My first gun

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cdahl383 said:
We shot around 300 rounds through it today, so it’s likely broken in a bit already now. I’ll look into cleaning it next. I have a cleaning kit, but I need to get some oil. It just has the bird snake, patches, etc.
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LOTS of youtube stuff on how to take it apart, get the trigger group, etc out and clean..not hard. I have a 1022(take down) and it's the one gun I almost always pack when we go shooting. Cheap, fun, accurate, did I mention great fun??

Good choice.
 
Welcome to THR, and welcome to the joys and responsibilities of gun ownership. By all means get some training. See if there is an Appleseed shoot in your area and sign up.

Excellent choice of initial firearms. You'll enjoy the 10/22 and PCC for a lot of years.

Again, welcome.
 
’m getting a Ruger PC carbine 9mm rifle soon, just waiting for it to come in.
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I like my Ruger PC9.
Not that much recoil but I am getting old and skinny and don't have much padding anymore......
I bought a nice slip on recoil pad (forget which one will see if I can find what I ordered) Pad wasn't that much bout $25 as I recall.
Since the stock can be adjusted for length I just added the pad and took out a spacer.
The pad makes it much more pleasant to shoot 200 rounds or more at the range....

Think you will like Ruger 9mm carbine.

PS: Like my 10/22 as well.
 
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NorthBorder said:
Warning! This could turn into an addiction and there is no 12 step plan. But if I may advise, if this is your 1st and 2nd exposure to firearms please consider a firearms safety course. It may possibly save you a lot of misery in the future.
And, congratulations on a really great 22.
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You're wrong there, we have a 6 step plan.
Buy a gun and ammunition.
Go to the range.
Come home and carefully clean your gun and admire it the whole time.
Hang your target on the refrigerator or some other prominent place.
Subscribe to a few gun magazines.
Watch some youtube videos from recognized experts and plan your next gun purchase.
Repeat as necessary.
 
cdahl383 said:
Went shooting with my wife at my buddy’s house a few weeks ago and loved it. He’s got his own range in the back of his property. First time ever firing a gun in my life. Shot his .22 rifle, AR15, 12 gauge, 20 gauge, and a couple 9mm handguns. Really liked the .22 rifle and so did my wife.

So we bought our first gun, a Ruger 10/22. I got a few extra 10 round magazines and a couple 25 round magazines, and lots of Remington and CCI ammo. Got a nice locking cabinet for our room so the kids can’t get to it.

Went back to my buddy’s house today and got to shoot it. What a great gun! I think we put over 300 rounds through it today haha! Not as good with open sights as I was with my buddy’s rifle with a scope, but still had fun regardless. Unloading the 25 round magazines was really cool!

Really learned how to handle the gun today. Loading ammo, loading and unloading the magazine in the gun, using the safety, bolt lock, etc. Had a couple malfunctions with the cheaper ammo but clearing that was very easy. My wife enjoyed shooting it as well and also learned how to load the ammo and everything else.

Going to order more CCI ammo for next time we go shooting! I need to look into a gun cleaning kit too. I have a few things but need some oil and stuff.

Anyway, it was a great day. We got to his house around 1pm and left at 5:30 or so. Had a lot of fun! Think I found myself a new hobby!

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Congrats shooting is Fun! I would get more ammo, in these crazy times the future is uncertain for availability and price increases. You want to be able to go out and have more fun when you want. Also, if you can get a few different brands o ammo and test the rifle rested for accuracy. Guns can like one ammo over the other . After that, get off the bench and keep practicing, standing, kneeling and sitting positions.
 
lionking said:
Congrats shooting is Fun! I would get more ammo, in these crazy times the future is uncertain for availability and price increases. You want to be able to go out and have more fun when you want. Also, if you can get a few different brands o ammo and test the rifle rested for accuracy. Guns can like one ammo over the other . After that, get off the bench and keep practicing, standing, kneeling and sitting positions.
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It sure is fun!

I just got 1000 rounds of CCI and have another 500 rounds of CCI green tag coming next week. Think I have close to 2000 rounds at home right now. Figured that will last a while.

I ran CCI, Eley, and Remington thunderbolts. The CCI seemed the best. Not as dirty and all sounded and fired great. Some of the Remington sounded a bit flat. Had a couple fail to eject too.

I’ve only shot standing up at my buddy’s house. We set up some empty containers to shoot at and it’s always a great feeling when you hit it dead on haha!

I can see this is a very addictive hobby haha!
 
cdahl383 said:
It sure is fun!

I just got 1000 rounds of CCI and have another 500 rounds of CCI green tag coming next week. Think I have close to 2000 rounds at home right now. Figured that will last a while.

I ran CCI, Eley, and Remington thunderbolts. The CCI seemed the best. Not as dirty and all sounded and fired great. Some of the Remington sounded a bit flat. Had a couple fail to eject too.

I’ve only shot standing up at my buddy’s house. We set up some empty containers to shoot at and it’s always a great feeling when you hit it dead on haha!

I can see this is a very addictive hobby haha!
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There are a lot of dynamics that goes into shooting that some don't realize. Besides the proper techniques that goes into shooting or optimum accuracy, like trigger control, exhaling before firing (breathing control), and very important front sight focus ( line up your gun sights, but at the end focus your eyes on the front sight, rear sight and target will be blurry, focus eyes on front sight. For iron sights I like to use a 6 o clock hold on the target with the front sight, it gives you the most constant aiming point but that's up to you to decide your best method.

But another important dynamic to optimum accuracy is ammo brand and grain, knowing what brand and grain shoots best in your gun gives you knowledge of just how accurate you and your gun can be. Without even adjusting sights different ammo alone can change impact area and missing your target could be the ammo and not you because.

Here is a sample of a test I did with my Marlin .22 at 50 yards before adjusting the sights to give me a idea where my gun hits with specific ammo . With my 30-30 different ammo changed the impact area very much just because of ammo brand alone.

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lionking said:
There are a lot of dynamics that goes into shooting that some don't realize. Besides the proper techniques that goes into shooting or optimum accuracy, like trigger control, exhaling before firing (breathing control), and very important front sight focus ( line up your gun sights, but at the end focus your eyes on the front sight, rear sight and target will be blurry, focus eyes on front sight. For iron sights I like to use a 6 o clock hold on the target with the front sight, it gives you the most constant aiming point but that's up to you to decide your best method.

But another important dynamic to optimum accuracy is ammo brand and grain, knowing what brand and grain shoots best in your gun gives you knowledge of just how accurate you and your gun can be. Without even adjusting sights different ammo alone can change impact area and missing your target could be the ammo and not you because.

Here is a sample of a test I did with my Marlin .22 at 50 yards before adjusting the sights to give me a idea where my gun hits with specific ammo . With my 30-30 different ammo changed the impact area very much just because of ammo brand alone.

View attachment 925759

View attachment 925760
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Interesting stuff! There’s a lot more to it than I ever thought. Looks like there is a lot to learn, but it’ll all be fun too!
 
cdahl383 said:
Interesting stuff!
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It is indeed.
My old LGS used to love it when I got a new shooter, especially a .22lr
I would get about one box of every brand they offered--nice sale for them; more fun for me.
I would do like lionking above, but 5 or 10 rounds into a target, label them and compare.

Which gives you a good excuse to stay out at the range [:)]

And to go back again--to "verify results." [:)]
 
cdahl383 said:
I’ll check into the hunter safety classes, sounds like a good idea.

I’m getting a Ruger PC carbine 9mm rifle soon, just waiting for it to come in. Then we’ll have two rifles to shoot for my wife and I.

I shot my buddy’s AR15 and I like it, but I prefer the other rifles more.

My gun seems to like CCI ammo. The few malfunctions I had were with the cheaper box ammo. But those shot pretty well also for being cheaper ammo. I picked up some more CCI ammo, it should be here next weekend.

I picked up a Ruger 10/22 carrying case. It’s pretty nice, fits the gun well, room for a scope, etc. I have a separate bag for ammo, hearing protection, magazines, etc.

I’ll look into the sock. I need to get a good scope now, as it’s a lot easier hitting targets with my buddy’s rifle with a scope than mine with the stock open sights.
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You will love the pc9. It's low recoil and fun. I'm waiting for an excuse to buy one.
Congrats on your first purchase. Now it's your turn to introduce people to shooting sports.:)
 
A big welcome aboard to the both of you and welcome to the firearms fold. Lots of good advice above. I will always recommend buying more ammo now. First is to insulate you from dry spells that do happen and second as a hedge against inflation. Ammo prices always seem to go up over time so buying now makes future shooting less expensive. Also if you have ammo in reserve you can wait for sales to maximize savings for your money spent.

The other thing is, an AR type rifle is off putting to some people. If you like the 223 round, Ruger also makes a Mini 14 in that caliber that looks and works similar to your 10-22. Still has detachable box MAG and wood or synthetic stock but in the more powerful 223 round.
 
FROGO207 said:
A big welcome aboard to the both of you and welcome to the firearms fold. Lots of good advice above. I will always recommend buying more ammo now. First is to insulate you from dry spells that do happen and second as a hedge against inflation. Ammo prices always seem to go up over time so buying now makes future shooting less expensive. Also if you have ammo in reserve you can wait for sales to maximize savings for your money spent.

The other thing is, an AR type rifle is off putting to some people. If you like the 223 round, Ruger also makes a Mini 14 in that caliber that looks and works similar to your 10-22. Still has detachable box MAG and wood or synthetic stock but in the more powerful 223 round.
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Thanks! Good advice! I’ll check out that Ruger gun that shoots the 223 round!

Not too hard to find .22 ammo but 9mm is pretty scarce, at least the better quality stuff. I’ll just scoop some up when I can.

Even the local gun range said it’s no longer renting guns due to ammo shortage.

But it’s easy to see why gun and ammo sales are skyrocketing. So much craziness in the world.
 
cdahl - please note one thing - a .223 and 5.56 NATO use the same diameter bullet. However, the rounds are NOT interchangeable. You can shoot .223 in a gun chambered for the 5.56 but NOT the other way around. IIRC, either the shoulder of the brass is slightly different OR the "headspace" (the depth of the rifle's throat in the chamber) is slightly different. The 5.56 is also slightly more powerful than the .223. At least, that is what I have gathered over the last few years.
I don't have or use either caliber as I have an AK in 7.62 x 39 (a "30 caliber" round).
 
cdahl383 said:
Interesting stuff! There’s a lot more to it than I ever thought. Looks like there is a lot to learn, but it’ll all be fun too!
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You bought your guns for possible self defense needs and it turned out being a ton of fun. That’s great but I would be sure to spend time mentally preparing for your original purpose. The number one rule (IMO) is, if you must shoot to defend yourself, shoot only to stop the threat. There’s always a newbie friend or family member who tells people to “shoot to kill.” When the threat stops or retreats, stop shooting. This subject can go on forever but there are some beginner basics that should be researched and remembered in case all this craziness breaks down your front door.

ps: reinforce your doors. Long deck screws or construction screws through the hinges and lock plates into studs. Makes breaking your door down way harder so you have more time to take defensive action.
 
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Congratulations!

Now its leisurely practice, practice, practice. While having fun.

Chalk makes for fun targets.
As do the bags of almost expired fruit from the grocery store.
Eggs as well.
Biodegradable and "green" targets.
 
cdahl383 said:
....Went shooting with my wife at my buddy’s house a few weeks ago and loved it. He’s got his own range in the back of his property. First time ever firing a gun in my life. Shot his .22 rifle, AR15, 12 gauge, 20 gauge, and a couple 9mm handguns. Really liked the .22 rifle and so did my wife.

So we bought our first gun, a Ruger 10/22. I got a few extra 10 round magazines and a couple 25 round magazines, and lots of Remington and CCI ammo. Got a nice locking cabinet for our room so the kids can’t get to it.....
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Welcome to THR and to shooting! It sounds like you're off to an excellent start. As I'm sure you noticed, there are a few other 10/22 owners around here. I've had mine for going on 40 years and still love shooting it. May yours serve you as well as mine has me.
 
Hartkopf said:
You bought your guns for possible self defense needs and it turned out being a ton of fun. That’s great but I would be sure to spend time mentally preparing for your original purpose. The number one rule (IMO) is, if you must shoot to defend yourself, shoot only to stop the threat. There’s always a newbie friend or family member who tells people to “shoot to kill.” When the threat stops or retreats, stop shooting. This subject can go on forever but there are some beginner basics that should be researched and remembered in case all this craziness breaks down your front door.

ps: reinforce your doors. Long deck screws or construction screws through the hinges and lock plates into studs. Makes breaking your door down way harder so you have more time to take defensive action.
Click to expand...

Good advice, thanks!
 
Spats McGee said:
Welcome to THR and to shooting! It sounds like you're off to an excellent start. As I'm sure you noticed, there are a few other 10/22 owners around here. I've had mine for going on 40 years and still love shooting it. May yours serve you as well as mine has me.
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Spats McGee said:
Welcome to THR and to shooting! It sounds like you're off to an excellent start. As I'm sure you noticed, there are a few other 10/22 owners around here. I've had mine for going on 40 years and still love shooting it. May yours serve you as well as mine has me.
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That’s awesome! Definitely fun shooting the 10/22. My wife loves it too. I’ve got a nice stockpile of ammo now too, should be in good shape for a while now.
 
cdahl383 said:
That’s awesome! Definitely fun shooting the 10/22. My wife loves it too. I’ve got a nice stockpile of ammo now too, should be in good shape for a while now.
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Let me just go ahead and tell you now: you'll need more ammo. Don't wait for needing more, buy it when you find good deals. I'd call ammo prices "sensitive to social and political events."
 
There are a lot more effective guns for defending yourself and loved ones, but not many are a better choice for a first rifle and just plain fun. And the best part is your wife enjoyed it too. Now you've got another thing to do together. Welcome to the world of shooting sports. CAUTION: MAY BE HABIT FORMING!
 
Separate post because it's important, I think: Whoever said to go to an Appleseed event is absolutely right. I took my son to one and his shooting improved noticeably in one day.
 
May that Ruger 10/22 serve you guys well and provide years of enjoyable shooting. There is just something about that first gun and often it becomes the first of many.

My first gun.
Rimfires1.png

The rifle on the top is my old Remington 510P given to me in 1958 by a friend of my uncle. Hard to believe over 60 years ago. I guess I really liked it. :) Anyway enjoy your new first gun and of course welcome to the shooting sports.

Ron
 
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