New rifle suggestions for return from sea present!

[ETCss Phil McCrackin]

Well I’m back from sea, (I’m stationed on a submarine and was deployed for a couple of months) and I am looking to buy a .22 rifle to practice for service rifle competition. Now, the choices are pretty slim based on the criteria, but I figured maybe some of you guys might have some suggestions.

1.I want as much similarity to the M14 service rifle as possible so:
a.I want it to have post front sights, and an aperture rear.
b.Sling attached to the stock, not barrel, so a tight sling with sitting and prone positions can be practiced.
2.I want it to be somewhat affordable. (Married E-6 with two kids, kinda on a budget)
3.I want it to shoot .22, so I can let my 10 yr old shoot it. (He’s pretty timid around guns, so I’m trying to ease him into it)
4.And finally, it should be accurate, because I’m toying with trying some small-bore matches in the area, between other matches.

What I’m looking at right now is one of the Mossberg 44(US) rifles available around the web. Not necessarily directly from the CMP, but trying to find one in better shape from somewhere else. I’ve spotted them, in what looks to be pretty good shape, for between $250 and $350. Does anyone else have any suggestions?

[Navy87Guy]

Have you thought about going with an M-16 service rifle instead of the M14? Even subs are going to get them eventually and they are part of the USNMT line up. Of course, they are a little pricier than M14-style rifles. We just got the first 5 onboard, so we have a mix of M14s and M16s.

[Jim Watson]

I'd pay a little more and look for a Remington 513T. But I am prejudiced, I have been shooting one off and on for about 45 years. The Mossbergs I have seen were accurate but only if you could manage a truly awful trigger.

Get your kid a BB gun and then a .22 scaled to his build. Wrasslin around a man sized rifle will just discourage him. I know a local guy who bought his 10 year old a magnum pellet rifle, weighing 8.5 lbs and with a 39 lb cocking effort. I doubt he will get many pops out of that tomorrow.

[ETCss Phil McCrackin]

Well, I have considered switching to an AR, (I can get a great deal on a Rock River DCM AR-15 as a part of a Navy team), but since I have big meat-pads for hands, the short reach from pistol grip to trigger does not feel right to me. Basically, I just don’t like the feel of ARs in general. As an aside, we don’t have any M-14s on board the boat, the match M-14 I use is stored at the base armory.

Bias aside, are the triggers of the Mossberg’s really so crappy? Unfortunately I have not shot one, so I wouldn’t know.

[30Cal]

You might look into a nice air rifle (which will allow you to shoot at home)! I doubt you'll find a similar stock to the M1/M1A, but you may come close. There are a lot of good bolt guns out there that will fill the bill though, and cheap if you look around. I shoot the M1A in Highpower, so I know what you're looking for.

On a side note, I've found that the Speer 125gr TNT bullet shoots excellently out of my Supermatch (I've got a 1:12 Kreiger, so a 1:10 might not spin them as well). I get 1MoA'ish consistantly prone with a sling and they run about half the price of the Sierra MatchKings--an fine bullet for 200yds and less. The recoil on the 125 is about half what it is with a 168, so it's infinitely more forgiving in the sitting stage.

Thanks for your service! You'll never find a finer group of men than on a sub, so enjoy it while you're still in.

Merry Christmas!

Ty (I did stints as CRA, DCA/QAO, Torpedo/Firecontrol/Sonar Div-O and Commo)

[50caliber123]

Why not a RUger 10/22? You can file the brass bead off the front sight, thereby making it a post-style or order a military-style front post replacement sight. You can also order a rea aperture sight that mounts on the scope rail, all-in-all, you could have a very nice, American made rifle, with said customizations for less than $300 if you shop around, less if you go used. And I didn't even mention the after-market accessories...:rolleyes: