My first gun?

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SirSavage

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Hello all, I'm not sure if this is correct but my brother has told me that if i want a gun now is the time to get it, what with elections and all.

So I've done my research and am completely frustrated. I'm really considering the sks but wanted to ask before I did anything.

Price is the biggest factor with accuracy coming in second and coolness in third.

Here's where I stand:

I like the AR15 platform but not the .223 round.

Originally my dream gun would have been a FAL or maybe a G3 (or a pimped out ar15 in 6.5 or 6.8)

But then I figured I could get a Remington 700 AND a Tapco SKS for less

Galils are cool too...

??? So anyone have any ideas on how to get the best bang for my buck, I probably won't shoot too often but would like a reliable gun that will last me a lifetime.

Thanks
 
I offer my humble oppinion below. There will be many who disagree, however this is what I think. :scrutiny:

If price is the major concern than an sks will do quite well.
If your "Budget" can afford an AR than there is no compairison (IMO)
To me, a SKS and a civilian AK are very similar (Not in parts but the roll it plays). Both are semi auto, reliable, and shoot a decent caliber / round. The AK wins for detachable magazines and is generally more compact. However, for the money, an SKS gets you 75% of what a civilian AK does at half or less the cost (500.00 +- AK & 200+- SKS)

An AR however is more expensive (900+-) but has all of the good things an AK has PLUS it is more accurate (by a lot). If you dont like the .223 than they make it in .308 if you can afford 1500 +-.

Value for the money....SKS
Especially if it means you can put 1000 rounds in the gun case with it, because without the bullets, its just a club. ;)
 
If you have the skills you can still build an AR fairly cheaply.

Avoid the Chinese Norinco SKS's that came out in the 90's some were craptastic. Other than that the Surplus ones are usually pretty good guns. Just don't buy an SKS and try to modify it to be more like an AK --if thats the plan save the grief and buy an AK.
 
You should review the threads here in Rifle for various opinions.

First off decide how much you can spend on the weapon. That will narrow your selection somewhat. The SKS is the least expensive with the AK coming next followed by a plain AR. The 7.62 NATO Saiga AK-variant is less expensive than any other 7.62 NATO semiauto, but the ammo is pricier than any AK variant.

Second decide how much you can spend on ammunition. A thousand rounds of 7.62 NATO (what the FAL eats) is much different than the 5.56 the AR consumes or the 7.62X39 the AK or SKS chomps (or 5.45 for the other AK variant.

If you know you can come up with enough for a FAL now, but aren't sure that you can afford to feed it a steady diet of 7.62NATO at nearly $500 a thousand you may want to take a less expensive rifle and put the difference towards that expensive ammo. If you'd rather stick with the relatively inexpensive 7.62X39 and can't come up with enough for an AK, the SKS is the way to go.
 
First off thanks.

OHhhh an AK...but there so unattractive.

Ohio gun guy thanks for the comparison!
2RC0, I'm intrigued, are these google skills or gunsmithing skills you're referring to?
hso- I'll spend a good amount on the ammo because unless I'm some kind of savant (fingers crossed) who will be spending all week at the range I'll probably just do it once a month or two.

If I really wanted to I could drop about $2000 on this right now. So I guess my next question is; do you all take this gun panic that seriously. I mean I got a broken disconnect on my jeep and theres a sweet all wood compound bow at the salvation army I might HAVE to get.

But those other things can wait if its really in my best interest to gen an AR now. Because in the long run I would like to own one in my life and if this is it, it should probably be a nice one.

If all of you think there's no possibility of an Obama ban than maybe i'll just hold off on the AR and get a Colt SAA for my first.

Just checking: One can't build an AR 10 cheaply right?
 
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IMO, as soon as Obama gets into office a few of the people are going to try and truck a ban right through.

Fortunately, there are many others that actually have their priorities straight, and it will be delayed a while. Whether it actually passes or not is a coin toss at current, but once he starts appointing people... who knows.

But the ban will be attempted, and it will be a miracle if you keep all the rights you have now.

Ahem.

That being said, your choices should depend what you want the gun for. If you want something to hunt with, go for an SKS or if you want the EBR, an AR in .308 or such.

If you want to put holes in paper, .223/5.56 is more than enough.

For defense, the 7.62's of various lengths (x39 Russian, and x51 NATO) are all good, but the .308 will be a bit much for close range. .223 in hollowpoint format will stop any BG in the house faster than any handgun. Overally, any rifle you pick up will be fine.

Long-range shooting? AR in .308, no contest.

Do you have the skills to build one? You can get exactly what you want.

If I were in the market for an AR, I would buy the lower with whatever emblem you like best on it (others will know more than I) and however many uppers in however many calibers you want and can afford.

I would love to have a nice lower just so I could swap between .22LR, 9mm, and .308 uppers.
 
These are pretty good bang for the buck.

http://www.raacfirearms.com/Saiga.htm

I picked up one in 7.62x39 with the 16" barrel for $306 today. For about another $100 worth of U.S. made parts(for legal reasons) and some elbow grease, they can be turned into a gun that takes standard AK magazines. Appears to be a nice gun even in the stock 10 round configuration.
 
+1

I have one of my own, and love it. It's plenty accurate to 100 yards if you do your part.

I bought it as my own all-purpose/SHTF gun, on a few points.
1) I'm a fan of the 7.62x39 as an all-around round.
2) They're sturdy as all get-out, so they will function dirty, wet, sandy, etc. Must-have traits for a SHTF gun.
3) With the full-length forearm on them, they don't spark the 'terrorist gun' response in the sheep. They obscure the gas tube enough that leaving the original stock on turns on the 'Remington--it's fine' thought process, and putting an adjustable stock on turns it to 'USGI--he's here to help'.
Neither is right, but the usual AK silhouette draws a different attention.
 
Personally, If you're looking for an "evil" rifle - right now is the worst time to buy.

I would say in the short term, get yourself a good .22LR - perhaps a 10/.22 to get situated on, and start socking money away.
I think come end of December or early January - prices are going to dip. Right now everyone is reacting to the election situation, and in a lot of cases not thinking things rationally.
Could Obama get an AWB through? Perhaps. The likelihood is debatable. What is not debatable is the fact that:
a) people are in "reaction" mode now. Spending money with disregard, driving prices up.
b) Christmas is coming. People are going to spend money on Christmas, even if that involves buying guns, it means come early jan, there will not be NEARLY as many potential buyers in the market at that time.
c) New presidents are not sworn in until Jan 20 (or around there, not sure the exact date). That gives you a window of opportunity to catch the lull where prices are likely to drop between now and then.
d) even after he gets sworn in, it will take MUCH wrangling in congress to get anything through. You will have AMPLE warning before any bans come in to play.

My advice is again - pick up a good easy to shoot plinking .22. It will help you perfect your shooting technique for cheap, even after you get a "real" gun. Do this asap.
Next, watch the market. Look for the drop off in frenzy - and keep a close eye on prices. Right now you will get gouged - I cannot say the same thing for 2 weeks from now. Once fear wears off, and people come back to reality - dealers will be forced to lower their prices. That means you can get more gun for your money then you might get today.

Until then - you can make use of your downtime between purchases by researching exactly what make/model will fit your wants and needs. In the end - you wind up ahead across the board, as you didn't overpay for your weapon, and your purchase will be well researched and thought out for your specific application.

In the end - good luck to you sir. :D
 
Also - while everyone else is looking at "evil black guns" - use that as an opportunity to look at options that are not attracting a frenzy. There are many makes/models that serve a wide range of purposes that in the rush to get what *might* be banned, are being overlooked.
Look for handguns - especially revolvers such as a .357, .45 LC, .44 mag - that will have rifled counter-parts (such as some of the marlin and henry "cowboy" rifles).
This would allow you to have multiple guns that chamber the same ammo. Many people will not be focused on these, so they will be easier to find - and will probably be cheaper by relative comparison (by rush standards). If your goal is to prepare for unknown situations where you need to defend yourself, rather than unknown situations where you may make a buck - these can be GREAT choices.
Again - if this all turns out to be hot air, well - at least you've explored some possibilities you may not have otherwise. Gained some knowledge, maybe even shot some lead. At the end of the day - that's what we're all fighting for in the first place. :)
 
thanks, at first when you said evil and get a .22 I was like "get this guy outa here"

Then you said point c) AND called me "sir" and I was like "this is one smart cookie";)

But I still got 2 questions:

1) couldn't the prices continue to rise right up until the supposed ban passes/fails?

2) will the gun I put together in my last post work?

thanks.
 
I got the home defense right here:

...or wherever those attached files go...:p

Well I just want a gun to take to the ranges around here and if I only get one shot at it I figure it should be a gun that I think is pretty cool.

you type pretty fast Sinixstar

and I wouldn't depend on a .22 for defense in case the BG is wearing a cup, protecting the only spot that a .22 might put him down, and not just make him angrier

and when I bought the sword it was $600 guess I did that right :)

http://www.albion-swords.com/swords/albion/nextgen/sword-medieval-agincourt-xv.htm
 

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Oh, something else to look at--at my local gun shop, there was a police trade-in. A Remington (IIRC) of some sort, in .223, that accepts AR magazines, for about a third of their usual price.

Might be something to think about.
 
I would go with something not too expensive, and of a caliber without too much kick. Reasons being, it is hard to know what you like until you spend time shooting, and if you are into a gun for 1500 and you decide you don't like it, that's a worse place than having an SKS that you only have $250 into as a backup, to lend to a neighbor, or what have you.
I have a Yugo 59/66 SKS that I like a lot. They aren't cheap because they are of poor quality, they are cheap because zillions of them sat in warehouses overseas for decades after their military upgraded to AK's or M16's.
 
So we're all agreed then. ;)

I'll start building myself an AR in 7.62x39 after Christmas, when the prices WILL be down.

PS. Does anyone know what the difference in accuracy might be for a yugo sks vs. an ar in 7.62x39???
 
Sounds like you've already decided, but I figured I might as well throw this in there too. What about a Ruger Mini-30?? You can get them in 6.8 SPC and 7.62x39. They seem to be a little more affordable than ARs, although I don't really know how much it costs to build one, so maybe I can't really make that comparison.
 
PS. Does anyone know what the difference in accuracy might be for a yugo sks vs. an ar in 7.62x39???
Click to expand...
Well the 7.62x39 isn't a spectacularly accurate round but it should be more accurate out of an AR. Not by a massive margin though.
 
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