Thinking of buying a rifle

[Roadracer_Al]

Hey there -- I can't precisely pin down why, but I've been having a desire to to own a long rifle again.

Backstory: When I was a kid, my folks got me involved with my local NRA Jr. Rifle League, which was a target shooting club for 12-18 year olds. By the time I was 18, I was working on the top ranking (distinguished expert). Not having a place to shoot, and needing money for what would become one of my favorite motorcycles ever, I sold my target rifle.

My best friend is a committed shooter (he excelled at 3-gun competition, before work sent him to New York) and when I visited him, we'd take his .308 rifle and go out to the desert and shoot 300+ yard targets. Good fun.

Anyway, I'm thinking I'd like a long gun again. I'm totally not into the "black/plastic/tactical" nonsense that seems all the rage. I looked at Cabella's website, and it seems you can't even buy a semi-auto rifle with a wood stock anymore. Plus, I don't want to wind up on a federal watch list because I bought a wicked-looking black gun. (OK, yes, they are bad ass, but I still don't want to own one.)

I figure there's a number of factors, each with sliding scales...

Fun to shoot -- I like precision target shooting. Fast shooting with big clips isn't all that cool to me. To me, the challenge is precision at a distance.

Not too expensive to buy -- my target rifle was $300 40 years ago, or about $750 in today's coin. That's a good bit more than I want to spend.

Cheap to shoot -- Can't beat a .22 for cheap to shoot, but they don't go very far... the next cheapest seems to be .223 Remington.

Places to shoot -- I know our local outdoor range has a 100 yard range which is open daily, but their 200 yard range is only open on Fridays (WTF?). (They also have a skeet/trap range, which is good fun). There are also indoor ranges which are available that seem to cater more to pistol shooting. Small caliber guns are, I assume, easier to find places to shoot. Is that a correct assumption?

I was thinking a .223 bolt action rifle would suit these criteria, but I'm open to suggestions.

Thoughts on these things would be appreciated. Reading/website recommendations also appreciated.

Also, thoughts on buying used? I rarely buy anything used except vehicles & machine tools, but that is probably emotional baggage.

Last question: what's the scoop on kits? A friend mentioned AR and AK receiver forgings which need to be machined. How does the price break down, and what's the legal implication/benefit of a kit? What about scratch building?

Thanks for the patience with the noob questions.

[aametalmaster]

.22 LR is expensive to shoot. I refuse to pay 9+ bucks for a box...Bob

[aametalmaster]

+1 on the AR. Machined lowers are cheap but paperwork. 80% lowers you do some of the holes and slots and no one knows you have them. I would get a ready made AR now while you can. Under $600 in some places...Bob

[TomG]

I would suggest a Savage Axis bolt action. They are under $300 brand new and can be had in pretty much any caliber you desire, depending on how much you want to spend to feed it. They do come with synthetic stocks, but at that price you can spend another $150 on a nice wooden stock and still come out ahead.

Just so you know, Savage is offering a $75 factory rebate through December 31, so if you hurry, you'll have $75 to put toward a scope as well.

Tom

[Highpower]

Wow. That's a plate full of questions.

I see several contradictions in there about what you are wanting to do with the resources available to you. But I will give a few of my own opinions about a couple of things.

Accuracy doesn't come cheap in most cases as far as hardware goes.

.22 cheap to shoot? Rimfire ammunition isn't cheap anymore - IF you can even find any these days. The supply dried up about 5 years ago....

Distance isn't so much a test of accuracy, as it is a test of SKILL. The most expensive target rifle in the world won't make anyone a Master class shooter if they don't know the basics of marksmanship to begin with. But I'm sure you already know that. If you want a real challenge try shooting aspirin tablets at 100 yards with a .22LR

I shot NRA highpower rifle competition for years. (200 - 600 yards.) In the "off season" (AKA: winter) I practiced by shooting an air rifle in my basement. It might sound easy but try keeping them all in the same hole....

Nothing wrong with buying used as long as you know what you are looking at. The old adage "buy the gun, not the story" still applies.

Quote:I'm totally not into the "black/plastic/tactical" nonsense that seems all the rage.

Don't know why you are asking about AR and AK "kits" then?
Here is my first effort at building one from "scratch". Click Here
Take a look at TomG's Building the Stevens Favorite too!

I like wood and blue steel as well. But modern polymers have their place too. But like you, I'm not one for "tacti-cool" either.

[Dr Stan]

Have you considered an Uncle Henry? Years ago I sold my AR and never wanted one again. However I'd certainly consider the Henry.

[12345678910]

I suggest trying 22 rimfire silhouette

a Winchester52 is the "grail" for that

but the CZ rimfire rifles are a great value.

Don't go too cheap, poor quality is not fun at all.

[rleete]

Savage is, out of the box, the most accurate rifle you can get for reasonable prices. Available in lots of different calibers. Decent prices right now, what with the current rebates.

[Roadracer_Al]

Willie, you're right, I do recognize that cheap and accurate aren't necessarily available in the same gun. That's why I was asking.

I also agree about the quality vs skill issue, however, there's definitely a floor level of quality which hampers the ability to have fun. I.E. jams, an inability to repeat.

At the time I stopped shooting regularly (not saying I can still do it) from prone position with a 22 and iron sights at 50 yards, I could put 10 through the 10 ring, and a spent shell wouldn't fall through the hole, nearly every time.

I don't suppose a synthetic stock is so bad -- I'm pretty sure it would be more dimensionally stable than wood, and certainly more durable. I'm no hunter, so weather isn't going to be an issue for me.

I was under the impression that 22 was the most popular round ever?! What happened? You're right -- the price for a box of 500 went up 10x from what I remember (as opposed to roughly 2.5x over the same time period for standard inflation). Regardless, it's still ten cents per round compared to fifty cents for .223. I'm using Cabella's to check pricing, I'm sure some sleuthing on the internet would yield lower prices.

I was curious about the AR/AK kits. I'd never heard of a kit gun which wasn't a black powder gun. Like I said, I've been away from guns for a long time. Thanks for the link, good reading.

Tom, you're right - that Savage looks like a "regular" gun, is available with a bull barrel, and is priced attractively.

[TomG]

I just bought a rifle myself a few months back and the Savage was my first choice. Unfortunately the caliber I wanted I wanted (300 Win Mag) was not available so I opted for the Browning AB3, which is also a heck of a rifle for the money. There aren't many after market parts available for that one yet, so the Savage would probably be a better bet if you are looking for a wood stock.

Tom