Best rifle for beginer?

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Monkeybear

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A friend of mine wants a rifle. It will be his first centerfire. He likes AR 15s but I suggested he spend less on a "starter" rifle and spend the rest on ammo. He said "OK, what should I get?"

I couldn't think of any particular centerfire rifle off the top of my head that would be a good learner rifle for him. All I could come up with was to look at Savage or Remington bolt actions. He asked if there was anything in particular that he should look at.

The only bolt action I have is a CZ and those are a bit pricey for a beginner rifle so I come to you guys-

What is something that he can learn the basics of rifle shooting and care off of. $200-300 would be awesome with a ceiling of $400.

He is not too interested in a rimfire, I figure once he shoots centerfire for a while and pays for it he will change his mind. That said I would still want to have some good recommendations for him.

Everyone comes to me with their firearms questions and when I don't know I come to you guys.
 
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a Savage 11G in .223.

He will learn good trigger pull, he wont develop a flinch, and the dynamics of long range shooting will still apply. You miss some of that with a weapon like an SKS or AK-47. It will be cheaper to feed as well, and thats a great thing.

The 11G will be more versatile than a .22lr, and still be very cheap to shoot.
 
What does he want to do with it? Hit man-size targets at 100 yds? 200 yds? Benchrest shooting? Hunting? Optics?

Milsurp sounds like a good start, K31 maybe? If you don't have access to a range over 100yds, maybe an SKS or M44?
 
A bolt action would be a better rifle to start with. So remington 700 in .223 would be good choice, an SPS can be found just at $400 at most stores.
 
Savage, stevens, the new Marlin, howa, Mossberg, remmy, really any of the starter rifles will be a good deal, with exceptionally good accuracy for a starter rifle. Also, it does not hurt at all to go to a gunshop or show, and get any of the above used, including winchester or CZ, for less money than new. All will usually come with a basic scope, and all will be about 400 bucks or less.
Howa right now is making the best of the entry level package rifle deals, with very good materials, fit , finish, bolt construction, stock bedding , and accuracy.
Accuracy wise, a Savage, with an accutrigger is very tough to beat right now, even for more expensive rifles. CZ is more money for new, but they are not really considered entry level; but their wood, their single set trigger, and their accuracy is a step above as well.
 
He is not a hunter and he is not worried about Zombies or invading armies. He just wants a rifle without having a particular need for one.

Just wants to shoot.

Rangerruck- :p Exactly, just about all your starter bolt actions are pretty good. Hard to pick something out of all that.

I purchased an AR15 several AKs and a few other rifles myself. Went to the range from time to time and made some holes in paper at 50-100 yards. When I finally decided I wanted to actually learn to shoot well I went with a CZ 527 Carbine because I just loved the way they handled. Figured this would not be the best course of action for everyone else so thats why I asked you guys. Excellent answers by the way, Thanks.
 
Your friend really would be a lot better off getting a .22 rimfire rifle but if that's completely out of the question then a used Remington, Ruger or Savage bolt-action in .223 or .22/250 would be a great place to start and probably be under his $400 limit. A very nice target rifle that usually gets overlooked is the Savage Model 40 single-shot bolt-action rifle chambered for .22 Hornet. They can usually be bought new or nearly new for $400 tops and they are actually very, very useful. The .22 Hornet is really a gem because it is very accurate and has a very mild report and virtually no recoil.

:cool:
 
Something inexpensive and good, like a 8mm Mauser or Mosin-Nagant surplus. Ammo is cheap and powerful. He may even appreciate the history of these rifles.
 
My first rifle was a Marlin 336. I know not everyone is a lever fan, but I love mine; its straightforward, easy to carry, and as accurate as I am able. :D
 
Something inexpensive and good, like a 8mm Mauser or Mosin-Nagant surplus. Ammo is cheap and powerful. He may even appreciate the history of these rifles.
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I agree-it's difficult to justify getting started in guns if you start adding up the monetary costs of a modern bolt action rifle and then ammunition. You can have a Mosin-Nagant mil-surp bolt action and nearly 1000 rounds of ammo for less than the modern rifle alone. It's easier to get someone that might be "on the fence" to buy into that,and once they've gone shooting a few times,they're hooked.
They might also justify it better in their mind since it's a "piece of history".
JL
 
Marlin336.gif

Williams.gif

Good used Marlins can be found in nearly any Pawn Shop or Gun Shop acrosss USA. They're easily upgraded with scope or receiver sight.

30-30 ammo is quite affordable; recoil is moderate. Freshly designed ammo by Hornady featuring a safety tip pointed bullet makes this a genuine 200 yard hunting outfit.

TR
 
Beginners are beginners and they do well to start with bolt actions and low recoil. I'd say the Stevens 200 in .223 and pick up a good used 3-9 scope and that would be perfect for a beginner's centerfire rig.
 
The people in the UK came across this situation a while back. Novice shooters, zero shooting experience and bad shooting :banghead: results at the range. To compensate the Brits went with the .223 SA85 bullpup rifle and they mounted a 4X scope on top of it. The whole thing worked great for them and their rifle scores on the target ranges improved so much that they had to redesign :eek: their shooting courses. My suggestion would be for your friend to get a .223 caliber rifle like an AK-74 or a decent M-4 carbine, mount a 4X scope with an illuminated reticle on it and go shooting. Get the scope zeroed for his eyesight, along with the metal sights, and he should be good to go for anything he wants to do.
 
For a bolt-action, a Savage in .223 rem or for a lever-action, a Marlin in .357 magnum. Ammo has to be affordable so he can go shooting a lot and also low recoil so he won't get turned off or develop bad habits.
 
Rimfire- especially a bolt rimfire. I would talk to him long and hard about getting a rimfire first.

Reasoning:
1: its very cheap to shoot. For the price of 50 .223rounds, you can fire over 1000 .22 rounds. For the price of an AR-15, you can shoot over 20,000 rimfire rounds and become extremely proficient before buying a centerfire.
2. The same fundamentals are used for shooting a .22 as a centerfire. In fact right now, I'm shooting a .22 3-4 times a week to work out some of the problems I'm having with shooting centerfire competition- shooting 500 rds a week in my AR-15 wouldn't do anything more for me in practice and the cost would be prohibitive.
3. A bolt action helps you resist the urge to just 'make noise'- though that can be fun too once in awhile.
4. Its harder to develop bad habits that are difficult to correct with a .22- especially flinching.
5. Most indoor ranges allow rimfire rifles.
 
stay away from Milsurps or strange archaic calibers like the .22 hornet for a beginners rifle. While ammo may be available at gun stores or outdoor super stores, they are NOT common either at chain stores or small local stores.
 
Great suggestions-

Good used Marlin lever actions cost more than new ones over here in Houston Tx.

Ever try to change an early twenties male's mind?
 
Yugoslavian M59/66 or Mosin M38 or Mosin M44

All great rifles. All very reasonably priced. All have cheap, readily available ammo. All pretty damn accurate to 100 yards. :rolleyes:

You can get any one of the above guns for the price you mentioned along with a sling and 500 rounds of ammo to boot. :eek:

I have a couple of all three of them. The M44 is damn near a tack driver at 50 yards. They are not pretty, shiney guns but they are great, reliable and damn good guns for target shooting or hunting out to about 150 yards. The SKS (Yugo M59/66) has to be cleaned good now and then or she'll start jambing on you after about 200 rounds. The M38 and M44 will shoot forever. You can throw them in the mud and pick them up and keep right on shooting.

They're like a sore weiner. You just can't beat them. :)

Molon Labe,
Joe
:D
 
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