first time purchaser, any ideas?

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oscarcharliehotel

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I just did the PAL safety course as well as the PAL-R course and I'm just waiting to get my license. I don't want to drop any more than $500-$600, what would be something reasonable ad a starter precision rifle? I'm currently looking at .22s and .223s but I'm open to ideas.

Thanks!
 
If you want to roll with the taticool crowd you cant go wrong with a ruger sr22 or a 10-22 in an archangel kit but that will top out near the higher end of your budget by the time you add a scope. There is also nothing wrong with a scope'd 10-22 or a 597 depends on precise you want to be.. My 597 is pretty good to 100 yards with a scope and no problems wacking pop cans and golf balls with the ruger @ 50 yards with a green dot.

What i did for myself...
First rifle was a Remington 597 only regret was i wish i bought one without iron sights, it was cheap 200$ & super accurate and reliable.
First pistol GSG 1911 no regrets but i believe i got the most current generation my dad has the older gen and it is less reliable than mine, cost was 360$

I however whole heartedly regret the purchase of a mossberg 715t flattop I've got it figured out now but for a while it drained alot of fun out of shooting and i just ended up leaving it in the closet after I replaced it with a SR22
 
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Hello and welcome to the forums, Precision for $500-$600 sounds elusive, you're probably going to have to budget more than that to get into the game.

I'd start with a nice stock 22 cal refine your skills and then move on.
 
buy any ruger .22 ($400), buy a couple steel lip butler creek 25 round magazines ($30 each = $60), buy a cheapy 3-9 scope ($60), buy ammo ($45 = 1000 rounds)

For $565 your are going to have a great few days, and if you want to do it again .22 ammo is super cheap!
 
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Wait 2 months and save up a $1000 and your options increase vastly. A used 308 or 223 either savage or remington and a $300 scope will be much more satisfying to probably 250-300 yards then your ruger ever will be!
 
My first precision rifle was a used anshutz .22 target rifle. Lots of fun learning how to shoot and it still shoots better than I can.
 
AdrianM said:
My first precision rifle was a used anshutz .22 target rifle. Lots of fun learning how to shoot and it still shoots better than I can.
Click to expand...

For that price, I'd get CZ or Anschutz too. (.22LR)

You won't get precision for $600.

For reference, I went about as budget minded as you want to go and it came out to around $2400 with a SPS Tac.

The 5R is around $2700 and I bought the 5R lightly used. Not to mention the 1000+ in reloading gear and another 500ish in supplies.
 
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The fine art of plinking is vastly underrated. I'd go with an inexpensive bolt .223 / 5.56 x 45. The common 55gr round makes a respectable distance and it can be reloaded, which is both practical and necessary as you pursue your goal of better precision. Going for what most guys consider as being a "precision" setup in a one'r can be pricy. Adding a zero to your stated budget wouldn't be a vast overestimate of the potential costs involved.
 
A rimfire would be your best bet. If your interested in precision shooting but are very budget conscious, go with a savage mk ii heavy barrel. You can then get a couple hundred dollar scope and start shooting. The ammo is cheap and you'll shoot it a lot more. When you get some more funds you can upgrade the stock if you want. Shooting 500 rounds of 22 lr for the price of a box of 40 or less 223 ammo will really help master your shooting skills. Start at 50 yards then move out to 100 and see how you do. Find a good gopher patch and master your range estimation. All the while saving for a decent long range centerfire setup. By the time you have saved enough, you should have some pretty decent shooting skill. A 5000 dollar rifle doesn't do you any good if you can't shoot it. Just my opinion.
 
There is no such thing as a starter precision rifle in your price range. For 600 bucks you can buy a rifle - not a precision rifle.
 
I would suggest starting with a good quality 22LR and put the best glass on I you can afford. You can learn all the me Janice of target shooting with a rimfire and then when you get a better idea of what type of shooting turns your crank then you can invest the kind of money you want. Don't worry about people saying you can't buy precision for $600. They are talking a different level of precision then Hen the average target shooter needs when starting.

Secondly, less expensive equipment means less humiliation when you have poor shots and you can always blame it on the equipment !
 
Look in EE or other used markets for a very good 22. A bolt action that can shoot will still make you smile years from now. Look up the 22 50yd challenge. Eagleye has some very good recommendations for good price used guns. Look at the list of guns used in that challenge- no standard 10/22 of other cheap 22s. It costs for precision and we have to pay to play. It is also a little cheaper to shoot 22s
 
I have a Savage BSEV which I like very much but the stock does not lend itself to an excellent cheek weld.
I would make sure any rifle you want to purchase fits you very well before purchasing.

In my opinion I would go with a 17HMR Savage or CZ which can be shot out to over 200y.
You will learn a lot such as reading the wind.
 
Even if they made a precision rifle at that price, you'd need to spend about $500-$1000 for a decent scope. Hope your bubble isn't too burst.

With a little more budget you could buy a savage with an accu-trigger and scope it. Then in a year or so, upgrade the barrel. You'd still be looking @ $1500-2000 for a budget though in the long run.

Keep in mind you should also budget about $500 for a reloading setup with a super accurate scale and precision bullet seating die.

By precision did you mean like getting a Savage Axis to do under MOA?
 
You'll need at least $1000 before tax to get a basic heavy barrel Savage or Remington and scope. An inexpensive 10X Bushnell scope will get you started regardless of opinions about needing to spend over $500 (it's not bad advice though). You will also need to get into reloading. It will save you money and your rifle will not likely perform best with factory ammo. You don't need to spend a bundle on reloading gear, a basic Lee kit will be a good start. You will however need to get a decent scale, a balance from RCBS/Lyman/Redding will do the job for under $100. Lee dies will work but I really dislike their seating dies.

.223 is your best cartridge choice for your first centerfire.
 
Nothing expensive here but it does have a lot of precision, not world record but enough to follow the crowd and not always finish last... I recommend this rig for under 500.00 buck, you will perform... JP.
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