First gun ever, what should I buy

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Hi, I'm new to the forum... so I just got my non-restricted permit earlier this month and I was thinking about what kind of rifle I should buy for Christmas.

The main use would be to dissemble/re-assemble it (since I'll go to gunsmithing school next year) + target shooting...

So I was thinking about either an SKS since the gun is cheap, simple and ammo is cheap too... I was thinking about the Marstar $360 deal for an SKS and 1440 rounds of ammo... or an M14...

What should I also buy to go with it? Protection glasses? Ear protection? Scope? What models should I buy?

How many mags should I buy? Is there a cleaning kit included?


Just waiting for your ideas and suggestions... thanks. I'm a total newb.
 
Welcome to CGN
If you decide on an SKS, also check out T.E.C. TradeEx. Their milsurps are cosmo-free, and they don't charge extra for shipping, which can be a deal breaker.
 
Well it depends how much you want to spend as to what gun. The SKS is a great place to start for the obvious reasons, its cheap and ammo is as well. If you ever change your mind you dont lose much money if you want to sell it, or don't have much invested if it sits in your safe. The M305 is alot of fun as well and you can do more with it then an SKS but the ammo is a bit pricier. You'll have to go for personal preference on that one, the M305 you can do longer range shooting and more customizing, better scope options etc. You will want ear plugs, I just bought a case from Lordco of the orange cheap ear plugs and they work fine, you can get better ones later if you want. Safety glasses are a good idea as well, any will do.. I just have a $20 set from home depot for plinking, and trap shooting I have a more expensive set. You'll need a cleaning rod and jig with some cloth patches, cleaning solvent and oil. Good luck with your first purchase and welcome to the site.
 
sks over the norc m305 any day.... when you buy sks you know its going to work, lots of fun, easy to work on, with some simple tweeking can be a good shooting rifle. M305, your rolling the dice on if you get a functioning rifle or a lemon, it could end up costing you a small fortune to fix or even cause you bodily harm. the ammo for the SKS is much cheaper as well.

If you got the cash, grab a nicer gun like a mini 14 or a CZ/VZ 858.... you get a good gun with lots of potential for tinkering on and the ammo is once again... cheap.
 
If I'm not mistaken most gunsmiths learn all about guns but focus on a certain gun that becomes the one they know inside and out . So which gun turns your crank? I'd get that one and learn all I could about it
 
mini 14 is about $850 for the ranch version. the shoot a nice tight group for te first 5 round on a cold barrel, then widen out a bit. with hand loads hitting target clays at 300 is easy to do on a cold barrel. once you drop some money on it... or by a target barreled version hitting clays at 300 can be done no issue even on a hot barrel.
 
If its your very first gun and you have not shot or been around guns much. BEST thing you could buy is a .22lr bolt action with a nice set of iron sights like a CZ452 Lux , put a few thousand rounds downrange for cheap and learn those sights , trigger and shooting techniques proper , then start getting into semi autos , scoped rifles and such .. A good .22 is the best way to start shooting hands down ,mostly because its easier to learn good shooting techniques with less recoil and the price of .22lr allows you to shoot much more .
 
i got the 10/22 as my first rifle and there are tons of DIY mods on it and aftermarket parts super cheap at the range i have alot of fun with it, then i got the M14. Tons of aftermarket for it too which is what i wanted and the ammo is a bit pricier then for a sks but you can buy .308 anywhere, also, i familiarized myself alot with those soviet type weapons like the dragunov, AK's etc in the forces and i hated their cheapness, like soft bendable steel like a FAMAS and they just felt crappy, a far cry from the m14. Well that's my story, you do what you will but I am glad i took this path, but if you order a NORC study all those stickies and more.
 
When I finally bought my SKS, I wondered why I didnt buy one earlier, mind you , it is the most simple gun I own through and through.

Listen, I am not an ####### or a nit picker,I do not usually correct people on this, but since you are going to smith school, you should know, you cannot own an M14 in Canada, the Norinco is an M305 and the Springfield you can own is an M1A, an M14 is a select fire version of that rifle. It's like saying you want an M16, you cant have one , they are select fire, so unless you got grandfathered into a 12x, you wont ever own one. Again , I want to stress , I am not being a prick, just, M14's are a certain model of that rifle that are prohibited, its tossed around pretty loosely, it's like buying an AR of some sort and just calling it an "M16", but by calling it that, you are saying it is select fire, select fire is what makes an M14 an M14, without the option to go fully auto, it is NOT an M14.

Bottom line, as of right now, both are a great selection, you can get cheap non corrosive ammo for either , and the rifle itself is inexpensive. Get your RPAL before school, your going to want it for after. I'd say get both guns, one will be good for scoping , the other decent for irons (The M305 being good for a scope)If you start to sway towards a mini 14, stay away from the TARGET version of the Mini 14, as I remember, it is the only one that is not properly chambered to not shoot 5.56 out of (All other models can shoot both .223 and 5.56, do not ask the difference here, just search online :D) And surplus 5.56 can be found for cheap sometimes.

IF you want target shooting, something you can grow into, get the M305.

Edit: FYI, the guy above me; If he is being honest about being in the forces, I only question it because he keeps designating the gun as an M14, he should know its NOT what you actually meant; is comparing a Springfield M1a or M14(American made, $2000 dollar gun) To a 200 dollar surplus rifle like the SKS from 1948-1955. The SKS is probably made of better metal then the Chinese made M305 you are looking into. Both great shooters though. At that, at least I believe you are talking about th M305, if you mean the Springfield M1A, holy ####, buy that if you got the money :D
 
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I would agree that the best first gun should be a 22lr bolt action
there are many cost effective models ,,savage mark2 or marlin xt would be my
personal suggestions.
This type of firearm allows you to learn the basics and get a lot of practise
really cheap before you move up to a higher caliber.

That being said get a SKS too great loud bang for the buck
was my 3rd firearm and still love it today

Safe shooting
 
First gun ever. 22 lr. cheap to shoot. Bolt or single shot. Semi no, most new shooters would overheat it to the point of being minute of barn door. For a new shooter that is also the reason to stay clear of SKS. I have my use for a SKS, somebody had to kill those fridges at the dump. When i got tired of that i sold it, along with 3/4 of the case of ammo.
 
Just for the sake of adding food for thought, don't ignore the 12 gauge. A pump Moss 590 or Rem 870 is cheap, reliable and loads of fun. It can often be shot at ranges where rifles aren't permitted. There are fun sports for shotguns. They are good for blasting the bejeezus out of paper from up close, or smacking 3/4 inch thick holes at 100m. Put some light birdshot loads and it's a softy to shoot. Put in some magnum slugs and it'll satisfy your need to manhandle something with serious kick.
 
BCshooterFMJ said:
Edit: FYI, the guy above me; If he is being honest about being in the forces, I only question it because he keeps designating the gun as an M14, he should know its NOT what you actually meant; is comparing a Springfield M1a or M14(American made, $2000 dollar gun) To a 200 dollar surplus rifle like the SKS from 1948-1955. The SKS is probably made of better metal then the Chinese made M305 you are looking into. Both great shooters though. At that, at least I believe you are talking about th M305, if you mean the Springfield M1A, holy ####, buy that if you got the money :D
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Dude...breathe a little, m14, m1a m305 whatever...same rifle basically, same to me and yeah you are nitpicking enormously. And if you are going to be such a whiener i have a rifle called m14s by dominion arms so i use what it's called that's all. Your OCD is not shared by most...get over it. And explain to me how in the hell you will put in doubt the fact i say i was in the forces over what i call the rifle, how the heck does that logic work in that mind of yours?

"problably made of better metal" what the heck do you mean exactly? Do you even know what better metal means? Where do you get this info? probably...Better metal is such a vague statement, what is better? Why would they use worse metal? Do you think “better’’ metal is always more expensive so they would cut costs by using worse metal? WRONG. You are simply spewing out some vague nonesense based on sentiment.
 
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I did the SKS and the .22 combo as my first guns this summer. When you look at it all, its basically a no brainer, those are THE first guns to buy for a variety of reasons.

Lever Arms has a Russian SKS sale on right now! Actually a lot of places have x-mas specials, you are in a good position for a deal.

As for the .22 thats a whole different story, every person on here will have his or her fave .22. Find the one you like, and you cant go wrong with the SKS/.22 combo in my opinion... but hey Im a noob too so don't trust me lol.
 
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