Starter Rifle

K

kflach

New member
I'm doing my preliminary research on rifles. I probably won't be able to afford one for a while, but I want to know what to look for when that time comes. There are so many types and models out there I don't know what to even begin looking at - at least beyond a Winchester '73. I do know, however, that it needs to be both SASS and NCOWS appropriate.

What brands/models would you recommend as a good 'starter' rifle? Why that particular model? What kind of price range would be reasonable for it - new and used?

Are there any key characteristics I should look for on it (for example one particular sight instead of another)?

Is that model usually good to go right out of the box or does it usually need work done on it before it's good as a match gun?

Is there anything that's popular out there that a beginner should definitely stay away from?

I'm not worried about where to get one yet, I just want to start narrowing the field on what to get. Thanks!
 
Marlin 94 is a good beginner gun. Rossi/Puma 92 is good. Older Rossi's have a rough action out of the box but they slick up nice.
 
I agree with Hawg with the Marlin as a starter rifle. Easily cleaned, easily slicked and affordable.
Stay away froms?
Taurus pump rifles.
A lot of people shoot 1894 Winchesters but they are not a good choice for a Cowboy rifle. Never intended for short cartridges, hard to clean and very hard to "slick" in any fashion.
In my opinion: Although never having owned one, I see a lot of shooters having issues with (non-slicked) 1892s.
Go to:
My main match rifle is an 1866 in 44-40.
Go to 1873s for the best choice for the competitor's rifle.
 
Noz, when you just list the year does that mean it's a Winchester (Winchester 1892, or Winchester 1866, etc)? Edited: I've done a bit of poking around. Apparently, regardless of the manufacturer the year is used in indicate it's a clone/replica of the Winchester model of that particular year.
 
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Yeah, my bad.

When you talk about them all the time it becomes easy to start talking in code.

Rifles:
1860 Henry. Tubular magazine is a machined part of the barrel
Uberty makes clones of this gun. Good cowboy gun but is heavy, slow and a bit cumbersome to load. Originally chambered in the 44 Rimfire cartridge.

1866 Winchester. Essentially an 1860 Henry with a few modernizations. Loading gate in the side panel, tubular magazine made of sheet metal. Has a distinctive "brass" frame on most models. Also originally chambered in the 44 Rimfire and clones made by Uberti.

1873 Winchester. Internals virtually the same as an 1866 but some additions to the outside. Added a dustcover and changed some screw locations to make take down for cleaning easier. Most significant change was the addition of the lever safety that prevents the gun from firing out of battery. Originally chambered for the 44 WCF (44-40) and clones made by Uberti. This is the gun of choice for most competitive cowboy shooters

1892 Winchester. A radical departure from the "toggle link" actions of the 60, 66, and 73. Much stronger action and is capable of handling modern high pressure rounds. I know very little about the '92s. I've seen good ones on the range and bad ones. Several different clone manufacturers

1894 Winchester. Again a departure from previous actions and designed to use the longer rifle rounds. All attempts to convert them to pistol rounds have met with varying degrees of success. Probably the poorer choice for cowboy of any of the Winchesters.

1894 Marlin. Action does not in any way resemble any of the Winchesters. Much easier to take down and much easier to clean. Easiest of the "cowboy guns" to tune to race ready. Most people cannot run them as fast as an 1873.

So the terms, 1860, 1866, 1873, 1892 and 1894 all refer to a Model of rifle. This terminology also applies to the clones or copies.

The Henry Big Boy has no roots in history and although the company would like for you to think so has no ties to the original Henry Rifle. I have no working knowledge of it other than hearsay which would indicate a very modest following and several detractors.

Be advised that there are several models of rifles that fall in the same time frame that are of interest but are rarely seen on the cowboy circuit.
 
No problem - I'm learning this stuff (slowly but surely).

I must admit there are days I'd like to hire a consultant to sit with me and show me what's what (live and in person, pointing at the actual guns, showing me the actual parts, etc). That's one of the things I'm looking forward to most about going to visit the local NCOWS group this weekend. I've appreciated everyone's help but pictures and web articles can only take you so far.


There's so much to learn....

...but I'm having a heck of a good time learning it!
 
1860 Henry. Tubular magazine is a machined part of the barrel
Uberty makes clones of this gun. Good cowboy gun but is heavy, slow and a bit cumbersome to load. Originally chambered in the 44 Rimfire cartridge.
Click to expand...

There's also no wood fore end and it gets real hot real quick, especially with black powder.
 
I'll vote for the Marlin as well. Have a 1894CB in 38/357 with the 24" barrel and love it. Very nice finish, shoots slick, excellent firearm overall.

My brother bought a Puma in same caliber. Not as impressed with that one. Mainly I didn't care for the stock fit in several spots, and of all things, his has a very sharp edge to the loading gate area of the receiver. Tends to cut the fingers up if you aren't careful loading the bullets. Maybe that's just his particular specimen though.

Good luck!
 
kron, you said 24-inch barrel. Isn't that a bit longer than normal for CAS? I get the impression that most people use around 18-20 so they can handle it more easily. Do you have to do anything different to accommodate the extra length?
 
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