Looking for my first set of gear

[Syfen]

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?

[Shotfox]

First of all , welcome to our community and have fun shopping around for your gear its a lot of fun but as always, do your reasearch. Well you will open up a pandoras box of opinions with your choice, In saying that, personally I think you have chosen wisely and we all have budgets. The 223 has a wide variety of factory ammo which is easy to buy anywhere, be it for target or hunting and if you intend to reload then 223 is very afordable.
The only suggestion with your budget is you do not want to find out the hard way that you are not happy with your choice and considering the time and cost involved getting PTA's etc you want to make the right choice first up, so get plenty of info and advice on the make you choose in your price range.Dont worry the 223 is a great all rounder and a calibre that will take pride of place in you gun cabinet.

[Shotfox]

Have a look at the Weatherby Vanguard Blued series 2 - I think around $700 from memory. Couple that with a Leupold VX-2, 3-9x50 about $500.00 and I think you would have a great combo. But shop around for great deals.

[Chronos]

as shotfox said welcome to the shooting community, it looks like you're off to a good start. asking the right questions is the most important thing when you're starting out. you've clearly thought out your plan well and no one could faule your choice of the .223 as a first centerfire caliber. light recoiling and accurate enough to 300-400m to allow you to develop a solid skill set that will serve you all your shooting career.

in my opinion, having owned and sold a mossberg MPV varmint i'd look elsewhere for your first rifle. they are certainly built to a budget, it's just a shame they are marked up almost to Tikka T3 price because they are certainly not in that class. Try to find a rifle with little things like an adjustable trigger, in a year you'll be wanting to make improvements and winding the trigger back from 5lbs to 2lbs is easier than paying a gunsmith to change springs for you.

Buying a complete package second hand is a good way to save some money but can be fraught with risk as an inexperienced shooter. it's easy to find yourself dealing with someone elses problem rifle. if you can get a more experienced mate to help you out if you decide to go second hand.

buy something that fits you, feels good, looks good and has a good rep. that way you'll keep it for ever rather than trading it in in 6-12 months

as for scopes you'd be wise to buy the best scope you can afford. stay away from cheap non brand name scopes, you're better off buying a cheap leupold for example because you'll still have the companies backing as far as warranty is concerned. a 3-9 or 4-12 with either a 40mm or 50mm objective lens. for target a 40mm will probably do but a 50mm objective might help when you're hunting at dawn or dusk.

you'll need to factor in the cost of quality scope rings to your purchase as well as a bag or case, some cleaning gear like a cleaning rod, jags, patches and solvents. this is where you can make your $$$ go a little further by shopping online as all these items can be posted freely


Chronos

[Warrigul]

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

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?

Your first rifle should always be a .22LR, not as glamourous as a .223 but a better way to learn. A good .22 Savage and scope should cost less than $550 brand new.

Just my humble opinion. But if you must have a centerfire then a .223 is a good place to start.Howa/weatherby are safe, varmint barrels are a safer bet for the range and they will increase your fitness when you get to hunting.

A 40mm objective lens is more than enough for hunting, you won't be missing out on much at all.

[WesleySnipes]

Your first rifle should always be a .22LR, not as glamourous as a .223 but a better way to learn. A good .22 Savage and scope should cost less than $550 brand new.

Just my humble opinion. But if you must have a centerfire then a .223 is a good place to start.Howa/weatherby are safe, varmint barrels are a safer bet for the range and they will increase your fitness when you get to hunting.

A 40mm objective lens is more than enough for hunting, you won't be missing out on much at all.

Welcome mate

Agree, look into getting a .22lr. If you aren't experienced in shooting the most important thing to help you learn is trigger time to develop strong foundations in your technique. For around $30 you can usually get Federal bulk pack which has 525 rounds which is awesome value. .223 is one of the cheaper centrefires and for any half decent ammo it will cost you a minimum of around $40 for 50 rounds. So much more trigger time and practice which is what you want.

I personally fancy the Savage Mk2 FV SR, as they are at a good price for what you get. Oh and buy a couple of magazines to go with it.

For an optic you can choose almost anything. For a .22 you want want anything incredible, something with a decent sized objective lens and maybe 3-9 power.

A .22lr rifle definitely isn't as exciting as centrefire calibres but to me is the most important rifle you will ever own for training and value purposes.

[Baldrick314]

Welcome aboard mate. The blokes above have covered most of it. If you're looking to do target shooting I don't think the MVP would be the right starter for you. I'd look at something in the entry level rifle range with a longer, preferably heavy barrel.

As mentioned above you'll be better served focusing on a quality optic. Rifles these days are all made to pretty good standards.

223 is a good starting round for cost and lack of recoil plus it's inherently accurate.

A 22 is a useful training tool as mentioned above but I wouldn't go as far as to say it should be your only choice for a first rifle.

Have fun and post back any new questions you come up with.

[beerd]

Welcome Syfen

Just saying hello, I'll leave rifle advice to the pros

[Lyam]

Also having fired .22's, .223's, .243's, 308' 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?

Welcome mate.

Yep, I'd say .223 is a good calibre to learn on, because...


1) People who start shooting on larger stuff like a .308 or .270 often develop a flinch because they're not used to the recoil. Once learned it's hard to unlearn a flinch and you'll shoot worse until you undo the damage. Starting with a low recoil cartridge is a good idea.


2) Any of the 'large rifle' cartridges are going to be expensive compared to the .223. As far as centre fire stuff goes the .223 is common as muck which keeps costs. (Maybe not relevant but not all 'small rifle' cartridges. Go with a less common one and ammo cost can go right up again. Not a problem with the .223.


3) A 22LR is good. Definitely the undisputed king when it comes to cheap shooting as $7 - $8 gets you 50 rounds. Limited range though of course. A 22LR is a 50m - 100m rifle at best. A .223 is a 500m cartridge no problems, so will let you reach out further and learn more.


You can't have everything of course so you'll have to pick one calibre or the other for point 3). Pros and cons either way, but no major complaints against the .223.

Good shooting

[Press]

G'day,

The guys have covered calibres so I'll just say if you're looking to build a rifle on a budget, it's tough to go past a Howa IMO.

A .223 varmint barrel Howa won't break the bank and will do nicely as an introduction to target shooting.

[Usurper]

When you say "first set of gear" does that imply there will be a second set of gear?

If you plan to get a .22 and a centre fire rifle over time either a 22LR or .223 are a great starter.

If you're only planning to have the one rifle for some time (or at all) I'd say the .223 as it will do more for you.

[Lorgar]

If you're only planning to have the one rifle for some time (or at all) I'd say the .223 as it will do more for you.

+1 IMO.

.22LR is great fun and I love mine. Wouldn't want it to be my only rifle though.

You can only shoot at 50m for so long before feeling the need to go further

[Syfen]

Thank you for the welcome everyone, one of the things that has really drawn me to this sport is the way that everyone likes to share their experiences, this forum is a good reflection of that so the advise is more than welcome.

Thank you for the recommendations around brands of rifles, the Howa and the Weatherby are brands that I am most certainly looking at, but the price was a little higher hence looking at the Mossberg. However the barrel length was certainly a concern!

In looking at the argument between .22 and .223 and indeed ammo cost, I've spent a lot of time with both with friends and while the .22 is good fun, I do want to really get into shooting with something more, hence the .223.

My plan is to do some more research on solid .223 rifles and try to get the feel for scopes over the next week. I now have a couple more bands to do some further research on (thank you) and I'll certainly come back with more questions!

[Lyam]

I'll certainly come back with more questions!

We'll be here.