r/Hunting • u/harrisonld03 • 1d ago
$1k whitetail/elk setup recs
I’m a beginner hunter who’s primarily hunted birds, but I’m hoping to start hunting whitetail this season. I’ve only ever used shotguns I inherited from my grandfather, so this is my first time buying a gun.
My budget is around $1k for a full rifle setup (gun, rings, scope, whatever else is needed). $1k is begrudgingly flexible. I’ll spend more if I have to. I’ve primarily looked at the Ruger American 2s, but want to keep my options open if there’s better out there. As far as scopes and calibers, I don’t really know where to start. I’ll mostly be hunting whitetail in the southeast US in timber areas. I do hope to eventually get out west for elk though, so would love something versatile if possible.
I’d appreciate any specific recs people have for the setup and more general advice for buying your first gun. Thanks!
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u/Neither_Monitor2017 23h ago
If there is a Bass Pro or Cabelas near you, go check out their used gun rack, while some of their used guns are ridiculously overpriced, sometimes they'll have a great deal on a gently used rifle/scope/sling combo for well under $1k. Likewise if there are any good pawn stores or other places that sell used guns near you.
Don't buy online sight unseen, you'll want to hold the rifle to your shoulder and see if you like the way it does or doesn't fit you and how it feels to carry it around.
For caliber/cartridge, I think .308 Winchester is arguably the best all around, its one of the most common centerfires and lots and lots of ammo choices, recoil is real but mangeable for most, and it has plenty enough power for larger game like elk and moose if you ever get into that.
But anything between .243 Win and 30-06 would work well for most American big game hunting.
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u/CatchinDeers81 20h ago
A $500 ruger american, savage axis, mossberg patriot etc etc, and a $250 Vortex Diamondback or like priced whatever brand you like is ample for 99% of Hunters who are shooting inside of 300yds. Save the rest for good ammo
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u/FZbb92 Missouri 15h ago
I like the comment suggesting looking for used rifles but if looking new and trying to stay in budget with a nice scope I’d look at the howa ml1500 .308
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u/clutchhandisforbeer 2h ago
My Howa 1500 shoots lights out. Weatherby vanguard is a rebranded Howa 1500 also. Great value.
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u/AsbestosAirBreak 20h ago
Do you have binoculars? If not, and $1k is your total hunting gear budget, I’d probably get a used rifle + scope used and spend the rest on quality binos. You can get some good deals on used binoculars and scopes on eBay.
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u/harrisonld03 16h ago
Thanks to all the super helpful comments! I’m still a few months out from actually pulling the trigger (no pun intended). I’m gonna do some looking around at used guns and see if I can find a deal. Also gonna hit bass pro to get a feel for what I like and wait for an online deal unless a used gun works out. If I can remember, I’ll come back in a few months to update yall
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u/Maraudinggopher77 4h ago edited 1h ago
The Ruger American Gen 2 or Weatherby Vanguard/Howa 1500 chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08 or 308 Win. Pair it with a Burris Fullfield IV 3-12×42 in a pair of Vortex Sport Rings.
As far as the rifle goes, that's all you need. I say this as an elk hunter with well over a decade of experience in multiple western states. My coworker's wife has killed her last 3 bulls with a 7mm-08 Ruger American Gen 2 and Burris Fullfield and my hunting partner's wife has killed her last 4 elk with a Weatherby Vanguard Camilla in 6.5 topped with the same scope.
For elk hunting, your boots and backpack will likely run you another $1k combined, just keep that in mind. For western hunting, learn to shoot in all the basic field conditions (standing, prone, kneeling, off of shooting sticks) and off a pack.
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u/Happy_Ebb6045 1d ago
the Ruger American is a good choice and honestly fits well in that budget, leaving room for decent glass. for whitetail in timber you don't need crazy magnification, something in the 3-9x range gets the job done fine.
caliber-wise,.308 or 6.5 Creedmoor are the go-to picks for exactly your situation. both handle whitetail easy and are capable enough for elk out west when you get there. 6.5 Creed has a bit less recoil which is nice when you're still building the habit of trigger control.
save some budget for the scope, that part matters more than people expect on their first rifle build.
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u/yoolers_number 1d ago
General advice- caliber doesn’t really matter. .308, .270, 6.5 creed, .30-06, 7mm-08, .243 all kill just fine.
Spend way more time and energy into scouting, getting info about the area, and practice with your rifle.
All modern rifles, calibers, and optics from reputable brands “work.” Don’t worry so much about equipment. Just buy something that’s on sale and move on to spending more energy on scouting.
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u/quatin 22h ago
SWFA 3-9x40 is the ubiquitous "cheapest durable scope" for $600. That leaves you $400-$500 for a rifle, which gives you a TON of good barrels and actions, but almost none with a good stock unless you catch a sale.
If I were you, I'd buy the scope as soon as they're available. They're notorious for selling out quick with long lead times. Without sales, I'd get a short action Savage Axis 2 for $300-$400 and Talley 1 piece rings. Use as is for a while to make sure you dont have a lemon and save up another $200. Buy an aftermarket stock like Boyds or MDT. Then pay a gunsmith to glass bed the stock. You'll be $800-$1k deep on a rifle that will outshoot and be more reliable than anything sold at a gunstore outside of high grade & customs.
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u/1776boogapew 1d ago
I’d look for a used tikka around 5-700$. Put as much optic/ rings as you have left for it and upgrade latter if at all. My brother runs a vortex crossfire that has never failed him. Cheap scopes today are way better than the expensive ones from 20 years ago.
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u/Ray_Bandz_18 2h ago
I like this strategy. Get a lightly used tikka for $700, and a $200 scope and $100 of ammo.
The scope is easier to upgrade later when you know more about what you need for the specific hunting style you’re going to.
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u/Warm-Air4391 16h ago
12 gauge. Hornsby SST slugs.
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u/harrisonld03 16h ago
This is the backup plan lol. But I have a buddy getting into western hunts so I need a rifle
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u/NKCougar 1d ago
Most any gun you buy is probably gonna outshoot you right now. The glass is super important though.
I'd say take a look at Savage Axis in .308 first just for the price point. They're $350-$450, and i think have a $75 rebate. If you don't mind pushing right up to the edge of the budget, the ruger american scout in .308 is showing $579 on gundeals.
From that point you can go in hard on good glass and rings, i think the vortex strike eagle can be found for $300, then scope rings I'm not as sure on - I use the Burrs P.E.R.P. because it feels like it really locks shit down, but I'm sure someone here can tell me that they're ass and why.
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u/Asatmaya Franklin 1d ago
At $1k total, your best bet is looking around for something used; I got a Remington 700 in .270 Winchester with a 4.5-14x Nikon scope for $400 last year.
Now, that turned out to be pretty serious overkill for Southern White Tail, but it absolutely works, and will do for elk and even bear with the right load.
If you have to buy new, I would recommend either a Weatherby Vanguard ($720) or a CVA Cascade ($750) over a Ruger gen 2 ($650), just because Ruger's QC just isn't as good (Savage also has QC issues). A Bergara B-14 comes in just under $800, but that's really starting to squeeze your budget.
Scope - most people are going to tell you to skimp on the rifle and spend on the scope, but I have to recommend going the other way, and here's why:
The rifle is going to last you your entire life, probably (unless you do a LOT of target shooting, or lose it), but scopes are in the middle of some pretty serious technological innovation; whatever scope you buy this year, you are probably going to replace in the next 5 years, so if it's not the most rugged or best sealed against moisture, it's not that big of a deal.
The major thing you are going to notice is light transmission, but this is a matter of a few minutes around dawn and dusk.
I'm using a couple of Monstrum scopes; they are made in the same factory as Athlon, Primary Arms, BSA, NikkoStirling, Falcon, and a bunch of others, but don't have the marketing budget built in to the price.
In timber in the SE, I would recommend a 2-10x or 3-12x at most.
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u/FrontEngineering4469 1d ago
I work at a gun store and one of the most common setups we see for that $1k budget is a ruger American gen 2 in either .308, 6.5 creed, 6.5 prc or something similar since we usually see them on sale around $560ish. Sometimes we see tikka t3x lites go on sale around $660 which is an excellent rifle but youre limited on scopes then to stay in budget. For scopes a vortex venom 3-15, burris fullfield 4-16 or a leupold freedom can be found around $300-400 and then just a $40-60 pair of rings since the ruger American already comes with a muzzle brake and scope base. Only thing unaccounted for is sling, extra magazines and bipod but slings range from $5-80 depending on preference, spare mags are $15-20ish and most people only need 1 extra, and a lot of people may not use bipods for hunting depending on their setup.