First Rifle Purchase

[Squidward]

I'm going to toss out a suggestion since you want both a range gun and a HD gun. The Henry costs about $800. For that amount of money you can buy a 10/22 (range gun) and a shotgun (HD gun). And, you'll have money left over for ammo.

Obviously, if you don't care for these two firearms, there are other combinations of firearms that would also suffice.

[DennisCA]

I'm looking into to buying my first rifle that will mainly be used as a range/target gun (i don't hunt). Would also be nice to know that it would be capable of handling home defense and be nice as a SHTF/survival gun.

I've had my eye on a Henry Big Boy chambered in 357 as it would be nice to have a rifle chambered in the same round as some of my revolvers.

Would this be a wise first rifle purchase? Here is my train of thought, in Ca I only get 10 rounds so it defeats the purpose of owning an auto type rifle. I also figured reloading 10 rounds wouldn't take much longer than having to deal with the bullet button. I also get a rifle that is more reliable and easier to maintain.

Am I on the right track here? Or am I missing advantages to an auto type rifle?
Any feedback from experienced rifle owners would be appreciated. I have a Henry in my cart online, just waiting for some feedback before I confirm the purchase.

If you never fired a rifle - then get a .22 rifle
If you have (as others have mentioned) a good AR or AK would be good.
Also - if you want something with a bit old-school, how about a SKS?
(7.62X39 is fairly cheap right now)
My 2 cents

[Fox75]

I'm going to toss out a suggestion since you want both a range gun and a HD gun. The Henry costs about $800. For that amount of money you can buy a 10/22 (range gun) and a shotgun (HD gun). And, you'll have money left over for ammo.

Obviously, if you don't care for these two firearms, there are other combinations of firearms that would also suffice.

I should have mentioned that I do have a few shotguns for HD and would of course always be my first choice. I'm going to hold off on the lever action for now and do a little more research based on all the feedback here. Thanks for all of your advice!

[TMB 1]

M1 Carbine would be good if you decide to start with a semi auto. Then you could get a 10/22 also, they're both about the same size.