Sheep have more decision making skills. . .

[jt1911]

. . . than I do.

Okay, I've been bouncing around on what long gun to get and I think I've finally narrowed it down to 3 choices. Now I can only get one(and remain married that is). I'll list them and their pros/cons, at least in my mind. I would greatly appreciate all the help I can get. Again, I am shamelessly pulling my NewB card.

Choices:

1. Rem 870 Express SuperMag - Pros: I like the cost, could get into sporting clays and hunting, ammo is cheaper. Cons: going to sporting clays place seems to be on the expensive side and looks to be over quick. I probably wouldn't really have the time to learn to hunt. I rank this choice as my least favorite.

2. AR-15 - Stag Model 2. Pros: It is an Ar. I think nuff said. Cons: Gun is pretty much at the extreme far reaches of my price range. Ammo is killer and I would have to drive about 1 hour to shoot it. But it would be fun to shoot and I would have to just shoot it less due to cost.

3. GSG-5. Pros: Price of gun is cheap, ammo is dirt cheap, and I could shoot it at my indoor range by my house. And it can be tricked out to look pretty cool. Cons: I have never shot one, so I don't want to buy one and end up thinking shooting a .22LR is like shooting a bigger form of a airsoft type BB gun. Again, I've never shot one before and I'm only going by seeing the other .22 rifle guys at the indoor range.

Availability:
I know at least one place getting in a GSG in about a month for around $600 and I think I can place an order with LanWorld for the AR and get it in about 7 months or so from Ades. Total cost would be a little over $1K. The 870 is also hard to track down but will eventually come in.

I'm leaning towards the GSG but not by much. I was hoping to have my choice by this weekend to( hopefully) find the chosen gun at the Costa Mesa gun. . . but I think that might be wishful thinking.

I would greatly appreciate all the help I could get. Thanks in advance!

[ErikTheRed]

Looking for the fun and affordability factor? Stick with the .22 or the 870. The AR is not only very expensive to get/build, but is very expensive to use (with today's ammo prices). The Rem 870 Express is an excellent pump for the money, and 12g target loads can still be had at Walmarts across the land for under $5 for 25 shells. Shooting clays is damn good fun. Get yourself a cheapo hand thrower, grab a buddy and go have an afternoon of good times for a fair price

.22 is still cheap, especially when you buy in bulk packs. A 500-rnd box of Federal is under $15 most places and you can plink till the cows come home.

[NSR500]

The AR platform will be the most versatile of the 3 allowing you multiple calibers, barrel lengths, stocks, etc...
If it comes to fruition, you'd even be able to turn the AR into a 410 gauge shotgun.

[Bowser]

Build an AR-22. Cheap to shoot, and then you can get a 5.56 upper later on.

[ErikTheRed]

12 GA amo ain't cheap!

I disagree. Comparatively speaking, field/target lead 12g is indeed cheap. Lets examine my claim:

20 rounds of .223, average going cost will be around $10 for cheap stuff.

VS:

25 rounds of 12g field/trap, average going cost is about $5 for cheap stuff.

So, the conclusion I draw is this:

50 cents per shot for .223, or 20 cents per shot for 12g.

Get 20 rounds of .223 for $10, or spend HALF that amount on 12g and get 5 free bonus rounds.

About the only ammo out there cheaper than 12g is .22 and BB's.

[jt1911]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess the main function of the gun I get would be 90% range shooting/recreation shooting. Hunting might just be a pipe dream I think due to time and ability( Translation: I'm probably too lazy and too city).
So the main questions are:

For AR: Is the price of gun, ammo, and drive time all worth it to bring to the range and shoots probably 4-5 times a year.

For GSG5: Is shooting a .22LR boring/too tame/like shooting a BB gun

For 870: Is sporting clays at a sporting clays range too short for the price and is going out on your own to throw some up yourself a lot work/driving for someone living in Orange County?

So if it were you and you could only have one to compliment your other gun, SA 1911, which would it be?

Thanks for all the replies again, good food for thought.

[NSR500]

AR all the way!

The versatility of the AR lets me shoot it anywhere, and anytime. If I go to an indoor range I can slap on the 9mm, or .22 rimfire upper and go to town. Longer distances I can shoot outdoors with anything from .223, 6.8, 6.5, .458, etc...

Why limit yourself to a one trick pony with an 870 or GSG5?
Get with the program dude... AR platform all the way!

[sholling]

870: With a second (short) barrel it can be used as a home protection tool. With a full length barrel you can have great fun shooting trap to start with and graduate to sporting clays as your skills grow. Trap shooting is very affordable. I think that this is a good direction to go.

AR15: As someone pointed out it's versatile and has a cool factor but you always run the risk of legal hassles. Cheap ammo is now up around $8/20rds. Don't get me wrong I own one and it's great to have but until more LEOs get up to speed on the legality then mine will spend most of its time in my safe.

GSG5: I love shooting 22s but this wouldn't be my first choice. The GSG is a plinker - not a precision rifle and just plinking away and burning ammo just doesn't float my boat. To me investing in a good quality bolt action 22 and working on fine tuning my precision shooting skills is a lot more fun. Many gun clubs offer monthly stock 22 only matches as well as more open matches. Something like a Savage BTVS paired with a good scope would be fun.

Another option that I enjoy is customizing Ruger 10/22s into precision target rifles. There is something extra satisfying about taking an average fun gun and making it your own. It can get expensive but it's a fun hobby.

[Spyder]

I'm not answering your question, BUT, get a 10/22 with a cheap scope to plink around with. .22 is FUN! Then buy a used 870 or a new Mossberg. You'll still spend $600, or less, and have two of the three options you wanted up there, eh? 10/22's are just about as easy to modify and customize as a friggin' AR, they're a must-have for a gun guy, and the 12g is just fun to blast stuff with.

[cmath0100]

I'm not answering your question, BUT, get a 10/22 with a cheap scope to plink around with. .22 is FUN! Then buy a used 870 or a new Mossberg. You'll still spend $600, or less, and have two of the three options you wanted up there, eh? 10/22's are just about as easy to modify and customize as a friggin' AR, they're a must-have for a gun guy, and the 12g is just fun to blast stuff with.

+1

Get the 10/22 and work your way up. They can be had for around $225-250, maybe less. Not to mention the options are endless as far as configuring the gun to your likings.

[WyoDuner]

+1

Get the 10/22 and work your way up. They can be had for around $225-250, maybe less. Not to mention the options are endless as far as configuring the gun to your likings.

+2 I couldn't agree more. Besides, EVERYONE should a have a .22 of some sort.

ARs are great, fun, lots of mods but lets face it, EXPENSIVE!!!

[jt1911]

Thanks for all the replies. Some good stuff. 2 questions arise from the replies.

One, Sholling mentioned that he will keep his AR in the safe until LE get more educated on the laws. So do AR owners get hassled or worse because of this? I was under the impression ARs with bullet buttons were pretty accepted.

Second, it sounds like shooting .22LR is great fun and no mentioned anything bad concerning it about the caliber being so low. But is this due to people like doing accuracy shooting with them and not just plain plinking? For just a gun to bring to the indoor range and plink with, would a .22LR HV round be fun?

[jt1911]

My analogy that sums up my fear of getting a good .22LR type gun( probably the GSG5):

Picture being at Disneyland for the first time and you really wanted to go on the cool looking Matterhorn ride. It's a big ominous mountain that has a roller coaster going through it and you even heard a rumor of monsters in it. But the line to get on the big cool ride is longer than the line at the money store during a half off sale. So you see the red airplane ride. You think hey, it's in Disneyland and it's a ride. Neat little planes that go around and the line is super short. I could go on it as many times as I wanted. So you choose that and realize the lameness of a plane ride that goes up and down( sort of) and around in circles at a speed where you can see everyones' faces at the other ride looking at you in complete hilarity thinking why in the crap did you go to Disneyland to ride that?

Edit: Again I could be way off here and that is why I don't want to miss out getting a good GSG5 and the fun that could be of plinking with it. Thanks for the help.

[Black Majik]

Hey Jon, interesting choices.

Here's how I see it. Unless the shotgun will be used for clays, dump it. BTW, 3.5" shells HURT. I rather be shot at with a 3.5" shell than be the shooter. Shotguns are fun only if they're for blowing up clays or fruits. Otherwise, you can't do much target shooting except maybe shooting slugs at the steel plate at Angeles, and that gets boring quick.

AR. It's a fun gun, it's popular for a reason. Ammo is difficult to find at the moment, but there are so many options to built an AR for your tastes. I don't enjoy shooting OLLs since I don't like fix mag or featureless rifles so YMMV, however many people do. Great centerfire cartridge that can reach couple hundred yards quite easily.

GSG-5. Great plinking round. Good cheap fun. However, it doesn't have much range, shooting it at steel at 100 gets lost against the centerfire cartidges. You won't be able to hear the steel ping with a .22, and well... I prefer centerfire rifles in general. I only own a .22LR because I have my centerfire rifles covered for now so it's a nice alternative. However, you're correct... after a while if it was my only long gun I'd be bored as beans. Especially if you have to watch all the AR/M1A/AK/bolt gun shooters bang on steel and shoot past 100 yards.

[jt1911]

Thanks Richard for the reply and insight. Makes a lot of sense.