New hunter setup - best gun/scope??

[lbscoob20]

Hey guys - new to the forums here and new to deer hunting. I'm currently shopping for a rifle and scope. I'm willing to spend some money to get something better than an "intro" line rifle/scope combo, but at the same time don't want to go overboard. In my mind i'm wanting to stay in the $750-800 range for both rifle and scope.....for that loose budget what do yall think is the best rifle and scope combination? I've looked at some of the Nikon 3x9x50 scopes which were pretty highly recommended by the guy at the local gun shop....pretty reasonable too at less than $250.

Looking forward to what yall think!
Scott

[Dan Salmon]

Ruger M77 Hawkeye in any of the following calibers:

.243 Winchester
.308 Winchester
.270 Winchester
.30-06 Springfield

I would also look at the following Weaver optics:

K4 - Fixed 4x
K6 - Fixed 6x
V9 - 3x to 9x Variable

Weaver optics, in my opinion, are probably the optics for the money today.

Don't let anyone tell you that you need to pony up the extra cash to have one of the ballistic reticles either. You can use a standard old duplex reticle as a range finder without all the extra crap in your line of sight.

Also, don't forget that a binocular is actually probably more important than a rifle scope. The binocular will help you be able to see through the brush much better and locate more deer that you would have never seen with just the naked eye.

[shaman]

Dan's right. I like the Rugers. However, I've seen two rifles that I'd say would give you a good quality gun at a bit lower cost: Savage and Weatherby Vanguard. I've shot both over the past few years, and I was impressed by the accuracy and overall quality.

The Ruger Hawkeye has a 3-position safety I really like. It has controlled round feeding. It has a lot of features that make it worth the money. However, none of that is really essential for deer hunting. Most of my deer rifles are rescues, rehabs, and pound mutts.