Good first rifle

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Haynie

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This one is for the well armed out there. (I know there are several of you on this board)

My son is old enough this year (9) to take the almost obligatory, in this town, hunter safety course. So I signed him up and realized that I don't own a rifle I want to shoot. I have an older 22 LR for him and my wife's grand father's rifles he brought back from WWII. Then I also realized that I know pistols really well, but almost nothing about rifles.

I have no desire to hunt. This would be solely for marksmanship purposes. Three position shooting would be nice but not going for match grade guns. I can't afford the likes of an Anschutz.

So, point me in the direction of a good first rifle. I am open to all suggestions and will narrow it down from there.
 
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I personally own 4 large caliber rifles that I would recommend. All are fairly inexpensive. Understand that at 9 yo., a large caliber rifle will punish your son. Think mid-caliber in a youth model for him. (.243 - .270)

Any model 98 Mauser action 30.06 would be a great rifle. I have two. A Mauser and a Weatherby.
I have a Smith and Wesson A-bolt in .270. My wife can shoot this, though it moves her pretty good.
And last, a Remington 700 in .243 for my son (bought when he was 10, is now 15), though I think he'll be taking up the .270 and I'll downgrade my wife to the .243.

Another thing you might want to look at if you want to really do the 3 gun type, a Remington R-15 in .223 caliber. (Pay attention to the ammo you buy for this rifle. While .223 and 5.56mm are almost identical, 5.56mm is usually ball ammo and CANNOT be used in this rifle.) I have one of these also, and out to 400 yards the thing is amazing! That is as far as our range goes currently, though the owners are looking into 600 and 1000 meter stations.

I have a number of other toys also, including the .22 my Dad bought when I was 3. My son can hit an full sized elk silhouette at 300 yards with it! I know, he does it every time we go to the range. I keep telling him to quit showing off.
 
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New England Firearms single shot. Nice thing about the is you can switch barrels from 22 long rifle up some of the big bores. Another real good and adaptable platform is the AR. the AR is a gun that will grow with him and has very low recoil. Just my .02
 
Any of the AR type for mild recoil and variable caliber, even in 22LR. A great economical first gun that will last forever would be a 22LR, something like the Marlin 795 or Ruger 10/22.
 
My father's birthday present for his 10th birthday was a Marlin .44mag 336T rifle, but this was not his first firearm to shoot. He had been shooting a .22 since he was six and my grandfather's 300 Savage since 8.

For me... I was gifted my grandfather's 300 Savage as my first rifle and hit was his first rifle when he was 8. Then again my grandfather was herding cattle at 5 cause he could sit upright in a saddle. That was 1915, and a long time ago.
 
JMHO A good all around cartridge would be a 30-06. Easy to get ammo for and will do just about anything you want it to. As for a brand go to a gun show and try bring one up to a firing position and see what is comfortable. A Savage bolt action doesn't have a lot of wow factor but I have yet to see one shoot bad.
 
I have 4 22's and don't really want anything heavier (don't really hunt). They're fun to shoot and it doesn't break the bank to shoot all day long.

CZ 452 American (bolt action)
Ruger 1022
Henry lever action (incredibly fun and incredibly accurate)
Marlin 22 magnum (ammo not so cheap for this one)
 
Well

If you don't intend to take up competitive shooting and are not interested in hunting. You can punch holes in paper with just about anything. 22s are about as cheap as you can shoot. I personally think the .30s like the .308 Winchester and 30-06 are more fun to shoot --- but they do cost a whole lot more than shooting a 22.
 
One other you might want to look at is the Thompson Center G2 Contender.
in rifle form, you can get barrels to handle everything from .22lr to centerfire calibers ranging from the .17 HMR to the .45/70.
Single shot and quite accurate.
Just a thought.
 
+1 on the Ruger 10/22. Inexpensive to shoot, easy to maintain, and tons of upgrade possibilities if that's your thing.

I'd also like to recommend Project Appleseed as a marksmanship class. Project Appleseed Home. I did my first in November '11, and plan on doing another this year. It's a great opportunity to learn marksmanship skills, as well as some Revolutionary War history. It'll also qualify you to be able to purchase a M-1 Garand through the CMP, well below market price. If I can stop buying pen-making supplies, I'm hoping to get one this year. :smile:
 
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I own a Bushmaster M4 carbine (AR15), and love to shoot it, but a few years ago I bought the Smith & Wesson M&P15-22 for under $500. It is an AR-15 lookalike in .22LR. Fun to shoot all day on the cheap.

If you haven't bought your sone the rifle yet, thsi one might be fun for both of you.
 
A 30-06 and 308 are great rifles but not for a 9 year old just learning to safely shoot. I would agree with those indorsing a 22 but if you are dead set on something with more bang (and more bucks) I would look at a 30-30.
 
Id have to agree with most of the others here... if your just looking for something to go shoot alongside your son, the .22 is the way to go. I own a Henry Golden Boy .22 and could sit there and shoot all day long because its fun and really inexpensive to shoot. My daughters came down for the holidays and got to shoot it (their first time with a real gun) and we had a blast for a few hours with my gun and my sisters Marlin model 60. Best part is, we didnt even shoot half a brick of shells so all of our fun cost us about 10 bucks. Oh, and just one more quick tip... we took paper plates and used a sharpie to fill in a bullseye. Our range has wooden backboards that you just use a staple gun to attach the targets to. A .99 cent pack of 25 plates goes alot farther than spending 5-10 bucks for a dozen or less "real" ones.

Oh, and if you really just want something bigger for yourself... I used to own a Russian made SKS. The rounds arent as cheap as the .22 but def less than some of the larger rounds. They are made to take abuse and I never once had a misfire or any other issue with mine and I put thousands of rounds thru it. I absolutley LOVED that gun, but hard times came down and I had to sell her to pay the bills. They arent that hard to find, and you can get accesories like synthetic stocks for them, but stick with the Russian or Yugoislavian models, Ive heard alot of the chinese models had issues. And then, once your son is a little older and ready for something bigger than the .22... this would be a great next step for him.
 
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If you got a 223 you both could benefit from it
low kick recoil
good for targets
good accuracy (round chosen by lots of snipers)
can be used to hunt as well
 
Ruger model 77, available in a few different calibers. If it's for target shooting, plinking only then keep the cost of ammo in mind.

For extending shooting sessions it's hard to beat an accurate .22LR. All the fun with none of the bruising to your body or your wallet.
 
A good rifle for your self would be a Remington 700 model, I think the fiber stocks are ugly, but the sure can take a lot of punishment. Caliber wise if you're just punching paper, a 243, which also ain't too shabby on deer and they have a good reach. But ammo is a lot more than a 22 and it's hard to beat a Ruger 10-22, awfully nice rifle for a 22.
 
+2 on the Ruger 10/22. This rifle is a favorite of competition target shooters everywhere. Additionally, almost every arms accessory maker offers accessories (custom stocks, scopes, clips, competition modifications) for the weapon.

Above all else, it has easy to use safety features and is perhaps the most accurate of any traget rifle under $1000.
 
A .22 is a great gun for shooting and its cheap to shoot.Then buy a bigger rifle when he gets to be about 12.Good luck and nice to see kids getting into outdoors stuff in this day and age,lol.Victor
 
The Marlin 917vs - .17 HMR would be a great gun for anyone. I have dozens of rifles and shoot over 10,000 rounds per year. There is no gun in my vault I enjoy more than my .17 HMR. The ammo is a little more expensive than a .22LR, but you already said you have one of those and it is way less than other rifle ammo.

It performs like a larger caliber rifle as far a trajectory, so it is a blast to shoot. It has zero recoil and is quite. Literally every time I have handed the gun to a novice, they start hitting anything within 100 yards like a pro. I have never seen such a flat shooting, easy to use and fun cartridge as the .17 HMR.

I have the BSA Sweet 16 scope on it which is specifically made for the caliber, so all you do is sight it in and then dial whatever yardage in you want. Of course, that makes it a little more expensive, but you could start with iron sights and save for a scope for his next birthday or something like that.
 
I do a lot of shooting and for a plinker that is ultra accurate, you will have a hard time beating a Walther G22. It is a bullpup so you will take some ribbing if you try to shoot in competition, but that will end when you show them what can be done with it. It is also the prefered rifle when I teach a kid to shoot, it has better balance than a traditional rifle so it is more managable for them.

I also use an old CBC nylon rifle on occasion and that thing will take a trophy everytime, but good luck finding one for sale.
 
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Thanks for the information. I have done some research and evaluated my needs.

Accuracy is key. Yes, I know a lot depends on the skill of the shooter but we all know that there are accurate guns and less than accurate guns. My race gun is an accurate gun. So I am looking for accuracy at longer distance. Any distance marksman shooters here?

Anyone purchase from gunbroker.com? Is it a crap shoot?
 
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Sure you will get lots of comments on accuracy as well. For me, my National Match M14 Springfield Armory is all I needed, this is my 1000 meter rifle. Nice rifle, a bit on the heavy side but well worth it. Lots will say bolt action which is more accurate but I'm left handed and never got the feel for a bolt action growing up and every now and then its nice to rattle off a few quick rounds down range :)
 
Haynie

Glad your boy is getting into shooting. Now as to a rifle for you which was your question in the first place. If accuracy is your game get hold of a TC Encore. The Contender is nice but limited in calibers. If your into hand guns enough to own a race gun you'll probably end up wanting more than just one caliber. The barrels switch out on an encore very easily and there are several custom shops available if you want to get into hyper accuracy. As to caliber choice that depends a bit on what you mean by "distance" shooting. For this we'll say 300 meeter. My personal choice is a .300 Winchester magnum, but I also hunt with mine and it is a bit of a thumper. For a light distance round the 270 or 22-250 is hard to beat. If you plan on shooting 100 meter 223 is a great choice. In bolt guns take a look at the Winchester model 70, the Remington model 700 or a savage tactical. The savage is the second most accurate production rifle I have ever shot, the encore being first. Don't mess with sport barrels as your not going to be lugging it around in the bush you want the big barreled target version of whatever rifle you decide on. Be ready for sticker shock! Distance guns are not cheap! And personally I'd never buy a used gun that I hadn't looked down the bore of, so in my opinion on line sites are out. Your glass selection is just as important as the rifle! The best barrel and action in the world wont do squat unless you have good optics. Also stay away from semi auto, yes there are many fine semi auto rifles out there that have excellent accuracy, but none will beat a breach or bolt action.
 
Your welcome, Next time your at the range wander over and say howdy to the distance guys, we are a bit focused but most are very happy to help.
 
My hunting rifle is a Winchester model 70 300 Win. Mag. Stainless 26" barrel with a 3X9 Burris scope. I would hand load a 165 gr. spitzer boat tail moving at 3000 fps (a light load) and at 100 yards can put 3 shots in a 3/4" group. Speed it up to 3100 fps and it's a 1 1/2" group. Nothing has been done to the rifle except for the scope it is 100% stock. Haven't shot it in about 10 years. Thinking of trading it in for a contender.
 
I have and enjoy my Stevens/Savage bolt action 22. inexpensive and accurate if your doing indoor ranges. If you want a little more fun I would look at the 10/22 as others have stated perfect for just about any plinking shooting desires. I also will say if you want more umph look at the SKS or the AK both cheap to shoot and can be fairly accurate with a minimum of tweaking. If I had a choice I might go with the AR platform if I wanted a bit bigger cartridge lots of fun and plenty of upgrades and quite a nice shooter. I guess it all depends on exactly what the end goal for you is.
 
I've got a semi-auto Savage .22 I got from Wal-Mart years ago for right around $100. Great to shoot because the ammo is cheap! I've added a scope, bi-pod and sling to it. If I were to do it all over, I'd probably get a Ruger 10/22 just because there are so many cool aftermarket accessories you can get for them! (stocks, suppressors, barrels, etc.)
 
Rick P said:
Barney try more like $14 a shot for the Barret 50 BMG........$4 is closer to the cost of my 300win/mag.
Click to expand...

Wow, shipping to Alaska must be up there .. $4 or so is the norm here, and incendiary rounds at the gun shows are around $3 each (economy of scale when you are buying a popular military round ...).
 
Also

.222 Remington 700 BDL was pretty good for shooting 4-5 rounds pretty much through the same hole and picking off woodchucks out to about 250 yards. Not overly expensive to shoot at about 50 cents a round or so.
 
I would strongly recommend sticking with a 22 for basic marksmanship. Too bad you are in AZ, I have a Winchester 52D, Hammerli, and an older Anchutz 1407 that I regularly lend out to new shooters. The biggest reason I suggest sticking with 22 for the time being, even for yourself, is that not only is it cheaper on your wallet plinking and spending time with your son, but it will also build skills much faster than centerfire. For your average 22 with average ammo from the local bigbox store you can spend the day on the range shooting 50-100 yards for less then $20.00 in ammo.

That said, if you look closely enough and make sure you are getting subsonic (slower than 1170fps) you will also have fairly good accuracy as dependent upon how precise the machining of the action / chamber is, stress relief of the tube, and overall QA of that ammo. Now why will this build Marksmanship skills? Well your average centerfire rifle, ie a 308, 30-06 etc etc are going to be pushing that projectile 2500+fps, so at least 2x if not close to 3x faster then the 22. Thus assuming a 28-30" barrel on both you will conversely have 3x longer that the bullet is in the barrel and can be effected by the shooter with the rimfire, so you are forced to have a better position and much better follow through. Then pushing out to 100yds you will have exaggerated effects of wind and mirage on the projectile thus you have to learn to dope the conditions much faster and more accurately.

For a hunting rifle I commonly refer people to a .243 or .308. Honestly unless you are hunting bigger game there is no real reason for any of the larger calibers or belted magnums. Most hunters are not comfortable with anything over about 200 - 250 yards and honestly probably are not aware enough of their surroundings to try for anything much farther out there... I personally have use an old bolt action 30-30 for the majority of deer I have taken although in AZ you can probably find areas where the effective range for the 30-30 is not feasible as I would not try to take anything over about 150 yards with it.
 
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