Looking to buy my first rifle.. Any advice?

reply to post by pteridine


I just checked out the Henry Survival ar-7. That thing is pretty awesome. It pretty cool how it breaks down like that, and cheap.

Alot of good advice here, but, get an AK47. its cheap, ammo's pretty cheap. and its a hardcore solid gun, you can get almost any make china, Yugoslavian, Romanian .

they can take tons of abuse, and has a good amount of power. .22 are nice and really cheap, but they feel like air guns. an AK , you know your shooting a serious arm.

reply to post by Cheesefacedogbone


For long range I would buy a remington 700. I almost bought a SPS tactical model with a 20 inch bull barrel for 500 bucks. You could accurately make shots out to around a 1000 yards if you are a good enough shot and have a decent scope.

reply to post by markusjOHNSON


You really can't beat an ak. I love mine, but the only downside is that mine weighs in at 10 pounds with a fully loaded mag. Of course that is after adding a quad rail, red dot, handgun light and magpul afg.

Originally posted by Cheesefacedogbone
reply to post by pteridine

 

I just checked out the Henry Survival ar-7. That thing is pretty awesome. It pretty cool how it breaks down like that, and cheap.

It is handy to carry in a backpack and exceptionally accurate. I have the Armalite version from about 30 years ago. It has only one magazine storage area in the stock but looks identical otherwise. You can get a scope for it but that eliminates storage in the stock.
From your previous question, 400 yards is a bit much for a .22 which you can discover by looking at a ballistcs table. If you want to shoot at 400 +, you'll need a centerfire rifle. You can do this with a surplus military rifle like a Mosin–Nagant which will have open sights adjustable to fairly long ranges. Better conditioned barrels will be surprisingly accurate as will the Mausers. The Nagants were the Soviet sniper rifles of WW2 and are under $100 but the 7.62x54R ammunition isn't as cheap as Wolf 7.62x39. The surplus AK ammunition, combined with the AK variants, is not particularly accurate so when you shoot you'll never know how accurate you are as opposed to the rifle. These are philosophically based on the Nazi Sturmgewehr, the first "assault rifle" which fire a round halfway between that of a military rifle and a machine pistol. Their advantage is a high volume of fire with low recoil and accuracy good enough to hit man-size targets out to 300 yards or so.

If you want to know how accurate you are, you will need a better rifle and better ammunition. At 100-150 yards, .22 LR is tough to beat for accuracy and is exceptionally low cost. Out a little further, the 5.56 [.223] is a good choice and the Remington 700 is a capable rifle. So is the Savage and a few others. This is a military caliber so you can buy an asssault style rifle if that is what you like. The better ones approach the accuracy of bolt actions and likely will be good enough for your purposes. Beyond about 400 yards, the wind gets to be a bit much for 5.56 and better ballistics are desirable. There are many offerings in 7.62 NATO [.308] as well as everything in between that and 5.56. The .308 will belt you a little as will the Nagant. All of these centerfires cost money to shoot and many show exceptional accuracy when handloaded.
I still recommend a .22 for you as it is low cost, exceptionally accurate, low noise, and is the easiest rifle to feed. A box of .22's is currency in some parts of the world.

Now the Dragunov is a great weapon , I have a Tiger (Tigr) rifle, but depending on what you want to spend, when most people think of Dragunov they are thinking of the Romanian PSL Dragunov style rifle can be had for around $600 and still is a great rifle for the money.
But the real Dragunov like my Tiger or the Russian SVD,Chinese NDM-86 plan on spending $2000 or up to $10,000 for the SVD

Remember use light ball ammo in these rifles

I got hooked on 7.62x54R when I bought my 1st Mosin nagant now I have many and you still can pick up for not much over $100 and $80 for a tin of ammo. and they are a hoot to shoot and kick like a mule

If SHTF ever happens there is no doubt that the Mosin would be one of the rifles I would grab if I had to bug out

You can even buy a PSL in 308 if you wanted

reply to post by Cheesefacedogbone


by an assault "ar-15" styled 22 rifle (nice looks - cheap ammo for target shooting).

reply to post by pteridine


It's funny you mention the mosin-nagant. I was just reading a review about them. Im leaning towards the 22.(i love how it fits in a backpack.) but after reading about just how cheap the mosins are, I might pick one up to play with a little too. Thanks for all the help. like I said, i really dont know a whole about any of this stuff, but all you guys seem to be pointing me in the right direction.

Originally posted by Cheesefacedogbone
reply to post by pteridine

 

I just checked out the Henry Survival ar-7. That thing is pretty awesome. It pretty cool how it breaks down like that, and cheap.

Have one in each of my wife and mine GOOD bags(Get Out Of Dodge) cheap ($220)and you will need to rely on a .22 more then anything else.

If you go by their web site they say U.S. Air Force pilots still have them on board just in case they need to punch out over a remote area

reply to post by Meatman


I think Im gonna get one. now I need to see if i can find one local.

Originally posted by Cheesefacedogbone
reply to post by Meatman

 

I think Im gonna get one. now I need to see if i can find one local.

Might be tough to find one local, if all fails try J and G excellent company, picked up most my Mosins from them

www.jgsales.com...

reply to post by Cheesefacedogbone


The Mosin is a sturdy and functional rifle that will take some serious abuse. As you may imagine, it is a great cold weather rifle although in really extreme cold you may have to cut the grease with gasoline or diesel fuel to loosen it up. The Mosin and other turnbolts have reduced maintenance requirements over semi-autos and generally always work.
Be prepared for some noise and recoil when you shoot it. Simo Häyhä used one with open sights to knock off over 500 Soviet solders when they invaded Finland. Who says snipers need scopes?
en.wikipedia.org...

if you want a weapon to survive in the wasteland .. you will need this one
WITH A MICROWAVE

reply to post by Cheesefacedogbone


Dunhams usually has them available

This is some funny comparison AK47 AR15 Mosin

www.mouseguns.com...

reply to post by Cheesefacedogbone


Without experience and this being your first purchase I would go with a 22. They are an excellent way to get some hands on experience and get comfortable with a weapon. Inexpensive as well Remember safety first and good luck.

The Dragunov is a very fun sexy rifle. If you have the money to spend on rifle and ammo, do it. You will not be dissapointed.

A Savage bolt action in .223 would be another good choice. Reasonable cost, and a fun round. Combine it with a good piece of glass, and you have a pretty darn accurate rifle.

That said I agree with most re: the .22. Still as fun to shoot, but costs a whole hell of a lot less. To get the whole black gun fun, get a Ruger 10/22. Put on the Archangel stock. Buy an aftermarket 16" fluted bull barrell. Get yourself a big magazine. Get some flip up rear and front sights, and blast in style all day long for cheap, with an initial expense of ~ $650.00.

Originally posted by pteridine
. Simo Häyhä used one with open sights to knock off over 500 Soviet solders when they invaded Finland. Who says snipers need scopes?
en.wikipedia.org...

That is awesome.

my advice, buy a sh!tload of ammo aswell, just in case of a rainy day

I found the Henry Survival in my hometown here. They have it at $212. That sounds fair. Does anyone know of a better deal?