Getting Into Rifles...

[sigstroker]

I'm with you on that for the most part, but shooting .22's at distance can give you a lot of good insight on judging wind.

I would like to add - position shooting .22's (prone, off-hand, sitting) at something like 50 yards will make you a better rifleman, and that has plenty of practical purpose. Shooting with .22's will show your weak areas PDQ and tell you what you need to practice. It all translates to center-fire rifle skills.

I guess. If I'm going to lie on the ground, I'd rather shoot one of my real rifles.

[bigbossman]

I guess. If I'm going to lie on the ground, I'd rather shoot one of my real rifles.

We can agree to disagree, that's cool.

It's just surprising to me the amount of folks that never get off a bench to shoot, and the astounding amount of hunters that cannot shoot without shooting sticks or other aids.

If you want to learn fundamentals, the .22 is a great teaching aid. Being able to shoot center-fire rifles off-hand accurately had served me well and put a lot of meat in the freezer, and I learned that skill with a .22 in my hands.

[RNE228]

2nd this.

While I do plenty of bench shooting, one of the best things to do is get off the bench.

A 22lr is great for learning and practice for the reason you mention. They're great for practicing filed shooting positions.

I am a fan of the Appleseed program. One of the things they do is get shooters to work from multiple positions, and transition to position. The timed fire helps with follow up shots; I don't need them very often, but it is good to practice for when you do.

It's just surprising to me the amount of folks that never get off a bench to shoot, and the astounding amount of hunters that cannot shoot without shooting sticks or other aids.

If you want to learn fundamentals, the .22 is a great teaching aid. Being able to shoot center-fire rifles off-hand accurately had served me well and put a lot of meat in the freezer, and I learned that skill with a .22 in my hands.

[plumbum]

The advantage to a .22 is the availability and cost, but also that you can shoot them almost anywhere (including inside a building/home, with appropriate ammo and safety considerations).

[1859sharps]

While I get fx1974's point, I would argue that a .223 rifle can do all that people use the .22lr for and more. It is more practical and versatile a cartridge.

but to the boring aspect, that is subjective to your interests and how you use a particular cartridge and the rifle you have to shoot it.

There is another aspect.....

during the last two periods of ammo shortages, 22lr was far more difficult to get than .223.

[Epaphroditus]

Sure, everyone should have a 22LR bolt action - great, nay, perfect for teach the little ones how to properly handle and shoot firearms but for someone like you a Ruger American in 243 is a real winner.

Excellent ballistics, proven cartridge if you do decide to hunt deer, pig or coyotes, etc, easy to reload and many commercial loadings found most anywhere.

Next step up would be something in 30-06 or 308.

[Imageview]

Or one of each: 22 lr, 223, 243! That's the real CG answer. I went with x39, but I ended up with all of those (and with 357, and 30-06, and 45-70, and 22-250 because 223 is for slowpokes,
and 17 hmr, and on and on).

I'd personally still recommend 22 for ease and lack of cost (and fun even when I have other firearms to shoot, every time I go to the range I have a 22 or 357 rifle along with something more substantial) but each person is different and the op's unique situation and idiosyncrasies will determine what is best for them.

[sigstroker]

While I get fx1974's point, I would argue that a .223 rifle can do all that people use the .22lr for and more. It is more practical and versatile a cartridge.

but to the boring aspect, that is subjective to your interests and how you use a particular cartridge and the rifle you have to shoot it.

There is another aspect.....

during the last two periods of ammo shortages, 22lr was far more difficult to get than .223.

Right. And for my purposes, I have plenty of both types of ammo. I bought during low prices, without paying much attention to how much I accumulated. I think I sold 10 or 12 thousand rounds of .22 during the recent shortage.

Granted, OP probably doesn't. But it seem wasteful to accumulate ammo and a rifle in .22, then get bored with it, and have to do it all over again in center fire.

As to the boredom, I would never have a practical use for shooting a .22. What am I going to shoot? Squirrels? For me, shooting at paper targets is only practice for shooting at something else. I'm never going to shoot a .22 at anything with a rifle.

[1859sharps]

Sure, everyone should have a 22LR bolt action - great, nay, perfect for teach the little ones how to properly handle and shoot firearms but for someone like you a Ruger American in 243 is a real winner.

Excellent ballistics, proven cartridge if you do decide to hunt deer, pig or coyotes, etc, easy to reload and many commercial loadings found most anywhere.

excellent advice for someone looking to hunt. However, OP indicated plinking/target shooting would be primary use. This implies a higher round count on the rifle than typically encountered hunting. .243 is known to need re barreling fairly quickly with this application. sometimes as soon as 3000 rounds, or sooner if you are really, really picky about groups on paper.

the odds of needing to re barrel with a .22lr or even .223 are slim. with .223, depending on goals, use etc, could last upwards of 15,000 rounds. for a causal, but regular shooter this could last years to a life time.

[fx1974]

Great points, we all have different uses. I do only target shooting (but would like to go hunting someday), and the rifles I have reflect that. I guess what I am saying is we cannot generalize that 22LR is boring. It may be boring for some, but definitely not for me. It is also practical for my purposes, gets me lots of trigger time and positional practice that translates well to my centerfire target shooting.

OP plinking at 50 yards shooting yeah it could get boring depending on how he does it. If that is the case I would tend to agree on a 223.

[Cowboy T]

Since you have handguns, and presumably handgun ammo, how about a carbine chambered in a handgun caliber?? There are several makes/models to choose from that are not subject to CA compliance complications.

Actually, I was about to suggest this. One of my most fun rifles is my Rossi 92 in .357 Magnum. I shoot plenty of both .357M and .38 Special through it. Even full-house .357M is not at all unmanageable in a rifle, even for my wife, who is a bit recoil-shy. She practices with our .38 Special load and has a hoot of a time with it. Any Winchester 92-style rifle, like the Rossi 92, is perfectly legal in CA.

The other upshot of this option is that the .357M cartridge becomes a totally different beast out of a rifle-length (or even carbine-length) barrel. You get approximately 400 to 500 feet/sec more out of a rifle than, say, a 4" bbl or 6" bbl revolver. That about doubles the round's hitting power. A .357M out of a rifle is potent enough to drop feral hogs or deer within 100 yards, assuming (as always!) proper shot placement.

We also have a Ruger 10/22. We don't consider .22LR "boring" at all. Matter of fact, to us, it's a pleasure to shoot. Additionally, at distances of 200 yards and beyond, it's very good, and inexpensive, for learning how to read the wind. We typically use Winchester and Federal ammo, the type that Walmart used to sell in the 550- and 555-packs. Since .22LR ammo is now starting to become available again, either a 10/22 or a Marlin 60 is a very good choice.

If you do consider this option, then I would also suggest getting into rolling your own ammo ("reloading"). It will save you a lot of money per round if you do, even with the current panic prices.

[Cowboy T]

So, with the above said, what was my first rifle?

It was a Mosin-Nagant M91/30! This was when those rifles could be had for $90, or $65 if you caught one on sale. Milsurp ammo was also dirt-cheap then. Those were the days, eh? :-)

[target_shot]

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.

If you want a cool .22lr, the PWS/Volquartsen Summit is the way I went. Initially designed by PWS and later sold to Volquartsen, it is a toggle action (think straight-pull bolt action, but different) .22lr rifle that is compatible with most 10/22 parts.

I would equip it with a Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9 EFR optic and call it a day. Definitely a unique way to learn the fundamentals of rifle shooting, but with a low ammo cost.

That being said, you can have an upper-tier AR for the same price, which is arguably more versatile.

[tacticalcity]

It's funny, I guess I am a go big or go home guy but I've never been a fan of calibers that you would not use for self-defense. I own .22lr rifles and handguns, but only because they were given to me. They rarely make it to range day.

When it comes to 223 I prefer the AR platform. When it comes to the bolt action I like something more robust. Such as the .308.

It really comes down to what you plan to do with it. Hunting deer? You'll want a thinner barrel. Target shooting or hunting varmints? You'll want a heavier barrel.

A good option for punching holes in paper is the Remington 700 SPS in .308. Reason being that it is affordable to get into. And it is highly upgradable. The metal is basically the same as their higher end rifles just with a less expensive paintjob and stock. So you can build it into something really nice later on with some minor upgrades if you really get into it. They make hunting variants, tactical variants, and varmint variants. Personally, I like the heavier barrel tactical and varmint versions.

[ACfixer]

Yeah, a .22 is a staple and something most of us own but it's really limited in usefulness past 100 yards. So my vote is for .223 because of range, you can really start touching on some longer shots without ridiculous holdover. 50 cents a shot or so and you can put 50 shots downrange without cleaning out your checking account. Something like a Howa 1500 or a Ruger American will get you down the road quite a ways, you'll have to become a pretty skilled shooter before you NEED anything more.

Personally my favorite caliber all around is the .308 and if you ever plan on getting into hunting that will cover nearly anything. It's another great choice that's widely available but it costs double the price of .223

And anyone that says you'll be "dealing with recoil" on the .308, tell them to sell you their ammo so you can go shoot and they can buy a new purse.