3-4 must buys for new shooters

CoughyMcGee said:
That Henry might be too much for them but strong consideration. Thanks for the suggestions!

Any reason on the Tikka 22lr bolt? I’m thinking a higher caliber will help them get more of a feel for the rifle.
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22 bolt action offers cheap practice fun to shoot of the bench, the 357 can also shoot 38 special which is very soft recoil.
 
CoughyMcGee said:
Thanks for the suggestions. Yes these would be range guns. I'm just finishing up the hunting course so maybe hunting will be in the cards for me in 2026.
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One thing to remember about Tikka is that it can be upgraded. If you buy, say, a Ruger American (a bit less than the Tikka), it might have a better stock out of the box, but it's not as easy to upgrade later. It's better to spend a bit more on something that's upgradeable.

Cadex Rifle Stock

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1riot1ranger said:
One thing to remember about Tikka is that it can be upgraded. If you buy, say, a Ruger American (a bit less than the Tikka), it might have a better stock out of the box, but it's not as easy to upgrade later. It's better to spend a bit more on something that's upgradeable.

Cadex Rifle Stock

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Thanks for the in depth clarification. Greatly appreciated thank you!
 
CoughyMcGee said:
That Henry might be too much for them but strong consideration. Thanks for the suggestions!

Any reason on the Tikka 22lr bolt? I’m thinking a higher caliber will help them get more of a feel for the rifle.
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You can shoot .38special from the Henry as well. Which is a beautiful caliber to target shoot with. And affordable for a center fire round.
 
A range bag is a nice simple gift idea. Lots of choices available. I got one of the Savior brand bags off Amazon earlier this year to replace my old one which was getting shabby. They are good quality.

Others can chime in but I don't think even .357 has hard recoil from a lever rifle. I used to have a Ruger .357 bolt action and it didn't kick hard shooting. 357s. I only sold it because of limited safe space and funds at the time, and wanted to replace it with a .308 for my son to hunt with. For plinking with something more than 22 I now use a Henry Homesteader (9 mm) and really enjoy it.

Anything in .223 would be also be a good choice for range fun.
 
Nothing wrong with a 10/22, I have a couple of them and with a rimfire scope they can be accurate enough for small game at 50-70 yards. You will want a scope with paralax adjustment though for close shots. Also shotguns are something that need to fit the shooter so they will want to try them out in person although if you want something to bang around with grab a Mossberg maverick. They are reliable and low cost to get started with until you all figure out what kind of shooting you want to do. As for a rifle the Savage axis series is fairly decent. They work well are not necessarily precision rifles but will put game in the pot. As for caliber ask yourself what the intended game is. If you get into hand loading .270 can take just about any large game and can even be useful for varmints with light bullets. What you buy now may no be what they shoot down the road but both combined are under $1000 and are useful reliable tools that will provide years of service.
 
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CoughyMcGee said:
I took my wife and kiddo (13yr old) to National Range day this summer and both of them loved their experience where as both were previously scared of guns.

Both will be going to their their Firearms License in the next few weeks to start shooting so super excited about that.

Just purchased a Ruger 10/22 as a first firearm and was thinking a .270 bolt action and maybe a 12ga pump.

Suggestions on what you think should be in their gun locker for them to enjoy their shooting days. Brand/caliber....shoot me your ideas!

Thanks in advance
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As others have said, hard to beat a good 22 LR for plinking!

If you were to get a centre fire for them, I'd say 223 OR 7.62x39 as both are cheaper to shoot and recoil lightly.
 
10/22 was a great first gun.

My advice is only buy for the immediate goals and take your time getting guns. What do they want to learn?

If they want to learn to tame recoil and have fun shooting in the woods, get an SKS while you still can.

If they want to hunt birds, get a shotgun.

If they want to hunt next season, get a low recoil centrefire like .243 or 6.5cm with a brake and a simple scope capable of shooting 200m.

If they want to learn precision shooting skills get the Tikka or CZ .22 with a 25-30 power full featured scope like an Arken EP5. This will allow you to see group size at distance, learn to read wind, and calculate elevation on a range under 200m. The .22 will also allow them to shoot the volume required to sort this all out.

Glad the family is enjoying it!!!
 
CoughyMcGee said:
I took my wife and kiddo (13yr old) to National Range day this summer and both of them loved their experience where as both were previously scared of guns.

Both will be going to their their Firearms License in the next few weeks to start shooting so super excited about that.

Just purchased a Ruger 10/22 as a first firearm and was thinking a .270 bolt action and maybe a 12ga pump.

Suggestions on what you think should be in their gun locker for them to enjoy their shooting days. Brand/caliber....shoot me your ideas!

Thanks in advance
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Henry has some nice stuff, I have done some shooting before I got my PAL and I'm hoping to have the homesteader as my first gun.
 
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