Best all around rifle and caliber for a newbie

[stogiegila]

I don't have much knowledge in terms of rifles and calibers and was wondering what would be considered the best all around choice under the following parameters:

1. Ease of use
2. Availability and cost of ammo
3. Usefulness for SHTF zombie defense and general hunting

I already have a shotgun for HD but want something for more longrange use. I also don't have much of an understanding of rifle calibers.

Any advice would be helpful

Thanks

 

[HOOfan_1]

for 1 and 2 .22LR all day long
When you include 3, .223 Remington or 7.62x39

IMO if you want to hunt game as large as a deer though, 7.62x39 or .308 Winchester.

Some states don't allow .223 for deer hunting, others do and many experienced hunters kill deer with them every year.

 

[brnmuenchow]

for 1 and 2 .22LR all day long
When you include 3, .223 Remington or 7.62x39

I agree with this and:
If it were me I would tell you to get an "SKS" (7.62X39mm) and learn to use it and use it well.

 

[Sky]

for 1 and 2 .22LR all day long
When you include 3, .223 Remington or 7.62x39

I second that! If you get an AR you can get an upper in .22 or a conversion kit and you will be covered for just about anything.

If it were me I would tell you to get an "SKS" (7.62X39mm) and learn to use it and use it well.

Is not bad either but the .22 ammo is less than $20 for a box of 550 rounds

 

[gbeecher]

Military Surplus Rifles

My response is a bit biased. I own a Mosin-Nagant 1891/30 that fires the 7.62x54R cartridge. I've owned it for 2+ years and shot some 180 rounds thru it at a local gun shop/range. The more I shoot it, the more I love it! The 7.62x54R ammo is easily available online and some of the cheapest you'll find. I buy new-manufactured 203 grain soft point made by Bear Ammunition in Russia for $9.95 for a box of 20 rounds. The Mosin-Nagant is about the simplest bolt-action design in existence and is easy to clean and simple to operate. The 7.62x54R cartridge has plenty of power for medium and large game (CXP2 and CXP3 class).

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Get a .22 first. They're cheap, both rifles and ammo. You can shoot a lot -- and often in places where a high powered rifle couldn't be fired.

And they are great hunting rifles. In fact, you can get in more hunting with a .22 than with a .30-06. Small game seasons (squirrels, rabbits, and so on) are much longer than seasons for deer, elk, bear, etc. and the bag limit is much higher.

Next, depending on the laws where you live, get a deer rifle or shotgun. In shotgun-only areas, get something like the Remington 870. You can get interchangeable barrels, including a rifled barrel for sabots (which are ideal for deer.)

 

[Naybor]

What Hoofan_1 said ~ .22 LR first, High power second.

I went with a .223 as my first and only varmint rifle. Fit the bill wonderfully. Also a .223 is a government round which makes it cheaper and more readily available than other rounds.
(Note: .308 is also a government round)

IMHO, .22 & .223 and go from there.

 

[mberoose]

A .22lr rifle will teach you more about the fundamentals of shooting and marksmanship than any other rifle can. Get a Ruger 10/22, if not for anything else but its' ubiquity. After that it's entirely up to you, but I'd get an SKS myself, because it's a relatively inexpensive introduction to more intermediate sized rounds, and practicing with iron sights pays dividends in the long run.

 

[Manny]

Depends on what you're satisfied with hunting. An accurate .22lr rifle will be by far your cheapest choice and can really teach you how to shoot even out to ranges of 200 yards or more, but is going to be limited as to the size of game that can ethically be hunted with it and the range at which it has the power to ethically and cleanly harvest game or kill varmints or predators.

For an all around usefull rifle that has a lot of capability and enough power to cleanly kill at distance I think the .223/5.56x45 would be the best choice. If you get an AR you can learn how to be an exceptional marksman shooting in CMP matches that are probably held weekly in most areas. The cartridge (in specialized heavy bullet loadings) can even compete in 1000 yard F class matches and will teach you a whole lot about reading wind. Even in more standard weights it is highly capable to 600 yards or so, the range our military believes Designated Marksman rifles are effective to.

The .223/5.56 is available in a pleathera of rifles of virtually any type, semi-auto, bolt etc.. and in some gilt edged target quality rigs. The ammo is reasonably priced and the service life of a rifle barrel in this caliber is very long. The cartridge is also powerfull enough to harvest game as large as deer or pigs given good ammo and can take varmints and predators such as coyotes to a significant distance. Yeah the ammo cost is significantly more than rimfire, but the cartridge has tremendously more capability.

My go-to all around rifle is a Rock River national match flattop AR15. Used as is it is a fantastic rifle for CMP shoots. Top it with a decent scope and you have a highly effective precision rifle for a variety of needs.

As far as "zombie" effectiveness, it is and has been the standard rifle cartridge of the most effective military the world has ever seen for about 50 years. I think that's a pretty solid endorsement.

Anyway, thats my two cents.

 

[Mauser lover]

Get a .22. You will thank all of us who are suggesting that you get a .22 before a larger caliber later. AFTER you get a .22, and become proficient with it, I would suggest a 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem. semi auto of some sort. ARs seem to be pretty much the top choice, and they are very user friendly, both finding parts, and ease of use. Or you could get a military surplus rifle. If you get an AR, make sure it is chambered in 5.56x45mm (5.56 millimeter diameter projectile, 45 millimeter long case), that way you can use .223 Rem. as well as 5.56. If you get an AR in .223, you can not use 5.56, the military round.

Manny, what about Alexander's Greece? Or Genghis Khan and his modest section of the world? What about Britain a couple of hundred years ago? Weren't they pretty effective?

 

[stogiegila]

Thanks for the input.

Let me ask a dumb question under the SHTF scenario. Would a .22LR HP have any effectiveness what so ever to a person \ zombie when fired from a rifle?

I understand that with handguns I wouldn't consider the .22LR unless I had the gun up to your head, which is why I have 9mm and .45acp.

I like the idea of the cost of the .22LR and small game hunting, but would it be totally useless for zombies? If that is the case, I may look towards the .223

Thanks

 

[mberoose]

A .22lr will kill somebody dead no problem, with proper shot placement....just like every other caliber.

 

[Dreamliner787]

Not sure why everyone is suggesting 22LR. I think 9mm is ok for beginners as when I was in the Army we've had guys from big cities who never ever touched a gun before and they were able to handle the M9. Go with 9mm full size pistol. Once you're comfortable with the fullsize you can go to a 9mm subcompact or even move one grade up to 40SW. I like the 40SW but it just has more muzzle flip than the 9mm. Also I think don't skimp on the quality of your first gun; you'll avoid the frustrations of not having to deal with a POS while you're learning/training.

 

[mberoose]

Not sure why everyone is suggesting 22LR. I think 9mm is ok for beginners as when I was in the Army we've had guys from big cities who never ever touched a gun before and they were able to handle the M9. Go with 9mm full size pistol. Once you're comfortable with the fullsize you can go to a 9mm subcompact or even move one grade up to 40SW. I like the 40SW but it just has more muzzle flip than the 9mm. Also I think don't skimp on the quality of your first gun; you'll avoid the frustrations of not having to deal with a POS while you're learning/training.

That's all fine & dandy. He said he wants a rifle, and a good rifle to learn on, at that.

 

[snakeman]

I would go with a good bolt action 308 or lever action 30-30. The 308 will get you into the 300-400 yard shooting if your so inclined and the 30-30 is good for 200 yards hunting with the right ammo and quick follow up shots.

 

[HOOfan_1]

Not sure why everyone is suggesting 22LR. I think 9mm is ok for beginners as when I was in the Army we've had guys from big cities who never ever touched a gun before and they were able to handle the M9. Go with 9mm full size pistol. Once you're comfortable with the fullsize you can go to a 9mm subcompact or even move one grade up to 40SW. I like the 40SW but it just has more muzzle flip than the 9mm. Also I think don't skimp on the quality of your first gun; you'll avoid the frustrations of not having to deal with a POS while you're learning/training.

9mm isn't the greatest hunting cartridge either. Overkill for small game like squirrels and not enough for large game like deer, It is the absolute minimum legal in Virginia for deer hunting, possibly the same case in other states.

 

[valnar]

1) Ease of use (& cleaning, can't forget that) suggests a bolt or lever action. Getting something like an AR15 as your first rifle can be daunting, especially given all the available options.

2) A .223 would be fine, as the 7.62x39 or 30-30. While .308 is common too, it's not necessarily dirt cheap and might be too powerful for your first centerfire.

3) General hunting? SHTF? Well, that's the tough one. What is general? If you mean something that can take down a man or deer sized target of around 250 pounds, then the 7.62x39 or .30-30 fits the bill for shorter ranges. A Marlin 336 would be a good choice, or the SKS previously mentioned. A bolt action in .243 would work too. It's not my favorite "mid" caliber between .223 and .308, but it's common. I like 6.5x55 better.

Then there is the option to just get a carbine in a pistol caliber. Something in 9mm or .357Mag would work for close range on man sized targets as well.

 

[BCRider]

If you shoot just for the sport of shooting much of the time at all then a .22 is a nice gun to have and would be a good FIRST rifle. Note CAPS on that. It won't be the last you buy.

The thing is you can learn a lot about proper stance and trigger control and reading wind drift by shooting a lowly little .22 that will give you great grounding for shooting a long range center fire rifle.

From there consider the sort of distance and terrain in your area as well as any local hunting regs concerning calibers and seasons and pick out something that fits. Without knowing those particulars it's nearly impossible to make any sort of suitable recomendation to you.

If your area is mostly tight woods and the general game is smaller deer or similar then you certainly don't need some flat shooting 1000 yard Super Mag round. For tight areas where you'll almost never be able to take a shot longer than 100 yards you may find that a lowly iron sights lever rifle in .30-30 or .45-70 or something of this sort is fine.

If you want to plink mostly for fun then surplus ammo shot from surplus guns makes great sense. If you want to achieve consistently good accuracy then not so much. At that point you're better off even with something like a Savage Axis package. It's fairly cheap but still far more consistently accurate with factory ammo than most milsurp guns running milsurp ammo will ever be.

As for hunting are you looking at this as justification to get a rifle or three or are you serious about taking up that sport/pursuit? I ask because so many forget that there is more to hunting than the thrill of the stalk and the adrenaline of taking the shot. Once the game is down the HARD part is just starting.... not to mention that if you ask a bunch of HONEST hunters that they will comfirm that each pound of meat in the deep freeze cost easily upwards of $30 a lb when all the expenses are taken into account...

So sit down and honestly answer yourself about what it is you want to achieve or if you're simply looking for a fun way to kill some time.

While you're at it look around at the nearby clubs to see what they have for shooting competitions. If you shoot for fun then often it's nice to join such groups for the comradery and ability to see what others are using and how your own efforts stack up. Yeah, it'll be hard on the ego at first. But you'll also progress far quicker under the pressure. And generally the better shooters are very free with helpful information.

 

[razorback2003]

Get a good quality bolt action 22LR like a savage. Savages have good triggers and can be bought new for 200 bucks. Master open/peep sights. Eventually put a good scope on the rifle. Master sighting in a scope. Master trigger squeeze, breathing, sighting in, shooting the 22. A bolt action 22 is safe, easy to clean from the rear. Learn how to clean your gun properly. Try different 22 brands of ammo to see how your gun shoots.

After a period of time, you might want a good centerfire rifle. A 243 bolt action is a good rifle with low recoil that you can use for coyotes, black bear, deer. Again get one with a good trigger, like a Savage, and put on a quality scope. Shoot it just like your 22. A 243 will do everything you need short of very large game like big bears. If you are a good shot, with good ammo, you could try an elk or moose close up. It wouldn't bother me to try an elk or moose if a 243 was all I had and it was an accurate rifle.

 

[stogiegila]

This purchase is really for the ability to have a long range rifle (longer than a shotgun) to be able to hunt (only if need be) or take down a bad guy at distance if need be.

I'm covered with home defense but want to build a SHTF kit. I'm thinking the .22LR would be fine and need to look at models and scopes.

 

[dprice3844444]

ar15 w/22 conversion

 

[Texaszach]

Hunt if needed and take a "bad guy" at distance..
I'd think a bolt action would be nice. I'm a simple guy and I know I could accomplish those things with any of my bolts, and they're easy to care for/clean.

243 would get my vote. If hunting small animals just go for head shots and plenty for deer/bad guys with a well placed shot.

 

[Matthew Courtney]

Depending on what you intend to hunt and where, either a Savage bolt gun in .22lr or .223 rem.

 

[Reloadron]

Budget? I have not seen any mention of budget? You have made no mention of action? Do you want a semi automatic rifle, bolt action rifle, lever gun?

If you are on a tight low budget and want a semi automatic rifle in a military style then think maybe a SKS in the 7.62 X 39 cartridge. That being just a guess.

You really aren't offering up much information for those who can help you. Do you want a $200 rifle or a $2,000 rifle?

Ron

 

[JustinNC]

I'm normally pretty quiet on here, and should probably stay that way, but I'm finding it hard to bite my tongue on this one.


Forget #3.

22LR will cover 1 and 2 easily, forget number 3.

Reason 1- 1 man and his gun are not likely to fair well in shtf, unless he is alone and away from the remnants of society, and hunting small game.....22 is great and relatively quiet for that

Reason 2- Zombies? Surely you ask in jest. If serious, caliber wont matter, we all know one to the head is all ya need, 22lr is finnnnne.