SUGGESTIONS FOR A SHOTGUNNER

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cdcmj

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I have been a shotgunner and light handgun user for a little while...i want to expand my horizons- what can you all suggest for my first rifle- i want it to be affordable (300-400 max, not sure what the price ranges are for quality rifles), versitile, and something that i can 'grow' in to, i dont want a POS that i will be regretting months or years down the road. Im a college student with a budget, thanks in advance for your replies.
 
What do you want to do with it?

Hunting? (If so, hunting what?)
Target?
Competition?
Plinking?
 
Plinking is informal target shooting, e.g. set up a line of cans or clay pigeons 50-500 yards away and try to hit them.

The first gun to come to mind is a CZ-452. It's an excellent .22LR bolt action in your price range. It's accurate and a "keeper." Available somewhat below MSRP, and WELL worth the price.

http://www.czusa.com/products_rimfire_rifles.php?m=1

There are many advantages to a .22: ammo is cheap, recoil is minimal, there aren't any ranges indoor or outdoor that don't allow them, and barrels last a lot longer than with centerfire rifles. They're good for targets to 100 yards, maybe a bit more.

No matter what you get in the future, you'll keep and use your .22 rifle, IF you don't get suckered into buying some frustrating POS.:)
 
I would go with a .22LR rifle. Probably a Ruger 10/22, Remington 597, or something by Marlin (not as up on their model numbers).

Cheap to buy (bolt, lever, or semiauto can be had for well under $200), and even cheaper to shoot. Almost no recoil, so between that and the low cost of ammo, you can shoot all day for almost nothing. Heck, you could even buy two and put a scope on one for $400, and then you can practice with both iron sights and a scope. Once you gain skill with that rifle and pick up more powerful rifles, you'll still enjoy taking the little rimfire out occasionally.

No point in spending lots of cash on a tremendously powerful rifle only to have it sit in the closet because you can't affort to shoot it.
 
Remington 760 deer rifle works almost exactly like a Remington 870 shotgun... if that's your shotgun, that should be your first big game rifle.
 
Oh yes.

You can hunt small game, and you can compete in many matches. Both Summer and Winter Olympics have events that require .22LR, in fact.

They're good for just about anything except for big game hunting and matches that require larger calibers, but hunters and match shooters still practice with .22LR guns.

Experienced shooters love their good .22's. That's why I'd recommend getting a good one that you can keep for a while. When you get to the point that you appreciate the finer points of rifles, you won't be itching for another one right away.
 
Since somebody already mentioned the Remington slide action rifle, I'll go with my second thought. If your shotgun is a break action you might find the Thompson Center Line of single shot rifles has a lot to offer. The reciever can accept a new barrel that the owner can change out. It's not uncommon for guys to have over three calibers for one frame. You could start out with a .22LR and move into a higher caliber one barrel at a time. New England Firearms makes a similar rig called the "Handi Rifle", however I don't know if they chamber the .22LR although I'd consider it silly if they didn't. I hope this helps. Oh one last thing, rifle accuracy is frequently referred to via the "Minute Of Angle" reference which translates to 1" at 100yds. The TC's I mentioned earlier have a great reputation for holding better than one MOA accuracy. You wouldn't be buying junk if you picked one up.
 
At Wally World, you can get the Winchester model 70 with a Simmons 3-9X40 scope for $398.98. I have three of these-two in .30-06 and one in .270WSM.
 
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