First Rifle Question

Spectre

Spectre

Joined
Nov 3, 1998
Messages
4,331
Dave said:



i've got a question. if i wanted to start for the first time, rifle shooting, are there any particular rifles you could recommend?

i'm thinking something in the 22 calibre range

Dave, for a first new shooter, I'd probably suggest a decent bolt action. Marlin makes several economical .22 and .22 Magnum bolt guns. I think Winchester, Ruger, and Remington all make very nice (though not cheap) bolt action .22s. CZ makes an excellent .22 that is a bargain for the price.

John
 
I'd go with a Ruger 10/22. No it's not single shot, or bolt action. but it is a hardy, reliable, and fairly accurate rifle. Plus it's buildable. 5 years from now you can put in a heavy fluted tube, and have a much more accurate rifle.

1911-A!, 10/22, ar-15, and 870's are all weapons that you can start with a reasonable base gun and build/refine it to one's content.

Just my opinion.
 
Ruger 10/22 is great! My wife has one and it's setting on the table right now with some others to take out here in a little bit and shoot. :)

I just got done printing some targets. Just in case y'all don't know of it, a cool site for downloadable targets:

www.targetz.com
 
Personally I would go with the Ruger 10/.22 as well but for me it would be economics instead of anything else for the reason. Why buy a bolt action, even with a clip, tubular feed, or magazine when you can buy the best semi-automatic .22 ever made?:rolleyes:
The main reason is that you can learn too shoot better with a bolt action versus a semi-auto IMO.
A semi-auto can and often does encourage wasting ammo in the hands of a beginner, again IMO.
 
Agree with the others. Ruger 10/22 is the .22 cal rifle to beat. Several other companies have their version(copies) of it. Many aftermarket accessories.

I have several, and was considering buying an Anschutz bolt action to get the ultimate in accuracy but believe I can get close with accessories from Volquartsen for quite a bit less.
 
I had a Ruger 10/22 and it was really accurate for the money. I don't think that you can do better in a 22 for value.
I traded it in on a Remington bolt action - it was more accurate by 2X the cost.
I also have a Ruger 22Mag. I'd recommend the 10/22, unless you want the extra accuracy of the expensive bolt action.
I had a Marlin 22 bolt action - it was inexpensive, and accurate, but less reliable than the Ruger 10/22. It tended to misfeed every once in awhile.
Whatever you get, put a good quality scope on it.
 
i actually would like to go with a bolt action, as there is something appealing to me as a complete beginner with having to do whatever it is to put the thing in the chamber and ... oh well, my terminology isn't quite there yet.

i've handled firearms for the first time when i did my safety and handling course. i know this sounds silly, but it never occurred to me how heavy rifles and handguns felt! i'd like to take on some instruction to learn properly.

there's so much to learn! and damn these things are expensive!

:D

i'd just like to get something i can cut my teeth on. to learn the various parts, maintenance and such. first step on a long (but exciting) road.
 
I'm going to go alittle off the beaten path with my suggestion. How about one of the Romanian .22 military surplus trainers that are currently available? You can pick one up at Dunhams or Big 5 for around $65. It's a bolt action with a 5 rd. detachable box magazine. Mine is a tack driver with standard velocity ammo. We're talking darn near 1/2" at 50 yards from a bench,and that's with open sights and my less than stellar eyesight. My buddy,who is an ex-marine and one helluva shot, can shoot one ragged hole at that range. The rifle even has a rail for scope mounting.
ABSOLUTELY the best $65 dollars I ever spent!
 
I will be the odd man out and recommend against a semiauto .22 LR for a first time rifle - it promotes "triggeritis," like Yvsa said, and it also promotes bad form. Quite simply, they're too easy to shoot and if you develop any bad habits they will be hard for you to spot.

Depending on their availability, prices, and the law in your area (of which I'm totally ignorant), another option is a milsurp bolt gun. Around here they (and the ammo) are inexpensive. If your form is bad they'll let you know - it will hurt. The process of restoring one is simple and will teach you a lot about its workings and maintenance needs in the process.

If you have someone knowledgeable coaching you, forget what I said and get a .22. Dirt cheap ammo is dirt cheap practice. I'll second Spectre's recommendation on a bolt action but you could do a whole lot worse than a 10/22.
 
With children, there is no question in my mind a bolt or single shot .22 is best. And the Ruger 10/22 is a neat semi auto. But learning to shoot is best done when you appreciate every round fired- so you practise your form and technique, even for an adult

Semi auto lends itself to the more bullets downrange the better, type of experince. I don't think you husband them as carefully. A Ruger 10/22 isn't so expensive you can't get one later. (if you can get one in Canada) but if you buy a decent bolt, it will always have a place, and may be more accurate. (depending how much money you spend) Marlin and Savage have wide ranges of 22's.

Typically, once you learn to shoot well, you want a semi auto. You can watch young people go through this- no longer satisfied with the bolts they were given a few years ago- they gotta have the Ruger 10/22
But later, usually much later, they return to where they started.
I happen to like my son's bolt action .22 better than he does, and I own a Ruger 10/22 and a Win pump.

There certainly would not be anything wrong with you starting with a semi auto if you wanted one, Dave. I think the bolt is a good idea, though.



munk
 
I'll join the chorus here in praise of the 10/22, but I strongly recommend a bolt action or single shot for learning the art. Savage makes an excellent bolt action .22 at a very good price.
 
I understand and appreciate everyone's concerns about safety and triggeritus.

All guns are always loaded. If you have little ones and they can get to them, they will get to them.

Being able to drop and store the mag seperate with one of the cursed cable locks installed will render the weapon as safe as possible.

Tiggeritus is a matter of training as much as anything else. On the firing line I feel that I've done better being able to teach with a semi once the basics have been laid down. Once posistion, and breathing are taught sight alignment and trigger control are easier to teach when the posistion of the weapon isn't changed with every shot. I know that many of us can work the bolt or a lever without breaking form, but that is something else that has to be taught, that is best taught at a later time. Trigger control was/is the single hardest thing for me to learn. I constantly work at it, and I'm an embarassment at Practical Shooting matches.

(just for the record, I have to either lift head, tilt the rifle, or drop the butt off shoulder to work most bolts or levers on rifles).

I'm sure that there is someone else here with much more experience, but that is mine.
 
45/70, you already know how to shoot. For the type of shooting you are doing- matches? it makes sense for you not to 'break form', but I was thinking about a new shooter, and the importance of the first shot when hunting.
I did not think about breaking form. I never noticed a problem.
Anyway, it's not as if there is a 'right' or 'wrong' answer.



munk
 
The .22 I shot most of the time when I was young was a Glenfield (Marlin) Model 60, a semi-auto. If I had the choice, I would've learned with a bolt-action instead.

I have a 10/22, and it's a great little rifle, but- especially if you're a new shooter- I think a manually-operated .22 is a better bet if you only have 1 .22.

(That Romanian trainer would be a great rifle, btw.)

Good luck with whatever you choose. :)

John
 
There is a reason why Spectre and I are saying the same thing here; start with a bolt- but then again, it may be his brain has been tragically wired in a similar fashion to my own, to his great obligation and handicap on this Earth.


munk
 
Dave Hahn said:
there's so much to learn! and damn these things are expensive!
Click to expand...

Yep, if ya think knives are an expensive hobby just wait till ya get the gun collectin' disease. :p
 
BTW, someone else has probably already mention this but....get yourself a good quality gun safe. Especially if you have little ones around.

Also, if bad guys drop by to rob you it makes their job a whole lot harder.



Semp
 
munk said:
There is a reason why Spectre and I are saying the same thing here; start with a bolt- .


munk
Click to expand...
I say start with a bolt action as well if you can afford to buy a .22 now and then another in the future.
I have always been limited in what I felt like I could spend on things I couldn't justify like firearms and knives.
If you can affod only one firearm then I would go with the Ruger is what I was saying, badly I guess.:rolleyes:
 
Semper Fi said:
BTW, someone else has probably already mention this but....get yourself a good quality gun safe. Especially if you have little ones around.

Also, if bad guys drop by to rob you it makes their job a whole lot harder.



Semp
Click to expand...
Yep! And Grizzly Industries sells one that isn't fancy but is ample.
It won't protect your guns in a fire like some will but it will keep your gun's safe from the bad guys and your little ones.
And they are really, really, reasonable too!!!!:D
 
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