# Beginner shooter looking for advice



## jcpowell27 (Dec 5, 2007)

Hello all, I'm new to the forums and new to firearms in general. Recently I have decided that I would like to purchase my first firearm, and I would like that to be a rifle. I have fired my uncles .22 LR a few times and a few BB and Airsoft guns, but other than that have no previous experiance.

I am looking for sugestions for what rifle I should be looking to buy for my first rifle. I don't really plan on doing anything other than going to the range with it and maybe some "plinking" when I go camping. I would like to keep price below $500 for a rifle and most of the acessories (case, trigger lock, eye/ear protection, cleaning tools, etc) but I am willing to spend more for a quality firearm. I have heard that a .22 is the best rifle to start with but I am open to other suggestions as well. Should I be looking at autoloaders or bolt actions? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance and have a great day!

-Joe P.

(P.S. If anyone could please help me find a "rifle class" or something of that sort where I can learn to take care of and properly shoot my rifle in the greater Cincinnati, OH area I would be greatly appreciative. Thanks!)


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## gunattic (Jan 9, 2005)

for a first rifle I'd stay away from a semi auto

For fun and plinking, I'd buy a lever action like a henry, marlin, or ruger. Could consider a pump action but they're difficult to shoot off a sand bag, same with the break open single shots.
For accuracy I'd buy a bolt action.. way too many to list..
or a falling block single shot if you can find one


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## People (Jan 17, 2005)

I taught my girl friend and her sun to shoot on a Ruger 10-22. I only loaded one round at a time until they got the hang of shooting then went to 2 rds. Her sun took his time and aimed and shot she wanted to spray and pray. It took many days of shooting to get her to aim and squeeze.

It is very easy to get in to bad habits of just pulling the trigger and not aiming.

You will want to go to google and look for your state rifle and pistol association. Talk to those people and they will point you in the right direction. Many of them may offer to let you shoot their stuff. They are a sport shooting group they have a weird way of doing stuff with guns but it is a good safe experience.


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## Wyomingpredator (Oct 16, 2007)

The best advice I can give is to talk to some members of your local gun/shooting club most people are more than willing to help you out and many people will let you try shooting their guns to get a better idea of what you want, there is nothing worse than buying something then not shooting it because you dont like it. another idea if you have limited experience with guns is to enroll in a hunter education course they are more focused on gun safety than hunting in most states. hope this helps.


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## Bore.224 (Mar 23, 2005)

Auto loaders like the Ruger 10/22 are a pain in the butt to clean, fun to shoot but a pain to maintain for the new shooter. I would go with a Marlin bolt action 22lr or even a 22 magnum Very accurate and easy to maintain and oh yes still fun to shoot!!

Lever guns are also a good choice, marlin makes these as well and for plinking and target you can get one in .357 Magnum that I am sure would be lots of fun to shoot. Good Luck !!


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## Teufelhunden (Dec 4, 2007)

jcpowell27 wrote,

"I am looking for sugestions for what rifle I should be looking to buy for my first rifle. I don't really plan on doing anything other than going to the range with it and maybe some "plinking" when I go camping."

LOL, that is until you get the rifle. Once you start to learn more about guns then you will want to shoot for fun so you'll need a black rifle. After that you will have to have several different black rifles. Then You'll want to shoot for accuracy so you will buy some tactical rifle then you will end up with several of those each with its niche. While spending all of this time at the range you are more than bound to run into a hunter. Then you my friend are in deep doo-doo.

:beer: Its a great journey enjoy it.


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## Savage Rookie (Oct 10, 2006)

personally, I'd suggest a marlin or savage bolt action. plenty of accuracy,safer (IMO) for a begining shooter, and a good foundation of what may become a lifelong hobby/lifestyle.

personally I don't worry about cleaning rimfires too much, but thats another discussion.

Good luck

SR


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## Turbine Doctor (Dec 15, 2007)

I would go with a bolt action for the first rifle and .22 LR is a great choice also. You can do a lot of shooting for a small price. Try looking in your local gun shops for a used gun. They are cheaper to get into and there are some good ones out there. I have a marlin model 25 bolt action .22 LR I bought for $25 and it is a great gun and fun to shoot. With the CCI mini Mags it will make a .30 caliber size hole at 25 yds with five shots.

All the replies above are good inputs. The important thing is you are getting a gun and looking for courses.

Welcome to the world of shooting sports and I hope you enjoy it enough to tell a friend.


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## bmxfire37 (Apr 26, 2007)

my gf started out with my 10/22...

it teachs you to take your time and not worry about any kicks or any thing... lets you focus on the sport... then you can upsize...

im quite fond of my .357 MAX rifle not to much of a kick... but its good from everything from deer down
but can get pricey when yo go shooting them


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