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Recently I've been given the okay to hunt some family land. It's mostly planted pines with thick under brush and thick heads. I have a few 100 yd plus stretches of trail to hunt that are pretty clear. I was planning on using an old 30/30 with a scope from when I was a kid.

Thinking about an entry level rifle around $450-500. What models and caliber do you guys suggest for both hogs and deer?

I shoot a Savage .270. Great price point (under $500) and has killed a ton of deer. The .270 has really good knockdown power with very little kick.

CastTheFlats wrote:I shoot a Savage .270. Great price point (under $500) and has killed a ton of deer. The .270 has really good knockdown power with very little kick.

X2. Good advise for your needs.

Check out bman's post from Sept. 29 titled: "If you were going to buy one rifle?" A lot of good suggestions in that thread.

Your old .30-30 should handle the job just fine for deer and hogs.

The Ruger American is an often overlooked, newer model. It barely costs more than the Savage, yet has a smoother action, adjustable accu-trigger, plus there are a few other minor differences in the quality. If you shop around, you can get one with a nice scope for around $450. It comes in .243, .270, 30-06 and .308, any of which would suit your needs just fine (I like a .243, just cause it's easier on the shoulder). I bought one in .270 a few weeks ago and it is my new best friend I haven't killed anything worth bragging about yet, but I did make a nice clean shot on a 3pt at 165 yards a couple weeks ago, plus a couple does during antler-less season last week.
Good Luck with it!

red_yakker wrote:The Ruger American is an often overlooked, newer model. It barely costs more than the Savage, yet has a smoother action, adjustable accu-trigger, plus there are a few other minor differences in the quality. If you shop around, you can get one with a nice scope for around $450. It comes in .243, .270, 30-06 and .308, any of which would suit your needs just fine (I like a .243, just cause it's easier on the shoulder). I bought one in .270 a few weeks ago and it is my new best friend I haven't killed anything worth bragging about yet, but I did make a nice clean shot on a 3pt at 165 yards a couple weeks ago, plus a couple does during antler-less season last week.
Good Luck with it!

I've been shooting a Ruger M77 MkII in .270 for years and love it.....I took the time to break it in properly and it is absolutely a tac driver. Wouldn't trade it for the world...well maybe a Browning.

In that price range I would stongly consider the Savage Axis in 7MM-08. I think they run around $350 at Gander and have a combo deal for around $450. The scope is not great on the combo but not bad.

I prefer a 30/06 with 150 grain for mostly open shots and 180 for thicker areas .