Rifle suggestions

[jsharmon7]

I am looking into buying a rifle in the near future just for target shooting and general fun, and because I don't currently own any rifles. I really am leaning toward a lever action rifle with iron sights (I'm old-fashioned that way) but am also thinking of maybe an AK, SKS or Mosin. What suggestions do you all have? If I go with a lever action, what caliber is best? I'm leaning toward 30/30 due to ammo price and availability. Any opinions on that caliber? I'd like something with decent power out to about 200yds since I'll be relying on iron sights. Any suggestions you all have would be greatly appreciated. Again, this gun is mainly to fill my void of not currently owning a rifle and for general target shooting. Thanks INGO!

 

[wally05]

A winchester 94 would be a pretty good choice. Mosins are excellent, hearty rifles with ammo that is like .01 a piece. If you need ammo for a mosin, I have TONS of different types in that caliber I'd be willing to get rid of. All are fairly good choices, but I think a lever or mosin would be a good bet. I have headspace gauges for the mosins also (If I can find them).

I have some mosins that are tackdrivers, btw.

 

[samrothstein01]

There are pro's and con's to each.

Mosin - I have had more fun plinking and shooting my Mosin than nearly any other gun I own. It is a beast to shoot, makes a huge boom, and fire comes out the end of the shorter models (M44/M38). What more could a gun enthusiast ask for? The longer model (91/30) is a blast to plink with at long range and iron sites have been extremely accurate on all that I have shot. Ammo is fairly inexpensive and for $120 or so, you can't purchase a more exciting rifle. The biggest downside is they need cleaned thoroughly after each shoot to ensure you remove the corrosive salts from the ammo. (Not that I don't clean my guns regularly, but this can sometimes be a hassle).

Lever Gun - Who doesn't want one of these? These are a blast to shoot and make you feel like a modern day John Wayne. Accurate at decent distances, and 30/30 ammo is more readily available, however it is still expensive compared to the mosin. They are reliable and hard to beat when it comes to shooting tin cans off of a fence row at 100 yards.

Now, to throw another in the mix....what about a nice 22 rifle? The downside to this is your desire to throw bullets out to 200 yards with extreme accuracy....however plinking with my 22 rifles is my favorite past time. I can shoot nearly all day on a $15 box of ammo, and have more fun "testing" my skills by making up target variations and trying to squeeze every last inch of accuracy out of them. Lots of fun, minimal investment, and very cheap ammo.

Just some thoughts......

 

[clt46910]

If you are not going to hunt with it, I would go with a .22 in a lever action. You want fun to shoot, and it would be cheap. Two hundred yards is a long ways to shoot just for fun and a lever action rifle with iron sights. Use the .22 and build up your skills before going to bigger rifles.

As far as the which rifle. I like the Marlins, Mod 39 and older Mod 92, but you need to go look and see which ones YOU like the best.

 

[butzchan]

A 22 would be the a lot of fun, and the cheapest. I like 30-06 caliber...the old Greek stuff can be had for about .60-.70 cents per round. Shooting an old '03 is a blast.

 

[srad]

Dare I say it.... how's about a Hi-Point 995 carbine. Just got one a short while ago and it's tons of fun, 9mm is relatively cheap, accurate to 75 yds or so, and pretty much eats anything you put into it.

9mm JHP's make it a practical HD rifle as well.

For $199 at Cabela's right now, it's worth considering.

 

[AverageMidwest]

If you can find one, a Savage 99 is a nice compromise. Lever gun that shoots high power rifle cartridges (308, 300 Savage, 22-250, etc) and is a REALLY pretty piece. (if you can't tell, I'm an owner.)

 

[haldir]

If you might want to deer hunt in Indiana with it, you might go with a .44 magnum in a lever action. If you are just wanting to target shoot, you have to have a .22. It's just one of those requirements. It is cheap to shoot a lot, you can have kids, newbies to guns etc. shoot it. If you have the money though, you can't go wrong with an AR. You will always be glad you have one. Good for home protection, fun to shoot. Recoil is light enough you can shoot a lot and once again you can take newbies to guns out and shoot it.

 

[tcshooter]

I also strongly suggest a 22 to start. I got all my kids a stainless 10/22 for Christmas when they were 13 and we still have all of them.

After you get the "bug" to own more rifles choose whatever trips your trigger!! N ot owning a Mosin I would suggest one of my favorites...a Swedish Mauser. That 6.5x55 round is deadly accurate in the two I have. Flat shooting and fun to shoot without the recoil of the 30cal rounds.

 

[redneck919]

id go with the mosin.you can still find good deals on them $85-$125.ammo is cheap.cant go wrong.their a blast to shoot.

 

[hotfarmboy1]

I'd start out with a good 22 first and learn on rifle handling and shooting with that. You can shoot near all day with about $15 worth of ammo. After that I'd say a mosin or SKS. Both are pretty accurate, both are dead reliable, have decent power, and for the most part relatively cheap ammo.

 

[BloodEclipse]

There are so many good .22s. Like many have said, best ammo prices, good skill builder and just plain fun. From there it will depend on what you want to do. An AR is a good platform due to the ability to change it into many calibers.

 

[Slab]

Joe, I have many different types of rifles you can shoot and decide after that.
Send me a message and we can set something up.

 

[wally05]

There are so many good .22s. Like many have said, best ammo prices, good skill builder and just plain fun. From there it will depend on what you want to do. An AR is a good platform due to the ability to change it into many calibers.

I just want to say that I watched Mel Brooks' "The History of the World" and I died when I saw your avatar... classic. .22 is a good start, OP, and move on from there. The AR platform is an excellent one to jump into shooting with also.

 

[2ADMNLOVER]

OK , I'll be the bad guy here , get an AK period , end of story ! There's a reason it's considered the most reliable rifle in the world .

It's fun to shoot , ammo price is coming down again , they can take or give a beating , it's good out to a few hundred meters and will function reliably long after the AR's need to be sweet talked .

In the here and now , it's great to have an XYZ rifle with a supa-dupa scope that'll hit a quarter size target at a mile . There's an Appleseed story of a guy who made a prone , 700 yard shot with a Yugo , I think .

My money says when the SHTF they'll be more BG's at 6 meters than 600 , so why waste the money on a sniping rifle and accessories ?

 

[wally05]

I don't think anyone said to get all the "sniping rifle and accessories." I wouldn't consider an ak user friendly to a new shooter compared to the more comfortable and adjustable AR. No one needs a scope unless they can hit a long range shot with iron sights. That's what I believe anyway. The AR is modular and can be changed throughout time to accomodate a shooter growing in skill moreso than an AK. That's me anyway.

 

[nighthawk80]

I agree with most of the comments. Defiantely start with a .22. Then work your way up from there. There is still plenty of Surplus guns and ammo on the market (with the Mosin Nagat still being the cheapest).

 

[ISP 5353]

A lot of good advice already given. A nice lever action .22 can be a lot of fun. If you decide to go bigger, I would suggest you look at a levergun in .44 Mag. Fun to shoot and good to hunt with too. Good luck.

 

[Mgderf]

Check out a you-tube video named .577 T-Rex goes BOOM

 

[crmguns]

I also think a .22 is a good choice but if you want a little more power, one of my favorite rifles is my savage model 10 .223. it is a really good rifle. ammo is fairly cheep if you dont mind wolf or bear, or military slurpuls (5.56mm same as remington .223) and it will defentaly get you to your 200 yard range.