starting out with hunting

[santaman2000]

Actually, in most cases when operating in extremely cold weather you want your weapon to stay in the cold.

Extreme variations of temperature between the metal of the weapon and the outside environment can cause things like condensation or even melt any snow landing on the weapon, which can freeze into ice, jamming the firearm. In conditions like that, ice can form astonishingly fast.

I had thought (and wondered) about the condensation. That said, most of my equipment suffers from it when I bring it from the cold into the warm; not the other way around. I suppose if you went right back out into the cold (before allowing enough time in the warm for it to evaporate) it could freeze shut just as you suggest.

 

[santaman2000]

Actually, in most cases when operating in extremely cold weather you want your weapon to stay in the cold.

Extreme variations of temperature between the metal of the weapon and the outside environment can cause things like condensation or even melt any snow landing on the weapon, which can freeze into ice, jamming the firearm. In conditions like that, ice can form astonishingly fast.

I had thought (and wondered) about the condensation when exiting a vehicle.

 

[Robson Valley]

mrostov is right = once your guns are out in the cold, they stay there. Mine always do.
In and out, humidity condensation from warm air screws up everything.

It isn't the vehicle exit into the dry cold, it's the opposite =
back into the warm humid air with a cold gun, catching condensation.

Any sane and sensible photographer knows these things.

 

[Arya]

Congratulations malente!
Nice to see others getting into this as adults. I never had anyone in the family with interest an for hunting, but I managed to just go for it on my own and learn as much as I can on the way.

I joined my first roe deer hunt not long ago (they were obviously on christmas vacation, so no take down.... But it was a nice experience anyway), and I´ve been invited to hunt rabbits both with shotgun and falcon (!) next autumn in Spain!
Now I just got to sell a horse so I can get me a rifle to *drooling*

Roe Deer hunt by Lykketrollet, on Flickr

 

[Countryman]

Quite alarmed at some of the advice given in this thread!

Firstly get yourself trained.

Secondly the rifle and calibre you choose will depend on the kind of shooting you do. Germans do a lot of high seat stalking for deer. They also enjoy driven Boar and the optics used for both disciplines are fundamentally different. A gun you will shoot freehand at running targets is different to a rifle shot supported on a stalk.

Don't pick a gun from an internet search. Go and handle a lot of rifles and find what fits you and feels comfortable. A cheap gun will not have good resale value. It's likely that you will end up trading that first gun for a better one so consider its disposal.

Calibre choice is an age old question and is likely to be the reason you trade rifles.

A .308 is a reasonable calibre for most deer species though it might be considered a bit overkill for Roe. However dead is dead. Supplies are plentiful and there is a variety of loading available off the shelf.

It's unlikely you will start hunting and loading your own ammunition so downloading your calibre is not an option day one. As a hunter in Germany I'm doubting your ammunition volumes will merit a reloading set up unless you have deep pockets.

If you are looking at Boar then you start at about 180gr bullets and work upwards. The .308 will do this job but 300 Win Mag is my personal choice for this but it's a beast to shoot with a lighter gun so you should try this before you commit. It's a lot more expensive. Quite a lot of new shooters shy from .308 too. Technique is everything in shooting and experience worth its weight in gold. Take your time.

A stainless synthetic rifle is a great option as it can take a lot of abuse but again it's more expensive. Bringing a rifle in from -13c is going to cause a lot of condensation. Leaving it outside is possibly not an option if you must have the gun under your control

Do the course, handle as many guns as you can and shoot them if possible.

Have fun. What an exciting time for you.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Robson Valley]

Make certain that you know what "fit" means when you shoulder any long gun. Length of Pull, drop at the comb, drop at the heel, cast, those things.
Not enough cast off & comb and you get hit in the face and it's your own fault.

My Remington 700BDL in .30-'06 bolt action fits me. All I had to do was to add 3/4" to the LOP for winter, 1/2" more for summer.
Gunsmith took 1/4" off the comb and 3/16" off the cheek for more cast.

I chose that particular caliber over all others because in North America, there is the greatest variety of factory loads.
All the way from 55grain up to 220 grain. Of 150, 165, 180 and 220, my rifle groups best with Rem factory 165.
7mm/.308 is an Unlimited pistol load for IHMSA.

Figure out what you need to do to buy ammo. Join a club.
Buy ammo to shoot loaners. All sorts of calibers and actions.

 

[bowji john]

I'm with Countryman

If you live in the UK, go join a club, use the club rifles for a bit.

Ask other club members - many will have been shooting for years

Decide what kind of shooting appeals and go from there

 

[artschool]

nice to see so many with an interest in hunting!

i started with an air rifle on rabbits.
have now hunted DG in S.Africa and just came back from a driven boar trip in hungary.

funny thing is those earlier days of shooting rabbits were just as exciting!

 

[Janne]

nice to see so many with an interest in hunting!

i started with an air rifle on rabbits.
have now hunted DG in S.Africa and just came back from a driven boar trip in hungary.

funny thing is those earlier days of shooting rabbits were just as exciting!

Yes it is weird how all hunting is exciting.
Here on island I can only hunt with an air rifle. I hunt Iguanas and the occasional "Cayman Rabbit" ( Agouti)
Iguanas are very difficult to kill. Only a brain shot will take them down straight.
I use a .22

 

[santaman2000]

Yes it is weird how all hunting is exciting.
Here on island I can only hunt with an air rifle. I hunt Iguanas and the occasional "Cayman Rabbit" ( Agouti)
Iguanas are very difficult to kill. Only a brain shot will take them down straight.
I use a .22

I just re-read the Florida regs on feral hog and/or coyote hunting earlier this week. It states that hog hunting may be done with ALL legal weapons. IO don't know anybody who actually hunts either with an air rifle but it seems they're legal (whereas 22magnum or 17HMR aren't)

 

[Robson Valley]

I'm getting really old. Going hunting? All I can think about is how I want to cook it.
I hope that everybody who has the chance to hunt can use it and have a really good time.

 

[Adze]

I don't know anybody who actually hunts either with an air rifle but it seems they're legal (whereas 22magnum or 17HMR aren't)

There are airguns and then there are airguns!