wanting to buy good first rifle

[printcraft]

We'll, I'm a green on everything rifle. Never had anything larger than .22lr, plenty of handguns but I've always wanted a heavy rifle of the AR15 style semi-auto variety. General purpose, range, zombie, the nice to have kind of fun. I know there are a multitude of choices out there, .223 or 5.56 nato (the same?) .308 or 7.62x39 (same?) and more.
Any suggestions would be appreciated, I know it's a broad topic but I want to get my foot in the door and need a suggestion of where to start. Seems like pretty much everyone around here has their mind in the right place.
Thanks!

 

[Coronach]

Do you have a .22 currently? If not, it's a great place to start. The Ruger 10-22 is a rifle you'll never outgrow. Once you get tired of its stock configuration you can turn it into just about anything.

If you're looking for an AR, a 16" rifle from any of the major makers (Colt, Bushmaster, Armalite, Rock River) is a great place to start for a do-everything kind of .223. Can you get more rifle for less money by shopping around and building yourself? Of course, but that's not a really great way to start.

I, personally, would go with:

16" barrel.
1/7 or 1/9 twist (the former becoming more common, but the latter is standard)
Carbine or midlength gas system (either will work fine, with the latter being less common, but marginally better for durability and ease of use)
Flat top with detachable carry handle.
Standard adjustable stock.

The flat top with carry handle allows you to use the rifle with iron sights just fine, and when you decide to change configuration you can just pop the carry handle off and throw it in the spare parts bin and slap on an optic and back-up irons. I recommend carry handle instead of flip-up irons only because you're new to this, and figuring out what flip-up sight you want can be a chore in and of itself.

Once you've played around with that setup, you'll have a MUCH better idea of where you want to go with the rifle next. There's plenty of flexibility/expandability in the rifle and it's a good setup right out of the box, and every one of the "major makers" puts out a rifle in that configuration.

I own a RRA in that exact setup and it's flawless (16", carbine gas, 1/9 twist)

Mike

 

[H2O MAN]

Yep, something like the Colt LE6920 M4 Carbine or the ArmaLite AR10A4 Carbine should do the trick.

I chose the Colt to supplement my M14s

 

[Coronach]

Oh, I missed the bit about 7.62 NATO/.308 ...

There are plenty of rifles in .308 (M1A, FAL, CETME, PTR, etc). There are AR-patterned rifles in .308, too. If you go with an M1A (M-14 patterned rifle), Springfield Armory is a good place to start. Purists will debate whether their rifles are up to snuff, but the fact is that they work well for 99% of people's usage and going with someone else will either increase cost quite a bit or get you something of uncertain quality, unless you've really done your homework. There are better makers out there, but they can be pricey indeed.

The FAL is kinda the same. Avoid anything put together by Century. DSA is the top dog, but also the most expensive. Going with a STG-58 from DSA is probably the best thing for a beginner...it's the cheapest rifle in their lineup, but is backed up by their customer service.

CETMEs are hit or miss. Avoid Century, again. The problem with many of these rifles is you have to know what to look for if you want one that will run 100%.

Personally, I think the AR is a better spot for a beginner to start. All of the rifles are pretty much modular, it's easy to swap stuff back and forth. If it's an AR accessory, it will probably work on your AR. If you get a rifle and discover you don't like something about the setup, just change it out. The .308 rifles are not nearly as flexible in this regard.

Mike

 

[Vaarok]

Mosin! Or K-31!

 

[1200 meters]

Not sure what you mean "good first rifle", but I'll give you three to consider.
1. K98 Mauser (father of all)
2. Ruger Mini-14 in 6.8
3.sporterized SKS.
Blitz

 

[printcraft]

Thanks for the info guys.
"Good first rifle", easy to operate, durable. Not a twitchy item that requires
constant adjustment to work. Something that will still work after I do something stoooopid (with 4 o's) to it. Not sure how to quote yet, still new here.

Today 11:42 AM
1200 meters Not sure what you mean "good first rifle", but I'll give you three to consider.
1. K98 Mauser (father of all)
2. Ruger Mini-14 in 6.8
3.sporterized SKS.
Blitz

 

[Vaarok]

Well, the Ruger's out. And I dunno why the sporterized SKS is an option, they tend to work less reliably the more you do to modify them, but the lineup remains the same:

Mosin (seriously, trigger spring is the only thing I've ever seen break on these)
Mauser ('cause, well, it's the commonest bolt rifle ever because it's so good)
SKS in military trim and cleaned thoroughly
K-31 (if you can shoot, you can't claim the K-31 is the reason you missed)
FAL if you've got a lot of money, but you'll probably end up burning expensive ammo.

These are in my opinion the best combinations of price, accuracy, and peasant-proof reliability.

I strongly suggest a Mosin. Everyone needs a couple. Hell, they're less than a hundred bucks.

 

[RP88]

if you're partial to going up to M4/AR15s, then a good starter could be a Saiga in .223.

You could also start at about half the price of an M4/AR15 and get an AK47 (or SKS if you want to go about as cheap as a Ruger 10/22). An AK/SKS's only drawback is that it does not share the same lovely price on ammo. For the cheaper 7.62 stuff, its about 180 bucks for 1000 rounds as opposed to 30 bucks for 1000 .22s where I'm at

and if you think thats bad, then you'll hate the cost of .223

 

[transformerguru]

You first rifle should be something with relitively few moving parts. A bolt action rifle is most likely the "best", in my mind", starter. Then as you become more proficient with it, then graduate yourself up to a semi auto. That is just my suggestion. I started with a semi .22 then a bolt 30.06. I just got my first semi auto rifle, M1 carbine and M1 Garand, this last year. I am looking to build an AK and buy an AR this year. BUT I had my bolt action for 8 years before my semi. It is just my advice, but what ever you get have fun with it and be careful.

 

[aka108]

Howa 1500. Available in quite a few common calibers, not too expensive, accurate and same mechanics as the Weatherby Vanguard.

 

[green-grizzly]

Have you considered a Garand? One in good shape can be bought for $600 from the CMP. That is a sound investment, and you could turn it around for more than that with no problem. They are legal in all 50 states, are quite accurate, reliable and fun to shoot. Surplus 30-06 ammo is actually cheaper right now that 223 or 308. You don't have to spend a lot of money on a bunch of magazines. The iron sights are excellent.

I like AR-15s too; if you look around you can usually find a good deal on a used one. The nice thing about them is their modular nature. The rifle can evolve over time as money permits and your interests change.

 

[Bitswap]

Printcraft,

It might be helpful to know what you plan to do. Hunting, target, home defense? Do you want to get into reloading? If your hunting, would it be small, medium, large, dangerous game? What does your budget look like?

 

[printcraft]

Bitswap,

Target and Home Defense, Hunting goes to the shotgun. Not a high interest
in reloading at this time but I will get into it I'm sure as my enthusiasm increases. I'm looking to build up my collection in a new direction that I have missed before.

 

[GunTech]

Another vote for the AR. It's the Lego of guns. You can start with a basic model and customize later on. Parts are easy to find, and they can shoot remarkably well.

They may be banned again with the next administration, which is another reason to get one now.

 

[RNB65]

AR-15 is the obvious recommendation.

But here's a nice little jewel that's fun to shoot -- CZ 527 Carbine in 7.62x39. Put a low power scope (1-4x or 2-7x) on it and you'll have a blast. I have one and it is by far my favorite rifle for plinking and casual shooting.

http://www.cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=15
.

 

[Bitswap]

+1 on an AR then. The 5.56, or colder cousin 223, is economical to shoot and low recoil. Makes a good varmint round too. Lots of sytles to choose from, or build your own! Head over to ar15.com for details. If not the AR-15 model, the Ruger mini 14 has a nice following and doesn't look as 'threatoning'.

I have one ar lower and three uppers. One has the basic 16" flat-top tactical barrel with eotech, the other configured for matches with iron sights, and the last has a 24" bull barrel/scope. They're versital.

There's something to be said for a marlin 336 in 44 mag too. But that's not to mainstream.

Then there's the all-around fun 'rifle'... kenutcky flintlock or percussion rifle. These are just plain fun though not too good for home defense though.

Your in a good position here. You've started with the 22lr and now going to another caliber. At one time I had six different calibers. Now I'm selling most off to settle down three or four. Pistol, short range, medium range, long range.. basically.

My 2 cents.

 

[rangerruck]

also, 223, and 5.56 are similar, but 556 is a tad stronger in charge, and strenght of case. so it is safe to fire 223 in 556 chamber, but if you have an old/weak, abused rifle, you may not want to fire 556 , in a 223 rifle. but I have a very nice, strong made cz, so I don't worry about it.
Also 308 and 762.39 is the same diameter bullet, but the whole cartridges are totally diff. the 308 is roughly 2 times larger than an 762 russian.
now then , the 762.54 russian , which is still used in the mosin nagants, and other rpks, dragunovs, and such, is a nice big juicy round, and if you were in a zombie pinch, you could fire 308's(762.51), in a 762.54. but you could NOT DO THAT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!!!!

 

[gunnerh]

The AR15 for all the aformention reasons plus it is an easy rifle to learn on. Take you time a fine one that fits you. Ammo for the it is not out sight. Lots of reasonable priced ammo out there. Have fun.

 

[GigaBuist]

if you were in a zombie pinch, you could fire 308's(762.51), in a 762.54. but you could NOT DO THAT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!!!!

Please don't ever try this.

 

[trigga]

a few things to keep in mind is what you will be using the gun for... all my guns i attend to hunt with them and from time to time have a little fun at the range. my first gun i bought was a remington 870 mag with bird barrel and seperate cantilever rifled barrel. it was a multi purpose gun due to the fact that you can hunt most games with it so it served me well. now that i have two good hunting guns (also my remmy 7400) i got me an ak and ar15 for every now and then range trips, these two are rather want than need.