what should i get as my first gun?

Question

i want it to be WW2 era, original.
i was thinking, k98, enfield, garand, a Mosin-Nagant, a Gewehr 43, a G41, maby eaven a PTRD-41! what do you people think? i am looking for a good first gun, i am 17, and i would like to get something a little less pricy right now, both to maintain, and to operate

i know that there are less expensive rifle on the market, and i have a .22 and a few others that my father will give me, but this will be the first rifle i buy, and i want it to be a WW2 one, something that i will always like

Answer 1

Well the best value right now is a Mosin Nagant 91/30 they can be had in good condition for around $100 and there is very inexpensive non corrosive ammo being made for it in the former Soviet Block, one load has a light (47 grain) bullet and reduced powder charge for short range (100 yards or less) practice. The long barrel aids in accuracy and reduces recoil.

Enfields can be had for $125 to $300 depending on model and condition but the cheapest ammo for them is $11-12 a box, I collect Enfields and handload to shoot them as often as I do.

98k Mausers are not to expensive $300 or less and the ammo is fairly reasonable some surplus ammo is corrosive and calls special cleaning. (hot soapy water, windex or the extremely smelly and toxic GI bore cleaner will do the trick)

A decent M-1 Garand will set you back $1000 a clunker $600.
30-06 surplus ammo is still out there but beginning to dry up.

A G-41 or G-43 are in the realm of multiple thousands of dollars.

The PTRD-41 is anti tank rifle in 14.5 mm caliber. Ammo should be $5-10 a round if you can find it, and very few ranges will let you shoot it. They would be very hard on the berms and bulldozers are not cheap! The thing must weight over 25 pounds. I don't have a clue how much it wound cost.

So get a Mosin and don't just shoot it from the bench. Learn to shoot it sitting, prone and Offhand.

Answer 2

Start with a 22 LR and move up.
The 22 LR is the cheapest caliber to shoot and would give you time to gain the skill and confidence to handle the more aggressive and expensive weapons.
Plus they are a whole lot of fun to shoot.
I’ve been at this for a long time and still take my 22LR out to shoot on off seasons and even use it to hunt small game.
It is the best all around first gun and caliber to learn from.


Cheap to buy cheap to shoot and easy to maintain.
The ones you listed will need more cleaning if you use the old surplus ammo for some of it is very corrosive and was normal for that time span and have to be clean good or the weapon will be permanently damaged from the corrosive ammo.

Where as the 22LR ammo is not corrosive but still needs cleaned but not scrubbed as the other will need.

If your on a budget the 98 is a fine weapon and fun to shoot.
In you are not on a budget M1 Garand all the way, there is no better in my book.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_Garand_rifle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauser_98

That my opinion.
D58

Answer 3

Hers a idea if you have a local gun club get involved with therre Civilian Marksmanship Program through affilitated clubs you can buy M1 Garands at decent prices. This is good for two reason one a great deal on a rifle and two allows you to get some shooting in and see just how you are going to like the Garand as most clubs have ones you can borrow for matches

Answer 4

I see you've already got the .22 covered. Of what you have listed, the Mosin-Nagant is a good choice to start with, probably an M44 or M91/30 - an inexpensive rifle with equally inexpensive surplus ammunition (I recently purchased 880 rounds of Hungarian light ball for $85).

Be advised that all surplus ammunition in 7.62x54R is corrosive, so spray your bore and bolt face with Windex before you pack up at the range, then clean thoroughly once you get home.

Answer 5

If a WW2 era rifle is what you're looking for I'd suggest a M1. They were truly one of the reasons we were able to win the war and they're fun to shoot. They are a bit expensive but you can purchase one from the Government if you meet the requirements. Those rifles are usually in very good to exceptional condition. Check out the details at ODCMP.com

Answer 6

Depends on what you want it for, but don't price yourself out of shooting regularly. Blogbaba still has a few 22's lying around for plinking and squirrels, the ammo is cheap and so is the blogbaba.

The best all around sporting rifle in the blogbaba's opinion is a 12 gage.

Answer 7

Save your pennies and go for the Garand! You can find some pretty good deals on the K98, but I understand the ammo is hard to come by......

Answer 8

You can get a Russian 91/30 or an m38/m44 and ammo for it for around $100 bucks.

Its a good first step.

Miketyson26

Answer 9

Mosin-Nagant.

Answer 10

M1 grand best rifle money can buy it's a WW2 gun my brother has one.