What would you choose for your first long gun?

[Ala Dan]

Really, it depends on what the gun will be used for; application for
lack of a better term. If you are looking for a small, rimfire caliber the
.17 HMR's are really making some headway with lots of gun sales. OTOH,
nothing is more enjoyable than shooting a .22 caliber LR out of a very
nice firearm. With that said, and kind'a in the middle of the road price
wise CZ makes a very fine rifle in their 452 American. Put a Bushnell
Banner scope on this baby, and it makes for one fine squirrel gun.

Moving up the latter a bit, the .223 Remington bolt action rifles always
draw a good crowd of varmint hunters here in the South. Remington
makes some very nice rifles chambered in this round. It would take up
far too much bandwidth to list all available options from Remington.
Also, in staying with the same type of action the .243 Winchester
remains as a very popular main stay here in Dixie. I sell a lot of the
Ruger Compact's (both, blue-wood and stainless-laminate) in this
caliber; and in .308 Winchester. My favorite rifle (and caliber) in
the Remington model 700 bolt gun is .25-06. A very good, and
very flat shooting round with super accuracy. And of course, the
.30-06 Springfield and 7m/m Remington magnum remain on course
as popular long range choices.

And since Winchester announced that it was discontinuing models
70 (bolt action rifle), 94 (lever action rifle), and 1300 (shotguns)
a new wave of buyer's has darkened the doors. The model 94 in
the Traditional, and the Legacy are completely sold out in our
store. We do have a few of the expensive Tribute Winchester
.30-30's left, priced at over eight C-notes.

For home defense or general plinking, nothing beats an AR-15.
There are plenty of them out there from such makers as Armalite,
Bushmaster, Colt, DPMS, Rock River, and others. Again, the one
I prefer is my COLT with 16" barrel, collaspsible stock, detach-
able carry handle, and equipped with a Bushnell HOLO-sight
mounted on a Calvary Arms mount. This gun always draws much
attention from the gun crowd when I have it at the public range.

So, there you have it my friend. The choices are many, and may
vary with each application. Notice, that I have intentionally left
out some of the "high dollar" long guns such as Steyr, Browning,
Kimber, Sako, and Weatherby; and not included long guns from
Tikka, Howa, and New England Firearms.

 

[Frandy]

Most practical all-arounder is a 12 ga shotgun. Pump action are more robust. Can't go wrong with a Remington 870 or a Mossberg 500.

Next most practical is a 22 lr. Looks like you have that covered.

Third, something with common ammo that can reach out further than 12 ga slugs. 30-30, 30-06, 308. Bolt or lever action.

Exactly!

 

[Zen21Tao]

Also consider a cheap Mosin Nagant (91/30, M38, M44) they are around $60 and are very accurate. Plus, the 7.62x54r ammo for them is available in cheak bulk mil-surp. Also, you can throw on a plastic aftermarket stock. The best part is that you can fill you desire for a longer range rifle and have plenty of money left for other guns, ammo, and accessories.

 

[Lupinus]

if you want one do it all gun a 12 guage.

Though a good 22 is a great thing. You wont be taking deer with it but its great to have a good 22. Good on all manner of small game and while far from optimal 16 .22lr rounds at short hallway range to the chest is something that can't be good for ones health.

 

[Red Tornado]

Get "your" .22's and you've covered 99% of your bases if you won't be hunting.

If you plan to hunt, match your first gun to your prey. As mentioned (repeatedly) a shotgun is the most versatile.

If you plan to go to the range, an accurate bolt action will help you hone your shooting skills, and you can discover the joy of trying to make ever smaller groups. (Remington, Savage, Winchester, etc.)

If you just want to blast some full power ammo, check out the milsurps: Mosin Nagents, Mausers, SKS, AK47, M1 Garand, 1903A3, Enfields, ad infinitum.

If you want to be a Mall Ninja, the AR15 is your only valid choice.
RT

 

[liberty911]

I've already made the choice., I have a Mossberg 12g, but I don't consider that a long gun.

My first long gun will be the AR-15. But first I have t oget out of CA and into Flrodia. About 64 days and counting.

 

[LandShark]

My first rifle was a winchester 94 in 30-30. Shortly thereafter i got a set of dies and a press. 30-30 made for a great first rifle.