What gun(s) to buy next?

B

BigBL87

New member
Hi, new member and relatively new to gun ownership. Recently bought my first, a Mossberg 500 Field/Home combo. As it seems happens with these things, I caught the bug and want to buy more! I have posted a similar question on THR so if you're a member over there and this looks familiar, there's a reason for it. Looking for input on what route to go.

I've narrowed my options down to:

EAA SAR B6P (9mm semi-auto) - Read nothing but great things about this Turkish CZ-75 clone. Have also held one locally and it fit my hand nicely.

OR

Savage 64 (22lr rifle) - I've read and been told that every gun owner needs a 22 rifle, and it would be nice to have one for plinking and fun shooting.
AND
Mosin Nagant 91/30 (7.62×54R rifle) - I've always been a history buff and this seems like it would be a cool one to own, and fun to shoot to boot.


The thing that makes it difficult is my budget is pretty strictly $300 (hence the B6P and not a "higher end" semi auto handgun). I am open to getting a revolver as well but they seem to be more expensive than semi's as far as I have seen.

My main purposes are home defense and fun shooting, in no particular order since I am confident in my Mossberg 500 for home defense. If I was looking at pure home defense I'd go with the 9mm no question, but for the same price as the 9mm I could get both the Savage 64 and the Mosin Nagant. One note on the Mosin, since I'm in IL hunting isn't an option with a rifle so I don't have that added use like most others might.

So, what do you guys think?
 
Ya, I've heard they're alot of fun to shoot. If we could use them for hunting in IL, I'd have already bought one because it would have pushed it past the breaking point of usefulness. But alas, unless Illinois changes their mind on shotgun/archery only, it'll just be a fun gun with some cool history.
 
I think you're off to a good start. The Mossberg 500 is definitely on the "all gun owners should have one" list. All the reviews the new EAA pistols have been positive. The Savage 64 is a great semi-auto .22lr. The Mosin is a classic and versatile "do-all" battle rifle in a fairly powerful caliber, and ammo is cheap and plentiful.

However... I'm gonna steer you towards a Ruger 10/22 vice the Savage. The aftermarket for the 10/22 is immense, and for the Savage is non-existant. For just the availability of cheap 25+rd magazines for the Ruger, it's a better choice for a plinker.

Mosins are great rifle, but they have their drawbacks... the first is that they really aren't that accurate. They can be "made" more accurate, but then you run into the limitations of how good the cheap surplus ammo is. They also have tremendous recoil and noise. I've fired one and concur with most people that say it's somewhere near .30-06, which is not a caliber you go plink with. True, I have buddies who will do their best to blow through a whole 440 spam can in an afternoon, but they also have way more body hair than I do. And since you can't hunt in IL with centerfire rifle...well. All in for the rifle, shipping, FFL fees (you got your C&R?), and your first spam can, it's gonna be $250+ for the Mosin. I'd say your money is better spent elsewhere unless you really really just want one.
 
I was thinking about a 10/22, but I honestly don't see myself really doing much in the way of aftermarket. Most all shooting I will do will be at my in-laws property as I live in town (a tiny town of 700 but in town none the less) so I can't imagine I'll trick it out that much if it's just for the occasional afternoon of plinking. I've also heard that the 10/22 is not incredibly accurate out of the box compared to comparable Savages and Marlins but it can be made into a tack driver with aftermarket parts.

Probably the biggest reason I was leaning towards the Savage 64 over the others though was that it's one of the biggest 22lr rifles I've found. I held a Marlin 795 (comparable size to the 10/22 from what I've read) the other day and it just seemed way too small to be comfortable for me (I'm 6'5" and have pretty long arms), and the Savage is a few inches longer. I was actually thinking about the Ruger American in 22lr, as it is basically a full sized rifle in 22lr and the price isn't crazy high (I could get it for around $240 total). It's a bolt action though, although I guess with the rarity of 22lr a bolt slowing me down might not be a bad thing.

Lastly, I was also thinking about a Mossberg Plinkster with the Brushed Chrome barrel because it comes with a 14.25" LOP and a 21 inch barrel, seems like it would be pretty close to "full sized" and it's only $195 all said and done.
 
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have been cruising this site for some time.Just joined..I have had my Winchester model 90..I think..22lr since I was a teenager..one gun I will never part with
Have hunted since a teen with a 12ga Mossberg 500 and my wife bought me a
20 gauge a few years back.2 years ago bought a S&W M&P 9mm for me and a Ruger LCP .380 for her.Recently took my CCW and realized my M&P is too big to carry so I sold it and went looking.I think my next one will be the M&P Shield
but also fell in love with the new Glock 42... .380...but in light of the .380 ammo shortage..I may wait on another .380..also been thinking about going to a .40 instead of the 9mm...although have found a few 9mm Beretta Nano's in the area for around 350.00
 
BigBL87, welcome to TFL.

Given the wide range of possibilities you mention, the best way to narrow it down would be to try some guns in each category (not necessarily the exact models you mention) and see what kind of shooting turns your crank.

Do people in your family have such guns? If so, they might let you shoot them... ;)

Or if there's a range anywhere near you, you might be able to rent some guns to try out.

One further thought: if you decide you want a rifle, do consider a .22 as your first one. The fun of rifles is shooting them well, and that takes a lot of practice, and even some training -- with the Savage, or a 10/22 or other semi-automatic, you could go to an Appleseed shoot, get excellent, inexpensive instruction, and the ammo for a couple of days shooting won't break the bank. A .22 has a lot going for it as a tool for learning marksmanship.
 
I had a Mossberg Plinkster, it did nothing but jam. No amount of lubing, cleaning or mag changes fixed it. WalMart sent it back and a month later I got fed up and had a firm conversation with the store manager. They reluctantly refunded my money.

Now my favorite long gun is...my lever action Henry. I have a Garand, AR, bolt action x39 and by far it is the most fun to plink with. New ones will run under $300.

Skip those Turkish handgun copies. My friend has a Canik somethingoruther and finding extra mags is impossible. It also has something wrong with the feed ramp and he can't get it fixed because it has to be sent back to Turkey.:eek:
 
The Mosin for sure! Those suckers are LOUD!

I also may have been playing too much ARMA3 and DayZ so my love for the Mosin may be biased ;)
 
Vanya, my father-in-law and brother-in-law have several 22's. I know my father in law has a 10/22 and two others, not sure what the two others are and not sure he even remembers what they are. Not sure on what my brother-in-law has either. Unfortunately, none of the ranges around here rent out guns that I know of, I'll have to see if I can find one close by

chris in va, I do know you can get mags for them through Cajun Gun Works (I think that's the name). They aren't cheap for sure but they are available. I also read that SAR is supposed to be setting up their own facility here in the US soon so you won't have to go through EAA for things much longer as far as that stuff goes at least. Thanks for the info on the Plinker, from what I've read they seem to be very hit or miss. One reason I've been considering a bolt 22 is that they don't seem to be as picky about ammo.
 
The thing about a .22 is that if you take even minimal care of it you can shoot it a lot for the rest of your life and then give it to your kids who can do the same.

I say this to point out if that if you figure the thing will last, well, forever, then you can figure your price per year is almost nothing and THEN you can open up the purse strings a little and get a nicer one. (These are the games I play in my head when I'm shopping for firearms. :rolleyes:)

I share your experience about the accuracy of the Ruger 10/22 but the important thing to note is the 'average' experience folk have. Just taking my word that I wasn't very good shooting ONE 10/22 or that I had a great experience with a Remington 597 (I did), or that my friend had an XYZ that was a jam-o-matic doesn't mean much at all. You need to play the odds, bet on what will PROBABLY win, and have a backup plan in place if you get something you don't like. Like is the customer service of the company any good, or what's the used market like for this one if I decide I don't like it and want to sell it.

All that said, if you decide you can spend more a *lot* of people like the CZ lineup of .22 rifles. They are said to be VERY accurate.

http://www.cz-usa.com/products/by-category/rimfire-rifles/

Here's an excellent spot for .22 info and info on all the brands:
http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/index.php
 
Thanks DaleA. I have definitely learned to get a wide variety of input on virtually any product before I make a decision. The Savage 64 and Marlin 795 are the only ones I've found locally although I haven't hit any of the pawn shops yet. The Marlin 795 I've held and just seemed to small, the Savage felt OK in my hands. I do really feel like whichever route I go I may get a good one or I may have to deal with jamming. I'd like to stay under $150 if I can so that I can get a 9mm also, but if I have to go more expensive I will.
 
As much as I love my Marlin 795, I would advise dropping it from your possibilities for good. If it's bugging you on the fitment to your body (which at 6'5" it would me, too) I would look elsewhere without any guilt.

I completely understand your concern regarding the 10/22 may not be as accurate as it could be with aftermarket parts. However, take a long, hard look at them anyway. Consider looking at the manufacturer as a whole. Ruger's been around for a long time. They put out a great product at reasonable prices. They're not going anywhere, i.e. closing their doors. Customer service is top notch. Aftermarket parts availability is second to none. So, in the future, you can customize it little by little without breaking the bank to suit your own wants/needs. There are multitudes of stocks out there that would most likely upgrade to a better fitment for you. Now, back to the accuracy debate. Most .22s in your budget range isn't exactly going to break any records. Keep in mind what one thinks is a good grouping may not be so for another. If you're looking to have some fun plinking cans at 50 yards or so then I wouldn't have any hesitation to get a 10/22. It will be plenty accurate and reliable. Again, making it more accurate won't be very expensive nor difficult.

So far, I can say the same for Savage. I'm not well versed in the 64. I have seen favorable posts about them here (moreso on a reputable rimfire board). The company is well known for accurate rifles right out of the box with a much lower price point than most competitors.

The one thorn in my side recommending a .22 is the fact ammo is scarce. It's going to be quite some time before we see it sitting on shelves long enough to gather much dust and cost is skyrocketing.

SamNavy has valid points on the Mosin. I personally think it's a great rifle to start your mil-surp collection. They're one of the cheapest mil-surp rifles out there right now. Prices are only going to rise. With your build, you should be able to handle the recoil without any problems. Ammo is cheap and plentiful right now. Don't expect under 1 MOA or anything. The possibilities are there to get one that accurate, but the common ones usually won't be.
 
GET A MOSIN!

If don't have one (a Mosin) GET ONE (they're not getting any cheaper).

To wet your appetite:

f82h.jpg
 
Thats a nice looking rifle! My father in law thinks they're ugly but I really like the look of Mosins.

I'm actually kind of leaning towards a 9mm right now just because the ammo is actually available and it can be a second HD weapon unlike the other two (at least practically). If I do get the B6P I'm going to get it through Davidson's via Gallery of Guns, so it will have a lifetime warranty through them and I don't have to deal with EAA or SAR for repairs, etc.. It'll cost $350 instead of $300 but the lifetime warranty seems like it would be worth it. I'm figuring raising $100-$200 in the future for a 22 (and/or Mosin) will be easier than raising the $300+ I'd need for a 9mm so might as well buy the more expensive one now.
 
Just as an update, thanks to a convergence of various circumstances, I'll soon be buying both the B6P and a Savage 64. The Mosin is on the back burner for now.
 
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