What is a good beginning rifle?

M

MDLewis

New member
I am interested in buying a rifle I just turned 18 and have been waiting for a long time to get a rifle. I want to get into shooting. I've been kicking around several choices and they came out to a ruger 10/22 with a bull barrel, an SKS, a Bushmaster Ar-15, or a remington 700 PSS. Any input on what would be good. I have always loved AR's and wanted to get one. And i can get a price of about 900- 950 on a new one. But I would love any input on this.

thanks
 
Best rifle is the one you can afford to shoot. Often! Both .223 and 7.62X39 are relatively inexpensive to shoot, but nothing compares to 22LR. Can never go wrong with a 10/22 and it is a rifle that you can grow with. There are tons of accessories available for the 10/22, that can turn the little weekend plinker into a serious racehorse.

Ruger10-22MagLt..JPG


Robert
 
http://www.22lrconversions.com/riflekit.htm

Good way to have your cake and eat it too? I have a Ciener conversion for my 1911, and so far it's been great. I was going to get an AR for my wife, and get one of the kits, but she put the kabash on it since she thought the black rifle was ugly.(hey, she thinks her goofy looking dog is handsome, so I know she's a bit deluded) I'll probably get it for myself and let her *confiscate* it. One attractive thing about those rifle conversions is the price of the 30 round magazines (if they are still $59.00). That's exactly half the local price of a 30 round mag for a 10/22.

The 10/22 is also an excellent choice since theres a ton of goodies for them.
 
Is there a specific brand and model you would recomend for a .22? Keep in mind I have to keep it at the rifle level because I'm 18. My stepfather has a .22 with a synthethic stock and a thick barrel. I like that one a lot but I cant remember the name of it for the life of me.
 
Not just god, but the best beginner rifle is the Contender Carbine. Safe accurate and easy to operate. Ya start with the.22LR, I suggest a few dollars more for the match grade. A Leupold 1x4 or 1.5x5 fits it nicely. After a cuple bricks of ammo you will know and shoot this gun well. Swap the barrel to a .223 or 7-30 watters and you have a larger game/longer range rifle with all the same controls and fit. Nothing like getting lots of economical practice with the same gun you can shoot varmits, deer ad paper with. When ya turn 21 ya got one of the best huntin pistols ever made. When the snow gets deep and the hills get steep my Contender Carbine is the gun of choice at less than five pounds. I almost forgot to mention the .410 shotgun barrel. beertrucker-x
 
MDLewis, welcome to TFL! You're gonna love it here.


Try to imagine the most likely uses you'll have for this rifle. Do you plan to hunt? Just plink? Try some competition? If so, which ones? What can you afford? And, a pertinent question these days ... which of your potential rifles is likely to be outlawed first?

That latter question is an important one, IMHO. If you have an interest in an AR, I would suggest that that rifle, or a similar rifle, be your first purchase. There will likely be constant pressure on high quality, semi-auto rifles that take full capacity mag's. You can buy a Bushmaster shorty carbine for about $750, I believe. Mag's are pricey, but get what you can afford. An AK is a cheaper way to go, both for the firearm, as well as ammunition.

A Ruger 10/22 is a great firearm for a beginner, and it is a rifle you can use your entire life. But, I do believe you'll be able to buy those for many years after you're no longer able to acquire that Bushmaster, AK or ????

And, save a little money for training - it's worth it.

Good luck, and regards from AZ
 
Now I was thinking of getting the Bushmaster AR-15 20 in. barrel with an a3 sight. Whats your opinion on that? My main purposes would just be taget shooting and competitions. I need to check around tucson and see when and where they are. But basically I got about 1000 to blow on it. And I can get that particular AR for about 900.
 
MDLewis, let me join in and welcome you to TFL and to the Art of the Rifle board (the best within TFL ;))!

Please allow me, a greying rifle nut who has had his share of epiphanies, disappointments and has hit the odd bullseye in terms of rifle choice, to give you some general advice concerning the idea of a "beginning rifle".

1 - Do not compromise on quality. Remember, there are excellent rifles to fit any budget, from the $100 range on up.

2 - Always bear in mind that it is your love affair with rifles that is "beginning", not the rifle itself.

3 - Your first rifle will determine your first experience with the art of riflery, so you owe it to yourself to make it a good one. Not necessarily an expensive one, but a good one for sure.

4 - Do not be surprised if your taste in rifles changes and branches out with time, especially as you get to know more about the various sub-categories of rifle-shooting (rimfire, plinking, precision target-shooting, military-style, western, high power, centerfire sporting, antique, surplus......). Keep an open mind and learn as much as possible.

5 - Try and find "your thing" as soon as you can. "Your thing" is not a specific model or activity, but a philosophy that will act as a framework to the direction that your new interest will take you.

6 - Listen to advice, heed it, but always bear in mind that this is is one of the most opinionated fields after religion and politics. You will hear people who swear by a choice that other scoff at. Learn to be able to make up your mind. Advice, even at its best, is no substitute for individual experience.

7 - Allow your interest in firearms to spill over to politics. Visit our Legal and Political forum regularly and, although not nearly as fun as the Art of the Rifle, make yourself read the many informed and intelligent posts there.

Good luck with whatever you choose. "Your" choice, if it is really yours, will never in retrospective be a bad choice.

Tom
 
I was checking out some custom rifles for an AR-15 and somewhere I saw that a company didnt chrome line their rifles because it degrades accuracy. Yet Bushmaster chrome lines their's correct? ANyone know what i'm talking about?
 
See http://www.bushmaster.com/faqs/barr... Steel barrel any better than a chrome lined? regarding Bushmaster's perspective on chrome lined barrels.

And, check out the discussion on http://www.ar15.com regarding Bushmaster quality - that site is a great source of AR data in general. You'll get plenty of debate on the best AR. However, there seems to be a pretty good consensus that Bushmaster currently makes one the best AR's. Their Shorty A3 is handy (see http://www.bushmaster.com/shopping/weapons/pcwa3s16.htm )... very flexible due to the flat-top, doesn't have the noisy and nearly useless AK muzzle break, and short and easy to handle. Some folks like versions with longer barrels for competition, longer sight radius, etc.

Good luck with your decision. Regards from AZ
 
IMHO, get the AR;

1) It's so accurate right out of the box, you'll get immediate satisfaction

2) It's high up on the list of gun's that Gun Control, Inc. would like to see banned.

I have a Bushmaster 20" with an A2, I NEVER shot better open sights than this, it's so much fun to shoot. I will most likely get another Bushy with a flat top in the near future.

Good luck, and enjoy whatever you choose!!
 
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