[Guest]

Hello all, my name is Erin (but I'm a guy) and i turned 18 yesterday. I've wanted a rifle for a full dozen or more years, and now i can purchase my first one.
I live in kentucky, by the way.
I know I don't want a .22 or .223. I want to start with something bigger. I've fired many guns before, all the way up to the 6.5 Arisoka. Nothing bigger than that yet.
Anyway, right now I'm trying to decide:
Should i get this 7.62x39mm Saiga for $400 (with shipping), or something like this 6.8mm AR build?

7.62x39 Saiga:
http://www.gunsamerica.com/919185366/Guns/Rifles/Saiga-Rifles/AK_Type_7_62x39_Saiga_Carbine_NIB.htm#


Also, if anyone has any better places to buy please tell me!
Thank you =)


6.8 AR:
http://www.gunsamerica.com/91779028...Manufacturers/Complete-Rifle/MP4_Falt_top.htm


Oh! And for anyone with any better ideas than these two (or similar) rifles, I have around $900 to spend on my first gun.

 

[Guest]

It totally depends on what you want it to do. What is the intended use? What's your favorite action?

 

[bigweatherby]

I have one of the Saigas and it has been a very good rifle for me. Ammo is alot more available for it too.

 

[dogsoldier]

Agree with MarkRobert, what do you want to do with it? They are both good rifles. If you are looking for a SHTF rifle, go with the Saiga, 7.62x39 is a hek of a lot easier to find than the 6.8.

 

[GunSlinger]

I used to have one of the Saigas in 223. Wish I still had it.

 

[sig232]

I know you said you don't want a 22 rifle. But with the price of ammo I shoot my 22 LR far more than anything else. A block of 500 rounds is only $18.50 and I can shoot for a long time with that much ammo.

All other centerfire handgun ammo is almost $15-20 for only 50 rounds. So to shoot three or four boxes per outing you are spending a big chunk of bucks. Rifle ammo in centerfire costs a bloody fortune.

Plus, no matter what anyone says a good Ruger 10/22 rifle can be used just fine for defense of the home or hunting of small critters. Heck, more deer have been killed with the 22 LR than about all other calibers combined. Maybe not legally, but we all know its true.

 

[RaySendero]

Erin,

A guy just can't have TOO many rifles! That 7.62x39mm Saiga would be a good choice! But I'd second that 10/22 Ruger also - I shoot mine more that any other one I own. Lastly I'd say a scoped bolt action rifle in one of the most standard deer calibers like 270, 308 or 30/06 would be "needed".

 

[QuickdrawMcgraw]

Not to be rude but.....



First rifle should not be something like that imo at all. Seeing that you want to go 7.65 or the 6.8 right off the bat sounds like you just want to be "tacti cool" and brag to your friends. If you shot "many" rifles, then a thread like this should be pointless, you should already know which rifle to be "your first". So, with a post like this I really can not believe you shot "many" rifles.
With that said, you should get the Ruger 10/22, Marlin 60, or this
http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/CUB%20T%20PINK

 

[GregM]

The one rifle I owned that I kick myself for selling whenever I think about it is the Savage 99(e) in 300 Savage.
I wish I still had it and one day I will have another, but I'm pretty sure it won't be the $100 I paid and sold the one I had for.

 

[Popeye]

For a myriad of reasons, some already mentioned here, your first rifle should be chambered in .22LR.

 

[kansas45]

I would vote .22 LR too. I love shooting my bigger rifles, but the rifles I shoot the most are .22's. Besides being less expensive to buy ammo for, they are the best training aid you can own.

 

[Brewster]

I gotta join in with the zeitgeist here. The first rifle a man should own is a .22 and the 10/22 is as good an it gets. There is plenty of time to get that 8mm Mauser or whatever floats your boat, but first a Padawan needs to shoot a few thousand rounds to discover the joys of actual, as opposed to virtual, shooting. Either get a .22 or join the military, where you don't have to pay for ammo, and you will be guided by experienced range officers every step of the way.

 

[skydriver]

A couple things I've always taken into consideration is ammo price and availability ... that being said the 6.8 is expensive and not plentiful.

AK is a good choice or for something a little more unusual an AR in 762x39 ... more accurate than an AK and its also more powerful than the 6.8.

Don't discount a good 22 for cheap training and fun plus AR's and AK's are both available in 22LR as well ... personally I prefer 223 ... easy to find, inexpensive to buy or re-load and accurate! My favorite rifles are the SiG-556 and 522 ...

 

[judgepw]

+1 on the .22.

 

[Guest]

Judging by your options, it appears that you're looking for more of a range rifle than you are a hunting rifle. While a .22 seems to be a boring, almost lame choice, it'd really be a good idea. You can customize a 10/22 almost as much as you can an AR15, for example. I have one with a scope and a Tasco adjustable polymer stock setup, very sweet arrangement that will also shoot tree rats when you aren't busy shooting paper.

If you're wanting to hunt, go with something easy to reload later and with commonly available ammo OTC-I'd think .308 or .30-06 for deer sized game. A .25-06 will also be plenty for Southeastern deer, but IMHO would fall short for Elk and larger deer you'd see in the Midwest and Canada.

If I were getting a rifle for tacticool, it'd be an AR. Yeah, you'll spend extra coin, but you won't spend twice-the first time getting a "make do" gun, then getting what you want later. You can fully customize it to fit your preferences, can reload for it to drop your costs on ammo, and it's mighty easy on the shoulder after a full day at the range. Good luck with your choice!

 

[android17ak47]

any ak variant is nice to have but I would recomend getting something like a bolt rifle, plinking with semi autos is fun but theres no better feeling than to be able to hit something at long range, shooting semi autos only can be addicting and make you not want to spend any money on something high quality so I would start with maybe a rifle in the .308 range(with a scope reccomend bolt) or w/e you find that you like in your price range.