New to firearms, looking for some direction

[nagorb]

watchout for the 10/22 spendathon you can buy complete custom rifles better and cheaper than the 10/22 spendathon, they will be more accurate and reliable as well. Check out Magnum Research .22LR imo much better than throwing a grand at a ruger. There are very affordable ways to go with .22LR
Henry, Marlin make xcellent affordable lever rifles and the .22LR bolt rifles are *very* affordable. I think the Browning BuckMark .22LR is 3x the rifle a 10/22 is and you don't have to spend a dime to make it accurate or reliable.

http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/detail.asp?value=004B&cat_id=021&type_id=026

http://www.magnumresearch.com/Expand...uctCode=MLR22H

but how is that any fun?
you don't need to spend much on a 10/22 most of the mods you can do yourself or get someone to rework the factor parts for fairly cheap.

[Kid Stanislaus]

Pay the money and buy high quality firearms....If you liked the Yugo...Disregard anything I say

This is sound info. Take your time, save your money, buy a high quality firearm. I've got cheap guns, medium priced guns and expensive guns. I could've saved myself a lot of cash and learning the hard way by just saving up until I could've afforded a high quality item.

[Dr Rockso]

If you want to learn both safety and how to properly shoot a rifle, Appleseed is a great place to start. The downside is that the closest locations to SJ are all about 3 hours away (Fresno, Sacramento, San Luis Obispo). The first day is instruction, the second day is optional and you mostly just shoot. You don't need any expensive gear, in fact if you call them ahead of time you can usually get a loaner rifle. If you want to build a solid and cheap .22 rifle that's good for this sort of shooting you just need a regular 10/22, a pair of $55 Tech-Sights, some cheap sling swivels, and a GI web sling.

[tcrpe]

Hi everyone! I'm Gabe and I'm from San Jose. I've only shot guns once, and do not have any close friends or family who are involved with firearms, but I want to learn and do it right. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to go to learn the very basics about how to operate a gun, and the logistics associated? Hope I don't sound too dumb, just want to do it right!
Gabe

[duck814]

Get the basics here in Cali., Handgun + shotty .

[Greg-Dawg]

Hi everyone! I'm Gabe and I'm from San Jose. I've only shot guns once, and do not have any close friends or family who are involved with firearms, but I want to learn and do it right. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to go to learn the very basics about how to operate a gun, and the logistics associated? Hope I don't sound too dumb, just want to do it right!
Gabe

I don't recall Gabe asking what type of gun to get. Please stop and read before posting.

The first step is to take an NRA basic firearms class in your local area. Some will specialize in handguns, rifles or shotguns. Make sure you check the instructor's credentials before setting up an appointment. Here's the NRA site for San Jose: http://www.nrahq.org/education/train...on=USACA&Type=

I commend you for taking the first step in learning, rather than buy a gun and figuring it out yourself.