I am former military, so I am familiar with how to handle and safely use a gun. But in the army they just hand you a gun and teach you how to use it. They don’t teach you how to select a gun for the job!
My uses for the gun
I will use it to harvest my pigs with a head shot
House protection of aggressive animals on the farm (Although I hope to never have to use it for either)
Later on I might desire to hunt deer.
What should I get, where should I get it? New? Used? What is affordable, reliable, and safe… What should be avoided?
If you want a single gun and you plan on deer hunting then that can help narrow you down ultimately. As in bypass pistols and muzzleloaders.
I have used a Remington 700 for almost 25 years using iron sights. Love it. It’s currently on a deer trip as we speak! I have not missed a deer in 15 years I hope he doesn’t ruin the streak with it:/
Not sure that you can get one gun that would be good for all three purposes.
For killing your pigs, you don’t want a shotgun or high powered rifle. It will make a bit of a mess. I’d buy a .22 revolver. It would be good for killing the pigs. You could also buy rat shot and use it for rats and/or poisonous snakes.
Home protection - 9mm or .45 pistol, or 12 gauge shotgun which would have multiple purposes. A .357 pistol might be alright since you mentioned protection against aggressive animals - it would be easy to carry on a holster. I would want a longer barrel to provide a more accurate shot.
Deer hunting. Depends on the terrain. Wide, open spaces - you want a rifle. Thick brush where everything would be within 25-30 yards, the shotgun with buckshot or slug would work fine.
I can’t provide any advice on guns but will say if you are required to go through hunters safety they go through a lot of information, most is basic but I thought it was very helpful for the person who knows nothing. I was dreading the course at first but glad I went through it.
Check to see what your state allows for hunting deer. Some states are shotgun only.
If you mean hd against animals going after live stock. .223 usually fits the bill. .223 s also very effective against wild pigs so I assume domestic as well. So this would be a 20 - 24 inch ar-15 or mini 14. Usually they will have a v designation or be caller a varminter or ranch rifle.
However, I assume you live in Florida still, since you are one of the few who met me in real life. If that is the case, you cannot hunt deer with .223. But, I guarantee you will buy another.
The AR platform is going to be your best bet and the .223 is the do it all round. I have killed 60-80 hogs with a .223 and they are done with a shot to the heat instantly. The platform will allow for an easily maneuverable weapon system for home defense and you can kill anything with it out to 500-600yds (assuming you know how to shoot). If you want a bit more power consider an AR in .308/300 blackout/6.5 Grendel/6.8/.50 beowulf as these are rounds which are designed for the AR but deliver a bigger punch. A few personal favorites:
And before some idiot comes on here and says you cannot “ethically” hunt with a .223 i killed a mule deer last year at 540yds with a 62gr .223, one shot and it dropped. But i think the .308 is really the most well rounded caliber for what you are looking for.
If you want a bit more power consider an AR in .308/300 blackout/6.5 Grendel/6.8/.50 beowulf as these are rounds which are designed for the AR but deliver a bigger punch.
This ^^^
**But i think the .308 is really the most well rounded caliber for what you are looking for. **
And before some idiot comes on here and says you cannot “ethically” hunt with a .223 i killed a mule deer last year at 540yds with a 62gr .223, one shot and it dropped. But i think the .308 is really the most well rounded caliber for what you are looking for.
Holy smokes. 540 yards! I have not taken a shot over maybe 120 yards since the 90’s. Where you hunting? Out west somewhere? Nice shot!
30-06, .270, .308 or even a 25-06 are all good calibers for deer hunting or aggressive animal control. Not sure if they are too much for the pigs at close range.
If you buy used you might take to a gunsmith to have it looked over.
I have used a Savage 110 for years with no issues but other relatives have used Rugers, Weatherby’s and Brownings.
A 30 30 lever or an AR 15 (or 5.56 anything) seem about perfect for what you are looking for.
Based on the deer hunting requirement, the 30 30 probably has the slight advantage over the AR-15. For home defense and general pest control (coyotes to rabbits), I would give the edge to the AR.
.308 would be appropriate, except for the pig harvest part. seems a bit too much.
Westcliffe Colorado, normally it is so windy i would never shoot past 250-300 but it was a rare calm day, on our land, i knew the exact yardage, and just put a really nice scope on the AR. When you have a NightForce 4-14x56 scope and your brother calling all the adjustments anything is possible
Also in reply to is a .308 too much for slaughtering your pigs, i say not really if its a brain stem type shot. I grew up in north Texas and have been hunting hogs their for years and most often head shots are not very messy unless you use something massive like a .300 win mag or a shotgun, both are messy, but then again butchering is never “clean”.
Westcliffe Colorado, normally it is so windy i would never shoot past 250-300 but it was a rare calm day, on our land, i knew the exact yardage, and just put a really nice scope on the AR. When you have a NightForce 4-14x56 scope and your brother calling all the adjustments anything is possible
**Also in reply to is a .308 too much for slaughtering your pigs, i say not really if its a brain stem type shot. I grew up in north Texas and have been hunting hogs their for years and most often head shots are not very messy unless you use something massive **like a .300 win mag or a shotgun, both are messy, but then again butchering is never “clean”.
But, I’m guessing you were shooting from a distance. A .308 from 6 inches away is probably going to splatter. But, like you said - butchering isn’t clean, so what’s a little extra blood and gore.
My grandfather was a butcher who raised animals. He always dispatched them with a .22
Just read the post about the bear issue and IF the Conservation Dept says you can shoot it I would want the 30-06. IMO
Never shot a pig up close with my .270 but I have a deer and it was not all that messy.
An AR-15 is a fun gun and yes it is a good all around calibre. However they are expensive, especially these days. I bought mine the week after Sandyhook and directly before the 2012 election. I got it for a song at $1k, it went to over $2k in value after the election. I haven’t shopped recently but they are spendy guns.
For the same $1,500-2k you could buy a Remington 700 .270 or 30-06 for deer ($600). A .22 pistol for dispatching pigs (the mobile butcher I met uses a .22 rifle for cows so a .22 pistol would be more than plenty for pigs). And you would still have plenty of money left for a shotgun, .40 semi-auto handgun or whatever you come up with for “home defense of aggressive animals”. Heck even a cheap 7.62 SKS would be fine for killing coyotes and such, you can get a never fired SKS for $300.
Just some ideas. Guns are like bikes, you can never have enough and they all have their purpose. Hard to pick one gun for every situation, and who wants to just have one gun anyway?!?!
30 30 rounds have harvested more deer than any other round in the U.S. and are more than energetic enough to take on a wild hog. The ability to rapidly fire a second round is also a good thing, and a 30 30 lever action will give you that without the complexity and price of an autoloader. Lever action rifles also come in .44 caliber which means you can share ammunition with a .44 revolver if that is the direction you would like to go.
A good shotgun is also an excellent choice, either in a pump action or auto loader model, as the range of ammo and accessories is huge. Many states have special deer hunting seasons specifically for shotguns and some locations do not allow centerfire rifle hunting, making shotgun the best choice for an all round tool that can meet all your criteria.
If you had to use a handgun for the tasks, I would choose a 10mm or a 44 Magnum. Both have been used to hunt in many environments but the range at which they can be employed is less unless your marksman skills are very high.
I never said you couldn’t ethically kill one with a .223, I said the laws says you can’t. But it turns out I was wrong, when you read the law specific, it refers to .22 LR, I guess people took that to mean .22 cal. However, I can ethically kill about anything in florida with a .22 lr to, because I’m that good.
