First Guns.

[Vault101]

Don't need much room to shoot a bow, I've shot one in my yard. Do you live in an apartment? Would you prefer a compound or a recurve bow? Hope you end up getting one and enjoying it, I have a blast shooting mine.

yeah, even a backyard would be fine but unfortunatly I don thave that luxery

I DO have a tiny little outdoor area but I wouldnt be game enough to fire off the thing there XD...plus I'm not sure my sister would aprove

its porbbaly somthing I will do at some point if my living arrangments ever change (or if I really wanted to I could get one anyway since I could go home for easter)

as for the kind of bow I'm really not an expert...as I understand compund bows are the ones with the "pullys and stuff" to make the draw load lighter?

 

[Thaluikhain]

I've been looking for a nice lever action rifle for a little while now, the idea just kind of popped into my head and I want to get some suggestions. I would prefer if it shot .357 magnum ammo since my next purchase is going to be a .357 magnum revolver and I'd like to be able to share ammo between the two. Any suggestions? I'm not well versed in lever action rifles, I used to hear that marlin lever action rifles were really good but after they got bought by Remington they apparently went to crap.

Speaking of which, why does nobody seem to make modern lever-action shotguns? Sure, you get reproductions of things from 100 years ago (Winchesters), but new designs of pump or break action rifles and shotguns come out all the time, as well as new bolt action rifles and the odd bolt action shotgun.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I've been looking for a nice lever action rifle for a little while now, the idea just kind of popped into my head and I want to get some suggestions. I would prefer if it shot .357 magnum ammo since my next purchase is going to be a .357 magnum revolver and I'd like to be able to share ammo between the two. Any suggestions? I'm not well versed in lever action rifles, I used to hear that marlin lever action rifles were really good but after they got bought by Remington they apparently went to crap.

Speaking of which, why does nobody seem to make modern lever-action shotguns? Sure, you get reproductions of things from 100 years ago (Winchesters), but new designs of pump or break action rifles and shotguns come out all the time, as well as new bolt action rifles and the odd bolt action shotgun.

I know, you would think people would've been clamoring for them after Terminator 2 came out.

I mean how else are you going to look THAT badass?

 

[Ingjald]

I've been looking for a nice lever action rifle for a little while now, the idea just kind of popped into my head and I want to get some suggestions. I would prefer if it shot .357 magnum ammo since my next purchase is going to be a .357 magnum revolver and I'd like to be able to share ammo between the two. Any suggestions? I'm not well versed in lever action rifles, I used to hear that marlin lever action rifles were really good but after they got bought by Remington they apparently went to crap.

Speaking of which, why does nobody seem to make modern lever-action shotguns? Sure, you get reproductions of things from 100 years ago (Winchesters), but new designs of pump or break action rifles and shotguns come out all the time, as well as new bolt action rifles and the odd bolt action shotgun.

I know, you would think people would've been clamoring for them after Terminator 2 came out.

Spoiler

I mean how else are you going to look THAT badass?

That one came right at the end of the era of lever-action guns. John Browning told Winchester, who wanted him to design a lever-shotgun, that a pump shotgun would be a better idea, to which they replied "STFU we are THE Lever Action Company!", so he made them a lever-action shotgun design. Since then, no one has really had the balls to be unconventional enough to try to market a lever-action shotgun as anything other than a novelty. However, regarding unconventional shotgun designs, I give you:

the MTs-255

Spoiler

[http://postimage.org/image/ssf2vte2r/]

a great big 12 gauge revolver shotgun.

or, if you really want to go terminator:

Spoiler

[http://postimage.org/image/7u2clvdx7/]

12 gauge revolver. because fuck you, that's why!

crazy awesome russians...

Caliber availability is huge, and 30-06 is a great caliber, you can do just about anything with it, I was just curious. Also the scope sounds like a great scope, just not the type of scope you see most people buy for their first rifles. Didn't know about the "class" divisions, sounds complicated as hell. Glad to see you toughed it out to get into the sport. Shooting is a blast, hope you enjoy it.

Oh, I didn't take it as criticism. I graduated my hunter course in June last year, and I've spent a lot of time since then researching and reading internet forums on extremely academical subjects that make very little real life difference (.308 vs. 30-06, 24" barrels vs. 26" barrels etc.) trying to make my choice of weapon, caliber, optics etc. slightly less uninformed. And also, I like to explain my reasoning. Because I am a great big nerd.

 

[spartan231490]

Don't need much room to shoot a bow, I've shot one in my yard. Do you live in an apartment? Would you prefer a compound or a recurve bow? Hope you end up getting one and enjoying it, I have a blast shooting mine.

yeah, even a backyard would be fine but unfortunatly I don thave that luxery

I DO have a tiny little outdoor area but I wouldnt be game enough to fire off the thing there XD...plus I'm not sure my sister would aprove

its porbbaly somthing I will do at some point if my living arrangments ever change (or if I really wanted to I could get one anyway since I could go home for easter)

as for the kind of bow I'm really not an expert...as I understand compund bows are the ones with the "pullys and stuff" to make the draw load lighter?

It doesn't make the draw lighter, what they do is the full weight of the draw is hit sooner, and then the pull backs off as it reaches full draw. It isn't any easier to draw, but it's easier to hold back before you shoot, which makes it easier to shoot accurately.

Personally, I prefer recurves, I find them to be a lot smoother and actually a little easier to draw overall. I also prefer recurves because they're quieter.

 

[spartan231490]

I've been looking for a nice lever action rifle for a little while now, the idea just kind of popped into my head and I want to get some suggestions. I would prefer if it shot .357 magnum ammo since my next purchase is going to be a .357 magnum revolver and I'd like to be able to share ammo between the two. Any suggestions? I'm not well versed in lever action rifles, I used to hear that marlin lever action rifles were really good but after they got bought by Remington they apparently went to crap.

Speaking of which, why does nobody seem to make modern lever-action shotguns? Sure, you get reproductions of things from 100 years ago (Winchesters), but new designs of pump or break action rifles and shotguns come out all the time, as well as new bolt action rifles and the odd bolt action shotgun.

Lever actions lost popularity when pump came out. A lot of people(myself included) think that pumps shoot faster and are more intuitive.

I've been looking for a nice lever action rifle for a little while now, the idea just kind of popped into my head and I want to get some suggestions. I would prefer if it shot .357 magnum ammo since my next purchase is going to be a .357 magnum revolver and I'd like to be able to share ammo between the two. Any suggestions? I'm not well versed in lever action rifles, I used to hear that marlin lever action rifles were really good but after they got bought by Remington they apparently went to crap.

Look for a Henry Repeater rifle, they can be a bit hard to find, but it's a lever action .357 magnum, and who can resist owning a piece of history. The Henry is the rifle that won the west. Fair warning, if you live in NY state you might want to get it before April, if they manage to beat the injunction on the SAFE Act the Henry will be illegal because it has an 8 shot internal magazine.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I've been looking for a nice lever action rifle for a little while now, the idea just kind of popped into my head and I want to get some suggestions. I would prefer if it shot .357 magnum ammo since my next purchase is going to be a .357 magnum revolver and I'd like to be able to share ammo between the two. Any suggestions? I'm not well versed in lever action rifles, I used to hear that marlin lever action rifles were really good but after they got bought by Remington they apparently went to crap.

Speaking of which, why does nobody seem to make modern lever-action shotguns? Sure, you get reproductions of things from 100 years ago (Winchesters), but new designs of pump or break action rifles and shotguns come out all the time, as well as new bolt action rifles and the odd bolt action shotgun.

Lever actions lost popularity when pump came out. A lot of people(myself included) think that pumps shoot faster and are more intuitive.

I've been looking for a nice lever action rifle for a little while now, the idea just kind of popped into my head and I want to get some suggestions. I would prefer if it shot .357 magnum ammo since my next purchase is going to be a .357 magnum revolver and I'd like to be able to share ammo between the two. Any suggestions? I'm not well versed in lever action rifles, I used to hear that marlin lever action rifles were really good but after they got bought by Remington they apparently went to crap.

Look for a Henry Repeater rifle, they can be a bit hard to find, but it's a lever action .357 magnum, and who can resist owning a piece of history. The Henry is the rifle that won the west. Fair warning, if you live in NY state you might want to get it before April, if they manage to beat the injunction on the SAFE Act the Henry will be illegal because it has an 8 shot internal magazine.

I don't live in New York, I live in California, the second most restrictive gun state in the US, but wouldn't you be able to beat a ban like that with a simple magazine block?

 

[FURY_007]

My first gun was a Ruger 10/22 that my dad gave me. MY first gun that I bought was a '44 M1891 Mosin Nagant, which the M44 carbine was the first rifle I ever shot. That kinda got me hooked, and so I bought a '41 Lee Enfield mk. III after that, and then a CETME (the spanish version of the G3) and its a semi-auto version, with a bunch of surplus G3 parts on, such as wooden furniture.I collect mainly historical rifles and so I'm saving up for a M1 Garand or Carbine or an FAL or AK, but I'm thinking of also buying a 1911 or something. In terms of pistols, I bought a 1921 Colt M1903, and in payment for selling a bunch of guns for a family friend, he gave me a 9-shot High Standard .22 revolver which has been an absolute blast, and thenmy latest purchase has been a 4" barreled Colt Commando revolver which I am in love with.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

My first gun was technically a 16 gauge double barrel shotgun my dad bought from a friend of a friend. Ended up being some family gun or something, and he traded us a bolt action .22 and a ton of ammo for it back. That .22 was the first I kept/shot. First I bought myself was a Taurus Slim 9mm, which I'm looking to sell and then buy a different 9mm. My favorite my AK-47 that I've recently modified with quad rails, vertical fore grip, dot sight, and a folding stock.

 

[Vault101]

It doesn't make the draw lighter, what they do is the full weight of the draw is hit sooner, and then the pull backs off as it reaches full draw. It isn't any easier to draw, but it's easier to hold back before you shoot, which makes it easier to shoot accurately.

Personally, I prefer recurves, I find them to be a lot smoother and actually a little easier to draw overall. I also prefer recurves because they're quieter.

ah..thanks

you know I actually could probably shoot a bow in out back ...but Id be to paranoid about it going over the fence and killing somone

then I'd be in trouble

 

[Thaluikhain]

I've been looking for a nice lever action rifle for a little while now, the idea just kind of popped into my head and I want to get some suggestions. I would prefer if it shot .357 magnum ammo since my next purchase is going to be a .357 magnum revolver and I'd like to be able to share ammo between the two. Any suggestions? I'm not well versed in lever action rifles, I used to hear that marlin lever action rifles were really good but after they got bought by Remington they apparently went to crap.

Speaking of which, why does nobody seem to make modern lever-action shotguns? Sure, you get reproductions of things from 100 years ago (Winchesters), but new designs of pump or break action rifles and shotguns come out all the time, as well as new bolt action rifles and the odd bolt action shotgun.

Lever actions lost popularity when pump came out. A lot of people(myself included) think that pumps shoot faster and are more intuitive.

Sure, I wouldn't expect there to be many modern designs, but I'd have there still to be some.

 

[Vicarious Reality]

My two first firearms were my Tikka M65 Deluxe which dad gave me and i am not sure which came after it, either a Husqvarna 615 or the Marlin 1895G ported

Spoiler: Good guns, pity that they all broke

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

I have an old WW1 family heirloom P08 Luger. Simple image because I didn't want to take it out and take a picture:

Spoiler

Pros:

1. It's recognizable
2. Its recoil is amazing since its action is a breech instead of a slide (most recoil is focused upward instead of toward you)
3. Ammo is pretty cheap
4. It's damn sexy

Cons:

1. Not much modding available at all
2. The spring magazines are an absolute ***** to load, since you use your thumb to push to spring down instead of a bullet
3. Repair work and buying new parts is harder to find and more expensive

Would highly recommend everyone gets a chance to shoot one in order to feel the recoil.

 

[spartan231490]

I've been looking for a nice lever action rifle for a little while now, the idea just kind of popped into my head and I want to get some suggestions. I would prefer if it shot .357 magnum ammo since my next purchase is going to be a .357 magnum revolver and I'd like to be able to share ammo between the two. Any suggestions? I'm not well versed in lever action rifles, I used to hear that marlin lever action rifles were really good but after they got bought by Remington they apparently went to crap.

Speaking of which, why does nobody seem to make modern lever-action shotguns? Sure, you get reproductions of things from 100 years ago (Winchesters), but new designs of pump or break action rifles and shotguns come out all the time, as well as new bolt action rifles and the odd bolt action shotgun.

Lever actions lost popularity when pump came out. A lot of people(myself included) think that pumps shoot faster and are more intuitive.

Sure, I wouldn't expect there to be many modern designs, but I'd have there still to be some.

Gun designs tend to be very limited. For example, they make lots of pump shotguns, but no lever, they make lots of lever action rifles, but very very few pumps. Sadly, it's a rather limited consumer base, especially since firearms last so long. For whatever reason, it also tends to be very fad like. 40 years ago, a company without a lever rifle wouldn't sell shit, now a company without a bolt rifle won't sell shit, and many companies don't even offer lever rifles. I feel your pain, believe me, it's killing me trying to find a cheap pump action rifle in a magnum caliber.

 

[spartan231490]

It doesn't make the draw lighter, what they do is the full weight of the draw is hit sooner, and then the pull backs off as it reaches full draw. It isn't any easier to draw, but it's easier to hold back before you shoot, which makes it easier to shoot accurately.

Personally, I prefer recurves, I find them to be a lot smoother and actually a little easier to draw overall. I also prefer recurves because they're quieter.

ah..thanks

you know I actually could probably shoot a bow in out back ...but Id be to paranoid about it going over the fence and killing somone

then I'd be in trouble

Put a full sheet of plywood behind your target. It's pretty hard to miss a sheet of plywood at bow ranges(~10 yards). I used to use one as a back-drop so I wouldn't lose my arrows. The target tips will bend, but I don't think the arrows will go through, even with a heavy draw. Always stopped the arrows of my 45 lb draw after only a couple inches of penetration.

 

[spartan231490]

I've been looking for a nice lever action rifle for a little while now, the idea just kind of popped into my head and I want to get some suggestions. I would prefer if it shot .357 magnum ammo since my next purchase is going to be a .357 magnum revolver and I'd like to be able to share ammo between the two. Any suggestions? I'm not well versed in lever action rifles, I used to hear that marlin lever action rifles were really good but after they got bought by Remington they apparently went to crap.

Speaking of which, why does nobody seem to make modern lever-action shotguns? Sure, you get reproductions of things from 100 years ago (Winchesters), but new designs of pump or break action rifles and shotguns come out all the time, as well as new bolt action rifles and the odd bolt action shotgun.

Lever actions lost popularity when pump came out. A lot of people(myself included) think that pumps shoot faster and are more intuitive.

I've been looking for a nice lever action rifle for a little while now, the idea just kind of popped into my head and I want to get some suggestions. I would prefer if it shot .357 magnum ammo since my next purchase is going to be a .357 magnum revolver and I'd like to be able to share ammo between the two. Any suggestions? I'm not well versed in lever action rifles, I used to hear that marlin lever action rifles were really good but after they got bought by Remington they apparently went to crap.

Look for a Henry Repeater rifle, they can be a bit hard to find, but it's a lever action .357 magnum, and who can resist owning a piece of history. The Henry is the rifle that won the west. Fair warning, if you live in NY state you might want to get it before April, if they manage to beat the injunction on the SAFE Act the Henry will be illegal because it has an 8 shot internal magazine.

I don't live in New York, I live in California, the second most restrictive gun state in the US, but wouldn't you be able to beat a ban like that with a simple magazine block?

Yes and no. A mag block would work, but only if it wasn't "easily convertible" to hold more than 7 rounds. Even if you could do it, a permanent mag block in a gun like that would probably cost half as much as the gun, and you'd probably have to go out of state to get the work done, since I don't think it would even be legal for the gunsmith to import the gun in order to modify it. All told, you're probably looking at doubling the cost of the gun.

 

[Wayneguard]

My first gun purchase was a Springfield XD9 service (the fullsize grip frame with the 4" barrel). Picked it up for $430 and it is one of my daily carry weapons. Of all my semi-automatics, that xd9 fits my hand the best and is the most comfortable for me to shoot. The xd9 isn't my favorite though. That honor goes to my 6" stainless GP100. I've shot the hell out of that gun and the trigger has worn to be butter smooth single-action or double-action. It's a good piece to carry when you're camping or otherwise out in the woods and concealment isn't an issue. Love that gun. it's my baby

 

[Vault101]

Put a full sheet of plywood behind your target. It's pretty hard to miss a sheet of plywood at bow ranges(~10 yards). I used to use one as a back-drop so I wouldn't lose my arrows. The target tips will bend, but I don't think the arrows will go through, even with a heavy draw. Always stopped the arrows of my 45 lb draw after only a couple inches of penetration.

yeah I did think about that (did check out a spot where there was less chance of it hitting a person) it is still a fairly densly packed little area and of coarse theres no way I could do it without my sister pitching a fit XD

but thanks for the advice!

 

[Grant Hobba]

So I recently got my A and B class licence and got around to grabbing my first two rifles.

I got a fairly good deal and they don't seem to be lemons (although as a novice shooter I am sure some better marksmen will tell me otherwise)

I am curious to any shooters out there what were your first guns ? do you still have them? did you regret choosing that set up ?

I bought a Marlin xt .22 lr, blued barrel and synthetic stock. I also got a Remington 700 in .243 sps tactical with synthetic stock and stainless barrel, for that I bought an Elite 4-16 by 40 scope and put the free sabre 3-9 by 40 on the Marlin.

I only paid 1100 for both rifles brand new with bags, the 3-9 scope and trigger locks and i paid 560 for the better scope.

Probably a little too much for a first rifle but I do love them (I've only shot out to 200 meters so I am not really proficient just yet )

Experienced shooter here. That sounds a bit high for those two rifles, but I'm guessing from what you mentioned about licences you're from a strict regulation country, so a good chunk of that is probably some kind of tax or importation cost. The Rem 700 is a great rifle, to get a better one you'd either need to spend 2-3 times as much or have a gunsmith put one together from the ground up, and frankly there isn't much reason why you'd need a better rifle, unless you're gonna do competition bench-rest shooting the rem 700 is as good as you need. The marlin is a rifle I've never shot before but they're supposed to be good, they're right up there with the ruger 10/22 in reputation so I would say you did a damn good job picking your first two rifles. Only suggestion is trigger locks kinda suck, if you've got kids in the home you are gonna want some sort of better lock, at least cable locks and probably a gun safe or cabinet.

My first rifle was a bb-gun that I was given on my 10th birthday. My first real rifle was a semi-auto tubular magazine fed .22 youth model made by nobody special that I got when I got my hunting licence at 12, along with my first shotgun which was a model 66 Ithica break action 20 guage. Couldn't have asked for better starting guns, both were more than sufficient to teach me the basics of marksmanship, and though I've upgraded my equipment since, those are two guns I will be proud to hand to my kid(s) and say "Your grandad got me this when I got my hunting licence"

If you don't mind me asking what are you using your rifles for and why did you pick the .243 caliber. Nothing wrong with the choice, I'm just curious.

Thank you for the feedback, finally got back on here and didn't realize the post had taken off

um to be honest I wanted a .222 or .223 but guy at the store recommended a bigger round because eventually I want to move to goat and pig hunting but didn't want a .308 or .270 so he said the caliber was the best compromise. In retrospect, shooting it a few times I probably would have preferred the smaller .223 but lesson learned for my next purchase

 

[Grant Hobba]

So I recently got my A and B class licence and got around to grabbing my first two rifles.

I got a fairly good deal and they don't seem to be lemons (although as a novice shooter I am sure some better marksmen will tell me otherwise)

I am curious to any shooters out there what were your first guns ? do you still have them? did you regret choosing that set up ?

I bought a Marlin xt .22 lr, blued barrel and synthetic stock. I also got a Remington 700 in .243 sps tactical with synthetic stock and stainless barrel, for that I bought an Elite 4-16 by 40 scope and put the free sabre 3-9 by 40 on the Marlin.

I only paid 1100 for both rifles brand new with bags, the 3-9 scope and trigger locks and i paid 560 for the better scope.

Probably a little too much for a first rifle but I do love them (I've only shot out to 200 meters so I am not really proficient just yet )

Excellent choice on the Remington 700. I started out with a '81 Rem 700 in 30/06. Kicked the like a mule. But it could hold 2 inch groupings at 750m on calm days. Still the best rifle I've ever owned. Get a nice scope on that Remington and its all you'll ever need.

I was actually thinking of maybe getting a 30-06 or a 270 in the remington 7600 pump or the new 783 do you reload your own ammo or are you a sucker like me and still pay 32 bucks a box like an me ?