Looking to buy my first gun

I started shooting a .22 when i was like 6. They are great guns! my grandpa bought me a runger 10/22 when I was 14 and I still have it today and it shoots just as good as the day I got it. you can get 550 rounds for 15 bucks at wal mart

the .17 is a great gun too, very deadly on small varmnits. I use to destroy whistle pigs with a marlin .17

But I would rather have the ruger 10/22 over the .17

 

Got a buddy with a 10/22, it's a blast. He found a huge magazine for it, gotta hold at least 50 shells. Takes forever to load up and seconds to empty, a lot of fun!

 

and there are unlimited aftermarket parts for them too. Ive had 3 diferent stocks on mine, 2 diferent scopes, a flash hider, a crank handle, emptys a 25 rd clip in a few seconds My dad had one with a heavy barrel and target trigger, man that thing would put 10 rounds though the same damn hole!

 

Go to the gun shop and ask.

 

Cant believe im gonna b the first person 2 say...SKS on here. Don't know if u can still buy them locally or have to go south but they typify target shooting fun. Fun to modify, fun to shoot, iron sights r good to 100yards...and ammo is cheap. You can actually buy the ammo online from some place in WV for around 3.00 a box....its corrosive but as long as u clean it soon your fine. should clean any gun shortly afterwords anyway.

Completly agree with taking the gun/safety course first. Some lesons shouldn't b learned the hard way. This way you'll b set-up for hunting, at your age this course is required in MD for a permit.

 

Shotguns don't have to have a lot of kick. Since there are 5 gauges to choose from, and several different loads, a shotgun can be as easy to shoot as a .22. Trap and skeet loads in a 20 gauge have hardly any felt recoil, yet a 3 inch chambered 20 can take down geese and turkeys. 12 gauge shotguns now come with 3 1/2 inch chambers. These can be quite punishing, but this guy has probably shot his father's guns. 410 shotguns may be considered underpowered, but they are capable of taking down deer at up to about 75 yards, yet can be used for skeet, trap, and hunting clays.

 

Just go get you a 12 Guage and shoot some skeet!

 

If you are new to shooting, you want something you can shoot a lot of cheaply. This way you can acquire the marksmanship skills before moving on to other types of shooting. I would recommend a Ruger 10-22. Its a lot of fun, and .22 ammo is relatively cheap $18 for 500 rounds, vs. $18 for 40 rounds of .223.

Just my $.02.

 

I think that a Glock 23c (40 cal) would be a great gun to start with. I own one and couldn't be happier with it

 

RogueLeader is absolutely right here. I have a Maverick (Mossberg low end line) 20GA. It's the full length barrel model. Between the rubber butt cushion and the heavy barrel, it kicks but nowhere near enough to cause the "anticipation flinch" on the next rounds. If you ask a few questions in a good gun shop they can steer you toward some lower recoil shells too.

The .410 is fun, but I bought one for my 98 pound 15 year old. She got used to it quickly, shot mine and now wants a 20GA. It's "too wimpy".

 

Uhh, yeah, your post make sense for the most part. Buying a .22 won't teach you respect for firearms, learning about them and knowing how they work will. Everyone can learn with whichever gun they wish, .22LR isn't the supreme commander. And don't FORGET about these other posts, a lot of them had some great info. Safety and basic marksmanship are key, not which caliber. I don't see them teaching ground pounding trigger pullers with a .22LR in basic. ( And don't tell me .223 is a .22 on steroids )

 

When I turned 18 i bought a shotgun. It turned into an amazing hobby that a ton of my friends do now. We all love to go to the skeet and trap ranges and just blow up claws all day. And the cost to maintain and to shoot is near nothing. Also you can have a shotgun in your possession and not immediately get arrested like if you had a pistol or AR look-alike gun.

 

I'd have to recommend any quality AR-15, then either a dedicated .22 upper or a drop in conversion kit.

Cheap plinking while still practicing with the same controls.

I have a CMMG drop-in kit(w/ blackdog mags) and it's accurate enough to hit can size targets at 50 yds without changing my Aimpoint's zero.

 

Thought about joining the NRA then follow their rec's. I would think they could give some really good guidance....and everything everyone has said about SAFETY....follow the advice, live it, breathe it and talk it....

 

I agree completely. In fact, I owned a Mossberg 500 (pretty much the same thing) as my first gun... in Maryland.

But, that was back when you could buy them at Wal-Mart.

The truth here is that there is a reason that I left that state, and if you do buy a gun make sure you know of somewhere that you can practice and meditate with it frequently. I know that might sound stupid to some people, but in the state of Maryland you have duty to retreat, so if there ever comes a day where you unfortunately do have to use it, you need to be thinking faster than you're able to pull the trigger.

 

I started off with a Remington 11-87. Its a semi-auto shotgun that is very reliable as well as accurate. I spent around 800 bucks for one that was used. Although for skeet you could go with a less fancier gun and spend half as much and get the same results. I rather spend the money when it comes to a deadly weapon ;D. If you are brand new to skeet shooting I would recommend going to a range with a friend and trying it out before you go diving into it. A lot of people cannot figure it out and just get frustrated and quit.

 

This wasn't a post about learning to shoot. It was about what's a good first gun. The people on here that have expressed Shotguns are a good choice, including myself, have done so because they are a very versatile gun. You can hunt with them. Target shoot with them. Protect your home with them. Any gun will teach you the basics of how to shoot. How guns operate, how to treat a loaded gun. How to respect firearms and the damage they can cause if not respected. If I could only own one gun, it would be one of my Remington 870 shotguns. It let's me do a lot more than my handguns or rifles.