Welp I did my PAL today, RPAL is tomorrow and then I have to send out the paperwork. Now it's time to start researching inexpensive plinkers so I can ease my wallet into another hobby :lol

Thing is, and I heard this too but initially ignored the advice, the old cliche 'buy once, cry once' generally applies with this hobby. Meaning, just pay the money, get a good gun that you'll enjoy shooting, because eventually you'll end up there anyways. I don't buy that many any more, already sold some off, but now the ones that go into my safe I will have for many years; they are all good shooters that will last my lifetime with good performance.

What guns are you thinking about?

I don't mind spending the money to get quality stuff, but part of the reason I got into shooting pellet guns (which lead to this) was because it was a relatively inexpensive hobby. I don't get to shoot often but when I do I like to shoot a lot so I don't want to be thinking about the cost of bullets because I picked something expensive to run.

As I recall guns that fire corrosive rounds require a more in depth cleaning than ones that don't (correct me if I'm wrong) so for the guns sake I think it'd be best to stay away from that until I get the hang of things like proper cleaning. Right now I think I'll start off with just a .22 of some sort (now that I've learned buying bullets is a lot more complex than buying pellets I'll have to sort out what kind of .22) and go from there, but I'm very open to suggestions on what kinds of guns are good to start with.

Corrosive ammo does require a bit more cleaning, but that ammo is generally for an SKS and that gun can be stripped down in 2 minutes without tools, cleaned, put back together in under 10 minutes. It takes longer to clean most other guns.

You didn't say what kind of shooting you like to do, as that would sway references. For example: fast shooting, long range, accuracy, simply shooting cans etc. For example, I am not really into the AR or 'tactical' look at all - that's just me. I also like accuracy versus just fast semi-autos.

If semi-auto is your thing, then there are a few good choices:

Ruger 10/22 - the workhorse of the .22LR semi-autos. Millions of them sold, and there are a tonne of aftermarket parts you can buy. Stock, they are not the most accurate because of the barrels/internals. Some people dump thousands into this gun (new is around $400-$500). If you want to do your own build, you can buy an action (I suggest Dlask) and then the sky is the limit. If you are willing to pay a little more and want to shoot with a scope/red dot, just buy the Dlask 10/22. It offers reliability and a accuracy at a decent price.

Another semi-auto on the cheap side, but are known to be accurate, is a Marlin 795. I don't have one, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. I have a 10/22 that I have done a bunch of custom things, and I don't feel the need for another semi-auto.

If you want to have an accurate bot-action .22LR, there are a few options to consider. Again, based on what you will do with the gun. Are you wanting to take it hiking? Just the range? Hunting? Everyone has preferences and you can ask 10 different people and they will have 20 different opinions. However, some brands and models are known for accuracy at a price and some on a budget.

I just bought a CZ 452 Ultra Lux for accurate target shooting. I read everything under the sun, have wanted a CZ for a long time (they are known for quality and accuracy), and so I finally bit the bullet and bought one on Christmas - it still hasn't arrived yet. CZ offers many models of accurate bolt models - some with interchangeable barrels between .22 an .17HMR.

For ruggedness, Ruger makes a 77/22 bolt action. Similar action as a 10/22 but tighter due to the bolt action - uses the same mags. I know a few guys that hunt with one of these. Not the cheapest, but tough and accurate. I prefer the look and feel of wood so it isn't my thing.

For budget, Savage MKII is worth looking at. I've never owned one, but some like their adjustable triggers but I don't. Again, just opinions.

Here are some other bolt action .22 rifles worth considering - Anschutz, Volquartsen, and Schultz & Larsen (older but accurate)

Then there are lever guns for your inner cowboy that needs to bust out. People that like lever guns REALLY like them. I don't know a tonne about them, but the Henry Goldenboy seems to be the preferred pick of the bunch.

Head on over to rimfirecentral and read a bit. You'll also see the many varying opinions about ammo/barrel length, triggers, sights, scopes etc etc. It's all a part of the hobby.

If you want more details or references, you'll have to let us know: what you kind of shooting you want to do, what kind of budget you have, what kind of looks you are after, and if you want scopes or open iron sights.

Thanks for all the info! My bad for not being more specific. I'll mostly be shooting cans like I have been thus far but I'd like to get into longer range stuff, no plans to hunt or carry them far from the truck/range unless the apocalypse hits. I'm not really into the "tactical" look or semi-autos either, I think I'd be happiest with a bolt or lever with a decent magazine and an appropriate size/zoom scope for the capabilities of the gun (which is the stereotypical looking rifle I guess). I'm okay holding off on the scope until later as I've been told to budget as much for the glass as I do for the rest of the gun, but a cheaper scope could always make its way onto one of the pellet guns when it gets replaced. Budget for the gun is hopefully around the $3-400 range? I'd probably be comfortable pushing up closer to $600 if that isn't sufficient though.

Oddly I never had much interest in the levers until I handled one yesterday during the course and it just seemed cool as hell to me. They don't seem as common though so I might put that "want" on the backburner for the moment.

Levers are cool - more so in areas that don't have our stupid transport laws of being unloaded in a vehicle/ATV. Therefore, the tube magazines are a pain in the ass to unload on a lever. Good range guns, though. Some are definitely better than others and I don;t know too much about them other than Henry seems to be the preferred gun for accuracy and overall 'feel'. The Brownings are expensive, have a short lever through, and apparent,y a crappy trigger. Lever guns should be left with iron sights - that's how they were made and most agree that's how they should remain.

As for glass/scopes - again, you will find all kinds of opinions. Generally .22LR isn't too accurate past 125 yards due to the small calibre being affected by wind etc. Therefore, you don't need a moon telescope on there (like I have on my 10/22) it is just overkill. However, everyone;s eyes are different and I like to shoot at 100 yards and at that range I like being at a 10x magnification or more and most of the old school scopes are 3-9x.

I bought a Nikon Monarch 3 scope last year for my hunting rifle and I have been really impressed with the light transmission and ruggedness of the scope. It has been dropped off my quad, bashed into trees, and it holds zero and Nikon has a no fault warranty - so you buy it for a lifetime. They are becoming more popular and recommended. I just bought another rifle and I added a Nikon - the store owner agreed they are the best glass for the $$ in the market.

Again, everyone has their opinions about scopes. Yes, more money does get you some nicer glass. But unless you want to spend over $1000 on a scope, then I would be looking at a Nikon personally. Bushnells are still a decent value on some of their models - they all have a lifetime warranty as well - not sure if it is a no fault warranty like Nikon.

I forgot - if you want to start in the lower end - look at the Savage: https://www.reliablegun.com/hk/savag...ds-accutrigger

If you want to blow over a grand, look at a CZ with a scope: https://www.reliablegun.com/hk/cz-45...stable-trigger

^ that is just one model that is in stock locally.

Get down to a store and hold a bunch of different rifles, see what kind of fits you and look through some scopes. You have time before your PAL arrives, so go and shop.

I was so keen on black military rifles, that those were my first purchases. The T97, 1911, baby eagle, and 870 blackout satisfied those urges. My family of shooters includes a cz 858, berettas, tavor, and a couple of AR variants. So there is no shortage of cool guns.

But something about a wheel gun, or a lever brings me back to the early days of shooting. The mechanical nature of those actions really involves the shooter. It's easy to get hooked on mechanical guns.

But that Ruger..... that is a beautiful pistol.
Wanstalls had a bunch of barrels in stock for those, just an fyi.
;)

Love bolt actions. There's just something about the snick-snick of manual ejection (hur hur hur?) that satisfies me on some sort of primal level. :lol

The frustrating thing about bullets is that even once you've determined what sort of ammo to buy you may start running into situations where you'll find that specific brands will fire better than others. It may jam every fifth shot on Federal ammo, but will have no problem with BaurnaL.

Other than my two .22LR semi-autos, all my large calibre hand guns are revolvers. I just love them - simple to work on and hearing them click before pulling that trigger just does something for me.

As for a new barrel on the Ruger - not happening. I have dumped enough into that pistol and all it needs now is a few thousand rounds down the pipe.

Besides, I have already blown the gun budget this year. I won the GOC contest for 6 months free financing and Prophet River had a smoking deal on a gun I have wanted for a long time - a Steyr Prohunter in .270 - topped with a Nikon Monarch 3 4-16x42mm. I had <--a little--> buyers remorse, but the price was right. As soon as I committed to buying the rifle, the owner laughed as someone emailed him while I was on the phone asking why it was off their website. :awwyeah:

That Savage looks like it'd fit the bill quite nicely, I'll definitely be taking your advice and going down the shops and getting a feel for as many as I can before I buy anything.
I loved the mechanical feel of the bolt and lever action, it was a lot like driving a manual car with a really tight transmission. I've got a semi auto air rifle and while it's more convenient to use I find that I go through ammo a lot faster and if anything have a little less fun.

I was more worried about picking a gun that takes an uncommon size, so that I still have the flexibility when it comes to the brand and style of ammo. The last thing I want to do is end up with the gun equivalent of my car and find out I only have 3 bullets to choose from and no small store stocks any of them.

A lot of people say the same thing about bolts versus semi-auto - the fun is in the mechanics of it all.

Things to know going into this: some guns just prefer certain brands of ammo. You have to buy a few different kinds and figure it out on your own. For example, my .22LR revolver prefers lead tips but my semi-auto .22LR prefers jacketed bullets.

Also, some shops ask to see your PAL before they will let you handle a gun. If you explain that you are waiting for your first PAL and this is your first gun purchase, most shops will take the time to and try to teach you 'their opinions'. Some shops may not let you handle the guns - you can simply ignore places like Wholesale Sports as they won't break their policy of no Pal, no handling. WSS wouldn't even take a trigger lock off a pistol I was looking at - after I stopped laughing I walked away.

I'll see if I can dig up some other .22 packages to consider.

I was so debating the buy once cry once thing when I got my first firearm about a year ago but in the end I went cheap and got a Norinco CQA. For me I figured that with spending the money on the firearm plus all the other start up gear I needed would have been quite a bit for something I may not even end up keeping as a hobby. The money I saved vs buying a high end one paid for all my start up gear ie. extra magazines, bullets, all the items I need in a range bag, and even some light mods like new grip, hand guard etc. With that said, even though it's a cheap Chinese AR the gun did receive awesome reviews for what it is. So far I've been happy and it's my learning gun but on my next one there will be no holding back whenever that time comes.

There are always the oddball models of guns that are known for good quality and also being very affordable. When it comes to .22LR rifles: cheap, good operating, and accurate don't usually go hand in hand. But when you jump into the center fire rifles, doing some homework can really save you some money and still have an amazing rifle.

For example - the Swiss K31. Beautiful rifle, amazing trigger, straight pull bolt, and laser accurate - I paid $300 for each of mine. I love shooting them, one of them comes to the range with me every time.

we've put a few thousand rounds through my dads Norinco M4, never had any problems

all the while the stupid ISSC SCAR .22 i have is nothing but issues for essentially the same price :/

oh well, looks cool on the wall lol

Been keeping my eye open for any other decent .22LR rifle/scope budget packages, not much out there right now. I keep reading a lot of people suggesting the Ruger American in .22 is 'better quality' than the Savage MKII - you may want to read on that one. Good luck finding an American in stock, though. Everyone seems to be sold out of the .22s

The shipping for the second batch of Anschutz MSR RX22 is taking FOREVER.

That really sucks to hear.
A couple came up for sale on CGN, and I considered picking one up for the fun of it. But reading this makes me think that I don't want a problem or a project. I already have a t97 for that.

I need something that I can take out and shoot, and put away wet without worrying about it. I want reliability like an SKS, or 10/22.

send it out for warranty, you might have older internals, also maybe ammo but you've probably tried that already.

I hate to say it but I think I've only owned restricteds and be part of the "tacticool" crowd but I do see myself getting into long range target shooting howa 1500, Remington 700 5r or savage 10tr seem to be the route to go hopefully I can save up soon.

yea.. im hoping it was just the ammo, as a buddy of mine just bought whatever high velocity .22 he could find when we went shooting before

The time previous it was firing fine and cycling well through the 22 round mags. Gotta get it out again before i email them re: the warantee, but according to the seller that i bought it off on CGN, the "fix kit" was already installed on this gun

i would try mini mags if you already haven't.

these are some good options also cci ar tactical box of 300 for $33.99 and Federal automatch box of 325 for $26.99.

I find semi auto 22s cycle better with high velocity copper round nose

The kids gave me a little time to myself and my new-to-me scope arrived, so after a very long time finding rings for my Dan Wesson, I finally mounted up a scope to try something new. It needs some adjustments yet, but that will come with some range time - and after I get some reloading done.

I think it looks pretty cool and the eye relief is perfect for me. It is a Swift 2x20mm

http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/q...psbaasilmu.jpg

http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/q...psyqm911nv.jpg



I also mounted another new set of grips on my SP101 .22LR - I wanted something still a little bigger, we'll see how these fit. Sorry for the cruddy cell pics

http://i459.photobucket.com/albums/q...psh1zzsbfc.jpg

I finally got my CZ 452 UltraLux out to the range and that thing is a tack driver even with iron sights; I am so glad that I picked up that CZ, I have heard nothing but good things about them for years and it was oh so worth the wait. No pics - was all about enjoying the shooting today.

hear nothing but great things about cz bolt actions and probably the most accurate rim fire bolt action