A pair of new ones

E

ERM

New member
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Good Morning everyone here,

I find myself with a problem that in hoping the group can provide some insite too. I'm still waiting for my license to show up but in the mean time I'm trying my best to figure out my first purchases. At this point I'm planning on two different guns (apparently no handguns for now). First I'd like to find a carbine, ideally in 5.56 but not a must I guess. Quite interested in the Bren 2, although pretty pricey and so far I've only found it in 7.62 with both NR and restricted length barrels included. I'd really appreciate any thought or other suggestions. To be clear this is for range use, at this point not really into hunting so that is not a priority. Not completely out of question is a bull pup, but probably not my first choice, that will likely be the third addition though the current x95 pricing seems appealing

As far as second gun, I'm even more lost. Plan to get a rifle to work on some longer distance stuff. While a full precision rifle sounds fun, I for sure don't have the knowledge or the skill to even begin to know what to chooses to build or currently the ability. I guess my current thoughts are to find an out of the box option(not super hung up on the budget) that will give me some nice accuracy and let me build my skill and knowledge base to even start learning my own preferance.

I know there are probably as many opinions as there are guns, but even if all this does is help narrow down some selections in the search its helpful.

Thanks everybody
 
Well, trying not to get super hung up on the dollars but in my head I'd like to be under 10k including optics for the two. Of course the further under that I am the more ammo and goodies to be bought.
Thanks
 
honestly, get a 22 with a nicer scope and get some trigger time. a few months of that and you'll have a better idea of what you want out of a rifle and will spend your $ more smartly. and a good 22 will always have a place in your gun cabinet regardless.
 
the radium king said:
honestly, get a 22 with a nicer scope and get some trigger time. a few months of that and you'll have a better idea of what you want out of a rifle and will spend your $ more smartly. and a good 22 will always have a place in your gun cabinet regardless.
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This, you’ll get so much more out of a quality .22 while learning the fundamentals. Nothing wrong with buying a bigger caliber but using a .22 as a trainer is a good thing. Especially on the wallet and not developing bad habits, some years I spend more time shooting groups with my .22’s than I do with my .30 Cal’s.

My one .22 has the same style of stock and ergo’s as my larger caliber target and hunting rifles, so moving from one to the other is very similar.
 
As others have mentioned , your first rifle should be a 22 . I would go for the Ruger 10-22 . Center fire ammo is very expensive , and trigger time ammo expenses can add up quickly if shooting center fire exclusively .
 
Thanks for the thoughts so far. I am lucky enough to have a couple of 22's already making their way to my cabinet once the PAL paperwork clears, will still need optics to outfit them, but the rifles are covered. I guess maybe the question is more on the analysis, I'm the guy that over analyzes the crap out of everything. Want to read about all my options, discuss choices with people, and build up to a choice to be happy with. I'm lucky to have some folks to shoot with that are happy to share what they have currently, and that is super helpful in forming preferences.

Thanks again for the shared opinions
 
Bren 2 would be my first choice for sure, available in 5.56/7.62x39 and as you said NR/R configs. Second choice would be X95. Both choices based on reliability and availability. I have no experience with any of the Canadian 180 style rifles but the Sterling looks nice.

For entry level precision, I am always partial to Remington 700s but there are TONS of options and very few that are really bad. Look for something with a solid or upgraded stock, or chassis if you want to go in that direction. I shot a friends Ruger Precicions Rifle in .308 the other day and it was smooth and accurate. And if you're willing to upgrade in the future, don't be afraid to start with a smaller cartridge; .223 can reach out quite a ways and is much cheaper and more enjoyable to shoot and learn on than say .308 or some of the 6.5 flavourings. That being said, if you have a precision .22LR coming, you can hone most of your marksmanship skills there and in that case you might want to skip the .223 and go right to something bigger.

Best of luck
 
the hk sl8's are back on the market and an excellent range gun. for precision, there's a company here offering courses - rfma - perhaps check that out. they even have a discount on at the nmoment.
 
ERM said:
.... Want to read about all my options, discuss choices with people, and build up to a choice to be happy with. I'm lucky to have some folks to shoot with that are happy to share what they have currently, and that is super helpful in forming preferences...
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Please tell us more about yourself and your interests, you will get more focused input that way. What experience do you have with firearms? What have you borrowed and enjoyed? What attracts you to the shooting sports, and what do you want to get out of them?
 
As others have indicated, the variety of guns and their utility are as diverse as we gun owners ourselves. What I like and enjoy will undoubtedly not be what everyone else does as well.

But the suggestions so far have been very good. I agree with the .22, and I will say that it may be surprising how enjoyable shooting at .22 is. You can get a decent CZ 457 which is a great combination of performance and decent value. Or a Tikka T1x. Use the extra funds for a good optic and invest in some decent ammo. It is very encouraging to see hitting the targets consistently and for most people that will spur on the continued interest to target shoot.

I know you mentioned the X95 may not be for you, and it may be awkward for those not accustomed to bullpups. But I know of a fellow who had no AR type of use experience and took to the X95 just fine. Ergonomically it is very comfortable. The fun factor is definitely there, and for me, it has been one of my most favourite purchases.

SL8 is a good choice as well. It is mild recoiling (as recoiling as .223 can be) and great performance and accuracy out of the box.

For the second or third rifle, you mentioned precision. Perhaps something like a Tikka T3x would be good to start. It comes in various calibers and while it is not a Cadex, its reliability and accuracy is very decent, and won't break the bank for most people...and they are well made. Spend the extra money on optics and ammo.

Of course you can always consider a shotgun maybe as a second firearm just for something completely different, if you are open to something other than a rifle.
 
It's difficult if you don't already know what you like. My first two years as a gun owner I went through about 20-25 rifles/shotguns, only ever keeping 2 or 3 at a time. I went through every action type and popular calibre before finally coming to realize what I like the most; modern or surplus military rifles.

I would say try a little bit of everything before making a big investment.
 
Hi Everyone,
Thanks a bunch for the responses, appreciate your time. Ill admit precision 22 isn't something I had really thought about, as I know I have a couple old 22s coming. Certainly looks like an interesting option and really pretty cost effective.

As far as answering the experience question earlier, its pretty limited. I have had a chance to use a Tar21 which I actually really enjoyed, have not put hands on an x95. Ive also been able to put some rounds through a Mossberg MVP, also a ton of fun, a few different shotguns, plus several different handguns (where I was originally hoping to focus, but not now I guess).

Tikka is definitely one that I have been looking at, certainly can't justify the high end precision centerfire, at least not right now.

Thanks again for the feedback, enjoying this group already
 
if you were thinking of getting into handguns, check out your local ipsc chapter and see if they are running a pistol caliber carbine division - a fun way to get into shooting, and gun and ammo for 9mm pcc isn't that expensive.
 
ERM said:
Plan to get a rifle to work on some longer distance stuff. While a full precision rifle sounds fun, I for sure don't have the knowledge or the skill to even begin to know what to chooses to build or currently the ability.
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A Remington 700 is a great rifle to grow on, accurate right out of the box. Build it up as your skills improve.
 
I would start very slow. I know you may have some kind of panic feeling to buy but push that feeling aside.

I see many newbies putting big money into their first rifle and optics, only to see them trying to recoup the money shortly thereafter.

If you buy 2 expensive rifles and scopes for 10K and try to sell them the next day, you are lucky to get 7K for it.

I thought about LRS myself but once tried, I find it rather boring. Most young people start with a PCC, a semi in 556 and maybe a 22lr. Keep it cheap in the beginning. Or if you want to try LRS, get a Remington 700 or even a Savage Axis 2, slap a used medium priced used scope on it, like a Vortex Diamondback Tactical and see how you like it.

The incremental improvements from a $600 scope to a $2,000 scope are very small.

For me, the fun is to try a lot and fiddle with them, shoot, see if I like it, change or sell and buy something else.

PS: I don't like shooting 22lr rifles.
 
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