[ryanh2012]

Alight here's the deal. I'm from Illinois and getting my foid card but am having trouble deciding on a gun. I was hoping the x community would have some input.
Here's my requirements:
Around 500 dollars or less(not totally firm)
Ammo that is cheap/common
I would like to do some smaller game hunting(max of coyotes if rifle)
If I would buy a shotgun there is a chance i would deer hunt
I would use it mostly for leisure/target shooting.

I'm asking because im kind of ignorant of the specifics about guns even though I've grown up with them. I shoot skeet like once a year and that's about it. Any ideas would help.

 

[pow3r]

If you are just shooting small game a bolt action .223 woul be what I would choose for less than $500. There a lot of surplus rifles for less than $500 but they are going to have to big of bullet usually for small game and won't be as accurate without upgrades. An expensive part of guns is your optics or scope, what is the farthest shot you plan on taking.


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[ryandavenport]

Shotgun ammo is pretty damn cheap and a shotgun can also double as a home defense gun. That is what I would go with. Look into the Mossberg and Remington 870. Don't buy a strictly tactical model if you are wanting to hunt with it. A lot of the stuff can be switched out on them. In your price range, I wouldn't buy a semi-auto. I would buy a pump action.


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[Tarditi]

Mossberg 500 series or Remington 870 are shotguns in your range with TONS of options for tailoring to your needs. If you want to shoot slug, just be sure to get a rifled barrel.

I have a Mossy 12ga Tac TriRail and love it.

 

[Drake]

I've had a Remington Express 870 for 22 years now. It has shot an unfathomable number of rounds without a single hiccup. It has been submerged, dropped in mud, buried in snow (along with my brother), and even neglected for a couple of years while I was in college. It still literally looks like it just came off the store rack.

They will usually come with three standard choke tubes for a variety of patterns (modified, improved cylinder, full choke are the usuals). The 870 will handle 3" magnum rounds as well as the 2 3/4" standard shotshell. I do agree that if you plan to shoot slugs, get a rifled barrel to swap out with the smooth bore. Buckshot is fine to shoot through the smooth bore but a rifled barrel will gain you a lot more accuracy when shooting a slug.

And if you shoot a coyote with a slug, don't expect to be able to mount it. lol

 

[birddog01]

And if you shoot a coyote with a slug, don't expect to be able to mount it. lol

Cheeze Whiz man! That's like hunting Rabbit with double ought!

 

[ryanh2012]

Thanks for all the input. In the beginning I was leaning toward a rifle but I'm starting to think that the shotgun will suit my needs better.

 

[Pops]

FWIW, I picked up a Tikka T3 last October. Very first round I fired out of it landed a 14-point Buck at about 120-yds. Not a bad little rifle IMHO.

 

[don-ready]

a used 1903 shoots 30.06 and will run you around $300. or mabey a mosin nagant. $200 rifle and the ammo is fairly cheap and easy to find. if you want to go the shot gun route you can buy a decent new one for around $500 and the ammo is dirt cheap.

 

[apachecadillac]

If you live in Illinois and are just getting into it, I'd begin with a 12 ga. shotgun. A .22 rifle is fun for plinking, too (.22 is too small for anything except small game like squirrels, and--very properly--illegal most places to shoot at larger stuff since the wounding is awful). But the transition from shooting targets with a 12 ga. to bird hunting is very easy, and the problem with rifles is that they tend to specialize by caliber, so until you have a better idea of what you need, it's best to just explore and enjoy and not commit.

There is a good forum called shotgunworld that is filled with knowledgeable (and opinionated!) people who'd love to share advice with you.