Looking to buy my first rifle.. Any advice?

AR-7, shoots lead projectiles rapidly. Feels like a chlld's toy and even floats. I bought mine from the only domestic terrorist alive. Didn't mean to, I didn't know he would become a terrorist.

reply to post by Cheesefacedogbone


Ya know I have a love of pretty toys too and if I had more money then god I'd happy spend the money to buy a The EBR for the $5.000+ they ask for one

But for about $400 to $500 you can get one of these
Savage 111

not as fancy but more than good enough to hunt anything in the USA

Originally posted by DisturbedToo
reply to post by Cheesefacedogbone

 

If you like accuracy, and a smaller round go for a .17hmr rifle with a bull barrel. I have one that I put 5 rounds inside a dime at 150 yards. For looks and further down range fun, the AR-15 is a great gun to own. My advice is to do your own research and go with what will make you happy. FYI... I love my .17 so much I wouldn't sell it for 10x what I paid for it.

Call me crazy but the .17 and .22 caliber guns are severly under-rated. The bullet lenght-to-width ratio is similar to military grade specs which means you get lots of accuracy and distance with them. You don't need 1 shot=1 kill, just fire a second time and job done.

Of course we are talking about rifles, but the same principle applies to pistol mechanics as well. I would rather have a .17hmr through .32acp round chambered in my gun rather than BULKY loads that punch well but do not penetrate enough. The more stream-lined a bullet is in relation to the gun-powder used the more penetration you get and penetration is critical if someone is wearing any type of body armour!

Originally posted by SevenBeans
I can't decide between a 12 gauge, AK, or AR-15... I want one all purpose SHTF gun for defense and hunting. 12 gauge seems more versatile but the 30 round clip on the rifles seems better than a shotgun for self-defense.

I'm leaning toward AK for durability (is this really the case or is the AR-15 just as durable?), but I'm a bit mystified with all the variants, is there an especially good AK for under $1000?

(My wife is a city girl and a gun hater but after several coyote sightings she's asking me everyday when I'm getting a gun, animals freak her out).

edit on 4-3-2011 by SevenBeans because: (no reason given)

If you plan on going to war get a semi-auto rifle and convert it to full-auto or buy an mp7a1 illegally from the black market...either way your gonna be ILLEGAL so it don't really matter imo!

If you want self-defense buy a cheap "saturday night" pistol.

If you want to deer hunt and sniper then buy a .17hmr or .22lr single shot bolt action rifle.

If you want a little-of-everything, remain legal and save yourself some money...then buy a shotgun!

A cheap "saturday night"pistol is about the last thing I'd trust to defend myself. Many if not most tend to be jamomatics, besides being innacurate and underpowered. Solid,reliable and adequately powered pistols are not that expensive. You can probably pick up a used .38 Smith or similar for about the same price as a cheap new auto.

As for deer hunting and sniping with a 17HMR or 22lr, I think you could do a heck of a lot better. Sure, you can kill with either of those weapons, but if hunting deer and man sized game is the primary focus of that weapon, niether is a suitable choice. An SKS can be had cheaply and will do the job much better. A Stevens 200 or Marlin MR7 are both economical and solid rifles. Buy one of those in .223 or larger and you`ll be much happier in the end.

Both .22`s and 17`s are great little rounds for their intended purposes,and can be pressed into service for larger game or self defense in a pinch, but if your loooking for a firearm specifically for hunting larger game, they rank fairly low on the list.

My personal choice is the AR-15. It is based off of a reliable weapon platform, there is plenty of ammo available for it, and it is highly modify-able.
The .223 round is one that you can shoot out to over 600m with great accuracy if you know what your doing. bought from Walmart your looking at $0.50 per round, bought online buying discount Russian steel casings your looking at around $0.25 a round.
You can buy a .22 LR conversion bolt for the AR-15, this is great for target shooting in your own back yard, and small game hunting, not to mention .22 LR is a much cheaper ammo to buy.
If your looking to give your AR-15 alot more punch, you can buy a .50 cal upper to put on the weapon. Need i say more... your AR-15 turns into a .50 cal : )

good luck and happy hunting

reply to post by Cheesefacedogbone


I would start with a .223 or a .22. But the Dragunov SVD is a big bullet a 7.62x54R. So unless you are positive you will not waste your money then buy but. A .22 has very little kick so does the .223 a 30-30 has alot of kick to.

kind of depends on what you want to use your rifle for. if you're into long range stuff/big game hunting, you can buy a custom monte carlo black stock and fit it to a mosin nagant rifle,which can be had for $100-150 at any big 5. fires the exact same round as the dragunov, and , if you can get your hands on the long barrel version, you can,with practice,get at least 500+ yards out of it. plus, mine kicks about the same as, maybe a ruger mini .223.
or, if you're just into medium range plinking, then the sks would be a great choice. you can get 20 rounds for $5 at any wal mart.

What about the .22WMR guns? I heard a few people say they are "inherently unstable" or something to that effect on some other message board. I doubt its true and imo its longer and more powerful than the traditional .22lr caliber.

Seems like a good in between round because after that you basically go into military caliber ballistics with semi-auto guns. I never liked big rounds anyway due to the extra recoil and you can kill anything with a .22 with 2 or 3 well placed rounds anyway...5.45x15mm versus 5.45x25mm? Those are the declared case dimensions and bullet sizes?

Sorry I don't know much about guns!

reply to post by EarthCitizen07
I agree with you EarthCitizen07. The 22lr would make a pretty good first gun. You don't want to go out and buy a gun that has to much power for a beginner gun enthusiast or shooter. Something just right will do. Or what ever feels comfortable when you shoot it off the first time. Oh and cool profile picture. The TR3B flying triangle is awesome!

Originally posted by SevenBeans


Saiga 12 or Benelli SuperNova? Opinions?

Whats wrong with the FN-SLP?..I love mine....its awesome and sweet at the same time...same price range as what you mentioned...

haehehaa! lol! guys, you are completely mad, I think that you should go for a crossbow instead, a good one is highly precised and will satisfy probably all your needs

I personally recommend the M48. The Serbs had left over Nazi equipment after the war and took the old reliable K98 made some minor improvements. They stored them all the way up until the early 2000's and basically you get one of the most well know and evolved and BRAND NEW K98's in 8MM Mauser for around 200 dollars there is no greater deal. Tone of cheap ammo to boot. The Russian gun your talking about is kinda reliable it's based off an AK however the accuracy suffers and the Rim cartridge will Jam from time to time after they get real hot. because they everything pinned to the barrel.

Just my 2 cents the Dragonov is a good looking weapon and Ammo is plentiful right now because it's allowed to be imported. In today's world that easily could change. Russia still produces that round for their heavy machine guns If another war starts they could dry up like the AK round did at the height of the Iraq war. It's more know as a surplus cartridge it isn't really know as a hunting cartridge although its very accurate and is definitely more than capable and alot of hunters hunt with the old Mosin Nagant which was one of most unreliable rifles I ever owned. But I think I paid 80 dollars for it.

Originally posted by Cheesefacedogbone
I am not a hunter, I have always enjoyed target shooting. I was a boy scout and had a blast earning my rifle shooting merit badge back and the day and was quite good at it. My parents always hated guns, so I never really got into it. I watched a marathon of Top Shot the other day and its got me itching to get back into it. I bought an air soft pistol a while back and its a little bit fun to shoot with it, but as you probably know they are terribly inaccurate at any sort of long range. I live less than a mile from a shooting range and I think it would be fun to go over there and hone my skills a bit. The dilemma is I am totally new to real firearms. I dont want to spend an outrageous amount of money but I would like a nice, accurate rifle for target shooting. I know nothing about what is on the market and what is good. All I really know comes from video games. The gun that I really love is the Dragunov SVD. I just think it is badass looking gun, and has appeared in a lot of games as a good sniper type rifle. They aren't exactly cheap, but I would splurge for one, if the performance matched it looks,
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d58a78452017.jpg[/atsimg]

I am a custom car guy, and by that I mean, I almost prefer looks to performance, but I am aware that in firearms, those could be two separate things. Id like to have something that performs well, but still has a sexy look to it. Any body have any advice? Your help would be greatly appreciated.

I have a similar gun to the one you have listed. It is a Romanian PSL-54c. I started out buy buying a bolt action rifle that uses the same ammunition as the Dragonuv.

What you want to buy is a Mosin-Nagant M44 Carbine. It is a WWII bolt action rifle that uses the same ammunition as the Dragonuv and PSL54c. They use a 7.62x54r 147 grain bullet.

You can grab an M44 from just about anywhere for between $100-150 and it is a very accurate and interesting rifle to shoot. It's also nice to have a reliable standard back up that uses the same ammunition, and the 7.62x54R round is a very powerful round, so it doesn't hurt to buy a bulk surplus pack of ammunition. 440 round tin of czeck ammo will cost you around $150 but that's 440 rounds.

By doing this you get used to firing the round in a similarly barreled rifle and when you get your dragonuv, you will have a back up.

The only issue with buying surplus ammo is that it is old, and you have to really clean the rifles EVERY single time you shoot them, as the primer chemicals mix with the powder elements and become corrosive and can destroy the barrel if not cleaned.

I would recommend a Winchester model 70 or a Remington 700.. any caliber (however I like the .308).. These two are off the rack tack drivers.

Im wondering,if this is a "1st rifle',indicating you are not an experienced shooter,why would someone go for a sniper fantasy-land eastern bloc clunker when you dont really have the experience to shoot something at ranges further than a couple of hundred yards?..Stick with an iron sighted bolt gun of good quality and common caliber and leave the fantasy sniper crap for someone who can shoot a gun

get a nice reliable punp shotgun, and a nice reliable 45 Cal model 1911 and a nice reliable next-gen phase-shifting, multi-barrel plasma rifle and you'll be fine. But really, the pump shot gun is the way to go.

reply to post by SevenBeans
12 guage shotgun should be on everyone's list for the Sh** hits the fan.. Sure an AK can spray a lot of lead,but so can a Mossberg 500 with buckshot.. And you can get one for $300-$500 Again, not kocking the AK, it has its uses, but if it is your first or only weapon a shotgun would be for me. As for home defense, I would not like to be on the other side of a pump shotgun being chambered..

i have a marlin with a composite stock/stainless barrel and 3x9 scope.
it is chambered for 22 wmr and is deadly accurate and powerful.
a well placed shot will kill a deer in 1 shot.
i can hit a golf ball at 70 yards 6 out of 7 rounds.
it's nice because it has detachble magazines and the gun is light and so is the ammo so you can carry alot

Originally posted by bigfoot1212
i have a marlin with a composite stock/stainless barrel and 3x9 scope.
it is chambered for 22 wmr and is deadly accurate and powerful.
a well placed shot will kill a deer in 1 shot.
i can hit a golf ball at 70 yards 6 out of 7 rounds.
it's nice because it has detachble magazines and the gun is light and so is the ammo so you can carry alot

Plus themagazines interchange with the Marlin 17 mag...I took a belt pack and put in 8 magazines,2 boxes each of 22 mag and 17 mag and placed it nect to both my Marlins....no matter which one I grab,I have ammo and mags with me...