My first rifle - any suggestions?

[natural marksman]

I do indoor target shooting from the bench rest position, that's basically all I can do at the range. I got about AU$3,000 in the bank. Wasn't dreaming of spending that much lol but I'll have plenty of options. Also me and my friend go shooting together with his .22 and we take it in turns sharing that rifle.

 

[shiftyer1]

I have several rifles and the .22 lr gets shot the most, also in handguns. I have a .22mag and it's a joy to shoot. Everything .22lr does the mag does just a little bit better but it costs more to shoot so I don't plink with it much....it's a critter getter.

I have a .357 lever gun/revolver combo and it's my do everything gun unless I grab a 30/30.

 

[natural marksman]

I'll start looking for a good .22 LR rifle/revolver combo. Maybe a few months down the track I'll get the .357 magnum rifle/revolver combo

Thanks for all input everyone

 

[tuj]

Are you doing benchrest or are you just shooting off the bench? (cause there is a difference).

I just started competing in benchrest smallbore and I'm using a Remington 40X that's been tricked out. Its very accurate at 50 yards (average 0.257" 5-shot groups). If you are doing actual benchrest, then a 40X or Anschutz will serve you well. With your budget, get yourself a nice Anschutz position rifle with the 54-series action and you can do both position and benchrest with it.

 

[lukedsh]

I would say any of the popular rimfire cal. bullets would be good for indoor target shooting.
+1 for the lever action, because of no semi-autos.
Can you have a revolver type action rifle down under?

 

[Trevorusn]

SMLEs are gems, hoping to add one to my collection soon. However, you cannot go wrong with a Mosin Nagant M91/30. Most are extemely cheap, surplus ammo is cheap AND fun, the weapon is extremely easy to fieldstrip and maintain, and recoil is not nearly what some folks build it up to be. I'd recommend a M91/30 to any beginner, as it gives you the feel of a real, powerful weapon while not being overwhelming in any aspect that's excellent for hunting or general target shooting, without watering down any part of the experiene the way a .22 does! Plus, once you decide to go out beyond 50 yards and really start trying at some distance, you'll already be covered with the M91/30 (or SMLE), unlike the .22. A Mosin Nagant or Lee-Enfield are the best choices to go with. Is indoor the only range experience you plan on having, or will you be moving up to outdoors shooting??

 

[natural marksman]

Bench rest & shooting from a bench - what's the difference I'm not sure :S

There is an outdoor long range shooting range somewhere in Sydney that I could take a trip to every now and then. Also I've never seen a revolver action rifle except in a display collection, which means it would have been permanently gutted for display - I hate what the anti-gun losers did to guns :'(

Also, if semi autos weren't so restricted I'd get an M1 Carbine and a Desert Eagle chambered in .30 Carbine, nice combo hehehe

 

[Panzercat]

A 357/38 levergun. Not much kick to learn good habits in the .38 and lets you graduate up to the venerable .357 when you're ready. Also firing .38 helps to defray the cost of plinking... assuming availibility in Australia? Don't go rossi tho. I know the lure of cheaper is magnetic, but get a .357 from a quality lever gun manufacturer.

 

[Magoo]

Congrats on picking a .22 rifle .

Bench rest & shooting from a bench - what's the difference I'm not sure :S

"Benchrest" includes everthing up to shooting free recoil, massively heavy rifles in very precise (and expensive ) rests. These folks are chasing very small groups.

Shooting from a bench could just mean sitting or even standing at a bench and shooting offhand (with a rifle designed to shoot offhand - not really doable with a dedicated bench gun). I plink cans "from a bench" like this often.

There's a lot of room to stretch either term.

There are a lot of .22 variants out there for a good reason. Every platform you could imagine is available. You just have narrow it down to what is legal for you and what works best for your intended use and budget uhoh.

Tuj has given some really good advice already.

ETA: I forgot about the pistol. The Browning Buckmark and the Ruger MK pistols are far and away the most popular .22 pistols I know of. They are both affordable, work well, and are accurate. They are easy to work on and have a lot of aftermarket parts available for them. Your 4" barrel length will limit factory model choices, but an aftermarket barrel or a cut/recrown performed here should import OK I'd hope. Factory models with threaded muzzles are usually at least less than 4.5".

There are, of course, Olympic model target pistols as well...