Wanting to buy a rifle...

B

BrianF-Jax

New member
I'm looking to buy a rifle for target practice and fooling around. I don't hunt.

I had been thinking about a marlin 60, or a Ruger 10/22, but I was wondering about larger rounds.

I like a gun that has a little more (ok, a lot more!) kick to it than a .22, and I also like a gun thats a little bigger than most .22's (I'm 6'4" with long arms...)

With a budget of around $350, what do you think I should do?

My only other concern is the price of ammo, but I don't mind buying mail order, or off the internet if need be...

Thanks! :)

-Brian
 
What cartridge do they come chambered in? What should I look for in an M1, haven't looked at them much yet.

Thanks! :)

-Brian
 
Get a good lever gun chambered for a handgun caliber. You should be able to get something in .357 or .44 magnum for that $350, and then you can get a handgun of similar caliber later if you wanted.

Reloading then becomes a real option, and you'll save a lot of time and trouble.

I'd recommend the .44 magnum. Bambi would have no chance out to about 125 yards.
 
Target practice and fooling around? My first thought is the .22lr, but if you want more kick than how about a .223? Ammo is cheap and available, and you can get the Savage 110FP or the short action model 10FP. These are real shooters, and fall right in your price range. Toss on a decent scope (3.5-10x44mm would be nice) and you're in business.
Don't overlook the .22lr, though-they make some full size models like the Rem 541T, Ruger K77/22 or Win 52B that you can find used in great shape. And ammo is REALLY cheap.
-Paul
 
Can you recommend any models in particular? Thanks for your help.

-Brian

Posted a little late.. this post was directed at Bob Locke.. still looking at all my options. :)

[This message has been edited by BrianF-Jax (edited September 26, 2000).]
 
How about a surplus bolt-action or 3? I have two No4Mk1 Enfields and I love them. Rugged as a Mack truck and well made. Highly recommend them. Great "fun" gun.
 
Ledbetter:

That does look pretty neat, unfortunately I've got a few years to go before I'm legal to own a handgun so it wouldn't do me much good. :(
 
Brian,

The M1 Carbine comes in .30 Carbine..a really nice mild round that you can shoot all day long with no problem. George is right...you can also use them for serious work if need be. Ruger makes/made a great Blackhawk in .30. A real joy of a wheelgun, but loud as all get out. Have fun with whatever you choose.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BrianF-Jax:
I'm looking to buy a rifle for target practice and fooling around.

....

My only other concern is the price of ammo, but I don't mind buying mail order, or off the internet if need be...[/quote]

Get a .22lr rifle, buy $50.00 worth of ammo (about 3,000 rounds at current prices for bulk ammo!) and save the rest up for a scope, or your next rifle.

I have never enjoyed any firearm more than, nor have I learned more riflery skills than I did from my Marlin tube fed semi-automatic rifle.

Given your price limits, I suggest you get a .22lr for now and leave enough in your budget for enough ammo to really shoot as much as possible. There really is no comparison between the costs of rimfire ammo and the costs of ANY centerfire ammo. At the local Wally-mart I can buy 550 rounds of federal .22lr for around $8 including tax. That same $8 buys me only 40 rounds of el-cheapo (winchester or remington) .223 (not including tax!), or less than the full cost of a 50 round box of 9mm, .45acp or 38 special. I will not even bring up the cost of .308 (or larger) cartridges.

If you want to shoot, have fun, practice and improve your skills, a .22lr (you choose the action type) is the way to go.

And maybe you could save a few dollars in your shooting budget for a good book on the basice of riflery.

[This message has been edited by Dizzipator (edited September 27, 2000).]
 
I agree with Dizzipator. For maximum shooting, you're not going to do better than the good old .22. Almost any brand will work fine - Winchester, Marlin, Remington, Ruger - you name it. You can get any of them for under $200 or even less. And it's the kind of gun you'll keep forever and pass on to your own kids when the time comes. I've still got the Win mod. 69 that my dad bought when he was 16 and 1 wife, 4 kids, and more grandkids than you can count, have all learned to shoot with that gun.

Punching holes in paper with a .22 is JUST as satisfying as the biggest, baddest, .30 cal. or .357, or AR-15 that was ever built, and a darn sight cheaper.

Brian, all the "more kick" guns look neat and sound cool, but when you stand at the cash register at Wal-Mart (or even on the Internet) comparing ammo prices, the .22 gets better and better and you'll do a TON more shooting.


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If "the people" in the 1st, 4th, 9th & 10th amendments, means "the people", why do some folks think "the people" in the 2nd amendment means "the state"?
 
Now I wouldn't go so far as to say that shooting a .22 is just as fun as any AR-15, but they certainly are fun to shoot. I agree that with your parameters you should look at a $100 gun from Wal-Mart. Maybe put a $30-50 scope on it if that's your thing. Then buy $200 worth of ammo for it. That's about 11,000 rounds. It should keep you busy for a long time.

The tube fed Marlin is a good deal at about $90. I like the tube fed gun better than the magazine fed. That said I own a Remington 597 that is magazine fed. It's a pain to load the mags. Tube feed is much better for a .22 in my opinion.
 
I got a Ruger 10/22 today. Stainless barrel/receiver, cleaning kit, and a few boxes of ammo to get me going.

I'll probably shoot it this weekend.

Thanks for setting me down the right road. Now I've got a .22 and a 12 gauge. That puts me on both ends of the caliber spectrum, just need to fill in the middle ground. ;)

Thanks again,

-Brian
 
Well done!

My 10/22 in stainless/synthetic arrived at our shop today as well, so I'm pretty pumped, too!

I figure to get a couple of extra magazines, then load up once in the mornings and hunt ALL day, with plenty left over for killing cans at the tail end.

You done good, amigo. :D
 
Bob:

Something else I thought I'd share....

The sales guy at the store noted that if I bought a gun chambered in a "pistol only" round, I wouldn't be able to buy ammo for it here since I'm not 21! :eek:

I liked that idea at first, but that would've been tough! :)

Good luck with the new gun, I can't wait to shoot mine.

-Brian
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BrianF-Jax:
I got a Ruger 10/22 today. Stainless barrel/receiver, cleaning kit, and a few boxes of ammo to get me going.
...
Now I've got a .22 and a 12 gauge. [/quote]

Congratulations on your first rifle! Now you have to learn to put it to use and learn how to take care of it.

First off, do not "overclean" your 10/22's barrel. It has been reported by many sources that many more .22 rimfires have been destroyed by negligent cleaning than by being "shot out". Reference the posts above about the same .22's being put to use by generation after generation of a family. The soft lead, wax lube and small powder charge of the .22lr combine to make cleaning of the barrel a rare necessity. The action may get crudded up, but the barrel tends to take care of itself. (Others on the board will likely have good suggestions on how to know when you need to clean, and how to clean the 10/22)

Second, you should get some instruction on some basic riflery skills. I don't want to take the fun out of shooting by making it too clinical, but the NRA basic rifle class that I took as a Phy-Ed class in college put me on the road to being more than just a "plinker". Even if you do not want to take a class, the NRA education division has many affordable and good books on the basics of riflery.

I am glad to hear that you have a 12 guage, that way you have a serious defensive arm available.

In the future, you may want to try to find some 25,30 or even 50 round magazines for your 10/22 that were made before the government unilaterally declared such things as unfit for public production. Hey, every shot has to count, but sometimes its fun to just turn your 10/22 into a bullet-hose!

(I threw that last part in just to make sure I did not suck all of the fun out of your new purchase :) )

Again, congratulations, you made a great choice.

Happy shooting!
 
I thought at first i would not make it in time :rolleyes: I am glad you did not buy a M1,[ must be a few people on the board trying to GIVE YOU A GOOD DEAL on there's] and you settled for a 10/22. Now go out to a gun show or look it up on a web page and buy a half case of sniper sub sonic round's and you will have some fun. Next get a sks, russian, 20 stripper's, a case of ammo, and when the "bug" hit's you email me and we will talk serious s#@t.

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"NO MORE MR. NICE GUY"
 
I've had my eye on the SKS for a while now. It'll be high up on my list when my next purchase comes along.

Why the sniper sub-sonics? :confused:

-Brian
 
The sub sonic's are twice as long[bullet head] as a regular 22 long and they feed well and has twice the kick and are really fun to shoot.

------------------
"NO MORE MR. NICE GUY"
 
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