AR27
Member
Right here on The High Road Classifieds!
Poor College kid needs a Rifle
- Thread starter Travmcgrav
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brandon_mcg
Member
+1 for the classifieds. there is always something listed that makes me want to hurt the bank account a little.
i cast another vote for a good .22 rifle as there is always a spot in everyones gun cabinet for one as they offer so much practicality and versatility.
i also have an SKS that I love to shoot and i can usually find ammo for 4-5 bucks for 20 rounds.
i cast another vote for a good .22 rifle as there is always a spot in everyones gun cabinet for one as they offer so much practicality and versatility.
i also have an SKS that I love to shoot and i can usually find ammo for 4-5 bucks for 20 rounds.
Dr T
Member
I would get a bolt action 22 lr. A used Remington 582 or 583 should drive tacks, but so will the little Savage bolt actions.
As to cost, you can get 550 round bulk packs for $20. That works out to about $.03 per shot.
As to cost, you can get 550 round bulk packs for $20. That works out to about $.03 per shot.
sweater914
Member
If you could stretch your budget just a little farther to $400, the Savage Mk II FVT will keep you challenged for a lifetime. It has a bull barrel, Accu Trigger, and Williams peep sights which are head and shoulders above the Ruger 10/22 sights. The Savage is for my 6 year old, I bought a CZ 452 for my step-son when he was 13, solid rifle purchased new for $330. The stock even has a decent figure for a $300 .22, shoots better than he can. The CZ is full size rifle designed for cheap training, to mimic CZ's large caliber rifles. The Ruger and Savage comparatively are smaller.
I lucked out and my first rifle was an Anschutz 1416, my brother and sister received Ruger 10/22's with Williams sights. The 10/22's are good rifles but the bluing and materials used are pretty cheap, both my sister's and brother's rifle needed constant attention to prevent rust. On the plus side the aftermarket for 10/22 upgrades and parts is outstanding.
Good luck on your search, Savage, Ruger, and CZ are all good choices for beginners.
I lucked out and my first rifle was an Anschutz 1416, my brother and sister received Ruger 10/22's with Williams sights. The 10/22's are good rifles but the bluing and materials used are pretty cheap, both my sister's and brother's rifle needed constant attention to prevent rust. On the plus side the aftermarket for 10/22 upgrades and parts is outstanding.
Good luck on your search, Savage, Ruger, and CZ are all good choices for beginners.
Jon Coppenbarger
Member
SKS
I'm in the .22 lr crowd as well. I love my 10/22, but a bolt action gives you the option to shoot shorts and longs with no fuss. There are times when using CBs can be handy, especially when taking out pests. Also, I like the idea of the Rossi/NEF combo guns. Good luck!
peptoe
Member
22 is perfect, just found an old marlin bolt gun in grat shape on the used rack for $120. put a cheap bushnell rimfire scope and you are golt for well under $200 big ones.
BCRider
Member
For your situation the already well pounded in option for getting a .22 is the obvious one.
As to which action to get may I offer a suggestion? Look around at what sort of competitions are held in the local clubs that have .22 classes. Plinking is great for fun and practice but the fun really begins when you test yourself by putting up your skills against a clock or score card.
Locally we shoot club level Speed Steel matches that are low pressure but great fun. These matches have a class for .22 carbine. It's not that demanding on absolute accuracy but it does put a lot of pressure on you to establish a sight picture on a gopher sized steel plate at handgun distances and put a shot on each target as quick as you can. Another local event in the same club is smallbore (basically the rimfire sizes of .17hmr, .22LR and .22WMR) metallic silhouette. This event is far more a case of accuracy within a reasonable time limit to shoot each line of targets. But again, it'll give you an adrenaline rush that is similar to hunting small game for later if the opportunity presents itself. It also shapes you up for shooting under a bit of pressure. And just as great as shooting for it's own sake you get to meet and talk with a bunch of like minded folks and spend a whole day smiling. And that is never a bad thing.
What this boils down to is that it may shape your final purchase towards one style or the other. Semis are obviously needed for the speed steel CQB style of shooting. And while a semi won't prevent you shooting the Metallic Silhouette events I seem to see lots of evidence that semis can't group as tightly as a bolt action if the guns are the same sort of cost.
I'm like you and love the lever action style. If you can find one used that shoots tacks and it's in your budget it may be the best of both worlds. Fast enough to enjoy at a rimfire speed event, and enough like a locked bolt to do well at an accuracy event. I'm just not aware of any that satisfy this aspect without costing the world.
As you find a little more money here and there I would suggest that a great second rifle, given your love of the levers, would be a lever gun in one of the handgun calibers or in .30-30. Figure out which you would like to go with and slowly pick up the stuff needed to reload in that caliber along with a cheap used single stage press. If you can find one Lyman has made their cast iron 6 position rotary press for literally decades now. I've got one and the best part is that I can put three pairs of rifle dies in it and leave them all set up. It's nice to be able to leave the dies set so they don't need to be re-adjusted each time. So far the reloads for .30-30 have been running me around 70 cents each for jacketed bullets. But I found a source for cast lead bullets that will cut this cost down to more like 45 cents each. And if/when I finally get into casting my own the cost will drop to around 20 to 25 cents each for just primer and powder. With a single stage press and hand primer along with a loading block you can easily load 200 to 250 rounds in an evening. And if you aren't shooting a semi auto this SHOULD last you quite a while as long as you use it as a "treat" between your time spent shooting the .22.
Another great reason for getting into a club in your area and participate in the regular shooting events is the ability to network with the other folks. You will likely even find someone that would take you under their wing and let you come over and reload using their equipment but with your supplies.
And another option for shooting big bore cheaply to go with your .22 would be black powder. Again, if you get into casting your own balls from clean up lead scavenged from the club ranges when they clean out their indoor bullet traps you can basically cast them for the cost of a mold and oven. The rest of the stuff for lube and patches can be hand made from cast off bed linen and cheap local craft stores and supermarkets. And if you go flintlock instead of percussion you don't even need to buy caps!
But that's for later depending on which route you want to go. For now check out the local club activities and get yourself a .22 that is versitile and fits in with the sort of style of shooting you think you want to go for.
As to which action to get may I offer a suggestion? Look around at what sort of competitions are held in the local clubs that have .22 classes. Plinking is great for fun and practice but the fun really begins when you test yourself by putting up your skills against a clock or score card.
Locally we shoot club level Speed Steel matches that are low pressure but great fun. These matches have a class for .22 carbine. It's not that demanding on absolute accuracy but it does put a lot of pressure on you to establish a sight picture on a gopher sized steel plate at handgun distances and put a shot on each target as quick as you can. Another local event in the same club is smallbore (basically the rimfire sizes of .17hmr, .22LR and .22WMR) metallic silhouette. This event is far more a case of accuracy within a reasonable time limit to shoot each line of targets. But again, it'll give you an adrenaline rush that is similar to hunting small game for later if the opportunity presents itself. It also shapes you up for shooting under a bit of pressure. And just as great as shooting for it's own sake you get to meet and talk with a bunch of like minded folks and spend a whole day smiling. And that is never a bad thing.
What this boils down to is that it may shape your final purchase towards one style or the other. Semis are obviously needed for the speed steel CQB style of shooting. And while a semi won't prevent you shooting the Metallic Silhouette events I seem to see lots of evidence that semis can't group as tightly as a bolt action if the guns are the same sort of cost.
I'm like you and love the lever action style. If you can find one used that shoots tacks and it's in your budget it may be the best of both worlds. Fast enough to enjoy at a rimfire speed event, and enough like a locked bolt to do well at an accuracy event. I'm just not aware of any that satisfy this aspect without costing the world.
As you find a little more money here and there I would suggest that a great second rifle, given your love of the levers, would be a lever gun in one of the handgun calibers or in .30-30. Figure out which you would like to go with and slowly pick up the stuff needed to reload in that caliber along with a cheap used single stage press. If you can find one Lyman has made their cast iron 6 position rotary press for literally decades now. I've got one and the best part is that I can put three pairs of rifle dies in it and leave them all set up. It's nice to be able to leave the dies set so they don't need to be re-adjusted each time. So far the reloads for .30-30 have been running me around 70 cents each for jacketed bullets. But I found a source for cast lead bullets that will cut this cost down to more like 45 cents each. And if/when I finally get into casting my own the cost will drop to around 20 to 25 cents each for just primer and powder. With a single stage press and hand primer along with a loading block you can easily load 200 to 250 rounds in an evening. And if you aren't shooting a semi auto this SHOULD last you quite a while as long as you use it as a "treat" between your time spent shooting the .22.
Another great reason for getting into a club in your area and participate in the regular shooting events is the ability to network with the other folks. You will likely even find someone that would take you under their wing and let you come over and reload using their equipment but with your supplies.
And another option for shooting big bore cheaply to go with your .22 would be black powder. Again, if you get into casting your own balls from clean up lead scavenged from the club ranges when they clean out their indoor bullet traps you can basically cast them for the cost of a mold and oven. The rest of the stuff for lube and patches can be hand made from cast off bed linen and cheap local craft stores and supermarkets. And if you go flintlock instead of percussion you don't even need to buy caps!
But that's for later depending on which route you want to go. For now check out the local club activities and get yourself a .22 that is versitile and fits in with the sort of style of shooting you think you want to go for.
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Marlin 60, Marlin 795, or a Savage 64. Personally, I do not see the reason to buy a 10/22 unless you will be spending lots of money on upgrades. The marlins and the Savage are in my opinion better out of the box than a Ruger 10/22. As other people have said, if you're looking for a bigger gun definitely check out a Mosin Nagant, one can be had for under $100 and some are still quite accurate
USAF_Vet
Member
another +1 for the .22LR or Mosin-Nagant.
I've got a newish Savage 64, semi-auto .22LR. Out the door, $140, with a brick of Federal bulk ammo. I've also got an olderish Savage (model unknown) bolt action .22. For less than $20 you can shoot all day at the range, and not even feel it the next day.
Last month, Dunhams had round receiver M91/30's on sale for $99.00. True, 7.62x54r is much more expensive than .22LR, but the boom can be heard from the next county over.
That in and of itself is worth it.
Shop around for Mosin-Nagants, they can be had for a pittance. I got my M-44 from a C&R dealer in Florida, shipped to my FFL in Michigan, grand total of $180, $30 of which was FFL transfer fee.. Gotta love a gun that blasts a two foot ball of fire out the muzzle!
I've got a newish Savage 64, semi-auto .22LR. Out the door, $140, with a brick of Federal bulk ammo. I've also got an olderish Savage (model unknown) bolt action .22. For less than $20 you can shoot all day at the range, and not even feel it the next day.
Last month, Dunhams had round receiver M91/30's on sale for $99.00. True, 7.62x54r is much more expensive than .22LR, but the boom can be heard from the next county over.
That in and of itself is worth it.Shop around for Mosin-Nagants, they can be had for a pittance. I got my M-44 from a C&R dealer in Florida, shipped to my FFL in Michigan, grand total of $180, $30 of which was FFL transfer fee.. Gotta love a gun that blasts a two foot ball of fire out the muzzle!
Travmcgrav
Member
I've pretty much decided to go with the marlin 795 for now because it's got great reviews and is just so dang cheap. I would like to thank all of y'all for the insight I've also decided to do an Appleseed event once i get familiar with my rifle.
Thanks again for all the help.
Travis
Thanks again for all the help.
Travis
Good choice I just got one too I got the ATI Dragonov (spelling?) stock. Looks awesome takes some cutting to fit it. and got a machine shop to make me some longer mags. Trust me the 10/22 isn't nearly as good out of the box, I've spent over 400 bucks even with the bull barel its not as accurate haha.
I'd say a Mosin-Nagant. You can pick one up for 70$ bucks, and then use the other 330$ to buy 1800 rounds of ammo (no exaggeration)
Most Milsurps will run for pretty cheap, your best bet is a Mauser 98 copy, Mosin Nagant, or Lee-Enfield. Only problem is that the Enfield's .303 ammo is pretty pricey, but they have modern production stuff coming out now.
Most Milsurps will run for pretty cheap, your best bet is a Mauser 98 copy, Mosin Nagant, or Lee-Enfield. Only problem is that the Enfield's .303 ammo is pretty pricey, but they have modern production stuff coming out now.
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