Good first gun?

[Blue]

Well you guys are correct mostly, but....

5.56 simply fires with higher pressures designed for military rifles. This is caused by different powder charges and 5.56 usually has a thicker casing, therefore in reloading you must be aware what they are. If you load a military case with a .223 spec and put it in a .223 rifle, you could be in for a surprise.

Gun powder burns, it doesn't explode.

And since they do chamber in both, great care must be taken when using it.

[Blue]

semi-auto anything is not a good first gun.

Single shot bolt action .22, you should be able to find a nice used Remington 514 for around $125.

First learn to hit what you are aiming at every time, then worry about how many times you can pull the trigger before reloading.

I would agree that a auto pistol wouldn't be ideal for a first, but I find nothing wrong with a semiauto rifle for a first. Good chance to learn trigger discipline.

[tankie]

The 1st gun I bought was when aged 12 or so , it was a 177 Diana air rifle break barrel very powerful , it was before the 12ft pounds was introduced , very accurate , killed very well , crows etc and great for targets , all for the princely sum of 10 shillings , that's 50 pence today , half a pound , wish I still had it , then it was a BSA 22 Airsporter , even better than the 177 for killing / hitting / shock power , then the UK brought in the 12 ft pounds reg , both rifles today would require a fire arms cert , warra freakin paranoid control freak nation

[dave lukins]

warra freakin paranoid control freak nation

Buy your children toy weapons for Christmas and you could face an armed raid, police warn parents | Mail Online

[tankie]

Buy your children toy weapons for Christmas and you could face an armed raid, police warn parents | Mail Online

FFS What a freakin country , kids cant play cowboys n indians or war games ,,,,it would be funny if it was not so sad , no wonder the rest of the world laughs at us :slap:

[dave lukins]

FFS What a freakin country , kids cant play cowboys n indians or war games ,,,,it would be funny if it was not so sad , no wonder the rest of the world laughs at us :slap:

I loved this para:

Anyone aged above ten - the age of criminal responsibility - who is found to be in possession of an imitation firearm or air weapon in a public place without reasonable excuse faces a maximum 12-month jail term under the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006

Good job these clowns weren't around when we were kids. What a crazy world we have become.

[tankie]

Not a crazy world nuts , crazy UK in that respect :slap:

[highsea]

...but I find nothing wrong with a semiauto rifle for a first. Good chance to learn trigger discipline.

Eric, I always cringe just a little when a rank beginner comes on here and asks for recommendations for a first gun. We tend to give recommendations that are appropriate for us.

I've owned 10-22's. They are great bullet hoses. Let me tell you what this kid will do. He will go buy that 10-22, and he will see that fiberglass folding stock and 50 round bananna mags and go "neat-o".

Next thing you know he's out at the gravel pit spraying bullets around from the hip or one-handed, pretending that he's Arnold Schwarzenneger in "Commando".

If a beginner is dead set on a repeater to learn to shoot, a lever or pump or a bolt-action repeater is much better. There is plenty of time to learn how not to have an AD with a semi-auto after the basics are learned.

I am also a firm believer that NO handgun is appropriate for a beginning shooter. They should first learn to shoot a rifle, then transition after some minimum level of competence is developed. And when a handgun is wanted, a single-shot TC Contender or a 4" Smith .38 is just fine.

[gunnut]

Eric, I always cringe just a little when a rank beginner comes on here and asks for recommendations for a first gun. We tend to give recommendations that are appropriate for us.

I've owned 10-22's. They are great bullet hoses. Let me tell you what this kid will do. He will go buy that 10-22, and he will see that fiberglass folding stock and 50 round bananna mags and go "neat-o".

Next thing you know he's out at the gravel pit spraying bullets around from the hip or one-handed, pretending that he's Arnold Schwarzenneger in "Commando".

If a beginner is dead set on a repeater to learn to shoot, a lever or pump or a bolt-action repeater is much better. There is plenty of time to learn how not to have an AD with a semi-auto after the basics are learned.

I am also a firm believer that NO handgun is appropriate for a beginning shooter. They should first learn to shoot a rifle, then transition after some minimum level of competence is developed. And when a handgun is wanted, a single-shot TC Contender or a 4" Smith .38 is just fine.

Hey where were you hiding that day? I swear I looked around and saw no one near me...

[Red Team]

To be fair, I have more of an inconsistent experience in firearms, rather than being a clueless beginner. I'm also a bit of a natural conservative with limited resources so I can control the impulse pretty well with semi autos.

However I do need some work with longer range marksmanship and recoil management so I'm more worried about cost and general handling characteristics than anything else.

[gunnut]

Ruger 10/22 and/or a Henry lever action are both fine beginner guns. In fact, Henry rifles are made in New York.

Hmmm...I might have just talked myself into buying a Henry.

[highsea]

...Hmmm...I might have just talked myself into buying a Henry.

I'd have never guessed, lol.

@red team-

Yes, you are a rank beginner. When you have fired off something in excess of 30,000 rounds, you can consider yourself to be approaching an intermediate shooter.

Recoil management is not your concern, and not something you will learn with a .22 anyway. Your concern is learning safe gun handling skills and hitting your target when you pull the trigger, and having a 100% safe backstop on EVERY SHOT.

Long range marksmanship can come when you have mastered short range marksmanship. Get a single shot bolt-action .22 and practice bullseye shooting at 50ft and 50 yards using NRA targets.

When you are putting every shot in the black from 3 positions, and at least half the shots in the black offhand, you are ready to move the targets out. When you are 80% in the black offhand at 50ft, you are ready to transition to a centerfire caliber.

If you look around for that Remington 514, you not only will have an excellent rifle to learn safe gun handling and shooting techniques, but it will be inexpensive to shoot and worth more than you paid for it if you are ever stupid enough to sell it.

[surfgun]

A .22 is fine for 100 yard shots, heck when one gets more experience with an accurate .22 like a Marlin Bolt Action one can hit regularly out to 200 yards when one understands the ballistics of the .22 L.R. (bullet drop).

[Blue]

Yes, you are a rank beginner. When you have fired off something in excess of 30,000 rounds, you can consider yourself to be approaching an intermediate shooter.

Gonna have to disagree here Casey. Soldiers graduate basic only having fired less than a few hundred rounds. The key is education, not volume.

Not tooting my horn, but I may have hit the 30,000 rnd mark not long ago and I have been shooting for a good 32 years, and for a living for some of that. Military, LEO, and competition. I am considered a pro on many levels, so I must disagree with the stringent requirement you have set for that benchmark.

@ Red team,

Go to a good class and learn the right way when you get ready to shoot what you want.

That's my final answer.

[highsea]

Gonna have to disagree here Casey. Soldiers graduate basic only having fired less than a few hundred rounds. The key is education, not volume.

Not tooting my horn, but I may have hit the 30,000 rnd mark not long ago and I have been shooting for a good 32 years, and for a living for some of that. Military, LEO, and competition.

I bet if you really sat down and figured out how much you have shot, it would be a lot more than you think. I went well over 100,000 rounds of 12 ga. in just 1-1/2 years of trapshooting. That's 2 matches a week- Sunday and Wednesday night (100 singles, 100 doubles, 100 handicap, 100 continental, plus 100 rounds warmup before the shoot) plus one day practice of 600 rounds on Thursdays.

When I was shooting smallbore competitions, I know I went over 50,000 rounds in 2 years. That's less than a brick a week in practice plus matches. Very easy to do.

I consider myself somewhat proficient, and would estimate something north of a half-million rounds fired of various calibers.

I would call someone out of basic to be safe, but not proficient. Most LEO's I have shot with I would call safe, but not proficient. The training teaches proper gun handling, but practice is what makes someone a good shooter. My 30K threshold is slow-fired, aimed shots. When you get to that point, you should have correct habits (sight picture, breathing, trigger) drilled in.