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PantsOn

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Hi, fellas. I'm brand new here but I was referred to this website by some posters on a different forum I frequent. I hear this is THE website to seek advice from experts so here I am with probably the dumbest question ever, lol. I'm sure you have all seen a thousand threads like this and it might be annoying but please bear with me if you don't mind.

I don't have any guns at the moment but would like to get one very soon (as soon as I make my mind up on what I want). My question to those willing to listen and dispense advice is very simple, what do you recommend as the best rifle for a budget of $1500? The purpose of the rifle is to provide me with fun at the range while also being good enough for a SHTF situation (like economic and societal collapse where people would have to fend for themselves).

The limited research I had done has pointed me to either a Colt 6920 or a Sig 556, but I'm open to other options (except AKs - I will be buying one later on anyway).


What is the best place to look for a new gun to buy online in your opinion? I will also be spending some money on optics and other accessories so any good resources would be helpful. Every link I find online seems like goes back to old posts on random forums from 2008/2009.

Thank you in advance.
 
this question comes up often. most often the consensus is to start with a .22 (marlin 60/ruger 10/22) and learn to shoot with that while you save for an AR. If you don't like AR's there's always the mini 14 and a plethora of bolt actions. but since you have looked at AR's, spikes tactical and cnng come to mind. with 1500 to spend, you have a lot of options.
 
Buds Gun Shop Good prices and fast shipping

Davidsons, you can easily pick a local FFL to ship to and know what your going to pay!

Oh and to answer your other question: The Colt!
 
welcome to THR! not too many experts around here, but we're very new-shooter friendly

if you don't currently own any guns, and have no training, I'd strongly, strongly recommend putting both training and a considerable amount of ammo in your budget.

figure at least a couple hundred for a case of ammo (minimum), and a couple hundred for a 1 or 2 day class. (if you're anywhere near NC, look up john boyette's trace armory. i think he's got a 2 day class coming up on a fantastic range)

don't forget to check the for sale forums here and at m4carbine.net and ar15.com for deals
 
there really is not "best rifle".........


my advice would be to find something that catches your eye, buy it, and shoot it......
 
welcome pants,
For SHTF and fun at the range nothing is better IMO than a good 22lr. I like the Ruger 10/22 but there are others you may like better.
Now for what you are really asking about. Add a nice AR of your choice. BCM's look to be well done. Both rifles together are in your budget and will serve you well. You can build an AR about $100 cheaper if you like and do just as well in the end if that's something you feel confident in.
Sooo, i recomend 2 rifles. you will enjoy both. That should leave some money left over for a descent optic for one of the rifles and maybe a bit of ammo.
 
PantsOn: Do you plan on using your new rifle to hunt with? Do you plan on engaging in any competitive shooting sports? There are so many aspects to shooting a rifle that it would be helpful to narrow your needs/wants down so that intelligent recommendations can be given. courtgreene and taliv have offered some thoughtful starting point suggestions.
And another welcome to The High Road!
 
Wow, I appreciate all the quick responses, guys. Just to clarify, when I say brand new, I mean I would be a brand new owner. I would also be new to taking a gun apart to even clean it, but I'm pretty confident in my ability to follow directions and learn. My best friend has an AK-47 and we've shot plenty of 7.62 on his property. I live in eastern Kansas (Kansas City metro) and I would definitively be up for some courses if anyone knows a good place to recommend.

I'm not sure I want to go the .22 route, I'm not proficient with a gun or anything, but like previously mentioned before - I have shot some. I will also definitely invest in a lot of ammo, because practice really does make perfect. :)

As far as hunting and sporting competitions go, I'm not planning to do either. It would strictly be for self defense in case of a SHTF scenario and as much practice with it as possible (at the range and on my friend's property) in the meantime.

So as far as Sig 556 vs an AR, the overwhelming response seems to be the AR, correct?
 
You say the limited research you've done has led you to a Colt 6920 or a Sig 556 but you're open to other options, except 7.62x39. There are a lot of good calibers out there and I am not sure I would limit myself to 5.56x45 if I were you. How much research have you done on ballistics of different calibers? Look around some. Maybe 5.56x45 is exactly what you need, but maybe it's really not a good choice for you at all. Take some time and study on it before you drop that kind of money on a firearm. That way you won't find yourself selling a gun you really don't want at a loss to get the gun you should have bought in the first place.
 
For the low-probability SHTF deal, any magazine-fed semi-auto will do as good as any other. AR, Mini 14 or 30, AK, several others. They're all accurate enough to hit a Bad Guy in the middle parts, and that's good enough. They're all reliable. Whatever floats your boat.

For truly climbing up the learning curve to become a skilled marksman, I don't think anything beats a bolt-action .22 rifle. The bolt-action creates self-discipline, avoiding the bangity-bangity-bangity temptation of spray and pray that's common with semi-autos. You start with basic iron sights first, and then go to a scope. You learn consistency in sight picture, and you learn to coordinate that with trigger pull.

As you advance, you can learn to shoot between heartbeats. With effort you learn to deal with the human average lag time between your brain saying, "Shoot," and your trigger finger actually moving. It's 0.2 seconds. Since sights always wobble a tiny bit, you learn to send the "shoot" signal 0.2 seconds before you get the perfect sight picture.

It doesn't take a lot of talent to play, "Point it and pull, Hell ain't half-full." Most any doofus can do that...
 
On a budget of 1500, you can buy a lot of different guns with that.

A few questions, just so I can give you the best advice I can:

1. You've shot, you say. Are you okay with a gun with a fair amount of kick? Most common .30 caliber (7.62mm) ammunition has a fair amount of kick.

2. If the answer to above is yes, I would say a good gun to get proficient with marksmanship is a Scoped Mosin-Nagant 91/30. If you go to a gun show, expect to pay around $250/300 for one with a newer repro PU scope. If you go this route make sure to buy from someone reputable.

3. I'm assuming ammunition is factored into your 1.5k budget, then both 7.62x39 and 7.62x54R have plentiful milsurp supply. However I would say get some Wolf brand first, because milsurp is corrosive and if you don't know how to clean a gun yet, it can make a $400 gun worth $50. Wolf ammo isn't too much more expensive than milsurp.

Since you wanna get an AK later, it may benefit if you get a gun of matching caliber to simplify ammo purchasing. The SKS is a gun that uses the same AK ammo and for $300 you can get one in great condition.

If you are thinking more along the lines of a .22lr or .223 gun, then a ruger 10/22 or mini 14 is also a good choice.
 
Dreamcast270mhz said:
I would say a good gun to get proficient with marksmanship is a Scoped Mosin-Nagant 91/30.
Click to expand...

Other than they are relatively cheap, I can't imagine why anyone would recommend this unless they had watched "Enemy at the Gates" a few too many times. Can you please elaborate on your experience with this rifle in light of other rifles you have extensive experience shooting and why you would pick this over any number of affordable modern offerings? It also seems foolish to recommend someone with little experience purchase an item that varies so much in quality and condition at a gun show where one could easily purchase one with trash bore and/or crown. That combined with surplus ammo (or even Wolf) seems like it would frustrate someone learning to become proficient to no end.


PantsOn said:
The limited research I had done has pointed me to either a Colt 6920 or a Sig 556
Click to expand...
While those would both likely serve you well, based on your question, you might be "overbuying". There are several lower cost ARs that will likely meet your needs as well as those above. My advice would be to try a few more rifles and get a feeling for what you like and don't like and what you plan to do with it. If you just want something to casually shoot at a range 4-6 times a year and then toss in the closet in the event something bad happens, you might as well spent a few hundred dollars less on the rifle. Likewise, if that is your plan, a training course probably won't make much difference to you either.

I suppose it depends if you want to become a shooter or just a guy who goes out to the range a couple of times year and likes the idea of having a gun in the closet.
 
Welcome!
Personally, I'm a big fan of the Mini 14 & Mini Thirty. They should fit your needs nicely.
My next choice would be an M1A, although it might stretch your budget.
Whatever you decide, good luck and enjoy!
 
I want to repeat what Taliv said - if this is your first firearm, budget plenty of money for professional training and practice ammunition. A 2-day basic carbine class with a good instructor will cost $300-400, and decent 5.56mm ammunition will run $275-300/k. Expensive, but it's money well spent.

Is $1500 your total budget, or budget just for the gun, training and ammunition to be considered separately? This will affect my advice.

-C
 
PantsOn,

Please re-read the posts from Art Eatman (#11) and sappyg (# 6 & #9). They (at least) collectively have the experience and wisdom you are seeking.

Learn to shoot with something that is "slow" (I should say "deliberate"), cheap to buy and shoot, and has a newness that you can enjoy while you try out the sport.

Generally that means a .22LR, bolt action, and about 6 bricks of decent ammo.

Welcome to the High Road.
 
My brother in law is going through basically the same thing right now so this is what I told him. Start out with a 22, If you are going to get an autoloader centire fire then do the same with the 22 and same goes for a bolt action. Practice, practice, practice, then move to step two. Get the centerfire you want and practice, practice, practice. Step 3, keep practicing! Make sure if you get a scope to get a good one. Have fun with it. Check out stag arms and dpms. I would also look into howa if you are getting an ak later a bolt action sniper rig would be a good compliment. Hope your new foray into the shooting sports goes well for you, Lord knows it goes too well for the rest of us!
 
Something to consider here. Over the long term the cost of ammunition is going to greatly exceed the cost of any weapon you buy. You might be rolling in cash but most people have to watch their ammo budget, which in turn can limit their range time.

Given your budget I'd strongly recommend getting a nice inexpensive .22LR in addition to any centerfire rifle you want to buy. A brand new Marlin 60 is only around $160-$170 these days which still leaves you with $1300 for your "main" rifle". But the .22 is going to let you shoot vastly greater quantities of ammo over your centerfire, without recoil, which is going to improve your shooting.

Another option would be to get some kind of .22 adapter if you go with the AR platform.

If you are set on getting an AR style rifle there are a metric TON of threads on here covering options, dealers, suppliers, configurations, and every other aspect of acquiring your first AR. I'd spend a few days reading some of them and then come back if you have any specific questions.
 
I'd get the Colt 6920 and a drop in CMMG or Spikes 22lr Conv kit. Then you won't spend a fortune getting familiar with the same rifle you plan to use for fun and SD.

I have the same setup with my Ar-15 = a lot of trigger time on same platform = proficient.
 
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+1 for the conversion kit. Try getting a nice 20" barreled ar in 5.56 or 223 and using a conversion kit. This will allow you to practice with your rifle for less than a third of the cost. Just be sure to make sure that your scope will work for both if you have one. If you sight in your 223 at 100 yards, your 22 conversion should be close at 50 yards with the same scope so keep that in mind.
 
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