Getting Into Rifles...

[splithoof]

I’m not going to suggest any specific rifle, but will instead suggest some reading: The Art of the Rifle by Jeff Cooper, which will start with some basic principles, and go from there.
I do agree with 1859sharps above comments.

[Elysium]

[Divernhunter]

start with a 22RF rifle. You will always have a use for it and cheap to feed.
The Ruger 10/22 or Marlin 60 are good choices. I put Simmons 3X9 scopes on mine that are made for 22RF rifles. They work just fine.
The next step would be a 223/5.56 rifle in semi-auto or bolt or whatever as they are about the cheapest of the centerfire rifles to feed.

I do not know where you live but if near me you are welcome to come and shoot any of my rifles. I have quite a few different ones

[sigstroker]

The biggest downside to .22's is they're boring as hell. OP probably knows that from shooting pistols.

[Harry Ono]

The biggest downside to .22's is they're boring as hell. OP probably knows that from shooting pistols.

So true! I found a used 223 BA rifle with wood stock for $400 and upgraded the scope for $250. So take some time to look through the used gun rack at your LGS, there may a good deal and picks out there.

[sigstroker]

You don't even really need to look for used. You should be able to find a new Savage Axis II package including a mounted scope for under $400 without much trouble.

[RNE228]

I would look at two rifle.
- Everyone should have a 22lr rifle for plinking and target shooting
- For general target shooting with a centerfire, 223 is inexpensive, but has a range of ammo available from plinker grade to match grade.

I've taught a lot of people to shoot; son and his friends growing up, Scouts etc. I will always advocate for learning on single shot or a bolt action that can be fed individually. It is much easier to teach and learn sight acquisition, NPOA, trigger control on a single shot/bolt rifle.

Although I like and have 10/22's, every time I get one out for a new shooter they start blamming away, even with just a couple rounds in the mag.

I'd rather have a new shooter learn the basics in a controlled manner, with emphasis on being able to reliably hit the target.

For centerfire, it's hard to beat 223 in a bolt action. 223 or 357 in a lever is fun too(yes, 223 has been available in lever actions for a long time...). A lever is more cumbersome if you're shooting from a bench though(you have to turn it or lift it off the sandbag to cycle action, losing your sight picture and shoulder mount).

The other thing I prefer, is to start on iron sights. If you you can shoot well with irons, you can shoot well with any sight/scope. But, not necessarily the other way around.

[RNE228]

Why?

Maybe I'm jaded because I learned decades ago on a Hawken black powder rifle and my Dad's 22lr bolt action he got as a kid.

I like my 10/22's, have done Appleseed etc. But there's a reason Scouts, 4H etc don't use semi-auto's for teaching shooting disciplines....

I like levers in 22lr and centerfire(browning BLR in 223 is a blast to shoot). But, they are cumbersome to shoot from a bench.

Just get a 10/22. A bolt action .22lr is cool too but you might as well just get a 10/22 or a lever action .22lr.

Shooting .22lr out of a bolt gun will get you some basics like trigger mechanics but it isnt going to help you get used to recoil. You can get the same skill shooting a .22lr with a quality air rifle.

[Jimi Jah]

My Henry Golden Boy out shoots the other .22's here.

American Rifleman did Henry comparison a couple of years back. It outperformed all their center fire models for accuracy. With match ammo it's quite good.

[TMB 1]

7.62x39 Ruger American ranch that uses Mini 30 magazines it is a bolt action, or you could get an SKS or Mini 30 semi auto, all legal in California. https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-...Russian&text=#

[fx1974]

22LR is a good start. I enjoy shooting my 22 bolt as much as my other guns. My favorite bolt 22 is my Tikka T1X MTR. My daughter shoots steel with it, and hitting, up to 300 yards. Great plinking round. Relatively inexpensive to shoot. Very easy on barrels. Great variety of ammo.

You'll probably eventually want a centerfire bolt gun; too many to choose from it will depend on what you want out of it. You end up choosing the cartridge and the rifle platform - e.g. a light hunting gun, or a heavy target rifle, and how far you want to shoot. And sometimes you end up with an "overkill" cartridge just because you want one

Then maybe you'll get into centerfire semi-autos, and that's where CA choices are limited. If you are going the AR route, you can build your own.

[Preston-CLB]

Another vote for .223 here. As mentioned, ammo is plentiful in a variety of grain weights and quality (plinking to match grade). Recoil is very manageable, too.

The Axis II with the mounted scope and Accutrigger is a great place to start for target shooting. My Savage 10 will shoot 1 MOA at 100 yards all day long.

Also, the .223 will get one used to dealing with recoil, and thus makes it easier to transition to a punchier caliber down the road.
-P

[bigbossman]

Given that my goal is plinking; I'm not at all opposed to a 22lr rifle. In fact originally I was looking at the s&w semi-automatic rifle for 22lr (I don't have the model number handy; but you guys know what I mean). But just as I started out with handguns (22lr with a revolver); I thought I'd do something similar with rifles too. 22lr is cheap. And a bolt action rifle forces you to be an efficient shooter (kind of like a revolver vs a semi-automatic handgun). At least that was my line of thinking.... if you guys feel otherwise do chime in.

I used to instruct small bore at the local range, and we had a lot of success teaching marksmanship skills with the older Remington 500 series of .22 rifles. 510, 511, 512, and my favorite, the 513T Matchmaster. Robust, easy to operate and maintain, and very accurate. They are not hard to find, not very expensive, and will get you started in the right direction.

https://tincanbandit.blogspot.com/2018/12/featured-gun-remington-500-series-rifles.html

[1859sharps]

The biggest downside to .22's is they're boring as hell. OP probably knows that from shooting pistols.

This is but one reason I have given some serious rethinking to the advice of start with a 22lr. there are others, but starting with a 22lr may not make sense for everyone. Just because you did, doesn't mean someone else must also. Age, interest, experience, budget are all factors too.

Although I like and have 10/22's, every time I get one out for a new shooter they start blamming away, even with just a couple rounds in the mag.

don't dismiss the value of having a bit of fun and blasting away. gets it out of their system, makes the experience fun, thus more likely to maintain some interest in learning to shoot. And, may actually help them focus on your instruction after seeing all the misses.

I have never seen you teach, so I can say this next applies to you, but most people are not teachers and forcing someone to start single shot, with lots of dry instruction (due to lack of teaching skills or preparation) when they might at this stage just be looking for some fun, might not be the best way to get someone hooked on shooting.

nothing says they need to blow through a brick of 22lr, but a magazine or two having fun might actually benefit the goal of instruction in the long run.

Why?

But there's a reason Scouts, 4H etc don't use semi-auto's for teaching shooting disciplines....

maybe, or maybe they are stuck simply because it's just the way it has always been done rather than the best way. Something I have learned over my 35 years owning firearms and using them is that as a group, we don't always give the best advice. Lots of advice and starting points are repeated as "gospel" simple because that is how "I" learned or was told was "the way" to learn this stuff.

Also, the .223 will get one used to dealing with recoil.....

when did .223 have recoil added? :P

[sigstroker]

.223 has a LOT more recoil than .22.