What gun for a total noob?

C

Creek Henry

New member
A Chinese person I work with (he just got his citizenship actually) wants a rifle. I took him skeet shooting and he's hooked but he wants a target rifle. He was trained by the Red Army 25 years ago and, at the end of training, got to fire 5 whole bullets at their range!

I suggested a Mossy bolt action from Academy ($150 or so on sale) in .17 HMR. He won't be using it on game and recoil is an issue for him... as it is with most people over 40 that have fired under 20 rounds in their lives.

What would you guys suggest for a budget minded noob with a cheap, cheap wife? The .17 is cheap to shoot, too.
 
Even cheaper would be .22LR in ammo and rifle.

That mossy would be a good place to start. Savage also makes a decent rifle for under $200. Just about every maker has them pretty inexpensive.

Depending on his budget I'd go Ruger 10/22 (even a used one). There are lots of after market parts for it in case he wanted to add to it.

If's he's pretty short might also consider a Cricket.
 
A bolt action 22 is what is needed.

Norinco JW15s are cheap and made in China which he might like.
My dad has one its actually a really nice gun, shoots pretty well too, not as good as the CZ/bruno it was copied off but its still good.
 
I would also 2nd the 891T BOLT .22 it would encourage accuracy and timing 1 shot at a time. As well as the cost savings.
 
My vote, would be the CZ 452 Military Trainer in .22lr. I'm guessing he shot those 5 rounds out of an AK(?)- the 452's sights wont be totally foreign to him. I't more accurate than he'll likely appreciate for a long time. It's adult size. It's iron sights will be familiar if he decides to graduate up to a mil-surp bolt rifle. The trigger is adjustable. It does not feel cheap. There may be other plusses in it's favor, but those are the one's off the top of my head.
 
A type 53 is a horrible idea. If he has a typical asian build the 7.62x54 from a 20" barrel may turn him off of shooting or give him a bad flinch for the rest of his life.

The .22 bolt action is a great idea. For a bit more he can get a Polish .22 training rifle with collectible value that might be quite similar to what he shot in his youth.

I would suggest that he look for a single shot combo set in .22/.243/20 ga and he'd have something for any occasion.
 
Good 22lr bolt action. Teach him good technique on paper, Shoot some spinners and play kick the can. He will be hooked and then he can move up to other toys.
 
I must concur with the .22 suggestions. Bolt, lever, semi - whatever floats his boat. There are plenty of inexpensive options that can get him started with minimal investment, and .22s are just plain fun to shoot. He will have a nice cheap paper puncher to get in lots of practice, and he will also be ready to hunt small game if he decides to get into hunting.
 
Have him try several at a range that rents them. Look at a 10-22. Oh, and if he got his US citizenship then he isn't Chinese, he's an American. Like you and me.
 
I think 22's turn more away from shooting than people realise. A 40 year old imigrant is probably gonna give shooting one try and take it or leave it, he's probably not looking to develop a new (very frustrating) life long skill like a kid might. People like to pretend new shooters arent ready or worthy to enjoy the same guns seasoned shooters do, and its a real disservice to our cause imho. My uncle took myself my sister and her boyfriend to the range when we were teens and we shot a 357 and 44 magnum sw revolvers. We had an absolute BALL. I had never fired a magnum revolver before but what do ya know after a couple shots I was grouping ok at 10 yards or so. I knew right then some day I wanted to own powerfull revolvers like that and now I have two safes full. So in response, I'd say you gotta get that guy out to the range having fun right away or he's gonna loose intrest. He doesnt know good shooting from bad either btw he just want to shoot and own a gun. I recomend he start with a semi automatic 223 of some sort. Its a powerfull economical low recoil cartridge and if he likes it he may just get hooked like I did.
 
Good point, Tim75... Perhaps the ideal thing to do is to take him out and let him shoot one of YOUR .22 rifles to see if he likes it, or if he wants something bigger/louder.
It is always a good thing to take a noob out with you and a variety of your stuff. We did that once with some fellow techs that weren't "gun folks". We each took three or four of our rifles and shotguns out and let them have a blast. We footed the bill for the ammo, gladly, and everyone had fun. Makes for good friends and good future shooters, if they are so inclined.
 
I would also 2nd the 891T BOLT .22 it would encourage accuracy and timing 1 shot at a time. As well as the cost savings.
Click to expand...

That Marlin is actually the 981T not 891T. I have one and it is a fantastic deadly accurate rifle for a pittance.
 
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