First centerfire rifle PLEASE HELP

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AnthonyC.

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I need some help, my birthday is in a few weeks and I have decided to treat myself to a centerfire rifle:) But I have no idea what caliber to get. I was looking around GanderMtn. and one resonable priced ammo is .223. So I think thats a consideration. I would like a bolt action rifle just for plinking and some casual target shooting. I just thought I would run this by some good people at THR for other peoples opinions.

Thanks,

AnthonyC.
 
.223 is reasonably-priced and has little recoil - nice first caliber to own, and if you're just going to plink, may as well make it cost-effective.

What I'm wondering, though, is what you're going to want once you're tired of mere plinking ;)
 
Andy, I have a .22 and would like a bit more blast or exitment when I pull the trigger if you know what i mean.:D
 
Define what you want the rifle to do, then define the caliber.

What ranges will you shoot? How often? Just paper? I think that the caliber will come out of that.
 
the furthest I can shoot at is outdoor 100yrds I wish I could shoot further but there arent many ranges around here so 100 yrds is my limit. How often? probibly twice a month for 2-3 hours every time I go but I like taking my time in between shots I dont rush when shooting guns. And yes I will only be using this for paper.
 
So 100 yards or less, high volume of shooting (even at say 1 min between shots you are talking about 120-180 shots in a range trip) and dedicated for punching paper.

Sounds like .223 Remington would serve you well.

I really want one of the savage rifles in .223 myself for the same purpose.
 
any place for cheap ammo? it doesent have to be very accurate im just talking like wolf ammo and those kind of brands. I remember a few years ago I was reasearching ammo prices and found the .223 to be only 12cents a round for wolf ammo about $2.40 a box from Cabelas but I dont know if I will be able to spend $8.99 for 20 rounds of remington from ganderMtn so that would add up to be $53 dollers for 120 rounds every time I go:what:a little to much. does Gander Mtn sell wolf?
 
The price of all ammo is on the rise

and I see no sign of it going back down. That said the 223 is one of the most economical cartridges out there. In the right rifle it can be incredibly accurate. Of course you can always reload later on down the road. As far as the rifle goes, you will get may opinions on this, but I believe that you cannot go wrong with a Savage. A heavy barreled Varmint/Target style rifle like the 12BVSS or the 12VLP can be had for right around $600 new. If that is still a little pricey, you can get the haevy barreled gun with the tupperware stock, model 12fvss for around $450. If you want to go real cheap then I would suggest checking your local Walmart for the one of the Savage lightweight guns in 223. If they have them they will be around the $340 dollar mark. The absolute cheapest way to go is to buy the the Stevens in 223 which is the same gun as the Savage except for the lack of the accu-trigger. These can be had for about $260. I currently have seven model 12s in either the BVSS or the VLP configuration. I have 2 in 223, 2 in 204 Ruger, 1 25-06, 1 220swift and one that was a 308 that is currently wearinga 223AI barrel alonwith 2 spares in 22-250and the 308 barrel. Yes, I love my Savages.:D
 
So I think I like the .223 what would you recomend for a bolt action besides the savge and also what would you recomend for a single shot? Just wondering

Thanks,

Anthony
 
Anthony

223 is a great choice for a first rifle. Low recoil, inexpensive ammo, and inherent accuracy make it a wise choice.

For good cheep ammo, look at UltraMax. I know that Dicks and other sporting good stores carry it. It is more expensive than Wolf, but it is much better (but still inexpensive) and is reloadable. If you don't reload, you can still sell the brass here or on ebay or something.

The Savage is also a good choice. You did not say how much you want to spend, so in that price range you might also want to look at the Weatherby Vangard series and the Tikka line. Both are nice.

Just be sure to post pics of what ever you get
 
How much more recoil does a .223 have than say a .22lr? Cuz all I have shot is a .22 I have shot some shotguns but I dont think that a .223 is going to be as much recoil as a 12 gauge or will it?
 
Recoil?

A 223 has very little recoil. Yes, more that a 22, but not much... No where near a 12ga. Truth is a 22 is usually lighter than a center fire rifle so the weight difference may cancel out the increase. My AR15 really has almost no felt recoil, just a little muzzle rise.
 
Anthony, .223 is a GREAT choice for first centerfire rifle. You've already found most of the reasons. Its economical. Its accurate. Low recoil.

The only reason to get something bigger is if you want to hunt big game with it.

Which rifle? I like Art Eatmans' advice. Try several and see which one fits you best. I have a Remington 700 and consider it a good value. OTOH, everyone I know who has a CZ just loves 'em. And Tikkas, too. And Savage is a great value. Any of those would be great.
 
Rifle & .223 Rem.

All the major rifle manufactures make good accurate rifles. If you are just going to shoot paper then a heavy barrel may be the ticket. .223 Rem. is a perfect cartridge as has been already said for what your wanting to do. I went out to the range yesterday and spent an hour and shot just twenty cartridges. Taking two boxes out with you should be plenty. Try and stay away from the real cheap scopes if that's the way your wanting to go. The Chinese ones are mostly junk. Well good luck.
 
Savage makes very affordable bolt action rifles.

CZ makes a bolt action carbine in .223 or 7.62x39 (another affordable round). It is the cz 527. Costs more than the savage though I think.

I would advise you not to buy the remington 710. Cheap rifle but not very good.
 
that is a good first pic, for anyone, but if you do not have a nice couple of .22's say a bolt action, and a semi auto, you should go with them first. Learn good shooting discipline, for very little money.
 
If you want economy ammo prices and 100 yrds in the max distance you will be shooting at, then I will agree with the others in recommending a .223 rifle. Probably a good starter would be a Savage, Tikka or CZ. Another great option for 100 yrds would be a nice Marlin repeater in .357 Mag so you can shoot .38 Specials in it.
 
The 223 is a great step up from a rimfire.The recoil is no worry but be sure to get good hearing protection as any centerfire is a whole different level compared to a rimfire .
Cheepest way to go is single shot (NEF or other) but I find them on the boreing side. A bolt gun like the Savage can be great and the accu-trigger (not found on older used guns) is wonderfull.
If you get into ARs you will be spending more but the gun can be morfed into many different forms .
Another way to go that might serve your uses to a tee is a pistol caliber carbine . I would suggest a lever gun in 357/38 . A lever is really happy with peep type iron sights .You save yourself the cost of a scope and 38sp loads are cheeper than even .223 . Heavy 357 loads really pack a punch in a carbine length barrel .
Another way to go is one of the mil surps. I favor the yugo sks which is 7.62X39 . A brand new (well actually built in the 50s or 60s but unissued and unused) one is selling for $160 or so and while they aren't tackdrivers they are a load of blasting fun
 
Anthony, (nice name)
Don't rush into buying anything. Do your research and decide what you really want to do with the rifle. If it's only for 100 yards and paper then almost anything will do.

My favorite paper punchers/plinkers are my Mosin Nagant 91/30 (cost=$96) shooting Surplus 7.62X54R ammo (cost=$3 per box of 20) or my Marlin 1892C (.357 Magnum) I got that rifle used for $300 with a scope and good leather sling. (ammo cost=$5 per box of 50 because I reload)

A rifle in .223, 7.62X39, 7.62X51 (.308) or even 7.62X63 (30-06) are all fun with Surplus ammo available. Old Military rifles in 30 Carbine, 7.62X51, 7.62X54R, 7mm Mauser (7X57mm), 8mm Mauser (8X57mm) are all easily found and fun to shoot.

Lever guns in 30-30 Winchester, 35 Remington, .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .454 Casull or even .45-70 are also a lot of fun.

Bottom line, all are different, all are fun so I suggest shooting a few before you decide to buy. (not that it will be your only purchase!! LOL)
 
Well Anthony, since you are only shooting out to 100 yards, you could go for something like a mini-14, I agree with ArchAngelCD in the belief that you should always do some research, so here it goes

mini-14 reviews (that I would trust, no offense to anyone else)

http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-NEWMini14.htm
http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger_RanchRifle.htm

or you could go with something like the SU-16:

http://www.gunblast.com/KelTec-SU16.htm

In my opinion, plinking at 100 yards doesn't require a rifle that can shoot a 2-3 MOA at 300. Don't forget that you will have to scope the rifle too if it a bolt action unless you hunt around for an older model with iron sights.
 
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Stop it...lol

Gosh dangit guys, you just got me goin on the .223 and now you have me reasearch other calibers. now I think i want to try out a mosin nagant. From what I hear they sound like alot of fun:evil: Is there military surplus that you can buy that is non-corrosive or if i do end up getting one, should i just stick to the wolf 7.62x54?

And what about recoil again? could my 15 year old son handle this rifle?

srry for all the questions But i am a noob at all of this:p

Thanks,

Anthony
 
I'll second (or third, whatever) the idea of the .223 for a bolt action plinker. Just about any of the major brand bolt actions are available in .223. If you're looking for the optimum in accuracy in a gun you are going to shoot from a bench, look at the heavy barrel Savages or Remington 700s. If you want a lightweight sporter or "walk-around" rifle/carbine, check out the Remington Model Seven as well as the CZ. My own walk-around .223 is a CZ 527 American, and I am very happy with it. It has an adjustable set trigger, that is the cat's meow for bench shooting. It can also be fired without setting the trigger in field situations.

The milsurps are another option, but I don't think you can go wrong with a .223 bolt from a major manufacturer (but do avoid the Remington 710 ...)
 
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