Looking for advice on first rifle purchase

[Tripoth]

Have been avoiding firing all my life because I thought I would enjoy it and I would have to start spending money on a fantastic new hobby.
Well, I recently have and I was right.
Now I am looking to purchase my first rifle and was looking for some assistance, ideas, and opinions.
I am not going to delude myself into thinking this will be the last rifle(or firearm) I purchase, but I would like to make a good decision on the first.

This is what I am looking for in a rifle.
1. Semi-automatic.
2. At least a 20 round clip.(If the other upsides outweigh this requirement, I can be talked out of it.)
3. Excellent range and accuracy. I will not be hunting with the rifle, just using it for long range shooting. 500 yds would be great.
4. Something that shoots a caliber with stopping power. Not looking for a tumbler round here.
5. Durability and reliability.
6. Between the $500-$900 range
7. A rifle with a barrel that doesn't heat up too quickly during sustained shooting.

Also along with the rifle recommendation, a recommendation on a scope would be great as well.

Thank you in advance for any assistance!

[ireload]

Two rifles comes to mind are the AR platform (CA compliant) with bull barrel that shoots .308 caliber and the M14 match grade. You can kiss the 20 round mag good bye, if you are in CA. The price range would be more than $900 for any of the rifle I've mentioned.

[Mad Jax]

If you can find a rifle to meet all the requirements listed let me know I would be interested in one too. The M14 would be a very close match but I don't know about stopping power at 500yds, accurartely hit at 500 & take down a target yes. If you want to be punching holes at 500 you'll want to bump up to .308 or 7.62 varient, maybe a Dragunov, which you could find under $900 before DROS, taxes or dealer transfer fees.

[Rob454]

PSL/Dragunov
M14-M1
Garand
AR10
HK
FAL
308, 30-06, 7.62x54, probably the most common rounds to shoot out of military style rifles ( big calibers)

Most of the rifles mentioned will run you $ 750 and up ( using used asking prices) And probably $ 1000 + if you buy from a store/FFL. Since you did not have "hi cap" mags before the state made them illegal you can only use 10 round mags. Either way its not a big deal to use 10 round mags.
Any of the rifles mentioned above will do 500 yards without breaking a sweat with the right ammo so unless you got a "got run over by a truck" model any of them will work. its a matter of which you feel comfortable with. I would also look into getting a better scope. A scope will make a huge difference in how well you do shooting. The cheap 50$ scopes may last a few rounds but some eventually lose zero and you need to adjsut them again or they just break due to the recoil.

There is no rifle in the world that will not have a hot barrel after sustained shooting or at least one that does not heat up too quickly. I guess a bull barrel will take longer to heat up due to the thicker metal but even that is gonna heat up.
Most military rifles are durable and reliable ( they have to be) At least anything used today is gonna be pretty reliable.

IMO since you are looking for a paper puncher i would look into a 223 or 308 AR. probably gonna be the easiest one to build yourself and save some money.

[Mickey D]

May I suggest that if this will be your new hobby that you start with the purchase of a few books that will help you understand and guide you to learn about rifles, handguns, ammunition components and properties.

FYI - There are no such tumbler rounds (bullets). The rifling in the barrel imparts a spin on the bullet to stabilize the bullet in flight.
All barrels will heat up under sustained firing.

Buy books and learn.

[Southpaw45]

Spingfield Armory M1A. http://www.springfield-armory.com/armory.php?version=42 Scope. Leupolds. http://www.leupold.com/hunting-and-s...oducts/scopes/ Remember that with scopes is that you get what you pay for. You can get a good one for 300 bucks and a great one for a thousand bucks.

[j1133s]

Have been avoiding firing all my life because I thought I would enjoy it and I would have to start spending money on a fantastic new hobby.
Well, I recently have and I was right.
Now I am looking to purchase my first rifle and was looking for some assistance, ideas, and opinions.
I am not going to delude myself into thinking this will be the last rifle(or firearm) I purchase, but I would like to make a good decision on the first.

This is what I am looking for in a rifle.
1. Semi-automatic.
2. At least a 20 round clip.(If the other upsides outweigh this requirement, I can be talked out of it.)
3. Excellent range and accuracy. I will not be hunting with the rifle, just using it for long range shooting. 500 yds would be great.
4. Something that shoots a caliber with stopping power. Not looking for a tumbler round here.
5. Durability and reliability.
6. Between the $500-$900 range
7. A rifle with a barrel that doesn't heat up too quickly during sustained shooting.

Also along with the rifle recommendation, a recommendation on a scope would be great as well.

Thank you in advance for any assistance!

Well, the basic question is what do you want to do with this rifle?

Stopping power for what? A human? A deer? Some heavy animal-shaped metal?

[Shady]

AK 47

[mk3mitch]

Like everyone else has said, you're wanting an M14/M1A. But that's going to run about $1400. Plus another $300 for a decent scope.

[russ69]

If you really are as new to firearms as you say you are, you should start with a bolt action .22lr. You will be a much better shooter if you learn the fundamentals with a good 22.
As a new guy, you probably don't know that the best shooters have the most .22s. It's something you never outgrow.

Thanx, Russ

[alex00]

If this is just something you want for the range, my suggestion would be a Ruger 10/22. I know it doesn't meet your stopping power and long range requirements but it's a great range gun. With all the other larger guns I own, I always find myself putting more rounds downrange from my 22 than anything else. For the price of a case of .223, you can buy a 10/22 and plenty of ammo to shoot for months. I know it's not a tactical long range 'wow' type of gun (not poking fun, I bought most of my guns because they were black and or had rails) but its a great gun to learn to shoot. Once you've moved on to bigger, blacker rifles, you will probably find yourself digging it out of the safe more often than not.

[iareConfusE]

Your budget is unrealistic for what you're asking for. If you want all of what you're asking for to be fulfilled, you'll need to up your budget to around $1300-2000. Like all the others have said, M1A is probably your weapon of choice, but brand new those things run upwards of $1000, and for a good optic that will hold zero and can allow you to see clearly at 500 yards is going to cost you a few hundred. Additionally you're more than likely going to want to accurize your rifle and do all sorts of mods to it.

And 20 round "clips" are a no go in CA unless you happened to have some lying around before the ban. You can have blocked 10/20 round magazines though.

Ammunition cost might also be something to consider. the .308 round is pretty expensive to shoot, even if you reload your own .308 it's still more expensive than shooting .223 or something else smaller.

[Mad Jax]

If you really are as new to firearms as you say you are, you should start with a bolt action .22lr. You will be a much better shooter if you learn the fundamentals with a good 22.
As a new guy, you probably don't know that the best shooters have the most .22s. It's something you never outgrow.

Thanx, Russ

I'll have to agree for your first I would recomend a .22 nothing is worse than having a big gun and not knowing how to use it fully and properly. Dial in your skills with the .22 semiauto, and have some responsible fun with it learn what you want different and bingo you are all set up for your next purchase.