my FID is in the mail but what should i buy!!

N

New_Shooter

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i took my home firearms safety class in April, met with the police chief in May and i am now just waiting for my card to come in the mail.... but what should i buy!!!

i am looking for a rile that will meet the FID requirement, fairly cheap ($250 ish max, preferably new), thats a .22 cal (college student, need it to take cheap ammo), is fun to shoot, reliable, and just an over all good gun. I’ve had 2 people suggest the ruger 10/22. even though i took the safety course i dont know much on the specifics of guns. any advice about the ruger 10/22 would be great.

i am also not 100% determined to get a .22 cal. i am open to suggestions of other types of guns i could buy. i originally wanted a .22 for my first gun because it just seams like a good idea to start small and simple and work my way up. the only thing that i really am looking for is something thats no more then about $250-$300, but i guess i could manage up to $500 if i see something that really catches my eye.

THANKS!
New_Shooter
 
10/22 is a good first choice. It was my first rifle and gets used almost every time I go to the range. They are alot of fun to shoot and you can trick it out if you want to. I left mine stock and am very happy with it. There is no use in getting a larger caliber if $$ is gonna hold you back from using it. If you are looking for a target rifle to have fun with it is an excellent choice.
 
Junglerott said:
10/22 is a good first choice. It was my first rifle and gets used almost every time I go to the range. They are alot of fun to shoot and you can trick it out if you want to. I left mine stock and am very happy with it. There is no use in getting a larger caliber if $$ is gonna hold you back from using it. If you are looking for a target rifle to have fun with it is an excellent choice.
Click to expand...

I will agree. If you are already thinking about a 10/22, it's a great and fun buy. Not to mention it's cheaper than dirt to shoot.
 
I like single shot bolt actions to learn to shoot, but the 10/22 for someone your age would be a fine choice. As a matter of fact, for $300 you could get a fine used Single Shot bolt action, AND a brand new 10/22.

If you go the 10/22 route, be aware there are a few versions of them out there now. There is the original, which is a fairly short gun (carbine). There are also two RIFLE versions that are a little bigger, and better suited to people with longer arms. I'm 5'3", and love the carbine, but if I was 6'3", I think the rifle would fit better.

You can't go wrong with the Ruger. They also make FINE bolt action, magazine fed rifles in the 22/77 (or 77/22 whichever) You should have ANY Ruger rifle for the rest of your life, and your children's lives, and they'll pass it on to their kids, they're that solid and dependable.

I've picked up hardly used 10/22 for as little as $125 and new ones for around $170 anywhere up to $250, depending on type of wood, checkering, number of magazines ect.

One more word of advice. Don't buy a .22 magnum, you'll go broke feeding it.

Welcome to our fine sport.

Bill
 
If your inclined to lever actions Marlin is a good choice as is a Ruger model 96 I believe either would be an excellent choice
 
If a .22 auto-loader is what you want, have a look at the competition too.

I have a Marlin Model 60. Its the same price give-or-take, but it comes out of the box with a 15 round tube-magazine. I also find the tubes easier to reload than a box-mag.

If you want to customize your gun, go with the 10/22. But I'm a huge fan of the Model 60

Arrrr

-Weer'd Beard
 
My first gun was a tube-fed .22 rifle.

It always worried me about making sure it was TOTALLY unloaded (.22 bullets could have a tendency to stick in the tube - according to what I read way back in the 1970s), that I got rid of it and bought a mag fed .22 (Mossberg 144LS) instead. YMMV, but that was my earliest experience and reasoning.

Still have the Mossberg even though I don't shoot it any more. Great target rifle for cheap (similar to the 44s that CMP sold). Ruger 10/22 for all around plinker and fun gun!
 
Never had any problems with mine...and mine was made about the same time you got rid of yours....maybe older.

If you REALLY want to confirm that the Model 60 is unloaded, just remove the magazine and lock the action open. No issues there!

Arrrr

-Weer'd
 
IIRC my first gun was a Win 190 not the Marlin. It was an impulse buy because my Wife had finally relented to allow me to purchase a gun (she had been 100% anti before that). I had done no research on them, etc. It was just what was on the shelf that I looked at and was cheap.

Never had troubles with it, just was overly concerned and thus took the action that I did. That's why I stated "YMMV". [wink]

BTW, the lubed lead .22s back in the 70s was rather excessive compared to today's ammo.
 
You should be able to find a nice, used bolt action repeater in your price range and have cash left over for ammo.
Remington, Mossberg, and Savage are some of the makers to watch for.
Get one with aperature (peep) sights if you can.
Since you are kind of new to guns, make sure that you have an agreement with the seller to let you return the gun for a full refund if it doesn't work reliably.
If you buy from a reputable dealer, like Four Seasons or Nick's, you shouldn't have any problems.
 
WeirdBeard, first you said you had a tubular bullet feed, then you said to make the gun safe just take out the magazine and lock the bolt back. You can't just take the mag out of a tube fed gun, and this new shooter might not know that.

My opinion, having several of each gun, the Marlin 60 and the Ruger 10/22, the Ruger is more expensive than the Marlin, and worth every penny of it. I see Marlin 60s in shops used for $65 or $75, and that's what they're worth. I have three of them in my safe right now. One is a commemorative model with the coin in the stock. Someone gave it to me for nothing because they didn't like it. Another was given to me for nothing. The third one I bought myself when I was young, poor and inexperienced.

The gun jammed so often, and had screws and parts literally falling out of it, that I put it away, saved my money and bought a Ruger 10/22. I've never regretted it.
 
My first rifle was a wal mart cheapie (Mossberg 702/22 plinkster), I regret selling that rifle. It was around $100 brand spankin new.
 
My first .22 was a Marlin Model 60. It was the biggest piece of junk gun that I've ever owned (and I've owned many). I gave it to my brother and he still has it. Just for the heck of it, a few weeks ago I tried to fire it for the first time in 25 years, and it jammed before I finished the mag. This is an early 80's vintage gun with a die cast receiver. They might be better now (I saw one in stainless a while ago).

If I were you, I'd look for a used Ruger 10/22 and be done with it.
 
depicts said:
WeirdBeard, first you said you had a tubular bullet feed, then you said to make the gun safe just take out the magazine and lock the bolt back. You can't just take the mag out of a tube fed gun, and this new shooter might not know that.
Click to expand...

To load a tube mag you give it a half turn and pull it partially out and drop the rounds into the loading port. To remove the magazine you just keep pulling. About as simple as anything else.
 
I'd also recomend the ruger 10/22, it was my first rifle and I wouldn't get rid of it for anything. Fun and cheap to shoot, and easy to modify. Mine goes on almost every range trip.
 
Take a look at CZ rifles. I picked up a CZ 452 Special. Not exactly a cheap .22 ($200 to $300 new) but it is accurate. The 452 is a 1, 5 or 10 shot bolt action. Mine has a 24" hammer forged barrel and came with some very nice adjustable iron sights on it. I've since added a scope and bipod.
This is a group of 10 I shot off the Bipod at 75 yds using Federal bulk ammo. I had an even better group my second time out with the scope but I don't have a pic of that.
100_0813.jpg


This is my current setup.
100_0774.jpg
 
Let me add my recommendation in for a 10/22 as well. First rifle I ever bought, 25+ years ago, and still shoots just dandy.

One thing you may want to do, though, when you get comfortable with it, is to buy a new set of sights for it from here: http://tech-sights.com/ The sights on the Ruger are pretty primitive.
 
Gotta ask:

Why did you get an FID when a full LTC is exactly the same price and has the same training requirements?


Editted to add:

Never mind, I just saw that you're a college student. Make sure you get the LTC when you're old enough !
 
Both my father and I have Marlin model 60's, his is about 20 years old and still shoots great, as long as it's clean. However, on both of ours broke in the same spot in front of the trigger guard when we took them apart to clean 'em. So, I'd say pick up the Ruger 10/22.
 
10/22 was my first rifle too.

I would go for the CZ 452 or 453 now. It's probably the second most customizable rifle now, and it's more accurate than the 10/22.
 

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