New rifle - thoughts, ideas & opinions?

Check out the CZ 527 Carbine. It's perfect for what you're talking about. Grab one in 7.62x39 and you'll be able to hunt deer with it, if the mood ever strikes you. Range ammo is cheap too.
 
Rothdel said:
I didn't want to offer any unless you were interested.

So many options its hard to even know where to start so a couple suggestions.

1. Check out C&R sellers as they tend to focus on Milsurp. Clasicfirearms, J&G sales, Southern OH Gun, Libertytree collectors, and Old Steel Firearms, are a few of my go to sites for perusing.

2. Play around on Gunbroker in their C&R section or play around with caliber searches and back into what you might want.

I few of my current favorites.

1. SKS - They are semi so may not interest you but the 7.62X39 is abundant and cheap to shoot. Tend to be well made and accuracy runs from acceptable to pretty darn good. I have one that shoots far better than it has any right to and my other is good enough for fun days at the range

2. Mosin Nagant's - 7.62X54 is a solid cartridge and is widely available. The firearm is common and comes in many variants. I really like the M44 carbine variant but that's just me. Accuracy tends to be MEH but again some are better than others. If accuracy is a bigger concern than you sugested earlier you can always look at the Finnish M39 which is essentially a reworked Mosin (for all you Historians I know I simplified that) that generally provides far better accuracy.

3. Mausers - Ok huge huge huge subset of firearms here that obviously can fill books. Short version is that 8MM and 7MM still available and popular. Pricing ranges from cheap to stupidly expensive depending on what your looking at but solid shooters are out there and not hard to find. If you want a solid bolt gun, with irons, and providing decent accuracy this might be the best way to go for surplus guns.

4. .22 LR trainers. Many military's used 22 rifles for training to reduce cost. These can be stand a lone designs or conversions of military long arms. Some times these are great ways to get into a nice bolt action rifle that has old time aesthetics with cheap ammo cost. Again there is an entire world of firearms in this category but well worth a look.

5. Everything else. Enfields, Swedish, Egyptian, Persian, ect ect ect. Lots of options here and playing around on some online retailers and then doing some research after that. I have found that when it comes to milsurp the hunt can be as much fun as the shooting. Only real issue here is that some of these old guns are easier to find than the ammo they shoot. Arisaka rifles can be nice but sourcing their ammo no so much.

6. Spoterized Firearms. Controversial topic depending on who you talk to but sometimes a good way to get into one of these firearms for less money. While I doubt I would ever sport a military firearm myself I have purchased more than a few that had already been altered. Some I have attempted to put back to military configuration and some I enjoy for what they are now. Either way they can be low priced for what you get.

7. Commercial firearms. I don't know as much here but would suggest a solid 1894 in 30-30 is a good way to go. Lots of these were made and the 30-30 has not changed over the years. I had one and sold it and have been kicking myself ever since.
Click to expand...
Thanks! That gives me a staring place that I can find things that look interesting and be able to come back and ask needed questions.
 
"Fun gun": For me, it would be either a .22 rimfire or a low-recoil centerfire such as the .223. Either would use low or comparatively low cost ammo.
 
Another rinfire has been on my mind. The above mentioned 10/22 and a CZ 455 Shamrock has shown up for sale somewhat locally. Tempting on both of them.
 
A new rifle

Have you considered a single shot rifle?

The Contender would allow you to play with various calibers. And there are many used barrels around.

A good pistol/rifle caliber to look into is the .357 Maximum.
 
I got into .223 Rem rifles late in life and have three bolt-actions in that chambering now. It's fun and inexpensive to shoot, whether using factory or handloaded ammo.

We used to have a .22-250 Rem, which is a step-up in power for varmint hunting, but accuracy isn't any better than the .223 Rem. Ammo is more expensive and due to the tapered cases, they stretch a lot, so handloading is more of a fuss.

If you just want to shoot rimfire, that's a lot of fun and I shoot much more rimfire in both rifles and handguns than anything else. I like semi-autos, even for informal target shooting. A Ruger 10-22 target model is a really fun rifle and they shoot really well. They can also be "improved" in many ways.
 
Been doing some googling and researching this week. Starting with that I know, still need to spend more time looking at surplus options.

The CZ452/455 is a great rifle, but it’s the least likely unless I get some time behind one and it it shoots my American by leaps and bounds.

The 10/22 Mannlicher I found is still an option but I’ve been thinking about it a lot less. Will need to meet up with a friend and spend some time with his 10/22 to decide if it’s the synthetic stock 10/22 I don’t enjoy or the semi-auto part. So that one is in the back burner for now.

The Browning T-Bolt, CZ527 & Contender are options still.

Other than the Contender, I found the Henry Single shot in .223 that fits my wants.

Going to hit up some more stores tomorrow and see what I can find to touch.

My wife did point out that I may want to consider a more “target” type 22LR pistol. I’m starting to feel that everything I narrow things down I add more back. I’ll know it when I find it though.
 
Well after hitting half a dozen gun stores around the Indianapolis area today, I found it! The second to last store that I was willing to try had not one but two Browning T-bolts at an acceptable, but not ideal price, once the 10% rebate from Browning is factored in.

So a Browning T-Bolt with the maple stock followed me home. I’ve already hit the range with it and love the straight pull back bolt. It’s much lighter than my American and has a better trigger. Light, but not too light and no creep or overtravel. It’s just a delight to work.

I failed to stick to my own guidelines but it was close enough at the end to work out. The T-Bolt doesn’t have iron sights which forced optics, which forced delaying my other project for a bit longer. Luckily that project is also a want and not a need, so no harm no foul.

Anyways, thanks for all the ideas! I’m sure I’ll come back down this road again at some point trying to justify a want without a need.
 
Basic 22LR. My accounting background & logic won in the end. Stick to what I shoot the most.

The hardest adjustment from the T-Bolt to my American is the optics. I have a Vortex Crossfire IIbon the American and the Nikon Prostaff on the T-Bolt. Vortex is easier on my eyes due to its size, but the Nikon has a clearer image.
 
Everyone should own a bolt-action .223, IMHO. I never had one until a few years ago and didn't know what I was missing.

The .223 is about the cheapest centerfire to shoot and is inherently quite accurate with half-decent ammo. It also shoots fairly flat to beyond 200 yards, though I rarely exceed that distance with mine. It's just a blast to shoot.

There's hardly any recoil and excellent ammo is available about anywhere.

I have a Tikka and a Rem 700. They both shoot about any factory ammo well-under 1 MOA. I'd buy another Tikka.
 
Savage Lightweight Varminter .222 Remington Cartridge - It's inexpensive to own and operate. The cartridge is extremely accurate.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top