New User - Need First Rifle

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mike240se

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First off, i am new here, first post.

I am going to join a firing range with a rifle range, there is a 25, 50, 100 yards for pistols and 22's and a rifle range of 200 yards and 300 yards. I currently only own 2 handguns, a 9mm ruger p95 and a .38 s&w 10-5. I have never shot a rifle before, I went to the dealer today and they recommended getting a 22LR. There was a Marlin 22 for $199 plus a scope could be added for $60. Price is an issue, i just bought the 9mm and am low on cash right now.. The biggest draw to it was the price of ammo, $15 for a huge box of like 300 or 500. I need a scope cause i have a bad right eye and cant shoot lefty, so its the only way i can actually shoot a rifle. The dealer said the rifle could get 100 yards but no more acurately. I kind of want to get something that can get me 300 yards but the ammo is leaps and bounds more expensive. like $8 for a 20 rounds of .30-08 compared to 300 rounds+ for $13 for 22LR. So any suggestions? Any advice? I found a couple 22 rifles that didnt feel like toys (alot of them did and i didnt like that at all).
 
mike240se,
Welcome to THR !!!

A .22 LR is a good rifle to get as a first rifle, especially for range use. Marling makes a good rifle but so does Savage. I would recommend a Savage Mark II which is a bolt action rifle with a 10 round magazine. It has the new AccuTrigger and the price is right. You can find one for about $129. That rifle lists for about $190 but if you hunt around you will find it for $129. (Dick's Sporting Goods, Gander Mountain) You can add a Simmons, Tasco or Bushnell scope for less than $60. I put a Tasco 3-7X20 scope on my Savage Mark II and it is more than enough for target shooting. That scope cost me only $20. For $150 + Tax and fees you will have a accurate and fun rifle.
http://www.savagearms.com/markiig.htm
http://www.riflescopes.com/products/RF37X20D/tasco_3-7x20_rimfire_riflescope.htm

BTW the ammo is cheaper than you think. You can buy a brick (500 rounds) of Federal .22 LR ammo for $9.00 and 550 Rounds of Remington for about $10.50 !! gota love a .22 !

Good luck, be safe and have fun!!
 
Welcome to THR!

I would reccomend you look at getting a Ruger 10/22, its a great .22 rifle and very easy to outfit with all sorts of neat accessories. They are relatively inexpensive and great for the novice shooter to the advanced shooter. You can buy a brand new 10/22 and and outfit it with a nice scope for only a few hundred bucks and it will give you exactly what youre looking for. Over time you can add better optics, different stocks, a heavy barrel, hi-cap mags, bipod and much more. But the basic package plus a halfway decent scope will give you great results to start with.

Good Luck!

http://www.impactguns.com/store/ruger_rimfire_rifles.html
 
A 22 is a good rifle to start out with and learn the fundementals of breathing and trigger control, and as you pointed out ammo is cheap.

You really can't go wrong with any of the choices anyone is going to mention here.

My advice is to enjoy the handguns until you have the extra cash to get the rifle YOU want. Don't break the bank or skip any bills. Just buy it when the budget allows. Shooting is so much more fun when you are not sacrificing anything else for it (like food or electricity), although I'm sure some around here would debate me on that point.

Welcome to THR!!!
 
Welcome,

Any .22 would be a good rifle to start with. my first happend to be a Ruger 10/22 but there are many good .22 rifles.
 
Wow lots of good info. Sounds like a 22 is going to be the right rifle for me since i will be using it exclusively at the range and to learn long range shooting. My store doesnt have the savage but its actually cheaper than the marlin and looks real nice. maybe they can order it or something. i dont think dicks sells guns in nj, most stores dont because of all the bull crap laws we have. What kind of range do you guys get out of the 22? 100 yards is a good estimate of max range? Maybe i will just pick up the marlin since they have it in stock, the plastic one is $199 the wood one is $179... plus scope...
 
only problem with the 10/22 is i think they cost quite a bit more, like double the marlin or the savage... maybe more than double.
 
An average 10/22 around here is about $200, for whatever that's worth.

I also think a .22 is a good choice for a first rifle.
 
oh well then i guess i should shop around a bit. i am def. gonna go with a 22.

OT: on my ruger p95dc, its like a plastic frame, do i clean that with solvent and oil the slide? or will that damage the plastic? its def. more like plastic than like the glock which is more like poly.
 
I can only find the savage mark ii in nj for about $199. Thats $20 more than the marlin and they all have to order it, am i better off saving $20 on the marlin or is the savage that superior? i do like the accutrigger, but the marlin has a 1.25in long barrel
 
Mike,
Don't rush the purchase, look around for the Savage Mark II. There is nothing wrong with a Marlin but I think the Savage is superior.

You can't usually get a low price from a small local dealer if he has to order you a rifle. That's not a hard rule but it is usual. You need to find the Mark II on sale from a large vendor.

Is there a Cabela's or Gander Mountain near you?
 
Well my dealer did have the savage, they also had the marlin and the 10/22.. I decided to get the Ruger 10/22 it was a little more than the savage but the dealer says its like the most popular 22 and there are tons of accessories for it, way more than the savage. He did say the savage was also an excellent gun, but i ended up going with the ruger cause it was semi-auto. at first i wanted a bolt action, but since i am learning to shoot with a scope, i figured its one less thing to worry about. Plus i have heard lots of good things about the ruger 10/22. I also got a nice busnell scope which they mounted for me, i liked the iron sights on the ruger too but i wont be using them, but down the road i could if i wanted to. Plus there is a heavy barrel upgrade thats real nice he showed me too, he says for about $100 i can upgrade to the heavy barrel.

So i think it was a good purchase, i did like the length of the savage and the accutrigger, but i liked the magazine much better on the ruger since its internal and looks nicer. The ruger was $209. the savage was 179.

i also got a nice case and some cleaning stuff. i am real happy with the purcahse, the bushnell scope was $60 which might be abit high but they mounted it for me and boresighted it, which was cool. i will check the model of the scope and let you know. it said for airsoft guns but he said it didnt matter.

So what do you guys think? any advice for this thing, any must haves or tips or tricks? i hear ruger 10/22 is used alot in competitions which is cool too..

thanks!

mike
 
Congrats on the new rifle!

I think you are going to really like the 10/22 it was a first rifle for many people and my first semi-auto when I was just getting into guns. They are a lot of fun, accurate and reliable like I stated earlier there are many accessories you can buy to personalize the rifle but out of the box its just fine. I agree I never cared for the sights on mine and I see very few of these that aren't scoped. Its one of those guns that everyone has respect for and you'll hear very few negative comments about them. If you want to do some longer range work (say over 200yrds) you may want to look into a better scope, but the one you got should be fine to get you started. As for accessories I would save up for the heavy barrel and maybe a synthetic stock and bipod. If you go to www.cheaperthandirt.com you can find tons of accessories and all are very easy to install yourself. I personally like the rubber coated Hogue stocks that are avalible for these, a friend has one on his and it feels great. Just something to consider for down the line.

Again congrats and welcome to rifle ownership, its a whole new world:D
 
Okay, here's a tip.


When you're looking for hi- cap magazines, avoid Ram- Lines like the plague. I don't know what NJ's laws on magazine capacity are, but if the state allows it, get some 25/22 magazines from Butler Creek. They have a 25 round capacity and feed fairly well after they get some breaking in.
 
The CZ 452 is an excellent "non-toy-feeling" rifle... and it's scary accurate. To build basic skills, shooting small stuff close up is almost as good as shooting big stuff far away. :)

-K

$8 a box for .30-06 ammunition is an awesome deal by the way. :)
 
When you're looking for hi- cap magazines, avoid Ram- Lines like the plague. I don't know what NJ's laws on magazine capacity are, but if the state allows it, get some 25/22 magazines from Butler Creek. They have a 25 round capacity and feed fairly well after they get some breaking in.
Click to expand...

Lol, you clearly have never been to nj aka the worst state for gun owners/dealers and even bb gun owners (yes you need a fingerprint check for a bb gun and airsoft gun in nj) the limit was recently changed from 10 rounds on all guns to 15 rounds on ALL guns. meaning, for some dumb reason there is no exception for a 22, max is 15 rounds :(
 
Well, as everyone else said - congrats on the 10/22. It is a nice rifle. Around here - Wal-Mart sells them. But, like U said - things are different in New Jersey.

Post us up a pic when you get the chance.

I think you will enjoy shooting that :)

As for your pistol range - 25 yards for a pistol is pretty far. I would think they'd at least have 7 and 15 yards set up for handgun shooting.
 
It depends on what you're going to be using it for.

It sounds like you just want to start learning the basics of being a rifleman.

If so, then add one vote for the Ruger 10/22. There are a ton of them out there, it's accurate, they're reliable, easy to use, there's all kinds of accessories and 25, 30 or 50 round mags are readily available for them and they're alot of fun. Half the kids I know got one for the first rifle. They go for about $150 to $175 used to $189 (if you look around for one on sale) to $250 new. .22 LR ammo is $10 to $20 (depending on the quality) for 500 rounds.

If you're looking to hunt with it, maybe you should take a look at the Steven 200 in .243/.270/.308 or 30-06 (depending on what kind of game you'll be using it for) to start with. The .243 recoils less than the others, is common and you'll be able to shoot longer with it than the others. This costs less than $300 for the rifle, plus add $150 for a Nikon Buckmaster scope, another $20 to $40 for the rings and base and $20 for a sling. That's about $490 to $500 and then add in your ammo. About $12 to $20 per box of twenty rounds.

If you're looking for a semi-auto centerfire rifle for just general plinking, take a look at the SKS. They're cheap, fairly accurate under two to three hundred yads and they're a great semi-auto centerfire rifle to start with. You can get them for between $109 to $225 depending on which part of the country you're in. Ammo is $150 to $180 for 1,000 rounds.

These would be all great rifles to start on and all of them are sturdy yet relatively inexpensive. Then when you want to get something a little better, then trade up and buy something better or just keep your inexpensive rifle as a spare.
 
Well i shot my 10/22 for the first time today, i had a real blast. it was fun as hell to shoot and i got to shoot a lot of rounds. couple things....

1) how do you unload a loaded mag? it doesnt have a spring action and when you unload it you cant get all the rounds out, like the top two and the rest are in there. it seems you need to use an allen wrench or something to turn the cylinder inside?
EDIT: turns out the mag was defective.

2) i desperately need a spotting scope, i cant see the little 22 holes with my binoculurs and i cant hold my hand stead with them either. i want to get a spotting scope on a tripod. i would like to get one that can clearly see 22's at 100 yards (like big) and clearly see .223 at 200 yards (for when i get one) i would like to spend $100 or less, i heard the bushnell was crap from a few people at the range. a guy had a nice burris but it didnt have a tripod or a tripod mount. i was looking at http://www.swfa.com/pc-6045-998-barska-20-60x60-blackhawk-spotting-scope.aspx
but wasnt sure if there is a cheaper/better one for my price range.

3) i was hoping to get something to hold the front of my gun when i shoot, like either a bipod or one of those bags. today i used my gun case and then put my hand in a fist and stood it vertically and let the front of the gun sit on it, it was just high enough...

thanks for any advice you guys can give and thanks for recommending the 10/22 its a great gun, besides one or two dud rounds it was great...

edit: this seems like anice scope too: http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/15244-14657-1561.html
 
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I ended up buying the Winchester WT-20 (WT-635) spotting scope. Its an amazing scope, it was quite pricey ($200) but came with a nice tripod and metal and soft cases. The image is absolutely amazing, it can focus at close and far distances and has excellent clarity. It says it uses a "BAK4 prisim"... I hope i made a good choice cause i cant return it.

The only thing i need know is something to shoot at a table with, like a bipod or something for my ruger 10/22.
 
Harris makes a good bipod for the 10/22 that attaches to front hole drilled for the sling mount. You could also get one of the cheaper ones that clamp to the barrel. Check out eBay for 10/22 stuff. You can find alot of good stuff for your Ruger there. The 10/22 was my first gun, what a Christmas morning that was. All these years later I still have it. It should bring you years of enjoyment.
 
welcome to THR.

My first rifle was a Marlin Lever action 22, but I also have a Ruger 10/22. I have left both with open sights, but as my eyes get older and worse, I think that I will throw a scope on the Ruger and leave the lever action as is for the kids.

Also, keep in mind that a fixed power scope will usually be better quality than a variable power scope in the same price range, and at the lower price points, it will probably hold up better too. Also, it will be one less thing to worry about, and the "picture" will not change. If your eyes are not so good I would recomend getting a good scope (that does not have to mean expensive) because nothing is more fustrating to a new rifle shooter that a cheap (quality, not price) scope. The last thing that you need when you are trying to learn the fundamentals of rifle shooting is for your scope to change point of impact.
 
Harris makes a good bipod for the 10/22 that attaches to front hole drilled for the sling mount. You could also get one of the cheaper ones that clamp to the barrel. Check out eBay for 10/22 stuff. You can find alot of good stuff for your Ruger there. The 10/22 was my first gun, what a Christmas morning that was. All these years later I still have it. It should bring you years of enjoyment.

I dont have a sling mount, i have the cheaper model with the front band and no sling mounts... can i still use it?
 
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