Hi, help me decide my first firearm please!
- Thread starter perrypan
- Start date
For general knocking around the 22 lr is hard to beat. I own a 917v it is wonderfully accurate and a hoot to shoot ... to boot 
. But look at it this way ~$110 (the last time I looked) for 500 hmr and anywhere from $13-$50 for 500 22lr. Accuracy wise the 17 blows the doors off so if the price of ammo does not scare you go for it.
The 17 m2 is another option the ammo is allitle cheaper and it is still very accurate. The big problem with it is that I suspect that it will not fair as well as the hmr, there is a pretty good chance that you could end up with a gun that no one makes ammo for.
Conventonal wisdom says a 22 is the way to go for a first gun, and I don't see a reason to think outside of the box on this one. I would go 10/22 (deluxe since you don't like the barrel band) (decent scope I just have a simmons it works fine) add to that a birchwood casey self re-seting filpper target and one 25 round mag. and you'll be good to go.
. But look at it this way ~$110 (the last time I looked) for 500 hmr and anywhere from $13-$50 for 500 22lr. Accuracy wise the 17 blows the doors off so if the price of ammo does not scare you go for it. The 17 m2 is another option the ammo is allitle cheaper and it is still very accurate. The big problem with it is that I suspect that it will not fair as well as the hmr, there is a pretty good chance that you could end up with a gun that no one makes ammo for.
Conventonal wisdom says a 22 is the way to go for a first gun, and I don't see a reason to think outside of the box on this one. I would go 10/22 (deluxe since you don't like the barrel band) (decent scope I just have a simmons it works fine) add to that a birchwood casey self re-seting filpper target and one 25 round mag. and you'll be good to go.
- Location
- Near Coldwater, Ont
Nothing really wrong with .17's for target/varmint use, but the ammo is quite a bit more expensive than .22lr, and since you said that money is tight, 22lr would seem to be the obvious choice. Most ammo for the .17's is also pretty destructive on game (is the 20gr solid point stuff readilly available yet?). You can reload for 222Rem and 223Rem, for about the same price as .17 rimfire ammo, and have better range and versatillity in the process. For what I hunt, I have 22 lr and 222Rem and see no need for anything in between except maybe a 20ga (and I have that too).
Thanx for the replies, aulrich and Workin Man. That really helps a lot. "$110 (the last time I looked) for 500 hmr and anywhere from $13-$50 for 500 22lr." The ammo's price indeed makes a difference. I guess I have to rule out the handsome Marlin 917.
Have any of you tried the affordable Marlin 925 and Savage MarkII? I wonder if they shoot as well as proven Marlin 7000 and 60 since not many people have been talking about 925 and MarkII.
Have any of you tried the affordable Marlin 925 and Savage MarkII? I wonder if they shoot as well as proven Marlin 7000 and 60 since not many people have been talking about 925 and MarkII.
One more thing when you do make your purchase don't buy a lot of one type of ammunition 22 are ammo scensitive. That means you could have two identical 22's same model and they may not shoot the same type of ammo equally as well. Buy a 50 box of a number of differnt types and see which gives the best functionm and accuracy.
- Location
- New Brunswick
If you want real accuracy, go to a bolt action, I would recommend a CZ or Anschutz although many are excellent shooters. I think a beginner will learn to shoot well sooner using a bolt action. An accurate rifle is always better than a plinker and holds it's value better.
perry, glad to see you're joining the club! You will never regret it.
I'd recommend a bolt in .22LR as well. A semi is too tempting to shoot fast to allow you to learn to shoot properly, especially a new shooter. A bolt is more accurate, cleaner, safer, easier to maintain. And .22LR ammo is cheap, plentiful, varied, and powerful enough for your purposes.
Don't restrict yourself to just the limited selection of new rifles out there. There are TONS of used rifles out there, some hardly fired at all. Plentiful are Cooeys, Lakefield, and Mossberg rifles. They are more accurate than you right now. The money you save with a used rifle (and you won't be giving up quality) can buy a LOT of ammo or a better scope. No, don't buy a rusty old Cooey single shot truck gun with a bandaged stock for $25, but you won't have to look long to be able to find a near-factory Cooey 60 bolt, or a Lakefield-Mossberg Mk II, for $150 or less.
Dang it, now you've got me all excited again! Anybody want to sell me a NIB Cooey 600?
Grouse Man
I'd recommend a bolt in .22LR as well. A semi is too tempting to shoot fast to allow you to learn to shoot properly, especially a new shooter. A bolt is more accurate, cleaner, safer, easier to maintain. And .22LR ammo is cheap, plentiful, varied, and powerful enough for your purposes.
Don't restrict yourself to just the limited selection of new rifles out there. There are TONS of used rifles out there, some hardly fired at all. Plentiful are Cooeys, Lakefield, and Mossberg rifles. They are more accurate than you right now. The money you save with a used rifle (and you won't be giving up quality) can buy a LOT of ammo or a better scope. No, don't buy a rusty old Cooey single shot truck gun with a bandaged stock for $25, but you won't have to look long to be able to find a near-factory Cooey 60 bolt, or a Lakefield-Mossberg Mk II, for $150 or less.
Dang it, now you've got me all excited again! Anybody want to sell me a NIB Cooey 600?
Grouse Man
daniellybbert
CGN Regular
dont go cheap or you will just be pissed off and have to buy another gun I bought the rem 597 cuz its was new and diffrent wish i hadnt so I had to buy the ruger 10 22 now im happy it has all sorts of accessories for if you want later to pimp it up its acurate out of the box too there is a reason that every one has a 10 22 because they are worth it also i have a banner 4-12 wich is nice cuz you can see things blow up better dont skimp or youll be SORRY
i have the marlin 7000 with the 3x9 bushnell on it and i couldn't be happier. its accuarate, the mags are reasonably cheap, its easy to clean, and the whole rig costs less than a heavy barrel 10-22. i have no regrets about the purchase of the marlin.
Ruger 10-22 is a piece of so and so out of the box if you don't ready another three four hundred dollars to modifly it. I had one and sold it quick. You better go for a Marlin bolt action or a CZ bolt action gun. fix power scope work great on rimfire. you can get a decent 4x 32 power for good price else where. But if you have a lot of green and get itching, 10-22 is something you need. you can dress it up to what ever look you like. just replace every thing except the reciever.
Good luck
Trigun
Good luck
Trigun
Savage
The Savage 64B is also a good choice. I had a 10/22 and went through the mod mania. They're ok, but there's much hype. I have a 10/22 magnum now. I'm pleased, but again I've bought 4 replacement parts to improve it. In the end, a simple, reliable, accurate 22lr is the best one. You will never make a 22 a tactical assault rifle anyway, so buy a little rabbit gun that's well made and plink with it for shooting practice until you're ready for something heavier. It's just my opinion, but Norinco SKS rifles are roughly constructed, and no SKS is very accurate. Also, there is the billion add on parts again. Old surplus ammo is often all that is available, and it's corrosive. Go to a good hunting store like Reliable Gun and Tackle. Those guys shoot their guns out in the bush, drag them around in pickup trucks - they know which ones are durable and well built.
The Savage 64B is also a good choice. I had a 10/22 and went through the mod mania. They're ok, but there's much hype. I have a 10/22 magnum now. I'm pleased, but again I've bought 4 replacement parts to improve it. In the end, a simple, reliable, accurate 22lr is the best one. You will never make a 22 a tactical assault rifle anyway, so buy a little rabbit gun that's well made and plink with it for shooting practice until you're ready for something heavier. It's just my opinion, but Norinco SKS rifles are roughly constructed, and no SKS is very accurate. Also, there is the billion add on parts again. Old surplus ammo is often all that is available, and it's corrosive. Go to a good hunting store like Reliable Gun and Tackle. Those guys shoot their guns out in the bush, drag them around in pickup trucks - they know which ones are durable and well built.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
perrypan said:
You'd be surprised.
Welcome to the party.
Trigun said:
I don't know about this. I have a 10/22 and the only mods I've done are VQ hammer, bolt buffer, extended mag release and auto bolt release. The VQ hammer made the biggest difference for about 55 Cdn. The rest of the mods weren't necessary but added functionality for me so the total aftermarket parts I've put into it was about 125 Cdn. Out of the box my 10/22 was pretty good and the VQ hammer lightened the trigger pull. I'm more into functionality than 'dressing up' so I'm pretty happy with my 10/22 the way it is now. One could go to rimfirecentral and learn how to modify the stock parts so that you wouldn't have to buy anything but the bolt buffer. I have a CZ Varmint and that is a very nice shooting rifle. It's better than the 10/22 for accuracy but my 10/22 is no slouch in this department either. YMMV.
Nobody has suggested the TOZ -78 from ARMRUS in Montreal. This is a nice little bolt action .22 rifle that can be had on sale right now for $100, plus shipping and GST. It comes with 4 magazines, has an adjustable trigger and is quite accurate. For a starving University student, this would be an excellant starter gun. Cheap to buy, cheap to feed and good for targets or hunting small game. Seems like he couldn't go wrong.
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