Looking to buy my first serious gun.

Status
Not open for further replies.
P

Praetorius

Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2007
Messages
18
Okay, so I have a Mosin-Nagant right now and I'm looking to buy a new gun that's like... less crappy. I want a gun that fires really cheap ammo. It seems like .223 is the cheapest of the larger-caliber rounds, so that seems like a good caliber... I'd also like a bolt-action rifle because semi-automatic rifles just aren't much fun. At least a bolt-action rifle has something to do in between shots so that I won't be spending 1/5 of my time firing and the rest reloading. And I'd also like for the gun to have iron sights. I've looked around on a bunch of different sites including manufacturers, and I haven't seen the combination of .223, bolt action, and iron sights! I saw maybe like one gun that matched those criteria. I saw a few single-shot guns, but they looked like really old-timey hunting rifles, and I'm just looking to shoot targets, not animals. Anybody got any recommendations?

So seeing as this type of gun seems quite rare, I'm also looking at semi-automatic .223 rifles. They all pretty much have iron sights, so that's good. One particular model looked interesting: http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/su16a.html . It looks extremely cheap and very robust. It sort of has a Browning Automatic Rifle look to it, too. It's just that I've never heard of this brand, so I don't know where I'd get one of these or if they're any good! Anybody know anything about this particular rifle? It even has those Picittiny rails and some of the other models work with the M-16 magazine. It sounds too good to be true. I mean, what makes it so much cheaper than like... a standard M-16?

This is also on the Kel-Tec site: http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/plr16.html A .223 PISTOL?! Sounds bizarre. Like something out of the Matrix. Where would I get a gun from them anyways? This company doesn't seem like it is well-known, and it doesn't seem to have a list of distributors.

There's also this... http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=5801 but it's like wicked expensive... It looks sort of like an M-14 I guess, but I don't see what makes it better than the Kel-Tec one so that it's so much more expensive!

So I dunno. I just want a gun to shoot stuff with that uses cheap ammo and is not weak like a .22. Bolt action would be great and it should have iron sights! So yeah, I'd really appreciate it if anyone knows of any guns like that! Otherwise, could anyone recommend a cheap semi-auto .223 rifle? Or maybe shed some light on what makes some semi-auto .223 rifles so much cheaper than others despite similar characteristics?
 
A decent AR-15 will run about the same price as a Ruger mini14. With an AR15 you are paying for a great design. The rifles are fun to shoot, relatively cheap to feed, and very accurate. Also generally come with open sights. Just a thought - I have one and love it!
 
Look into a 17HMR from Savage or Marlin. It's a deadly accurate round that's very cheap to shoot and has no recoil.
 
Don't over look the Saiga in .223, probably the best value on the market today...

High quality Kalashnikov made by Izhmash, the manufacturer of AKs for the Russian army...

Shoots 2-3 inches depending on ammo...

Reliable with any .223 even the cheapest Wolf steel case ammo...

Surefire makes steel mags (somewhat expensive) but I understand they are coming out with new polymer mags in 5, 15, 20, and 30 round capacity...
 
Last edited:
How about something like http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=85086394.

My first thought was a Remington 788, but I don't think they made them in .223. If you're flexible, caliberwise to .243 or .222, that might work.

I think there's another Savage that's got iron sights and a wood stock, 11G, maybe? Check savagearms.com

As a completely different option, howzabout a 30-30? It's not that much more than .223 anymore, and levers are just another option.

Depending on your budget, maybe a pump? http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=84833279 They're super cool, but NOT cheap. You could get an AR-15 for the price of 7615, unless you find a deal.

Hit GB and search around. Search on .223 and see what's generally available. I think part of the problem is that the (vast) majority of .223's are either AR's or varmint guns, which rarely have irons. .223 isn't used to hunt many things that are large enough for irons at a distance, but it's great at long range for small stuff, hench scope mounts only.

Good luck in your search. You'll eventually find one that calls to you, then it's just a matter of finding one at the right price.

BTW, giving us an upper limit on price will help narrow down the choices.
RT
 
if you get a semi, you can spend all your "free time" writing in a databook and looking through your scope :)
 
If you're on a budget, an SKS or Saiga would work great. Otherwise, the AR15 is one of the best weapons a person can buy IMO.
 
I'm new here and I dont posses as much knowledge as some of the senior members but, I am partial to the .243. Ballasticaly speaking its better than the 5.56 and isn't quite as expensive as the 7.62. For not wanting to spend alot of time reloading magizines I would recomend the thompson encore. You can get any caliber round and later if you want to up grade you just buy the barrel in the caliber you want and the reciever is interchangable. If you do like the bull-pup design the sks is more affordable than an ar-15 but the ar-15 has endless possibilities as far as accessorizing. In the end both bull-pup's use NATO rounds so you should be able to find bulk surplus pretty cheap. The encore comes with iron sights or w/out, is single fire, breach load, and is very accurate.
 
Also Savage makes some nice rifles which can be turned into tactical snipers, fairly cheap. I believe it's the Savage SPF-10L. If you want large calibers your looking more for .300 win mag, .338, .375 h&h, on up.
 
As long as you plan to stay within 500 yards or so I can't help but recommend the AR15. It is like the perfect .223 firearm. Ergonomics are great, accuracy is great, it is lightweight, modular, reliable, and all it takes to change the caliber is a swap of the upper by popping out 2 pins. You can get everything from a 22LR upper to a .50Beowolf upper.

I hated the AR and thought I would go with either the Keltec SU16, Mini14, or AK47. After handling them all I reluctantly got an AR15. Now that I have had one for awhile and got some range time in with it I can't help but feel stupid about my prior opinion.

The Keltec is a cheapo rifle. It just feels cheap. Kel-tec is a subpar brand. They have been improving and try their hardest to make up for their lack of quality with customer service. They still fall short IMO though. The one product of theirs that I would consider is a Sub2000 and thats only for a fun gun.

The Mini14 is nice but not very accurate. Reliability is probably on par with the AR. When you see all of the things an AR15 can do that a Mini can't I do not know why you would choose the mini.

The Saiga is an accurate, quality firearm with excellent reliability. It is also priced very nicely. Again, it just can't do what the AR does.

There are several that come close to the AR that I consider viable alternatives if you just don't want an AR. There is the FN FS2000, Sig 556, and the Robinson Arms XCR. They all have advantages that the AR doesn't but they all lack something that the AR provides. They are all compromised rifles that do the job just a little bit differently. IMO the AR bests them all as a total package. I would still like to own them all though.

I don't really see a reason to go with a bolt gun if you can legally own the above semiautos. That is just my opinion though. Some people just like bolt guns and some people just don't like semi auto.
 
The cz 527 bolt action has great iron sights. The sweet carbine model comes in .223 and 7.62x39 which is an equally cheap round. At least try to get your hands on one of these carbines before deciding. Not cheap but super well made and very accurate out of the box. Set trigger, hammer forged barrel, beautiful wood.
 
Looking to buy my first serious gun.
Click to expand...

You'll have more fun with a humorous gun!

medium_20.jpg


:D

Bruce
 
I'm looking to buy a new gun that's like... less crappy. I want a gun that fires really cheap ammo.
Click to expand...

Wait, uhh, what?

Ok, sure not every Mosin(or most for that matter) are a shiny penny, but there are nice ones, I assure you. By the way, 7.62x54R, next to the .22lr is one of the cheapest rounds you can get.
 
I'm looking to buy a new gun that's like... less crappy. I want a gun that fires really cheap ammo.
Click to expand...

Wait, uhh, what?

Ok, sure not every Mosin(or most for that matter) are a shiny penny, but there are nice ones, I assure you. By the way, 7.62x54R, next to the .22lr is one of the cheapest rounds you can get.
 
My M44 shoots on par with my Ishapore Enfield. Both are in great condition. Mosins take a lot of flak that they really don't deserve.
 
My three Mosins and I take offense. They insist that they are in fact very serious weapons. The deer would say the same thing , but alas they are all dead. I have never had a Mosin jam, never had a failure to feed, never had a double feed, never had one not hit a man size target at 200 yards, and never had someone shoot it and say "wow, what a non serious gun" .
 
Yeah, my first reaction ws that if it shoots bullets, it's a serious gun. 7.62x54r is pretty freakin' serious. :D

I say get a chromed Mosin from Classic Arms. :p
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
  • Locked
help me buy a rifle
Replies
9
Views
571
Anteater1717
A
7
  • Locked
looking for a .223
Replies
3
Views
293
rangerruck
R
M
  • Locked
Help finding a rifle
Replies
21
Views
528
dodge
D
N
  • Locked
Kel Tec SU 16?
Replies
1
Views
964
Norton
N
P
  • Locked
Kel-Tec SU-16 in another caliber?
Replies
1
Views
513
regal
R
Back
Top