What gun would you recommend for someone that is just beginning

>>32228996
Savage Trophy Hunter combo with the Nikon optic or Ruger American and slap a Leupold VX-1 3-9x40 on it, in .308. Zero it at 100 yards but practice out to 300 so you know your proper holdover.

>>32228996
>Elk
>NJ

Wat

>>32228996
.308, .270, and .30-06 will kill any NA game animal ethically out to 450-500m, provided the proper bullet. There's a reason they're the 3 most popular hunting calibers in America and Canada, and rifles and ammo in them can be found at literally every sporting goods store on the continent. Any of the 3 would be a good choice for caliber, and the only real difference is if you want to trade velocity for mass or vise versa.

As far as the actual rifle, what's your budget?
>under $350 for rifle and optic
Savage Axis XP package, stick with packaged scope (Bushnell 3-9x40)
>between $350 and $500 for rifle and optic
Ruger American plus something like a Nikon Monarch 3 2.5-10x42 scope
>between $500 and $750 for rifle and optic
Browning A-bolt 3 with any number of mid-range 2.5-10x scopes
>over $750 for rifle and optic
Still an A-bolt 3, but I highly recommend a Vortex Viper HS 2.5-10x42, it's a great scope in what's generally an ideal magnification range for most hunting.

Like the other anon said, for a bolt gun, you can't go wrong with a Savage Axis or Ruger American in .308, 7mm-08, .270, and whatnot. Cheap and accurate. The more expensive models from the same companies won't really do anything better for typical hunting (or from any company, really).

You can also look at lever guns in .44 Mag/.45-70 if you want closer range hunting (100 yards), though these are more expensive.

The main thing is to zero your weapon, know where it hits within that zero and a little beyond, and to always try to get as close as you can before shooting.

>what would you recommend
>living in NJ

i recommend you move somewhere with normal rights

fag

>>32228996
Best gun you can buy for the money is a tikka t3 or the new t3x in whichever model you want. They come stock with an excellent trigger, a sako style safety, decent scope mounts and usually have a nice piece of wood depending on the model you get. I would also get a it in .308win if you look hard enough you can find a t3 for 500 dollars. The t3x's are going to be more. I would put a 3x9x 40 leupold VX 2 on it and use federal's premium ammo with the bullet being a 150gr nosler partition or a 150gr Sierra game king. Also check your hunting regs for the area you are going to be hunting. I live in PA and last I knew NJ was mostly a shotgun slug only state. Best of luck to you.

>>32228996
You can only hunt with shotguns or muzzleloaders in nj.

The pain is real.

>>32229028
iirc theres a population of elk in pennsylvania

>>32230253
> Pennsylvania and Kentucky both have thriving Elk herds, and last year, West Virginia announced plans to reintroduce them as well.

http://notesfromthewildside.com/2016/10/elk-in-the-eastern-united-states/

>>32230269
Neato, would be really cool to see a rei troduction here in new england, though im unsure if there is enough wilderness 2bh

>>32229020
Solid choice I usually have my brother carry that while I either carry a 45-70 or 12 gauge slug for the less expected shots.

>>32230275
Adirondacks Catskills and further north east already has them in Vermont New Hampshire and Maine (especially Maine)

>>32230294
Source?

>>32231694
NYDEC we have elk stamps for hunting licenses for a reason

>>32231779
That said yes reintroduction is dragging

>>32230175
>They come stock with an excellent trigger, a sako style safety, decent scope mounts and usually have a nice piece of wood depending on the model you get.
It kills me they don't make their nice stainless/laminate combo in left handed.

>>32228996
You need a Shotgun for NJ, and a rifle for PA. Most rifles are in .270 win or 300 win mag. Just look into what those cartridges offer and go with that. Avoid freedom group products.

>>32229909
This helps no one, and hurts our side more, fag.

>>32231884
Freedom group is ok if you know what you are getting and the price is right. That said only have lever actions and a rem 700 I got for 300 so take that as you will

>>32232037
The 700 has QC issues with its trigger. I would avoid it.

Tikka T3 Hunter or Lite in .308.

>>32232103
Can have and varies by batch. My circa 2013 is about perfect except I was not a fan of the tatical stock so traded for a magpul hunter and haven't had a complaint since. But if you are not sure what to look for (how safety can fail while loaded amongst other issues) there are an absurd number of good options. I am just used to Remington and Marlin so I went with them and checked carefully. That said I may do a tikka next for win mag

>>32231895
I'm on my own side, son. Picking on idiots for allowing their rights to be taken away by powerful people with agendas is what we're all about over here.

>>32230253
>>32230269

my friends, do you have any clue how difficult it is to draw an elk tag in Pennsylvania

This year it there were over 90,000 applicants......... for 124 tags

>>32232292
Now imagine a tenth the number of tags to hunt a park the size of Vermont for maybe a dozen total elk. It will be a generation or two before elk are reasonably populated but at least we are headed that way