Question
Iām interested in taking up target shooting
And investing in a rifle and shot gun to start then pistol later
Iāve shot as a youngster
Looking for suggestions on caliber and make
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For a rifle, I say a .22 or nice pellet rifle. Cheap and a hell of a lot of fun.
If you decide the .22 route, pick a action you like. Pump, lever, semi-auto, etcā¦ Then that will narrow down what manufacturers and models.
For a shotgun. I say 12 gauge.
Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 if you like pumps
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If all you want to do is shoot paper air rifles are the way to go. Much cheaper on ammo and they come in all calibers.
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A plinker?
Yeah, Iām with @Uprangewilly.
Get a .22! A good ol Ruger 10/.22 is, and as been a great gun for decades.
Iām not a big Ruger guy either.
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They are nice. I own one and a Marlin 60.
Both way more accurate than I am.
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I got that little youth Marlin that I swear by.
Straightest shooting little bugger with iron sights.
But a tad difficult to hold to my shoulder, lol.
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Great but difficult question. Opinions will definitely vary, Iāll try to give some of my thoughts.
Addressing rifles, there are so many options out there. With firearms typically being a bit pricey, itās difficult to make recommendations without understanding a bit more on what your plans are. Use case, budget, semi-auto -v- bolt, budget, long term goals, etc.
Sometimes your local gun vendor will be able to help in making good decisions. If you can find someone with your interests in mind. But, better yet, find an enthusiast thatās doing something similar to your goals. Target, long distance target, bench-rest, dynamic close quarters, three gun, idpa, etc. Go on range trips with your buddies. Borrow. Try. Find a store with a range that allows trying different firearms. Etc. I say this because itās really easy to purchase something that looks and seems awesome but in the end it just doesnāt quite fit what youāre looking for. Itās also why we have several firearms that are perfectly fine but rarely get used. Good to speak to those who can suggest what to avoid and what to look for. Better, hands-on time.
As others have noted, 22lr semi-automatic is simply an awesome option for plinking and developing marksmanship skills. We own several. One of which Iāve accurized. The ammunition is (relatively) cheap and you can get a ton of time behind the trigger without blowing out your bank account. With ammunition shortages and dotGov fāery, it is more expensive these days but it is still inexpensive relative to center fire calibers. That said, the standard is pretty much the Ruger āstyleā action. Other actions are available, including bolt, but the Ruger actions are the most prevalent. And it semi, which is just plain fun and less work.
The disadvantages to 22LR is that it is not generally a long distance caliber. It is a lightweight projectile, has poor ballistic performance, and does not produce much energy. Those factors are detrimental towards accuracy the further away the target. If youāre inside 200 yards, Iād say, itās a viable ātargetā round with increasing difficulties as you move past 100. Not just in ballistics but also sight elevation and environmental issue may come into play. Inside 100, youāve got a player.
That being said, personally, I recommend a 22lr often as a must have option. Primarily for skill building from my viewpoint. It would serve as a good small varmint rifle.
The other thing Iād recommend is Appleseed marksman training. That is just awesome and itās inexpensive to attend. If you can spend a couple of days and attend a couple of their training events, youāll go from zero to hero. Not kidding, youāll work towards cleaning military style marksmen tests equivalent to distinguished or better. Any age and any experience level. Theyāll even make accommodations to loan you a rifle if you donāt have one.
As with most rifles, the accuracy of the 22lr platform is impacted by the quality and fit of the parts. You donāt need to spend lots of money to have a quality rifle but if youāre going for precision target shooting, you looking at going from a $350 dollar rifle to those approaching and exceeding 1K. And therein is the where itās difficult to make a good recommendation. Once youāre 1K+, you are starting to get into the price range of centerfire bolt rifles and lower-mid end ARs. Or, recommended, built yourself one to save some coin with better than OE fit and finish.
The 22lr gives you a lot for itās capabilities. Itās inexpensive (relatively). Itās a great skill building platform and has use for specific applications. We use them on the regular.
Moving into centerfire style rifles, the options increase exponentially. There are plenty of design variants intended for a variety of use case scenarios. Bolt -v- semi. Close quarters -v- long distance. Ammunition cost and availability. Precision -v- hammer, chassis -v- stock, reliability, recoil, bore axis, rate of fire, etc. A lots of these options donāt become clear until spending a goodly amount of time honing your skills and figuring what you like, what you can live with, and what you donāt like.
At ~1.5K, you are in the off-the-shelf rifles (typically bolt) that are capable of 2 minutes or less of angle at 1000 yards. That means, with study and practice, you could consistently, reliably, and safely impact ~20 inch target at over 1/2 a mile away with the proper caliber ā¦ crazy ā¦ thatās pretty damn far and pretty darn impressive if you work towards that point. There is a lot too it beyond just shooting but the platform choices open-up the options. As an example of capability -v- price.
But,but. Itās also not just the rifle. You have optics. You have ammunition. You have shooting matts and ear protection, extra magazines, etc. So whenever pricing stuff, consider these other costs, some essential, in conjunction with your purpose.
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Hmm, I dunno. We have the same movies. We dont have mass shootings. Just an observation.
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You carry that brick, flared mag well and all? I carry an old ppq and love it
Peanut butter sandwiches.
Paps
Check out Paul Harrel on YouTube
Or hickock45
Paul is a legend and has tons of vids that are
Informed, in depth, brilliant
Heās a expert of the highest caliber.
You will hear a lot of bla bla here
Paul has done nearly every rifle
Shotgun, hand gun
In depth comprehensive study, but not only
The guns but the ammo.
Check out his vids on 22.lr
Most everything you have read here reads like it came out of a book.
Check him out, thereās no better person to learn from for what is right for you.
The internet is awash with experts
PAUL actually is one.
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Paul Harrel is a great resource, good idea.
And no, nothing posted here came out of a book. A question was asked and time spent answering.
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I should have said much I have read for years lol
Not dissing anyone, the debate will never end
As per say 22.lr
I can ring targets at 400 yards and the bullet still has enough energy to be lethal.
Anyway vids long but thereās a short version
Or Paul will tell you where to advice the vid
To skip all the technical stuff
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700 yards?
No problem
There is a male female UK team that did 1.7 miles I think, granted they were shooting down hill
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At 400 yards, your elevation is going to be something like 60+ minutes. At a 10 MPH cross wind, you have around 17 minutes of windage with a 40 grain projectile.
If you want any sort of accuracy and precision out to 400, there are much much better options. 22lr is a great caliber with practical limitations. For a challenge, sure.
We donāt know the use case, here. Target shooting was mentioned. I would personally not advise a 22lr for 400yards as your ādutyā rifle, there are better options.
But yes, Paul Harrell is a great resource. As is GunBlue for a bit more technical detail.
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Ty every one for such great advice
I once had a marlin 22 ,I like it a lot I think Iām gonna go back to that . It was a bolt action.
@Northern_Loki great info 
@Toker1 Ty for the video and feed back
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Very cool.
I have to give another prop to Appleseed. If you can spend a couple of days, theyāll help to get any rust polished off quickly. Bolt action would be a challenge for that but youāll get kudos.
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