Rifle or pistol?

Question

Im not really sure which I should get, a pistol because they're fun and I would just like to have one. I'm looking for a gun no more the $1000. I liked the FN FiveseveN and the berretta 9000. Or i would also like to get a rifle for hunting. I'm looking for something a little bit lower caliber than a .308, but still have a lot of power. I've been looking at the Remington 700 BDL, chambered in .270. How is the .270 caliber, by the way?

Answer 1

If you want a good all-around pistol get either a 1911 or CZ-75/85 series. These guns weigh around 39oz and are a lot of fun to shoot. 45acp and 9mm are the two most successful auto rounds of the last century-and for good reason. Both are adequate for self-defense but are also very accurate out of the right models. For a rifle, 270 would be good but you would want to reload if you shot it a lot. I would not get the BDL. Get a model with a wear resistant finish and a polymer stock. Save the lued steel and wood for a .22 rifle.

Answer 2

If you have $1000 to spend I would get three guns: a 38/357 revolver, a Savage bolt Action in 270 and a 22. The Revolver is a good first gun as you can practice with light 38 loads, practice is the only way to learn to shoot a rifle well hence the 22 and the Savage Bolt guns are the buy on the market right now. The 270 is perhaps the best all around hunting cartrifge for the Lower 48 states. I wouldn't go after a Grizzly with one but some folks have taken them with them.

Answer 3

Hi Gil,

I'm a grumpy old buzzard so I'll shoot straight and tell you some things most of these other guys didn't think about.

It sounds to me like you don't have much experience with firearms. That means you need to start with a .22 LR. Start with a .22 Rifle and then go with a .22 LR revolver or semi-automatic. They are not super powerful and they are not great for hunting, other than small game like squirrels. But they are great for learning to shoot and for learning the basics of gun-handling. They are also cheaper to shoot than any centerfire firearm, so you can afford to shoot more. I've never known a great shooter who started with anything other than a .22.

Marlin makes plenty of good .22's in both bolt action, semi-automatic, and lever-action. They are readily available as used guns and are great values for the money. Ruger also makes one of the best semi-automatic rifles ever made, the 10-22. You can often find a used specimen for $200.00 or less.

In .22 handguns, the best choices IMNSHO are the Smith & Wesson M-617, Ruger Super Single-Six, and the Ruger MkII Standard semi-automatic.

You next step up in handgun education should be a good .38 SPL or .357 Magnum revolver. Best choice would be an S&W Model 19 , or an S&W M-686 which would allow you to use either the .38's or .357's. By the time you master the medium bore revolver, you will probably have learned enough about handguns to decide for yourself what you try next. There are still plenty of good .357 Magnum revolvers on the used gun market at good prices.

Your choice in centerfire rifles depends on what you want to do with it. Most anything will do for paper punching, but different species of game, and different hunting terrain call for different rifles. For varmint shooting, a .243 Win would be about the biggest you'd want. And a .223 would be a fine choice. Bolt-actions for both calibers. For deer and black bear, especially in the East, a Winchester or Marlin .30-30 will get the job done just as they've been doing for over 110 years. If you want to go with the .270 Win, that is fine. I don't much care for Remington 700, but that is a personal choice. Savage makes good rifles at a modest price. As I said, the .270 will do fine, but my personal choice would be a .308 Win, or a .30-'06 Springfield.

Another good choice, especially if you get a chance at elk would be a Marlin M-336 in .35 Remington. Again, not the latest, loudest, or most powerful, but it has been making meat for nearly 100 years.

My favorite hunting caliber is the .358 Winchester. The only rifle chambered for that round is the Browning BLR, pricey but very accurate.

Welcome to the world of gun cranks and hunters. You can learn all you need in short order, and keep learning more the rest of your life.

Doc Hudson

Answer 4

Sounds like you may not yet be ready for a handgun. You can't go wrong with the Remington 700 in .270 Winchester. It is an excellant cartridge and the rifle is as good as they get in bolt action hunting rifles. The 130 grain factory .270 load is great for up to Whitetail deer and the factory 150 grain is great for Mule deer. Well placed shots from a .270 will even drop a Moose, although it is not my first choice for anything bigger than Mulies.

The 5.7mm FN is great pistol, but it has few practical applications. The bullet is just too fast, too loud and too small in bullet weight and diameter. It may be the wave of the future, though, as far as actual combat weapons are concerned. Look a the 5.56mm M-16 round! Of course, it is intended more to disable than to kill because a disabled soldier is more of a burden to the enemy government than a dead soldier.

Good luck.

H

Answer 5

I wouldn't get the FiveSeven as a first handgun. It fires a special Personal Defence Weapon round. It's smaller than your normal rifle round, but high velocity, designed specifically for defeating body armour.

The biggest issue with that one, at least for the average person, is that the 5.7mm ammo is very expensive compared to normal pistol cartridges.

The Beretta 9000 looks ok, but I wouldn't get such a little compact pistol unless it was specifically for concealed carry.

If you want a pistol for shooting on the range mostly, I'd just go for something more conventional like a Glock, 1911, USP, CZ-75/85, etc. etc. something in 9mm is a good bet.

Those both look cool, but neither is a good choice for a first pistol for general purposes.

For a rifle it all depends on what kind of hunting you want to do. .270 is very popular, good for taking down most any medium sized game, deer and such.

Answer 6

OK personal recommendation the fn is a nice pistol but the round,s are way too expensive \if your looking for a really good Carrie piece start looking at the Springfield xd_9 \ or the 45 really Good gun,s and not going to set you back a mint \\\\ as for a hunting rifle OK think savage 243 bolt action rifle to my way of thinking it,s one of the best out there for under $400 and as for the Springfield max around $ 500 so there you go both for under $1.000

Answer 7

You could a decent one of both for that price. Check out beretta 92's, Sig 226 factory refurbs, and used glocks. You could get a used flawless Remington for about 500 also. 270 is a very repected caliber and can be used with in reason on pretty much every type of game in North America.

Answer 8

Well to be honest, what are you wanting it for?
A pistol reccomendation would be the Springfield Armory XD probably in the subcompact form with 3 inch length in .40 caliber.

I have not researched rifles very thoroughly but I have been thinking of buying a semi auto AK for the reliablility and the large rounds which have detachable magazines. I think that would be a good choice, I know the round size is to large your consideration. I need to ask, is this your first firearm purchase or one to compliment many others?

Answer 9

The .270 is a fine caliber, its flat shooting, packs a good punch at extended ranges, and is light in the recoil dept.

Answer 10

Sig Sauer P229. Bad-@$$ looking gun (hey, Jack Bauer uses it :-D) and great reliablility. Also has a decent stopping power.