What should my first rifle be?

C

Cullen

New member
Hi folks,
If you had to recommend a good general purpose rifle - assume plinking, some hunting, and even home or camp defense - what would it be? I have only a little experience with rifles - I've shot mainly .22's, but also the SKS, AR-15, .30-06 a couple of times. Would I be better off with a carbine instead of a rifle? I am looking for utter reliability for a reasonable price, something that can do a lot of jobs since I don't have funds to buy special purpose rifles for lots of purposes. Give me an idea of brands, caliber, and cost if possible.
Thanks,
Cullen

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Those who say Science disproves the existence of God understand neither Science nor God.

We scoff at honor and then are surprised to discover traitors in our midst - Edmund Burke
 
For the "do all" general purpose that you describe, it would be tough to beat a 30/30 lever action. Both Winchester and Marlin are popular manufacturers.
 
The Marlin or Winchester 30-30 is about as close to an all around rifle as you can get. Both are good guns and which you buy is just a matter of which one feels better to you.
I don't really consider the 30-30 a "plinker" though. Ammo is costly and many people don't want to shoot alot of them at one time due to recoil.
You might want to get a Marlin .22RF in whatever configuration suits you. Excellent rifles at bargin prices. Ammo is cheap and you can get in alot of fun practice to sharpen your skills.
If it must be one rifle only, consider a lever gun in .357, .44 magnum or .45 Colt. Still capable of hunting at reasonable ranges, makes a good defensive choice, reloaded ammo is avalible at reasonable prices at many gunshops and alot easier on the shoulder for plinking. In pistol calibers, the short handy carbine is definately the way to go.
JMHO.

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Politically, Fashionably and Aerodynamically Incorrect!

[This message has been edited by Grayfox (edited March 24, 2000).]
 
Well, if you have a buddy who reloads (or if you do), then the 30'06 is hard to beat for versatility. You can load anythign from a 110 gr varmint-killer to a 200 gr elk-killer!


Hueco

[This message has been edited by Hueco (edited March 24, 2000).]
 
For a first rifle, I always recommed a bolt action. They are simple and safe to operate, they come in more calibers than any other action and offer the most flavors in design, materials, accessories and price.

My first bolt gun was (and is) and savage in .270. It must have 300,000 rounds through it and suffered dearly by my lack of attention in my "early days." It is a good caliber for medium to large game, relatively inexpensive to shoot, mild recoil, and a breeze to clean. Accuracy is acceptable, even after all these years.

Good luck
 
Cullen: To back up just a minute, do you have any idea just how much shooting you expect to be doing?

For instance, if you have to drive to a shooting range, will this be a regular activity? Or "every month or two"? Do you expect to shoot, what, 10 to 20 rounds per visit? More?

If you buy one of the lever actions chambered for a pistol cartridge, you can buy reloads fairly inexpensively, saving the jacketed hollow-points for you camping trips, etc.

If you expect to "get into" shooting, an SKS or Mini 14 use very inexpensive ammo compared to anything else.

Overall, you'll learn more and spend less by buying a good-used but not "wo'-out" bolt-action .22 rimfire.

For what it's worth, Art
 
If you're talking handy dandy fun all around gun for range and home defense, then I'd consider the Romanian SKS. They may be had for less than $200 and the ammo is still reasonable. I'd skip the Mini14 unless you don't mind spending bucks for hi-capacity magazines.

Otherwise, I'd get the new 20" Remington Tactical Sniper rifle. Not my primary choice for home defense; especially when scoped.
 
Cullen; Marlin or Win 30-30. My brother-in-law just bought his son a basic Marlin in 30-30 for something like $240.00. The ammo is reasonable, the recoil is mild, put a scope on it for deer season, take it off the rest of the year. AND it makes a great camp gun. Good luck, j.s.
 
An AK in 7.62x39 without a doubt. You can use it, abuse it, learn with it, and it will always work for you. Ammunition is dirt cheap, at $2/20. Mags are getting expensive, but they're still under $15 each. The cartridge is pretty easy on the shooter, so you can take (and afford) to shoot hundreds of rounds in a single session.

The AK was my second rifle (first was a HK SL6) and I wish it had been my first.
 
In my not so humble opinion it is very hard to beat a surplus Lee-Enfield #4 Mark 1 or Mark 2. Yes it's .303 British caliber but nobody scoffs at the power of it for anything in North America short of Kodiak island grizzlies.

I've seen #4 Mark 1s for as little as $100. With that you get very functional peep sights, a 10 round magazine, and a very smooth bolt action.

The Mark 2s generally have better triggers but it's not a huge amount of difference.

Note that you have to mind how you load the cartridges in the mag (top round rim forward of the one under it) and on some rifles the mag tabs need some tweaking for best function.

...so, $100 for the rifle and the rest on cases of .303 British! How's that for an econo-rifle? I think Springfield Sporters has bunches of Lee-Enfields. Check out Shotgun News.

Edmund
 
Hi guys,
Art - to answer your question, I haven't really thought about it. I'll probably shoot as often as I can. I would say once or twice a month would cover it. I'll be taking my pistol to keep in practice, but I would also like to shoot whatever rifle I get at the same time. I was hoping to get something that I could afford to shoot a lot. I know nothing is cheaper to shoot than a .22, but I don't want to limit myself to an anemic cartridge. I would rather have something that can do multiple duties, even if it costs me a little more to plink.

Given this clarification, would anyone change their recommendation? I'm interested in the suggestions about a carbine because I could handle the recoil and the ammo bill probably a little easier, right? Or are some rifle ammos cheaper than pistol ammo? You'll have to forgive my ignorance since I'm relatively new to shooting.

Cullen

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Those who say Science disproves the existence of God understand neither Science nor God.

We scoff at honor and then are surprised to discover traitors in our midst - Edmund Burke
 
30-30 seems to be in the lead, followed by SKS, AK, 270, 30-06.

Lever action is also preferred - is this the best choice for durability and reliability as opposed to semiauto or bolt?
 
I'm with Edzilla on this one. The Lee Enfield is excellent for a first rifle-cheap to shoot, with practice you can shoot it as fast as most semi-autos, and the cartridge has enough power to put down any animal in the world (if you do your job behind the sights).
 
You said plinking, so unless you are rich,
How about one of these calibers:
7.62mm Soviet M43-your limited to SKS or AK.
5.56*45mm (.223)
7.62*51mm (.308)
9*19mm
.303 not as cheap unless you buy corrosive non reloadable.
Someone please tell me how much 1,000 rounds of plinking .30-30 costs.


[This message has been edited by No4Mk1* (edited March 25, 2000).]
 
For all round use, a bolt action is hard to beat. For caliber, something mid-range. A 308Win/30-06 is not required for most applications (in general). A lever action 30-30 is a good rifle but, I don't ride a horse and find the stock profile doesn't fit my body well. A good bolt action rifle stock will dumpl recoil straight back into your shoulder making it easier to control IMHO.

I had to the extraordinary good fortune to buy a Winchester FeatherWeight push feed Model 70 in 7x57 (7 Mauser). This rifle is light enough to be easy to carry almost anywhere over any terrain. It is short enough to be handy in tighter confines. The 7x57 cartridge hits very hard (okay hard enough for my use) on target and is unbelieveable easy on the shoulder. 7x57 ammunition can be purchased from many sources very cheaply. For special occasions you can always use ammunition from one of the BIG 3 (Win,Rem,Federal) for that once in a lifetime hunt.

Notice a trend here?
Find a rifle that isn't overly challenging to master. One that's affordable (to purchase and shoot). One that is handy so, you have it when you want to use it. In a caliber that is appropriate (do you plan to use it to shoot Elk or ground squirrels?).

Sid
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FFL
 
Okay, Cullen, so now you're back to the "Mumble, mumble, mumble..." stage. Go to your pet gun store and try the feel of a lever action, an Enfield, or a Savage 340...

Browse the Shotgun News site, and click on "gunshows" to see if there's one, soon, in your area. You would have a good chance of finding a good-used rifle, as well as lots of new ones. Particularly if you go on Sunday afternoon--a fair number of guys will get righteous on prices, then.

Later, Art
 
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My recommendation is a Ruger M77 MkII "Sporter" in .308 Winchester, they run about $425 NIB at gun shows (often much less). The Ruger is stainless so you don't have to worry about it getting scratched, dinged, and rusted. The stock is a resin impregnated laminate that can take a lot of use & abuse and still look great. The .308 can be used to take anything in the lower 48 (though it's less than ideal for the largest brown bear), it's great for deer, hogs, and coyotes. FMJ plinking ammo is cheap and plentiful - mil surp runs $160 - $190 for 1,000rds. Rugers have an integral scope base and they come from the factory with rings - it's one of the best scope attachment system made. A perfect scope for your rifle would be a matte Leupold 3-9x40 Vari-X II. These run $225 plus $4 S&H from Ceasy's 800-888-0852). Leupold scopes are very strong and come with a forever no fault warranty. So, your total cost is $650 for a functional high quality rig that will last a lifetime. -- Kernel

[This message has been edited by Kernel (edited March 25, 2000).]
 
For plinking, why not a 9mm carbine? I have a Marlin Camp-9 that is terrific. The Hi-points are cheaper and Ruger's PC-9 is more expensive but I have heard good things about all of these carbines.
Mike

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"Freedom is not free"
 
IMHO the S&W deal is a good indicator that Semi Automatic Assault rifles are on the endangered species list

Buy an AR15 this year if you don't have one yet

dZ
 
In a shop near me there is a mdl 788 in 308 that the guy wants $250 for, I believe he has just picked up the factory sights for it and it has a scope mount on it......Ive been kicking the possibility of picking it up my self......if you would be interested I will give you the contact info......just email me....you might want to go to the reloading section and ask about reloading--it can cut your cost or it can allow you to shoot more for the same cost and you will learn a great deal about your rifle and loads.....fubsy.
 
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