Hi Everyone,
I am new to the shooting arena, a friend of mine introduced me a little while ago and I have loved every minute of it. For the most part I am looking at target shooting although I am also interested in having gear that will allow me to go outside of the range.
I have a budget of around $1,200.00 to pick up my first rifle, scope and any additional items (not including ammo). My hope is that I can find the right rifle and gear for this price to get used to everything then look at the most expensive models once I have a true feel for how I shoot and I know the sport a lot better.
Part One - Selecting the Right Calibre
Coming out of my research I believe I that my focus would be well spent on a .223 as my first rifle, the main motivator here is the cost of ammunition of all the calibres (except the .22) the ammo for .223 is a lot less than other calibres. I figure this will give me more rounds for the same money to get really comfy with my first rifle and understand the in's and out's of the sport without breaking the bank every time I miss a target. Also having fired .22's, .223's, .243's, 308'2 and .270's I believe that the .223 is a good balance to really learn.
What would your advise be, I now of or have fired rifles in most calibre's is the .223 a good place to start or is there another calibre that I should start with?
Part Two - Selecting the Right Rifle
Now assuming that the .223 calibre is the right one for me to start with, building from previous experience I have fired a Savage Axis XP .223 during target shoots and found setup fairly easy to manage and use. However most of the reviews I have read have really looked down on the Savage Axis rifles as poor quality.
My eye has caught the look of the Mossberg MVP Patrol. As a .223 calibre rifle and in the price zone that I want to spend the majority of the reviews have been favourable, what does concern me is:
> Shorter barrel length - two reviews mentioned the shorter barrel to be a hindrance to the accuracy of the rifle, is this really the case
> Break in time - Most of the reviews noted that the rifle required some break in time to get the action smooth
> Not a concern but most reviews bring it up but I don't care about the mag or the fact it can take AR-15, I will likely still with the stock mag.
SO back to my questions for everyone, using experience as a guide with my calibre and cost requirements taken into account is this a good rifle to start with or is there something comparable that some could recommend and I can review before I settle on my final purchase in the next little while?