# Buying my first gun, recommendations/help would be great!!



## Armyaddict (Nov 14, 2006)

I'm buying my first rifle soon. It will be a late graduation present from my dad. I'm currently in Army ROTC and plan on carrer. I want to get a rifle mainly to get used to stripping, cleaning and of course shooting, not hunting. I have looked and have narrowed to a couple choices. Looking for an MSRP range around $400. I've looked into the Remington 710 which looks good for a first gun, and comes w/ a decent scope i've seen. I also saw the Remington 700 ADL that comes with a scope also that looks good. Both around 400 on Impactguns.com. I would like some help deciding between the these two and the best recommended caliber. Looks like the 30-06 is a good choice. If anyone can give me some advice/recommendation and maybe a little feedback on positives and negatives I would greatly appreciate it. I want to get it soon but I don't want to make a bad decision. Also a good website to buy off of that is know to have good service please. THanks alot


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## Chestnut (Aug 9, 2006)

Well, I'd reccomend an old gun, like a Yugoslavian Mauser. $200 will get you a good one, and it functions like any other bolt gun. Actually, the Mauser design is the basis for most of the bolt guns out there.

If you're set on a new rifle, I'd avoid the 710. I've never heard anything that's wrong with them, but they have a kind ot unorthodox design- the barrel is pressed into the reciever (not screwed) and the locking lug recesses are cut directly into the barrel. It's cheaper to make that way, but makes barrel changes virtually impossible from what I hear. If you just plan to shoot it 'til it's worn out and get rid of it, no problem. :-?


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## Horsager (Aug 31, 2006)

I'd get the 700 ADL in a 223rem. It's dirt cheap to shoot and doesn't recoil. 308 would be my second choice for the same reasons.


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## bwnelson (Oct 29, 2002)

Get the 700 ADL. I've SEEN a 710's bolt let go after less than a box of shells. They shoot well enough, but are not near as sturdy as the 700's and have little to no resale value. You will not lose much money on a 700 in the event you decide to do some horse trading later. A Rem 700 isn't the perfect rifle platform (despite owning and liking one, I am not a fan of the safety configuration) but they are among the most accurate factory rifles out there and the trigger is relatively easy to adjust on your own.

For basic target shooting and plinking you cannot go wrong with a .223. It isn't a beginner's deer cartridge unless loaded with premium bullets but Horsager has it spot on regarding no recoil and cheap practice ammo.

When you get serious about marksmanship, look at taking up handloading. Loading your own will teach you a world about ballistics and load development will force you to get to the range to practice. Your cost per shell will go down, but you will spend more because you will shoot more. Then again, you will hit MUCH more as a result.


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## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

For that Money I would go with a Marlin 336 in 30-30 Winchester. Or a Bolt action Marlin 22 Magnum. If you can dig up some extra cash Say around $700-$800 and working in a military atmosphere I would get a Bushmaster AR-15. 5.56mm and .223 Remington.


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## Architect414 (Nov 9, 2006)

I agree with Bore.224 if it's just plinking your looking at doing with the gun. Then take a look at the AR-15's. They are as close as you can get to a military style gun as you can get and are very similar to strip down. I have shot them and they are pretty damn fun to shoot.


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## Csquared (Sep 5, 2006)

bwnelson said:


> A Rem 700 isn't the perfect rifle platform
> 
> BLASPHEME........PURE BLASPHEME!


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## bwnelson (Oct 29, 2002)

Sorry C2 ... I REALLY prefer a 3 position safety ...

Besides ... "It's a Mauser thing ... You wouldn't understand ..."


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## caribukiller (Oct 30, 2006)

rugar has a 3 position safety. if it's your frist gun get somthing nice you might have it till you die. get a remington 700 with a thumbhole stock i costs more but it's really nice


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## rasmusse (Oct 24, 2006)

The .30'06 would be a good choice for an all around hunting cartridge. For the best accuracy out of the box in your price range go with a Savage bolt action. If you want a bit left over for a scope go for the Stevens bolt action, I think they still sell for under $300, they have the same barrel and basic action as the Savage but save money on the stock and use a standard trigger. Not the prettiest rifle around but they are very accurate. If possible get a Savage with the Accutrigger. I got a Savage 116 for my son over 10 years ago and he loves it. It has a Swift 3x9 wide-angle scope and has proven to be a deadly combination for ND deer.


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