im starting to get into shooting, what are some good guns to start with?

Question

i've taken a very strong interest in shooting due to my grandfather-in-law. he gave my wife a ruger p-90 45cal, and he gave me a savage arms 20ga double barrel. as well as a ruger 10/22 for x mas. i know its not a impressive collection yet. but i wanna know what else would be good guns or brands to stick with. i know i like Ruger, but what else should i check out. im also looking into getting into hunting. thank you

Answer 1

There are far too many good brands to list here. What you have is a good assortment to start with. I would suggest you look into a Ruger Mark II (used) .22 pistol--it's cheaper to shoot than the .45 (by the way, I have one and love it). A versatile hunting rifle is a .308. I would personally suggest a new Savage (but not the kits that come with a scope); they're good rifles and won't break your bank. You might also consider a revolver, I've always been partial to Smith and Wesson and any nice "K" frame will work. A used Model 19 will allow you to shoot .357 Magnum as a self-protection round and let you shoot .38 Special for practice (note that K frame S&Ws were never intended to take a steady diet of full house loads). But in the end, you need to buy what makes you happy. Go to lots of gun shops, go to lots of gun shows, join a gun club, talk to guys who own guns, shoot as many different guns as you can get your hands on--then buy what makes you happy. Everybody is going to suggest their favorites, but the only thing that really matters is what your favorites are.

Answer 2

All depends on what you are going to be hunting, but if you want to get a rifle that is great for accuracy and low on price you might try the Savage 110 in whatever caliber you want to hunt with. I personally like either the .30-06 or .308 Winchester. Both good long range rifles and good for just about any large game in North America. The Savage allows you to buy the weapon and a nice scope for about the same as a nice rifle alone would cost by another manufacturer and buy you some fancy bullets to go with it.

My personal opinion when you ask about what to include in a collection, being ex-military I have to vote for the M1 Garand, M1A or the M-14.

Answer 3

Shoot the 22 for a bit to enhance your skill then look into something bigger. If its just birds and small game you're after then you already have 2 extremely good guns for that kind of hunting. If you're after deer only then a short action (243 win, 308 win or 303 british) might be the best answer. If you think you'll be hunting larger game as well then a long action (270 win or 30-06 springfield) will work a bit better. I would avoid the magnums until you get used to larger centerfire rifles but when you know you're ready they are awesome firearms (300 win mag or 7mm rem mag).

As to types I like bolt action for their reliability and accuracy. For brands I like Remington, Marlin, and the old Lee Enfields (they have a special place in my heart, thanks Dad).

Answer 4

I guess "Melodi" assumes that people should just be born with the ability to just know all about guns. Melodi, if a person uses some good old common sense, they will manage to live long enough to learn all the technical stuff about guns. As for what guns to start with David, I have always had good performance from "remingtons". If you are thinking about hunting deer, I would recommend a 30-06. It can fire a good range of ammo, has good knock-down capability, and does well on larger game such as elk. If you really want to get serious, get yourself some reloading equipment and your can shoot more often without going bankrupt for ammunition, plus you can tailor your ammo to whatever type of shooting you want to do. Enjoy your new hobby.

Answer 5

i have a number of guns, most are Ruger M-77's, also have a HOWE in .270 cal.
i hunt in the southeastern us & found that i don't need anything larger,
the largest rifle that i own, is a browning .300 H & H mag, have had it for over 40 years but haven't hunted with it for over 30 years. just hang on to it, because it still looks great on the wall

Answer 6

What you need next is a 30-06 caliber by Remington or Savage Brand.* Get a 22-250 caliber by Remington or Savage.* You will have the best choice for big game in the 30-06 caliber.* You will have the best choice in a varmint rifle in the 22-250.*

Answer 7

Interesting, you might get a bit of abuse on here from all those animal rights folk, but I totally agree with you.
I just use a .22 air rifle because - hey, I'm a girl the shotguns are just too big - and all I shoot are rabbits to make dinner out of. It would depend on what you want to hunt as to what weapon to use - obviously for deer you're going to need something a little stronger than my little .22, but if it's vermin you're after then a shotgun isn't worth the hassle.

Good luck here - may I recommend you do try to eat what you kill (unless it's like, squirrels or rats or a myxi rabbit) because there is a huge sense of "Me Tarzan" when you do shoot and skin and kill your food, plus a facinating biology lesson.

Answer 8

If you're looking to do any sort of waterfowl or upland bird hunting I would strongly recommend Benelli Shotguns. They have a gun for almost any application and are extremely reliable. Though expensive they will last for a great long while and have the versatility to outlast many other shotguns on the market today.

Answer 9

Most people tend to get an AR with something special about it in any good collection. One gun I have in my collection is a Marlin 1895GS, it's almost cartoony in appearance, very fun to shoot, and has a very perceivable effect down range. It's a good looking rifle, and also very appropriate for hunting where rifles are allowed. It might also be a good idea to pick up a Saiga or something similar in case such firearms are banned again. If you don't like it, it could be very valuable to sell to someone who does.


Saz: It's funny you should say that, because it seems it's more cowardly and disgusting to have someone else kill the animals for you and parade their entrails around a grocery store for you to pick which ones you'd rather have.

Answer 10

It sounds like you need a hand gun now.You say you like Ruger,get a Ruger Mark II it is a 22 you can get one for about 350$.I never owned one but I fired many.