Depening on how much money I can save up after I buy everyone presents, and how much my tax return is I might buy a new rifle.
Right now I have a Winchester .22 and a Remington 12 gauge shotgun. I don’t hunt, I just shoot for recreation use, and target practice out in the middle of nowhere at my buddies house.
I’ve talked to a few people and they have suggested that I get a 17hmr. I did a little research and the ammo seems fairly cheap and abundant, a friend of mine told me that the 17hmr will be smaller than my .22 but there is more powder packed behind the bullet so the velocity of it will be greater.
I also did a little searching on here, however all I could find was stuff about the AR 15. I don’t think I need an automatic rifle, but it would be cool to have. I think it’s out of my price range anyways.
I also thought about getting a 30.06, ammo for that particular rifle can be found at walmart which is a plus.
My price range is between 300-400$. I’ve heard that Savage is a pretty good name along with CZ. If anyone has any experience or info I’d greatly appreciate it!
1st: You already have a .22 so I would personally recommend against the .17HMR. It is a hotter round, but you already have a small, cheap to shoot plinker.
2nd: I say go with a .308 Ammo is dirt cheap as it is a military surplus round. Maybe a Savage 111 series or something along those lines. Fits your price and I just bought one.
3rd: The AR-15 isn’t an automatic, its semi, it its still a black rifle which is either really cool or may scare some people off. Little out of your price range, so I would look at the Armalite AR-180B. Cheap, based loosely on the AR-15/M16 platform with a cleaner blowback. Another plus is dirt cheap .223 (5.56mm) ammo as it is surplus as well.
4th: Maybe a carbine with handgun rounds. Fun to shoot at 100 yards or less, something like the CX4 by Berretta. Ammo may be a little more, but very cool looking and VERY fun to shoot.
5th: Misc. guns like the SKS, CZ Assault Rifle (CZ565 I believe). Sucks that you guys can’t get Norinco, cause my M-14 would be the NUMBER 1 choice for your need and price range, with comparable accuracy to to the Springfield (same parts, swapped out barrel from surplus).
I say go in that order. Can’t go wrong with a .308 my man, lotta bang, not a lotta buck and arguably the perfect round.
I love the 308. It’s super accurate for target shooting, is a great hunting round and the ammo is cheap, for surplus.
I have a Remnigton police sniper model that I use for hunting. It shoots sub 1/2" groups at 100 yards from sandbags with match grade ammo.
I paid mid 500s for it 15 years ago. A new model might be a little higher, but it’s a great rifle. Varmint (thick) barrel, floated barrel, synthetic stock right out of the box. I got some work done on it , a trigger job to take it down to 2.5 pounds, bedded the action, crowned the abarrel, put a rail scope mount on it,and had an oversized bolt handle installed.
A had a Leupold 3 x 9 mil dot scope with target adjustments installed. This year I fired two shots and got a ten point buck and a doe. the buck was shot while seated at 145 yards in the spine and just dropped. The doe was shot while running, offhand in the neck at 190 yards and was dropped instantly.
I was using remington premier grade extended range ammo, 165 grain btw.
You need to practice of course, but you can’t go wrong with a 308. Also, get yourself some snap caps. I practice dry firing constantly. It has helped me get rock steady in various firing positions and has helped me with quick shooting.
I say go with an Armalite-15 clone for cheap…Versatile platform, tons of aftermarket stuff to trick it out in the future, ammo is reasonable $$, accurate, fun, cool, great for target work and one of the last great all-American designs from a genius so you get patriot points too/Besides, (on a depressing note), they are still legal in your state last I looked, unlike others, where the media smear campaign suceeded in having them banned just because they looked “intimidating”…
Where are you guys getting your .308? Everywhere I look it’s pretty damned expensive for target shooting.
To the OP:
My first .308 was a Russian Saiga-308. It’s simply a sporting model AK chambered in .308. It cost me $350 and I really enjoy it. I threw another $80 into it and got some peep sights, pistol grip and a new trigger. The only problem with tricking out your AK/SKS is that the American Gestapo (read: ATF) has a ton of obscure laws about what makes your AK legal or not based on the number of US-made parts (while they try to put US manufacturers out of business.) You should look into it.
Though actually you may enjoy an Enfield. It’s a kick-ass rifle for under $200.
Man, wish I could get a rifle and a couple of pistols, but we have stricter gun control laws than in the US!
All semi-automatic rifles are banned, let alone full automatics. Too many crazy fucks have gone on mass random shooting rampages, i.e. The Strathfield Massacre that happened in a shopping mall, and the Martin Bryant massacre in Tasmania. After that, the govt stepped in and banned the SKS especially because it was the rifle used in the shootings, along with all other semi-autos.
The “right to bear arms” does not exist here, and nobody is armed. Unless they have black market guns, or have a license, which is uncommon anyway. A gun is like a big deal.
I remember visiting the US, and it was crazy! There are guns in the sporting goods sections of department stores, BB guns and pellet guns for youngsters, guns galore…
Over here, we can’t even own BB and pellet guns without a firearms license. Gun shops are rare, strange little places populated by weird shopkeepers and usually the local community shuns the gun shops or lobbies to have them removed, if they are anywhere near a family area.
[quote]xb100 wrote:
Depening on how much money I can save up after I buy everyone presents, and how much my tax return is I might buy a new rifle.
Right now I have a Winchester .22 and a Remington 12 gauge shotgun. I don’t hunt, I just shoot for recreation use, and target practice out in the middle of nowhere at my buddies house.
I’ve talked to a few people and they have suggested that I get a 17hmr. I did a little research and the ammo seems fairly cheap and abundant, a friend of mine told me that the 17hmr will be smaller than my .22 but there is more powder packed behind the bullet so the velocity of it will be greater.
I also did a little searching on here, however all I could find was stuff about the AR 15. I don’t think I need an automatic rifle, but it would be cool to have. I think it’s out of my price range anyways.
I also thought about getting a 30.06, ammo for that particular rifle can be found at walmart which is a plus.
My price range is between 300-400$. I’ve heard that Savage is a pretty good name along with CZ. If anyone has any experience or info I’d greatly appreciate it!
-xb[/quote]
In Croatia ak-47 costs about 150 bucks on black market.
Thats what I want my mom to buy me for Christmas!
[quote]Mikeyali wrote:
Where are you guys getting your .308? Everywhere I look it’s pretty damned expensive for target shooting.
[/quote]
The last time I bought .308 (for my DSA carbine) it was in bulk (1,000 rounds) from Cheaper than Dirt. Australian surplus. Can’t remember the price, but I don’t remember thinking, “Man this is expensive”.
[quote]Mikeyali wrote:
Where are you guys getting your .308? Everywhere I look it’s pretty damned expensive for target shooting.
To the OP:
My first .308 was a Russian Saiga-308. It’s simply a sporting model AK chambered in .308. It cost me $350 and I really enjoy it. I threw another $80 into it and got some peep sights, pistol grip and a new trigger. The only problem with tricking out your AK/SKS is that the American Gestapo (read: ATF) has a ton of obscure laws about what makes your AK legal or not based on the number of US-made parts (while they try to put US manufacturers out of business.) You should look into it.
Though actually you may enjoy an Enfield. It’s a kick-ass rifle for under $200.
mike[/quote]
308s aren’t very cheap ammo wise IMO. I don’t like to screw around with plinking. that’s what a .22 is for. a penny a shot at Walmart, btw. 2-3 pennies at the highest.
Cheap military stuff is a waste for me. I’m interested in more precision shooting. Of course, I have the option to reload also.
Not all AR-15’s are automatic. As far as an AR being out of your price range, a basic A-2 is only going to be about 100-200 dollars more than a good .17hmr rifle.
I can build a basic AR for just over $500. I have about $2,400 wrapped up in mine, but I use it for work so I made her the best I could!
The kind of rifle you get really depends on what you want to do with it. Do you want to be able to defend yourself when the Canadians invade, or do you just enjoy target shooting?
For target shooting, the .17 would be great, as would the AR platform. For defending yourself when the Canadians invade, a rifle in 5.56 or 7.62 would be optimal!
If you are thinking of using a rifle for home defense, don’t. Either use that 12 gauge or buy a handgun. Preferably a 1911.
Not sure why a weightlifting article that has a lead-in about some kid bringing a soft-air pellet gun to school should preclude an adult seeking advice on how to legally purchase a rifle for target practice. Perhaps you can explain that to us. I love America. Even idiots have the right to speak their mind.
To the OP - I would suggest that you avoid the .17 HMR (it is really nothing more than a hopped up .22) and check out a .223 instead. In particular, Savage puts a good quality rifle that is quite affordable. While they are nothing special to look at, Savage puts the money into the components that count (ie- the trigger and barrel). As such, they shoot pretty damned good right out of the box and you can really tweak 'em. You can buy surplus ammo by the bucket for next to nothing and the .223 shoots flat and far.
What do you plan on doing with it? If you just want to have fun and blow off 500 rounds after work, get the AK, it’s cheap and if you maintain it can be quite the workhorse. Depending on whether you want a new tactical stock and what optics you have or plan to get, you could probably get a good SKS; tapco’s stock will support an external (20rd) magazine and it shoots in pretty tight patterns without any mods.
[quote]VanderLaan wrote:
… In particular, Savage puts a good quality rifle that is quite affordable. While they are nothing special to look at, Savage puts the money into the components that count (ie- the trigger and barrel). As such, they shoot pretty damned good right out of the box and you can really tweak 'em. You can buy surplus ammo by the bucket for next to nothing and the .223 shoots flat and far.[/quote]
I have a Savage 110 in 30-06. Great rifle. Not much to look at but very accurate. Moreso than may buddies Remingtons, Rugers and Winchester bolt actions.
I also have an M1 Garand, Enfield Mk. IV and a Russian SKS. All good guns.
The SKS is a great power plinker and seems more accurate than friends AK’s.
It all depends on what you want to do with your rifle.
[quote]VanderLaan wrote:
Not sure why a weightlifting article that has a lead-in about some kid bringing a soft-air pellet gun to school should preclude an adult seeking advice on how to legally purchase a rifle for target practice. Perhaps you can explain that to us. I love America. Even idiots have the right to speak their mind.
To the OP - I would suggest that you avoid the .17 HMR (it is really nothing more than a hopped up .22) and check out a .223 instead. In particular, Savage puts a good quality rifle that is quite affordable. While they are nothing special to look at, Savage puts the money into the components that count (ie- the trigger and barrel). As such, they shoot pretty damned good right out of the box and you can really tweak 'em. You can buy surplus ammo by the bucket for next to nothing and the .223 shoots flat and far.[/quote]
I don’t know about that as a .223 will be at a minimum 400 to 800 depending on make. If he was a serious varmint hunter target shooter I would agree with you. However, he said he’s into plinking and maybe he’ll get into a little small game hunting the 17 Hummer is perfect medicine for that.
OP, if you plan on big game hunting then get a 30-06 or 308, but if you don’t really have plans for that and will probably just do some rabbit, squirrel, and or small varmint, hunting the 17 or 22 Mag are great little rounds for that. I purchased a Marlin 17 HMR with the bull barrel for $275 and about another $100 for a Bushnell scope. I did put a thumbhole stock on it for another $130 just because I like the way they look, but it didn’t need it for any other purpose.
With this rig I can make inch and a half groups at a hundred and fifty yards which until the 17 came along was close to impossible with a rimfire round. I’ve smoked jackrabbits and cottontails with it close to that range as well. Ammo will run you about ten to twelve dollars a box for fifty rounds. Again, if you are plinking and hunting small game this is ideal IMO.
Keep in mind if you get a larger centerfire caliber ammo will be more expensive as well as rifle and if it’s 30-06 or above recoil will be much harder. Getting a centerfire rifle to shoot accurately can be a tedious job with having to buy and try different ammo and bullet weights until you find that your gun likes and shoots accurately. You may also have to have work done on your rifle to get it accurate like free floating the barrel or having it glass bedded. Generally stuff which can be avoided with a rimfire plinking round which are usually pretty accurate out of the box and with most over the counter ammo.
