Need your opinion on getting my first rifle.

[HondoRoll]

Need your opinion on getting my first rifle.

no you dont. go to the shop, hold them, see if you can find a rental range or buddy or calgunner close by and shoot them. get whatever you feel most righteous with. you will know it when you feel it.

[geoint]

If you're interested in recreation and skill-building, I'd lean you towards a Ruger 10/22. Cheap ammo, very reliable, lots of options for mods, and an excellent way to get rifle-shooting fundamentals down.

If you want something to defend yourself with but still affordable to buy and use, I'd lean you towards an AR15. Ammo is cheaper and more plentiful than 7.62x39 or .30 Carbine and you can also learn the fundamentals on the cheap while still having something serious enough to protect your family. If going out to BLM isn't an easy option and you're stuck shooting at ranges, they'll require non-steel ammo and finding cheap/plentiful 7.62x39 and .30 Carbine that ISN'T steel will be hard and costly. Finding "range safe" .223 or 5.56mm is an easier and cheaper task.

Just some thoughts, I love the SKS and M1 Carbine but I want you to be shooting always and often, not saving up funds just to buy the rare/expensive "range safe" ammo just to only shoot several times a year. The SKS and M1 Carbine to me are collector rifles, acquired only after you've got yourself a rifle or two that you can shoot regularly.

LIES!!! 5.56 isnt cheaper than 7.62x39. Maybe if you are foolish enough to buy all your ammo at LGSs...

Online you can easily find steel cased 7.62x39 for below $.25/rd shipped

[SoberClurichaun]

7.62x39>556 get the SKS. They are around 250-300 right now. Can't get an AR around that price. If you wanna get crazy you can get the SG bullpup stock and turn it into something really cool. My buddy has one and it's pretty cool. I personally like the commie gun with the original wood the most. But I understand people wanting tacticool stuff.

[Jimmybacon43]

First, I am sort of stuck in between the SKS and the M1 carbine. I have not fired either, but have held them, and well...I like the feeling of both of them. I chose the m1 for range, and accuracy, the SKS for reliability based on reviews and opinions. Please share your opinion, give me a lecture/history lesson.

How is a .30 carbine round supposed to outrange a 7.62x39 rifle round?

[highpower]

You had to know that the AR fanboys would try to talk you into an AR. Now before anyone gets excited, I have six (6) AR's and I like them.

But.... I have a few SKS's too and I like them also. Mine are all Russian, but I have had examples from other countries and they all shot great.

The M1 Carbine is a great little rifle, but ammo is expensive and there is no real comparison in the down range ballistics between the .30 carbine and the 7.62X39 cartridges.

With stock iron SKS sights, I can easily hit a gong at 200 yards. I don't have to deal with the stupid regulations that are so prevalent in the PRC, so shooting steel ammo isn't a problem for me.

SKS's are very solid rifles and are fun to shoot. When I moved to Nevada back in March I hadn't owned one for a long while and once I bought my first one after moving here, I remembered why I liked them in the first place.

Get one and if for some reason you don't like it you can always sell it and get a boring tacticool AR.

[19K]

Hello everyone! So I am getting my first handgun this month sometime soon, and my next step is to get a rifle. I am on a budget, but don't want some cheap made gun.

First, I am sort of stuck in between the SKS and the M1 carbine. I have not fired either, but have held them, and well...I like the feeling of both of them. I chose the m1 for range, and accuracy, the SKS for reliability based on reviews and opinions. Please share your opinion, give me a lecture/history lesson.

My writing skills may not be that great lol.
Thank you

M1 doesn't havent great range. And anmo is like 40 cents a Round. Get an sks.

[SocomM4]

Saiga. Then convert.

I laugh at the 10/22 recommendations . He'll spend more time sourcing ammo than shooting. Shooting isn't brain surgery, and there is no reason an adult needs to start with a .22 to learn.

On my ammo tracker .223 is 21 cents and 7.62 is 20 cents per.

I say saiga.

[elekt]

Saiga. Then convert.

I laugh at the 10/22 recommendations . He'll spend more time sourcing ammo than shooting. Shooting isn't brain surgery, and there is no reason an adult needs to start with a .22 to learn.

On my ammo tracker .223 is 21 cents and 7.62 is 20 cents per.

I say saiga.

22lr is easy to find now and can be found for sub 10c on the regular, by far the cheapest option.

However if you want a rifle for defensive purposes, and don't want to buy both a 22lr and a centerfire, go ahead and get yourself an AR.

Prices are great for them right now, ammo and mags are plentiful, and anyone that complains about the bullet button just hasn't spent enough time with one.

You can remove a bullet button in about one minute once you know how. (Not legal but for out-of-state shooting or if you are truly worried about a WROL/SHTF situation). Glue a peg to your mags and you can easily remove the current empty mag with your next mag.

I love my saiga's and other centerfire rifles, but in terms of finding plenty of quality ammo at reasonable prices that can actually be shot at your local range, AR is your best bet.

[Jarhead]

SKS is the better weapon

[RNE228]

This...

Before you buy anything I would suggest shooting it if possible, something may look great, but may not be ergonomically configurered for you as some people are simply more comfortable with different firearms. Personally I prefer an m14 over an AR, but that's not everyone obviously.

[Go Navy]

RUGER Mini-14/5.56 NATO.

Ammo is ~ $0.30/round, no bullet button, M1 action, reliable and acceptably accurate (<3 MOA), and ~ $700 dollars depending on the model.

Tank of a rifle.




GR

I second this recommendation. Just do yourself a favor and go check out one of the new ones before you make a final decision. We're talking both .223/5.56 that it digests happily; it's piston driven, so it runs clean and cool relative to an AR-15; it feels and handles like an M1 carbine; it's a joy to shoot.

Make sure, if you buy a used Mini-14, that the serial number begins with 58X. Then you'll be getting the updated and re-engineered version. Closer tolerances, more accurate than older versions.