Beginner loadouts - the SKS. The 7.62x39mm PS round can be bought from level one traders and is more than worth its cost due to its performance versus armour compared to anything else available. It'll also help you learn to aim more due to semi-auto only. You'll be restricted to internal 10 round mag unless you want to spend money on the 20 rounders from Peacekeeper.
As for tactics, you'll be "behind the curve" as wipe was pre-Christmas, but that doesn't mean you can't progress. Use your scav at every available opportunity and try to learn maps with it - especially Customs as that's your main map early on. Work out where the choke points in the map are and how to work around them.
Don't get too hung up on gear or losing early on. You will die. You will lose gear. It happens to everyone. Take the loss on the chin and just hop into a scav run for carefree gameplay - though try not to kill other scavs (player or ai-controlled) if you can as you'll lose karma.
Go into a raid with a goal. Whilst you're at the "start" of the game everything will be valuable to you, I find it more prudent to focus on your task goals over looting at the start of a raid. For example, an early Customs task requires you to obtain a bronze pocket watch from somewhere in the map. I'd load in, get the key from 3 story dorms and get straight to that watch location and obtain it before really looking at looting things. You either need to be fast out the gate (especially if you get a good spawn location) or have the patience to sit and wait and let the raid play out a bit so the other PMCs can thin themselves out on one another before you are forced into an engagement.
Have a good read through the Wiki entries for tarkov, there's a wealth of information on there which will help with general gameplay, items needed for tasks, ballistics etc.
Oh and another thing: sound is the most important asset you have in this game. It's not Call of Duty, you can't be sprinting around *everywhere* and win every engagement. You're in control of the amount of sound you make through movement and movement speed. Use that to your advantage and listen for everybody else, especially in busy / built-up areas. Do note though that the audio has been particularly buggy this patch, especially vertical audio.
Most importantly, have fun. It's a tough game, especially if you're not used to the largely slower pace of the game compared to other shooters. It's very rewarding when it goes right and I'm yet to discover another game that can cause such an adrenaline rush!
pure tarkov, I'm sure we've all made that sound at some stage 
