What's the best rifle/shotgun to buy for a beginner?

Answer 1

This is tough one. There are so many good guns out there but they all fill different niches of shooting. Most beginners enjoy shooting a reactive target. A target that breaks, explodes, gets knocked down, or moves when they shoot it. If you have access to a trap and skeet range a soft shooting shotgun can be a lot of fun especially when you start hitting the clays! A 12 gauge pump or double barrel tends to have a fair amount of recoil. I don't know what size you are, but it tends to bother people who are of smaller stature. If you know any females who want to shoot, a 12 gauge non semi automatic firearm is usually not a good choice for them. It really depends on their size as well. A 20 gauge is a good choice in semi auto and some pumps with good recoil pads.

A good .22 is always a great gun to have in the collection as they do not recoil much, are not intimidating, and can be used for hunting of small game.

Bolt action .22's are nice and pretty accurate, savage makes some nice ones. As a general gun I prefer a semi auto .22 something like the 10/22 Ruger but there are a number of other good guns out there. I once had a meeting with a pissed off copper head snake and it was the rapid fire of the semi auto that changed his mind. I am a pretty good shot but when he was racing through the leaves at me I was shooting pretty quick and it was not one shot one kill! By the way all shots hit him! When he started to slow and I could get locked onto his head was when he tried to recall his attack. (And to all the PETA, I was just walking through the woods!)

The 10/22 is relatively cheap, has as been around for over 50 years I believe and there are so many parts and accessories for it you can customize it to your heart's content. With a scope that allows you to see the iron sights you have a training system that allows you to practice on both. I would just get the basic gun at first, think about scopes later. The gun is used in many competitions although with some modifications.

I prefer magazine fed, (a little metal or plastic box that holds ammo underneath the gun) as it is easier and faster to unload the gun than the tube type magazines underneath the barrel. You pull out the clip first, then pull the bolt to the rear either ejecting a round or checking that there is no round in the chamber and it is unloaded. With tubular magazines, you either have to work the action repeatedly, either cycling the rounds through the chamber (least preferred as each round goes into a firing position) or partially working the action to the point just before the round loads into the chamber and pulling it free before it enters the camber, or dumping the tube and then working the action. A tube type magazine gun IS UNLOADED WHEN YOU CAN VISUALLY SEE THE PLUNGER OR FOLLOWER (the device that pushes on the nose of the bullet) IN THE ACTION OF THE GUN AND THE CHAMBER IS EMPTY. When I was new to shooting I dumped a tube type magazine on the porch to unload the gun then checked the chamber. I put the spring loaded rod with the plunger back into the gun and rechecked the chamber. Bullets had hung up in the tube and the gun was actually still loaded. Thankfully while faithfully following the safety rules I was able to complete the process and learn that important lesson about tube magazines!

If you have a range near by go to it and see if you can shoot some of the guns there. Many shooters have no problems letting a new guy shoot their guns. For some reason in our world of shooting there are a few members of our community who take a very macho attitude towards shooting and talk and act without any real knowledge on the subject matter. When dealing with anyone who shoots, you must be aware of if the gun is loaded, where the barrel is pointing, is anybody's finger on the trigger, and is it on safe. These basic rules will help you determine the proficiency of someone's gun handling skills, and how close you should be to them.

The one that I personally use is how aware they are of the muzzle or end of the barrel the bullet comes out. people who flag other with the muzzle or unintentionally point the muzzle at another person get low marks for safety in my book. Also interesting is their reaction to being corrected. The only correct reaction is an an immediate correction of behavior. We develop habit patterns in all that we do and pointing weapons at people is not good practice... Unless you plan on shooting them.

The finger off of the trigger is also huge! The same advice above applies.

Sorry for the digression but as a newbie those are the most important lessons you need to learn first.

Answer 2

Number one is do NOT buy the beginner a single-shot .410. Start the beginner with a good-quality pump or semi-auto shotgun in as large a gauge as he or she can handle without a problem with recoil. Now comes the fun part. The gun will come with a plug that goes into the magazine tube to limit the capacity to three total shells. Simply make a longer one that limits the capacity to the one shell in the chamber - instant single-shot! As the beginner progresses, the plug may be progressively shortened to allow two, three or more shells to be loaded.

Rifles are another story, or another combination of stories, because there are so many different situations. The right one could vary from a .22 to a varmint gun to a lever action 30-30 to something heavier.

Always start a beginner with one of your or someone else's guns, then try another and another. Then you can get an idea of what is suitable and what the learner likes.

Answer 3

Rifle---.243 or .223. They are very accurate and have low recoil. For a shotgun I'd start with a 20 gauge. Don't buy a pump shotgun. They are more complicated and they jam. Go with a simple, hinge action shotgun. They are simple to operate, reliable, and it's very easy to see whether you have an obstruction.

Answer 4

I started with an over and under which had the top barrel in 22 long rifle. the bottom barrel was chambered in 410 gauge shotgun. This allows you to have two guns in one firearm. It is a great combination for a beginner*...

Answer 5

A .22 caliber rifle is the best gun for a begginer to learn on. With almost no recoil and the enexpensive cost of ammo, a person can go out and shoot for hours for just a couple of bucks. A good rifle will only cost you $100-300, as apposed to a .223 $300-500.

Answer 6

you can buy a rossi single shot gun that comes with interchangable barrels.saw one at pawn shop the other day with 20 ga,223 and 50 cal muzzle loader barrels.they cost less then 200 dollars and barrels change in a snap. you can get alot of different combos of barrel.if i was just beginning i would go with this gun