Good entry level rifle and shotgun

[pbwalker]

I haven't hunted in close to 8 years now and sold the only shotgun I had. But now I have the opportunity to hunt down in the 'Golden Triangle' in South Texas. Both Bird and Deer. So I'm looking for a decent Shotgun and Rifle and would like to solicit suggestions. I'm thinking Yildiz O/U for the Shotgun and am not even sure on the Rifle.

Here is the Yildiz I am thinking about getting: http://www.academy.com/index.php?page=c ... 04706-2028

Also, would anyone recommend pawn shops for them?

[WarHawk-AVG]

Gorgeous looking shotguns

Come to Baytown..they have several pawnshops with good deals

[DMG]

If by "bird" you are referring to ducks and/or geese, I would not get a 20 ga., get a 3" chambered 12 ga. with a 28" barrel. You can probably find a Remington 870 Express around in some pawn shop, which would be an excellent choice. In that area of Texas, you could even use the 870 for deer. Buy an additional 18" barrell and you then have the beginnings of a home defense shotgun. David G.

[drw]

If I was going to be hunting for whitetail, I would go with a nice bolt action .223 with a high magnification scope. I have a CZ 527 rifle that I absolutely love.

If price is a consideration, then I'd go with a classic 30-30 lever-action rifle, or even an SKS rifle.

[pbwalker]

Birds would be quail and dove, and I will be hunting Whitetail. Now, up north in MN where I used to love, a 30-06 was the default, but if a .223 will work down here, cool!

[WarHawk-AVG]

.223 is usually a little too light, even for these large dog size deer here down south (absolutely PERFECT for varmints and small game)

I would recommend something at least in .30 cal for proper kill on deer (or medium size game), its better to be overkill than wound a deer and have it get lost (even 7.62x39 is ample for whitetail, a guy took a limit from my uncles lease near Lufkin)

I'm not saying its not possible..but why risk it

If you are going to spend $700 for a CZ...why not go for the benchmark of rifles and get a Remington 700?

Most shots here in the brush country range up to 100 yards, 150max unless you are in a clearcut. A Remington 94 or a Marlin 336 would be PERFECT for a brushgun down here.

[drw]

.223 is usually a little too light, even for these large dog size deer here down south (absolutely PERFECT for varmints and small game)

I admit that up to now, all my deer kills have been in the hill country where the deer are a little smaller than elsewhere. Shot placement is the most important thing when hunting deer, and I've never had the .223 fail me. Every shot has been to the neck and I had instant kills at some pretty good ranges. One was a good sized buck around 200 yards away and he dropped like a rock when the 55grain .223 struck his neck.

I guess if I was aiming center of mass and wasn't certain about the shot, I'd prefer a .308, but then again I don't take shots unless I'm 100% certain that I'll hit exactly what I'm aiming at.

[bpet]

While I love 30cal, I now hunt whitetail with either a 25-06 or a 25WSSM. I've used 300 H&H and 30-06 successfully in the past and have even taken deer with 338mag. As I've gotten older I find that lugging all that iron around provides me with no advantage in knockdown and adds to my frustration when I walk 1 1/2 miles back to camp in 90 degree temperatures. I really like lite weight flat shooting rifles for hunting in Texas.

[WarHawk-AVG]

.223 is usually a little too light, even for these large dog size deer here down south (absolutely PERFECT for varmints and small game)

I admit that up to now, all my deer kills have been in the hill country where the deer are a little smaller than elsewhere. Shot placement is the most important thing when hunting deer, and I've never had the .223 fail me. Every shot has been to the neck and I had instant kills at some pretty good ranges. One was a good sized buck around 200 yards away and he dropped like a rock when the 55grain .223 struck his neck.

I guess if I was aiming center of mass and wasn't certain about the shot, I'd prefer a .308, but then again I don't take shots unless I'm 100% certain that I'll hit exactly what I'm aiming at.

This statement cannot be more true!

My uncle spent about 2 hours searching for a deer after he misplaced a shot out of a 7MM Mag and it lung shot a deer through both lungs...we looked and looked and looked and finally found it splayed out in some underbrush, if he would have hit just 4" lower it would have gone straight thru its heart

[Nighthawk]

Reaching back a bit regarding the shotgun question...I bought a Biakal O/U which is imported by EAA (European American Arms) from Russia. It's the same gun that Remmington is now selling under the Spartan name I believe. It's very similar to the Yildiz I think (the Yildiz may be a little nicer actually). I've found it to be the best gun for me. This gun just fits me so well that I seem to out shoot everyone I hunt with now (Pheasant and Quial). I would highly recomend the O/U for most bird hunting as you get two chokes. I shoot my first shot as IC and my second shot as MOD since it's usually a little further distance. Most important is to make sure that the gun feels comfortable and natural to you. The cheap Russian import happened to work best for me