Buying my first rifle

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Riley702

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I realize that this question has probably been asked 1000's of times before, but I couldn't find any new ones here so here it goes.

I've done tons of research on .22's lately, and I realize that 90% of opinions will be totally biased but I was looking for some second opinions before jumping in and buying my first gun.

I've gone and looked at a few rifles at a local store and the ones that I really liked were:
Henry H001T
Savage Mark II G (wood stock version)
Savage 64 G (wood stock)
Ruger American, and Ruger 10/22 50th anniversary

I seem to prefer rifles with a wood stock but I didn't mind the Ruger american stock with the modular parts, or the the Ruger 10/22 anniversary with all the upgrades it came with (+the American stock).
As I've never owned my own rifle I don't really have a preference for action, but I have shot a few thousand rounds through my dads old Winchester bolt action and always have fun.
I want to use it for target shooting and gopher hunting and will probably mount a scope(recommendations?) and possibly a bipod but i'm not looking to do a ton of other modifications.
Basically I want a gun that will stand the test of time and be easy and reliable.

Right now my favorite is the Henry based solely on looks and feel, but I could buy two savage rifles for the cost of the one Henry so that has me hesitant, not to mention it starts to reach into CZ territory and I've read nothing but great things about those but couldn't justify the cost.

EDIT: Any suggestions besides the 10/22, I know everyone loves them but besides the 50th anniversary edition I didn't care for it much (looks, feel, size, etc). I'll still consider it but I'll probably be more interested in it if I decide I want to start modifying and adding accessories to my rifles later down the road.
 
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basic ruger 10/22. if you want fancy, then get a fancier ruger 10/22.

there is nothing worse than getting excited to go shoot only to spend your day cleaning jams and dealing with problems. Its the most popular .22 rifle in history for a reason.
 
A Cooey or savage bolt action is my opinion for a first rifle.
A 10/22 is a honda civic, do what you want to it, = money pit!
CZ is a great mid range price but cost seems to be a factor.
Thus again a Cooey or savage is a step down but not a huge drop in accuracy!
 
The Henry is a beautiful gun, the one I ended up with the sights were misaligned from the factory, but everyone else I have met who has had one hadn't had a issue so it was likely a one off type thing. Very fun gun to shoot and use and is a great way to get the 'cowboy' feel without spending a ton on ammo.

The 10/22 is the most common .22 semi for a reason, they tend to be very reliable and accurate and are like Barbie dolls as you can dress them up anyway you like. Personally I find them boring, just too easy to use for my taste.

I haven't had any other rifles on your list but I would recommend looking into CZ as well. My CZ-452 is one of my favourite rifles and is a never sell. They tend to be a bit more on the pricy side but they are very high quality .22s.
 
I've had a 1022 forever and thought it was the greatest, actually had 2 but sold 1.I recently switched to a savage mark ii bv bolt gun and now the 1022 stays in the safe. With the bolt gun you usually hit what you aim at.If cost is a factor the mark ii g is a decent option. If your planning on scoping it and don't mind the extra 1 lb go for the heavy barrel version, but it's a few more bucks and there are plenty of version's. Either way the accu trigger is awesome. I've also shot the marlin xt but it seems cheap and doesnt shoot like the mark ii.Cabelas just had the BV on for $350 unfortunately that sale is over.You can shop the vendors on here and Prarie gun traders gave me a great price on a TR, worth a call.
 
What do you think of lever vs bolt action? how is the American compared to other similar priced options? Nice collection btw
 
That first photo is the one that always, regardless of discipline finds it's way at the front.
Tube feed shooters are a pain for shooting varmints.
Well, for me anyways.
More awwckward to fill while walking.
Not to say they don't have their place.

The 'Merican I take to the range to, well, feel good 'bout me spacings.
The RAR is new to me and it's an accurate shooter, but duzzint ahff the charm of
the old gal.
Nor the kumfert.

Find yourself an old world shooter and luff'er tuh kingdummkumm.

10-22wezzs izz fer demdatt dunt no any betterzs.

There, I typed it.
 
My first rifle was a Browning BL 22. Lever action is fun. I found it accurate enough to develop target skills, and versatile and light enough to hunt small game , and cheap enough to plink ALOT with. Like them so much I got a grade 1 and 2

Maybe consider getting a second first rifles, like an inexpensive 12g ? Good to have around for a wide variety of reasons.
 
You will never regret spending the extra money on a CZ bolt action. I would recommend saving the extra few bucks and going that route. It'll not only be your first rifle, but one you'll cherish and use the rest of your life.

rifle_cz452_lux.jpg
 
my buddy has a mark 2 and i have a 10/22 and I personally think the mark 2 is still a whole lot better if you like semi auto my brother has the 64 and it is a little picky on ammo but still shoots most types it is definitely more accurate than the 10/22 but my 10/22 will feed just about every type of ammo, I have had about 2 malfunctions and have shot about 5000rds through it. I also clean it unlike a lot of people maintaining your gun is key. My brother also has a henry and they are the most fun, they are surprisingly accurate and are very high quality my buddy has one as well, and they both think they are great and so do I. Henry for plinking, but the mark 2 has the upper hand on accuracy, not by a lot since the henry is surprisingly accurate. Henry would be my pick if I had to pick only one .22.
 
I just got a Henry Frontier H001T and I like it quite a lot. It looks good with that octagonal barrel, it's light to carry (though a little front-heavy), the action is very smoth and the trigger is light enough.

I had to put a scope on it because with my eyes either I use my far-seeing glasses and the iron sights are blurry, or else I use the close-in glasses and the target is blurry. :p

So I got a cheap (45$) Simmons fixed x4 magnification and that seems to work great. Working from an improvised bench rest (sand bag on a box on the hood of the car) I was doing couple inches groups at about 35-40 yards. I'll head to the ranges this weekend and finalize the sighting-in at 50 yards and try to see if there's a brand of ammo it prefers. I've used Am. Eagle 38gr CPHP and 40gr solid and Winchester Wildcat solid. I've run 150 rounds through it and did not get a single misfire or failure to extract. I did get one mis-feed and had to use a dental pick to pry out a bent cartridge from the feed ramp.

It's true that a tubular magazine is a little bit of a bother to load. Oh well... comes with the territory! Overall, I'm finding it a great little plinker. :d
 
first rifle ...stay away from semi auto .....bolt action with a 5 shot clip is all you will ever need .[it's the first shot that really counts ] get a 4x telescope good for 50 yds .. and enjoy yourself ...
 
Hey Riley~having seen, and commented on dozens of threads like this...I clicked on it with my reply already in mind; "buy whatever you want, you'll end-up with a half-dozen .22s in the next couple of years anyway! :) : While that IS probably true, your first comments are proof to me that you've already given this some thought, looked at some guns, and turned to the forum here for a few opinions before taking the plunge. Good on you. Like many here I'm sure, I've been shooting rimfires for almost 30 years, and in that time...I've had lots of 22s come and go. I've bought some I knew I shouldn't have, I've sold some I should have kept forever. Lots of successes, but a few mistakes too. With all that said, I'll respond 2 ways.

#1~It's your money, buy whatever feels right to you. Buy the best you can afford, shoot it allot, take good care of it. Period. You don't need to please anyone but yourself. With that said...

#2~Don't get a 10/22. :) Actually, I wouldn't recommend a semi-auto of any kind as your first rifle but when you DO end-up with one, search this forum (or any forum) for "10/22 or Marlin" threads. Why not a semi? Higher potential for mechanical problems, maintenance is more time consuming/more involved, usually not as accurate as a bolt gun, usually has a heavier (MUCH heavier) trigger pull than a bolt gun, sometimes ammo-fussy, more moving parts, etc. etc. Why not a Ruger? Because I've owned one, bought new. Least accurate gun I've ever owned, barrel was crooked from the factory, trigger pull incredibly heavy, etc. I'll never own another. The Marlin 795 I paid $125 for (less than 1/2 the price of the 10/22) runs like a top, is a laser beam compared to the accuracy of the 10/22, has nicer features like last-shot bolt hold open, an action release, a proper sized/shaped charging handle, etc. etc. I don't own a 10/22 now, but DO own 2 Marlin 795s~one blued, one stainless. Enough about my biases there.. :)

So, bottom line, get a bolt gun and save the lever action idea for another time. They're almost always the most accurate, easiest to scope, best triggers, easiest/quickest to maintain, easy to mount a bipod on~ideal for your first gun, and almost always preferred by shooters/hunters who want the best results. The geometry on the stocks of most lever guns favors the use of iron sights, so while you can use a scope on them...it won't be comfortable for very long. Also, look into what it takes to fully clean a lever gun, then compare that to a bolt gun. I've shot Henry lever and pump 22s, and I like them. Would I prefer them over a bolt gun if I could only have one? Not a chance. So...which bolt-action?

Of the ones you mentioned, I'd say pick the Ruger American. I've heard very promising things about them (in spite of my 10/22 experience) and for what you get, they seem like incredibly good value. If the synthetic stock doesn't turn your crank, you have the option of upgrading the stock to a "Boyds" wood stock down the road. I've owned 4 different Savage rimfires over the years and I've been a little discouraged by the direction their QC is going. For an econo bolt-action, they seem to be the best choice right now. The Marlin XT series would be another to give serious consideration to, but only a wood-stock model. The plastic-stocks don't have a metal sling-swivel stud, so mounting a bipod will take some alteration to the stock. If I were guessing, I'd say accuracy with the Ruger American and the Marlin would likely be comparable.

A few other things worth mentioning...

The "get a CZ" refrain you'll hear~there is merit to that. When you say to a group of people "I have a max budget of $350" and they mostly all say; "buy a CZ for $500+"...you'll probably feel like slapping somebody! However, when you add-up the cost of a Ruger American and then factor-in a Boyd's (and all the required goodies) you're at, or in excess of the cost of a CZ anyway. A stock, Ruger American (for example) will likely outlast you with a little care, so you don't need to spend CZ money to have a fantastic shooting experience. I'm sure the gophers won't be able to tell the difference. :) However, lots of people with tight budgets decide they're worth it...and simply save longer to make it happen. I'm living proof of that, just added a new CZ back to my collection after about 5 years without one. Do yourself a favor...go to a dealer and ask to see a Savage, Marlin, Ruger and CZ side by side. The quality of the CZ will stand-out from the others, and it isn't just build quality you're getting for the extra $. You can expect superb accuracy from it too.

Ammo~most rifles will show a strong preference for 1 ammo over all others, and that goes for any rifle. When you get your rifle..buy a 50rd. box of every kind of 22 ammo you can get your hands on. Get the rifle scoped, the scope zeroed, then start testing ammo. If you've gotten your hands on more than 3-4 different types, you'll likely see a drastic difference between the best, and the worst.

Optics~get the best you can afford, but keep in mind that not all scopes are meant for 22s. Most are meant to be used at 100 yards or further. In simple terms, get a scope with AO (Adjustable objective) They can be dialed-down to 15-25 yards if req.

Clearly I like to ramble.. :)
 
Thanks a ton for the reply, I appreciate the thought put into it! I am definitely going to go have a look at the CZ options next time, and you're right, I should just buy the one that I think is best from the start rather than taking lots of time and money to finally come to what I should have bought from the beginning! I was afraid to even look at a CZ because I knew everything else I looked at after wouldn't be as good. I guess I'll know which one I want when it's time to throw down some cash.
 
little_airwolf said:
Fantastic write up!!!!!
.22guy
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Thanks airwolf~I promise...I'm not that long-winded in person. :)

Riley702 said:
Thanks a ton for the reply, I appreciate the thought put into it! I am definitely going to go have a look at the CZ options next time, and you're right, I should just buy the one that I think is best from the start rather than taking lots of time and money to finally come to what I should have bought from the beginning! I was afraid to even look at a CZ because I knew everything else I looked at after wouldn't be as good. I guess I'll know which one I want when it's time to throw down some cash.
Click to expand...

No problem Riley. (if you were talking to me) Good thing is, gopher season is nearly over...so a little more time to save if you decide to go that route. You'd be set for 2016 gophers! I don't want to dissuade you from the Ruger American either though. I've had one in my hands several times. It's on my hit list. :)
 
Can you seriously not type a single freakin message in plain English? Like wtf??


kamlooky said:
That first photo is the one that always, regardless of discipline finds it's way at the front.
Tube feed shooters are a pain for shooting varmints.
Well, for me anyways.
More awwckward to fill while walking.
Not to say they don't have their place.

The 'Merican I take to the range to, well, feel good 'bout me spacings.
The RAR is new to me and it's an accurate shooter, but duzzint ahff the charm of
the old gal.
Nor the kumfert.

Find yourself an old world shooter and luff'er tuh kingdummkumm.

10-22wezzs izz fer demdatt dunt no any betterzs.

There, I typed it.
Click to expand...
 
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