Poor College kid needs a Rifle

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A Savage Mark II .22LR, or a Marlin 981-T .22LR would serve the purpose of target shooting on a budget. Either rifle would cost between $150.00 and $200.00 out the door. At about $1.50 per box of 50 rounds of .22LR, even a college student can afford a weekly range trip. Welcome to THR!

Geno
 
O i almost forgot another choice try a single shot combo rifle from rossi. At academy they start at 119 for a 22 12 ga combo ad 70 bucks a barrel you can have a good base if you get the 7mm 08 or 243 extra
 
Savage Mk II. Even the base model that sells for $160 or so will literally drive thumbtacks @ 50 yards. Absolutely fantastic rifle for the price.
 
Given your parameters, a .22LR (IMO) would be your best bet.
You live near Houston, so there are most likely plenty of gun shops and shows in your area. You should be able to find a used rifle you like for under $200.00. Ruger, Savage, Marlin and all the others mentioned are well made firearms. Pick the action and style that fits and buy it.
If you haven't had formal firearm safety instruction yet, I recommend that you set aside a little of the $300.00 to get some. Your local gun shop and/or the NRA would be happy to help.

Have fun, be safe.
 
So the top choices so far are the ruger 10/22, the marlin model 60, the savage MkII, and the mosin nagant.
As far as gun safety goes i have had training my grandpa wouldn't let me hold a gun until i could do it safely so a formal/informal class was arranged.
 
Hmmm, this is the kind of question that's going to get lots of different answers, but really, you need to answer a few questions yourself to focus the replies.

  • Do you think you might want to hunt with this rifle, and if so, hunt what? That will give you sense of the caliber you need.
  • Do you want this rifle to have a home defense role as well? If so, are we talking about an urban area, a wooded area or open country?
  • Do you have an interest in guns that will likely result in getting other rifles later? The first of several guns might be a different pick than the only gun you ever plan to own.
Lots of good suggestions have already been given. To add my two cents...

  • Among .22LR rifles, people like the Ruger 10/22, but personally I have always had great luck with Marlins. Within your budget you can have your choice of wood or synthetic stock, semi-auto or bolt action, clip or tube magazine, blue or stainless finish and still have money left over for a brick of quality ammunition.
  • Among centerfire rifles, you could do a lot worse than a Stevens 200 in whatever caliber best suits your hunting needs, or in .223, .308, or .30-06 if you want to be able to use surplus ammunition.
  • If you're interested in collecting historic rifles, you could get a Mosin-Nagant in one of the shorter carbine versions or the long 91/30. In fact you could get two, one a hand-selected collector's piece with all the accessories and one with a damaged stock or some other cosmetic defect that you could then sporterize as a hunting rifle or transform into a scout-type tactical rifle in the future. That would still fall within your budget with a can or surplus ammo to boot.
Let us know what you decide.

Cheers,

Matthew
 
Hunting is pretty unlikely in the near future no license and no where to hunt at.
I do intend to by many more rifles after college and don't need it for defense.
at this point a 22 is my top choice, now the question is which one? the Ruger 10/22 has great reviews along with the Savage Mk II but the Marlin Model 60 is sold a lot cheaper and just about every where.
 
Trav, I've heard good things about all 3. You personally said you might rather go with a bolt so I would say look into the Savage. But if you are considering an autoloader more now after all these posts then you might want to check out this link. It is less expensive than the 10/22, I've heard good things about it, and it comes with a red dot sight (to make shooting more fun)

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/36_62/products_id/411540390
 
What's wrong with finding a used stevens .223 or a savage edge? either of those can be had for around $300, and 223 ammo is dirt cheap right now (especially wolf) He'll have a rifle that he can actually do something with at ranges past 100yds. New, these rifles hover right around the $300 mark, so I'm sure you can find a used one for less. Sure, you'll need to put some money into optics, but if you get a .22lr, you'll have to anyway. I believe the Savage edge comes with a burris 3-9x32 scope.
 
My vote is for the CZ452 Trainer .22LR. $315 from Whittaker's.

Do a search and you'll find the CZ452 platform to be a highly-regarded bolt .22LR, and the trainer/lux variants have fantastic iron sights to boot, so you can use it with or without a scope. Get it, some quick release rings, a decent scope, and a military sling, and you'd have a near-perfect setup, IMO.
 
I would recommend a Marlin model 60 in autoloader. It is a very accurate rifle for what it is. That said a bolt action prevents the spray and pray habit.
 
Speaking of Buds Gun Shop, I have no experience buying from them personally but often use their site to research options. This link takes you to all of their Marlin offerings right now, including ELEVEN different models of Marlin .22LR rifles under $250, starting at $140 for the clip-fed 795 semi-auto with a synthetic stock.
 
You said a .22 was your top choice. The next question is, do you have a preference for what type of action you are interested in? Semi-auto, bolt, lever action, or pump? All have pros and cons to one degree or another. If you know what style you like the most it will really help narrow it down.
 
I prefer lever and bolt actions but like i said in a previous post it's not that big of a deal. Mostly i just want a fun plinker until i have enough money to get started in hunting and collecting.
 
nipprdog said:
:rolleyes:

Did you read the $200-$300 limit??????/
Click to expand...
I got a used Wasr 10/63 as my first AK for $250. So yes, I did read it.

I got a Ruger 10/22 when i was 12 years old as my first real firearm. I bought an Eabco M1 carbine kit with Tech Sights for it about a year ago. Its a great rifle and it is my favorite rifle, I wouldnt trade it for a gun worth 20 times as much. So i would reccomend that with this as well: https://www.eabco.com/m1_carbine_ruger_1022_tribute.htm

Its awesome
 
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Autoloaders are fun and the 10/22 is a good one. But there are a lot of used others out there. Maybe I'm a broken record, but a college student on a tight budget is a prime candidate for a nice used rifle. There are two advantages; 1.) it will likely come equiped with stuff like scopes, triggers or stocks that will cost extra - 2.) it will retain the value you paid for it. A new gun of any kind will take a "value" hit the day you unpack it and put the first round through it.

Also, the previous owner may toss in extras like ammo, or a shooting pad, sling, what ever? See what sort of deal you can do? Once you are out of school and making the big $$, you can buy anything you want. Fun and skill building are what's up for grabs right now.
 
As stated above, I give a thumbs up for Bud's. I happen to live about 7 miles away from them and they are top-notch. Their website is also highly recommended. I also will give a nod to the Savage Edge or Axis. They are cheap rifles and will shoot with higher end guns. Bud's recently had a sale on them for $250 brand new for every caliber. Not sure what their price is now but I'd say it's still under $300. I'd go with a .223, .243, or .270.. depending on how big of a punch you want.
 
Quote:
AK-47


Did you read the $200-$300 limit??????/
Click to expand...

SKS would work well as a substitute. I agree with the others on a .22 first though. Cheap, fun, and you'll shoot more, which means you'll shoot better.
 
don't over look the .17 hmr... i just bought one and love it... i got a savage 93r17 and the gun is a far better shooter than i am...IMO a 10/22 is great gun and everyone should have one...but i like my savage way more than any 10/22 i have ever held.....rounds are 12.99 for 50
 
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