Tax season is here, refund in a couple weeks, Im designating ball park $400 for a new firearm and am looking for suggestions. (I can get new firearms at 10% over cost) My critera is reliability over looks. Inexpensive, and caliber that is common and relatively inexpensive for the type.
If not for that tragic boating accident a general ball park of what I already had.
Should probably add, I prefer an exposed hammer, single/double action. The 1911 is single along with the rough riders as exception I presently have along with the G2C striker fired but single/double action.
The Tri-Star/Canik C-100 is eye catching, have to put it in the running.
The S&W 442/642 looks like a hammerless version of my Taurus Ultra-lite snub nose. Looks nice but .38 is not a prefered caliber to me…
I bought a EEA Windacator 357 mag less then 280.00 at sportsman guide.com
We made and reliable after 200 rounds nice revolver for the money
Or a Glock 43 in 9 mm again a really nice semi auto great pocket gun
If you wanted to spend 8 to 900.00 range I would recommend a Kimber Ultra Carry 2 with crimson trace green laser. I own all three and rotate out which one I carry
I would recommend a Smith and Wesson M&P shield in 9mm. A very inexpensive caliber very accurate firearm feels really good in the hand. It is definitely one of my favorite handguns even though I am a Glock guy.
Ruger American rifle has crossed my mine in the past, i am not a hunter but I hope in the next couple years to become one when time off from work allows.
The mosin makes for a range gun, not often out but a fun piece for new shooters.
556 all around favorite even with first time shooters
Winchester ranger 30-30 leveraction in flawless condition with a 3point sight inherited, rarely sees the range, ammo is a bit more expensive.
Rifle thats reliable, can take abuse (i dont mind scratches), common and inexpensive ammo (stock up on ammo, light prepper mentality on a budget), and effective for larger game.
That G2c is not a bad way to go. I like my PT111 G2. It got me started on LTC, something I wasn’t sure would pan out until recently. But now Im looking at Glocks and Sigs. My son’s M&P Shield 9mm is nice but I actually prefer my PT111 even though the quality supposedly lacks. I like the way it feels. I’m looking for a pocket carry firearm and a .45 (Colt 1911 preferably for fun and something more compact for carry.
I also want a 3030 Lever Action. I’d love to get an AR-10 to go with my 556. Who wouldn’t want a .50 sniper rifle. But returning to reality. I’d invest in a boat and scuba equipment if I were you if your loss wasn’t that long ago. Couldn’t you salvage your guns?
It is more expensive to shoot but it shoots flatter than a 308 so getting it out to distance is easier. I don’t wanna misquote but i believe its somewhere beyond the 600 or 700 yd mark the 6.5 out performs the 308. And if you’re going to shoot at that distance the difference in ammo price is much smaller. I don’t see “military grade” ball 308 ammo doing well that far out.
@Orpackrat From what I’ve gathered on the 2 rounds, the 6.5 has a higher ballistic coefficient and less recoil than the .308. That being said the 6.5 ammo is higher in cost and isn’t as readily available as .308. I mean you can buy .308 in a lot of country gas stations, if you’re a hunter, that is a huge plus. One notable mention is that you CANNOT shoot 7.62x51 NATO out of a .308 rifle. The NATO rounds are loaded to a much higher pressure than .308.
I think the 6.5 drops 46 or 48 inches at 500 yards with the rifle having been zeroed at 200 yds. The .308 drops like 53 or 56 inches from what I can recall at 500 yds when the rifle is zeroed at 200 yds. So not really a huge difference, but 10 inches of drop is the target. I don’t know.
My take away from the the whole thing is that you have to practice with both. One will not make you inherently more accurate than the other. I have an M1A so I already have a flat shooting rifle. But if I didn’t, I would probably buy a .308 for target shooting, because I believe in accuracy through volume; practice. I can afford more .308 than 6.5 so I believe that I would be more accurate with a .308. But then again I’m 6’6" and 250, and shoot a .300 Win Mag in a rifle that’s in a 6.25 lbs rifle, so recoil is something I can deal with.
I also am planning on buying a 6.5 creedmoor for hunting mule deer and antelope out west. Since rifles were made people have been looking for the perfect caliber, and arguing about it, just the same as the outdated 9mm vs .45 argument you find in self defense forums. The closest I have ever heard in settling the argument for a perfect rifle is biased for hunters in North America. Its the .338 magnum, because if you reload you can load light enough to kill antelope with low meat damage, and heavy enough for grizzly bear.
So basically can you afford the thousands of rounds you need to be a good shot in 6.5? Or do you subscribe to the idea that less recoil keeps you shooting longer? It’s all personal preference.
Also despite what gun writers have been saying the .308 and the 6.5 are not the best for elk. A lot of guys that guide will not take people out with anything less than 7mm mag or .300 WSM or .300 Win Mag. So more food for thought depending on what you plan on hunting later on.
@James from everything Ive read, the .308 is commonly a higher pressure than the 7.62 NATO.
At the ranges your speaking of, presently, they far exceed the distances i commonly shoot. Means I should probably get a membership to a range with some distance.
With all my firearms, I learn shooting with Iron Sights, none have scopes or sights other than factory. With a new rifle, perhaps I’ll end up getting a good scope to practice with after some good old iron sight training.
Yesturday I talked to the owner of my prefered gun store to keep an eye out for an AR10 .308 at a steal of a price.
Also keeping an eye out for the C-100.
Not after a shotgun but my shop of choice is getting some VR80 from Rock Island with a price thats tempting…
@Orpackrat I got 7.62/.308 and 5.56/.223 mixed up again. One you can shoot metric through standard, and the other its standard through metric. I always mix it up, and end up looking stupid. Anyways, if you end up with a bolt action hunting rifle down the line, they rarely come with iron sights anymore. An AR10 sounds pretty good. I don’t know what those shotguns are, I’ll have to look them up.
Providing the Tax refund comes in on schedule, ill be picking the VR80 up on Monday with an extra 2 9rd mags. To justify it, ill be replacing my existing cheap pump and trading it in, should bring my overall cost to $500 ball park.
What kind of pump? If it’s like a 500 or an 870 I’d personally just keep it if you plan on hunting. They’d be better for shooting birds than the VR 80, and why not have 2 shotguns? I picked up a 1887 lever action shotgun last tax season. You dont see too many of those at the local gun range.
