Lokvo wrote:Hey guys, newbie shooter here. Currently waiting on my cat A& B license to come through and I have sent 2 PTA's away at the same time for two 22LR's.
My thinking was this; 1 lever action .22 (No reasoning for it, just love them) and 1 bolt action 22
Is this a good idea? or should I get one .22 (either lever or bolt) and use the money meant for the second .22 on a bigger caliber rifle (.223 is probably the biggest I'd go for the purposes of my shooting.) to save funds in the long run? taking into consideration that in the end I'll only own about 3-4 rifles and I'm done.
Hello Lokvo, welcome to the forum and even more so to the wonderful world of shooting. Let me give you just a little back ground on me, so that you'll know where I'm coming from. I am 60 years old and am an American who was introduced to shooting at age 5-6 by my father. I have been buying guns since my teens and yes all were legally done, in Oklahoma it is legal for a 16 year old to buy a long gun and 18 to buy a handgun, these early were purchases from private persons and not from dealers. I do own a few guns.
Of that number two dozen, 24, are 22s.
Why so many 22s? Well you know how you said one of the guns you're thinking about getting is a lever action, well I got one, a Marlin Model 39A and I got it for the same exact reason you list it. I love the looks and the way they work, the Marlin is a great gun, but a little pricey. I've shot a friend's Henry 22 "Golden Boy" real nice gun and less expensive than a Marlin but no slouch at the range, the owner is a great shot and she can keep a can moving as long as the gun has ammo. My dad had, now inherited by eldest brother, a Browning BL-22. These are fantastic guns I put thousands of rounds though dad's when I was in high school and I loved it, trim, accurate, and the short throw lever makes this the fastest repeater you can get without going to an autoloader.
Other 22s consist of three bolt action guns, two pump action rifles, two single shots, and four semiautomatics. Why the diversity you ask? Because there are five basic action styles: Single shot, bolt, pump, lever, and autoloader. The balance of 22s are handguns with them being single-shot, single action revolvers, double action revolver, and autoloaders. Again gotten for diversity in means of operation or appearance.
When I started out getting guns I didn't think that I'd end up with the number I have now, but I hope to add more. So don't limit yourself to thinking about only have 3-4 guns, shotguns are what I own the fewest of and there are 8 of them. In the end get what you want, because otherwise you won't be happy with what you got.
I've been asked: "How many guns do you need to have?" My answer remains the same: "One more."