will be
obsolete in 20 years. Will the 270 WSM be one of them?

If you are planning on an elk rifle I would recommend a 30-06 over a
270 WSM. I would prefer greater bullet diameter and weight over
velocity and ammo availability will never be a problem. Federal's 180
grain HE Nosler Partition is a fine elk load.

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From:	JMStacey
Subject:	Re: First rifle help
Date:	Mon, 24 Jan 2005 05:55:11 +0000 (UTC)

Yeah, gotta go with 30/06. Savage is a good gun. I go stainless nowadays.
Good Luck, Be Safe!!!!!

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From:	Keith
Subject:	Re: First rifle help
Date:	Sun, 23 Jan 2005 13:28:26 +0000 (UTC)

ericchile wrote:
# I am in the market for my first rifle. My uncle is a dealer and can
get
# a Savage .270 WSM stainless with a black syn stock for around $400
# (with the acutrigger)
#
# My question is... Should I go for the Short mag? Is it a solid cal.
# that will always be around now? Or should I stay with a more common
cal
# like .270 or 7mm?
#
# I live in Utah and plan on hunting mostly Elk but want to keep my
# options open.
# I am searching for the most bang for my buck ( I really only want one
# rifle to do as much hunting as I can, I will borrow from family if I
# need to). But I want a gun that will last generations and be very
# usefull and cheap to use. I know thats a lot. So I am welcome to all
# comments!
#
# Thanks !!
#
#

My belief is that the 'new fangled' cartridges will not be available
readily, from smaller mom and pop gunshops, etc.
Heck, these cartridges might not even survive, as time goes on.
I would recommend the .30-'06 to anyone, as a first rifle. As another
poster said, there isn't anything that the '06 either can't or hasn't
taken on the North American continent.
The round is 99 years old, and shows NO sign of getting old.
The .270 Winchester is a good round, but, it just doesn't have the
'umph' that the '06 has.
Another good choice is the .308 Winchester.
I still have the opinion that the '06 has the edge, because it can
handle heavier bullets better than the .308.

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From:	Don Bruder
Subject:	Re: First rifle help
Date:	Mon, 24 Jan 2005 05:54:30 +0000 (UTC)

In article ,
"Keith" wrote:

# I would recommend the .30-'06 to anyone, as a first rifle.

With a minor change in hrasing (change "anyone" to "almost anyone") I'll
second that. The exception(s) are the the physically frail - An '06
packs a pretty good wallop in the recoil department - "teeny-tiny" or
petite-built folks, or the extremes of the age range (real young or real
old) may have a hard time coping with it. Aside from that, I agree: It's
an excellent gun that'll do darn near anything that anybody with a grain
of sense is going to try to use a gun for.

# As another
# poster said, there isn't anything that the '06 either can't or hasn't
# taken on the North American continent.

Indeed. Versatility is something the .30-06 has by the dumptruck load.

# The round is 99 years old, and shows NO sign of getting old.

Amen...
Nothing like time-tested, *VERY* well-proven, widely available (As in,
"where in the USA can you go that sells firearms/ammo, but doesn't stock
...30-06?" Is there actully anyplace? I haven't heard of it...) reasonably
cheap ammo.

Doesn't matter how "y" the gun is if it only eats ammo that can't be
had for love nor money...

--
Don Bruder - dakidd@sonic.net - New Email policy in effect as of Feb. 21, 2004.
Short form: I'm trashing EVERY E-mail that doesn't contain a password in the
subject unless it comes from a "whitelisted" (pre-approved by me) address.
See for full details.

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From:	GLC1173
Subject:	Re: First rifle help
Date:	Sat, 22 Jan 2005 14:20:10 +0000 (UTC)

Ericchile wrote:
#My question is... Should I go for the Short >mag? Is it a solid cal.
#that will always be around now? Or >should I stay with a more common cal
#like .270 or 7mm?

Stay with .270 or .30-06 - and you'll be able to find ammo in half the small
hardware stores out there, if Utah is anything like North Carolina. Whether or
not the "short mag" calibers last - and more than a few calibers just didn't
during the past 50 years - I guarantee you they won't be carried at every
Wal-Mart the way the ordinary popular ammo will.
Savage - and Ruger - make superb bolt-action rifles at economy prices.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dissident news - plus immigration, gun rights, weather, Internet Gun Show
ALAMANCE INDEPENDENT:
official newspaper of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

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From:	Bterr
Subject:	Re: First rifle help
Date:	Mon, 24 Jan 2005 05:54:41 +0000 (UTC)

About 35 years ago I was a young man in Northern Arizona with limited funds
looking for an all-purpose rifle for hunting. So...I think I know where you're
at.

I agree that the .30-06 is a much better choice. You'll always be able to get
..30-06 Ammo, and you'll often be able to get it for a very reasonable price.
The .270 WSM is really a highly-specialized cartiridge that's most suited for
long-rang deer hunting. If you're going after Elk, you won't beat the Federal
HE .30-06 with the Nosler Partition. In fact, I'd use that load for all big
game hunting, and cheaper 180gr. loads for target practice.

The Savage is a good, basic rifle. If you just will have one gun, getting it
in stainless steel is a good option...I've been caught is some real snow storms
in the rockies with blued guns and have spent too much time drying the gun out
and oiling it.

As for a good, low cost scope..Look at the Weaver Grand Slam in 3X10 power. You
can get one from Midway Distributors mail order for about $260 or so
(800-243-3220). Save a little money on the gun, but don't buy a cheap scope.
It'll let you down when you least expect it.

Good hunting.

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