Help With Rifle Selection

[1895GS]

Wow, thanks everyone. This is a lot of food for thought. I guess I need to do some extensive homework before I make any real choices. Any suggestions for a decent, inexpensive .308 rifle in both semi-auto and bolt-action? What kind of prices should I expect to pay? I am more inclined towards semi-auto to help me with follow up shots, but I might get a bolt-action if the price was right.

I think most bolt action rifles run north of 350$.
You may be able to get something on the Equipment Exchange for slightly cheaper, but the condition of the rifle may be suspect.

308 ammo runs about a dollar a pop. Surplus is very sparse pretty much everywhere.

1000 yard shots are nice, but you have to be able to take such shots. Depending where you are in Canada, a drive to such a range may be out of the question.

For hunting, the SKS can take deer at reasonable (for most shooters) ranges.

You may have your heart set on a rifle, but you should also consider a shotgun with replaceable barrels. If I were limited to one gun I would probably go for 12 gauge of some sort. Yes the range is even less than the SKS but the possibilities are many, including moose hunting.

 

[Fixit]

as every beginner does, you need to put alot of rounds down range.

a 22lr can be shot prob about 20x more than a 308 winchester rifle for the same cost.

a 22lr will allow you to learn all the marksmanship principles at a fraction of the cost and allow you to practice cheeply. (federal 22lr bulk packs cost between 24-30$ for 525 rounds)

an SKs will cost you about 20Cents per shot, it is very reliable, easy to clean, maintain etc.
but it is not known for laser accuracy. also scope mounting is problematic, and may not retain a rock solid zero. may be inherently sloppy, but a great all round first centerfire rifle.


i found to start that i was very content shooting my 22 at 35 yards. practice on paper and then work to shooting bottle caps, 12 ga hulls (empties)

once you can hit pop cans at 100 yards it may be time to step up to a bolt action 30 caliber rifle (308, 30-06, 300 winchester mag, 30-30 etc etc)
nearly all modern rifles have a way to easily, and securely atttach a scope.
that will get you past 100 yards and you will work your way out further and further as you go/learn.


how many pairs of shoes does your wife have???
probably one for dancing, one comfy pair, one for this outfit, one for that outfit....

kinda like guns
22lr, for cheep shooting
12 ga for skeet/trap/ birds/ deer/bear
sks for cheep centerfire
###XX brand centerfire for really accurate work....

if your budget is 1k
buy an sks, a 10/22, and a mossberg 500 12 ga.
if your careful that will tally right at around 1000 bucks
anyways, those are my thoughts. let us know what you get

 

[Sadosubliminal]

...how many pairs of shoes does your wife have???
probably one for dancing, one comfy pair, one for this outfit, one for that outfit...

Lol, she has quite a few pairs. But she's not your average shopper - she grew up in the Soviet Union. I've never seen anyone squeeze as much mileage from a dollar. You'd be surprised how many pairs of shoes you can buy for under 10 bucks on eBay from Chinese stores (not much different than the "quality" shoes you can buy here - they last about as long).

But, you raise some good points to think about. I don't think I'll be spending a dollar per shot to practice my technique. However, the low cost of an SKS and its ammo mean that - maybe - I'll be able to pick up a more accurate .308 down the road for more advanced shooting. I'm still not too keen on buying a 22, but your cost per shot argument is hard to ignore. More to think about, I guess.

 

[matt491]

The 7.62mmx39 ammo can be found for pretty much the same cost as .22LR ammo

And where exactly are you buying for 7.62 ammunition for those prices!? I pad $20 taxes in for a brick of 500 .22lr
1200 cases of 7.62 go for around $200!

 

[Shifty2]

.22LR : $20 / 500 rounds
.308 : $20 / 20 rounds (for cheap, garb ammo)

You are getting a head of yourself. You will never just buy one gun. It does not happen.
If you want to learn how to shoot, get a .22
You want an auto loader to help you with follow up shots? What for? You don't need follow up shots when killing paper. Learn how to shoot accurately.

But you seem dead set against it. But hey, what do we know? Some of us have only been doing this for over 30 years. Buy the center fire to learn with. It wont cause me to flinch so what do I care?

And IF, just IF you could only own ONE gun. That would be a 12 guage. Anybody who says otherwise doesn't have a clue. Any game in North America can be had with a 12 guage. Plus, it's cheap to practice with.

 

[theroots]

And where exactly are you buying for 7.62 ammunition for those prices!? I pad $20 taxes in for a brick of 500 .22lr
1200 cases of 7.62 go for around $200!

Okay, I'll admit I might have gotten a little ahead of myself. I was just so excited about how cheap my recent crate of 1120 was .

 

[Sadosubliminal]

.22LR : $20 / 500 rounds
.308 : $20 / 20 rounds (for cheap, garb ammo)

You are getting a head of yourself. You will never just buy one gun. It does not happen.
If you want to learn how to shoot, get a .22
You want an auto loader to help you with follow up shots? What for? You don't need follow up shots when killing paper. Learn how to shoot accurately.

But you seem dead set against it. But hey, what do we know? Some of us have only been doing this for over 30 years. Buy the center fire to learn with. It wont cause me to flinch so what do I care?

And IF, just IF you could only own ONE gun. That would be a 12 guage. Anybody who says otherwise doesn't have a clue. Any game in North America can be had with a 12 guage. Plus, it's cheap to practice with.

7.62x39 = $20/120 rds. A nice middle ground in terms of price. Can I not learn to shoot with an SKS? Consensus seems to be it's accurate up to 100m.

And take it easy with the sarcasm. It is completely possible that I may only get one gun in the foreseeable future. I've been working the wife over for years to get her on board with me buying a rifle. She is the queen of penny-pinchers. It's not likely she'll be cool with me buying another rifle in the next 5 -10 years (or more), and who's to say I could sell the 22 and recoup the cost in a timely manner - if at all? To her, it's just a frivolous expense that serves no purpose other than entertainment. And entertainment is not a priority to her.

Besides, I haven't completely ruled out a 22. I'm just not crazy about the idea, for many aforementioned reasons. Others here have said a 22 is not the only option.

You say you don't care what I do, but your sarcasm indicates you are taking it personally that I am seeking more than one perspective. Look, I'm a novice. I'm the first to admit that. Seems to me the smart thing to do is ask a lot of questions from different people and not just settle on the first couple of answers I get. I appreciate your advice and I respect your experience, so please do not mistake my ignorance of the subject matter as a rejection of your opinions.

 

[Shifty2]

7.62x39 = $20/120 rds. A nice middle ground in terms of price. Can I not learn to shoot with an SKS? Consensus seems to be it's accurate up to 100m.

And take it easy with the sarcasm. It is completely possible that I may only get one gun in the foreseeable future. I've been working the wife over for years to get her on board with me buying a rifle. She is the queen of penny-pinchers. It's not likely she'll be cool with me buying another rifle in the next 5 -10 years (or more), and who's to say I could sell the 22 and recoup the cost in a timely manner - if at all? To her, it's just a frivolous expense that serves no purpose other than entertainment. And entertainment is not a priority to her.

Besides, I haven't completely ruled out a 22. I'm just not crazy about the idea, for many aforementioned reasons. Others here have said a 22 is not the only option.

You say you don't care what I do, but your sarcasm indicates you are taking it personally that I am seeking more than one perspective. Look, I'm a novice. I'm the first to admit that. Seems to me the smart thing to do is ask a lot of questions from different people and not just settle on the first couple of answers I get. I appreciate your advice and I respect your experience, so please do not mistake my ignorance of the subject matter as a rejection of your opinions.

The smart thing to do IS ask a ton of questions, which is what you are doing.

However, I personally can not recommend an SKS as a starter. It does recoil, and this can and will develop a flinch in new shooters who have no coach. A flinch developed early can destroy a shooter's capability for the rest of his/her life

I start new shooters with a single shot Cooey. This will teach basic principles of shooting, rather than making a ton of noise and not putting hits on paper.

Blasting away is fun as hell, but my opinion is that you need to learn the basics with a small bore rifle before moving to any center fire cartridge.

 

[playkation]

Just buy a SKS and a crate of surplus ammo and have at it. I paid $180 for my chinese SKS. I'm not going to say it's the best gun ever made but it's cheap, semi auto and nobody cares what I do to it. I agree that a .22 is impossible to beat in a cost per shot comparasin. There are other .22 semi autos out there than the ruger 10/22. The best part about the ruger is it's so readily modded with a larger aftermerket support. If you want a usable budget .22 semi auto, take a look at a mossberg 702 plinkster. They go for around 140 bucks new. If you were so inclined, for around 550 bucks you can have both guns + ammo.

 

[ShaunM]

I'll just throw it out there, my 'first gun' was a Rem700, 5R in .308. now, I put that in quotations since it's the first gun I've ever owned.

Buuuut... there's another thing that I'd suggest in addition to the other advice in here.

Look up ranges in your area, ideally maybe you can find one where you could try different guns. No clue where you are, but in Calgary my first shot ever, was at The Shooting Edge, where I got to try out all kinds of guns. (www.theshootingedge.com) *i put the link in since they are listed at the top of this in the sponsors links anyway*

You should take into consideration everything that's been said, because there is a lot of wisdom here. The 22's are quite cheap, along with cheap ammo. Great place to start, since you don't know exactly what 'niche' of shooting you want to get into. Save the rest of the money to put towards that 'niche'.


Can definitely relate to the limited budget, thing... I just waited for the wife to go out of town visiting family, and then bought it Only got stuck in the doghouse for a month or so...

 

[Sadosubliminal]

... I just waited for the wife to go out of town visiting family, and then bought it Only got stuck in the doghouse for a month or so...

lol nice. But yeah, everyone has given me a lot of good advice. I will definitely have to look into ranges in my area (Ottawa), as well as crown land where shooting is legal.

 

[1895GS]

I do not intend to be an ass, but why all the expense in getting a PAL for one gun?Is it for work?

 

[Sadosubliminal]

I do not intend to be an ass, but why all the expense in getting a PAL for one gun?Is it for work?

It was only 80 bucks, if I remember correctly. I did the training course in 3 hours at the West Edmonton Mall (I was visiting a friend, I live in Ottawa), which was free at the time (except for the books), and I think the test might have had an extra fee. So really, I can't have spent more than 200 to get it. Sure, it's still 200 bucks, but it was in smaller chunks here and there so it was easier to slip under the radar.

Also, that was 3 or 4 years ago. If you read back through my previous posts I explained that I've always liked guns, but my wife is cheap and no one else in my family cares about hunting or guns in general. I've been wearing her down ever since to let me get just one gun. That's persistence and patience. That's how bad I want to own a gun.

BTW, to everyone who has suggested I buy a 22: the RA center in Ottawa has a gun club and they allow you to use their 22's for free (obviously ammo is extra). So I think I will get a membership there and just use their 22's and buy myself a cheap SKS at the same time, just to have one. I will learn the basics of shooting first with the 22, and then bring in the SKS when I feel more comfortable. Best of both worlds, IMO. Maybe down the road I can move up and get a precision rifle for 500m+ shooting, but I'm going to start cheap and small.