I have never really had any gun background. I've never shot a gun in my life (yes, that is sad). After going to a shooting range and walking past the rifle range, my interest was peaked. I walked the skeet/clay area, but I found the rifles to be more interesting. I really wanted to shoot one that day, but they didn't rent rifles. I was a little bummed because after hearing some loud guns (30-06 I think), it made me want one for myself. Not really knowing where to start, I thought about 2 different calibers: .17 and .22. Knowing .22 were more popular, I decided to get a .22 rifle. I went to my local academy and saw one I liked. The Remington 597. I liked the way it looked, but I heard some reviews stating the clip was a pain. I then went to the Bass and Pro Outdoor World and saw one I really like, the Marlin 795. Both had a low price tag (less than $150). I could never find a good review on the Marlin though. So I was wondering, are either of those guns any good? I also saw a Stevens rifle I liked, but I forgot the name. All I know is that it was black (not really helpful). I am going to be getting one this Friday and shoot it Saturday. I am very excited about it. Not only will I shoot a gun for the first time, but I will own one myself. Thanks for any help you can offer.

Defiler,
If I could offer some friendly advice, for a first rifle, I'd steer you towards a bolt action over all other types. It will help you to develop shooting skills (in my opinion) vs the tempting rapid-fire semi-auto. There are a lot of good bolt-actions out there to choose from and many are discussed in different threads on this forum.

Good luck, and welcome to the satisfying shooting world.

I'll be a lot less help than you think :D Cause I *really* like .22s and pretty much have one for every occasion!

Ruger 10/22 for casual plinking / off hand target shooting.

CZ 452 for serious target shooting. Wow, is it accurate....

Marlin 39A for hunting small game.

Romanian m1969 for fun with a military surplus gun. Outstanding accuracy and the price is right.

Remington 511 for a classic sporter.

Let's see.... handguns.... a Ruger 22/45 to mimic my centerfire autos.

Ruger Bisley single-six .22 to mimic my centerfire hunting revolvers....

See, I told you my answer would not really be very helpful!!! :D

I like auto loaders because having to cock the gun can mess up your stance. While auto loaders do have a much higher chance to mess up, they seem nice. My shooting range doesn't even allow rapid fire, which is a good rule.

The CZ 452 seemed to expensive for me. I probally should save up more and pay a little extra for the quality though.

I like auto loaders because having to cock the gun can mess up your stance. While auto loaders do have a much higher chance to mess up, they seem nice. My shooting range doesn't even allow rapid fire, which is a good rule.

You have a point there for uninterrupted stance. For pure accuracy, the bolt is king unless you spend some $$ on a tricked out Ruger 10/22, for example, or the like. Whatever you get, being your first, will be a thrill.

I don't really plan on doing half mile shots though. I wouldn't mind a bolt gun as long as it had a clip.

Most all of the bolt guns will be magazine fed unless you buy a target model or one made for youngsters. If you can scrape up the cash for the CZ it is a purchase I doubt you will ever regret. The CZ comes with a pretty good trigger when compared to almost all other rifles in the same price range. A good trigger is mandatory to get the most out of a rifle and most are sadly lacking in that area as they come from the factory, at least until you start to spend a lot of money.

There was a shooter at my local range a few weeks ago that was sighting in a new Marlin 925. I gave it a try and it seemed to have a pretty decent trigger for a inexpensive rifle. Although not a very attractive rifle it appeared to be of good quality and the accuracy was quite good for a entry level rifle.

the marlin 925 is a very good gun for the price. inexpensive,durable,easy maintenence,scope it and it is very accurate.
my preferance is the ruger 10/22, so many options,before and after market.
i have probably put over a 1000 rounds through my ruger,but with proper care this gun and any 22 will last a lifetime
mbegg

I have a remington 597. It is my truck gun so natturally it has done a lot of shooting, grouse on back roads, squirrles, rodants and dipached a few deer with it. first one I had exploded, sent it back and got a new one. Only problem I ran into wa the clips I was useing. The black plastic ones always jammed. The slivery gray ones made out of alummin or what ever metal worked great after about 100 rounds. It is a good gun and has probably had 10-15 thousand rounds through it.

Marlin model 7000 is the gun you want,you must put a scope on it though.Its the most accurate auto for the money out there.

I really like the Marlin 7000, only thing I see I don't like is it has no built in sights. While a scope is much better, shooting a close range with a scope might cause problems. But since I doubt I will be shooting a target 6 feet away, that doesn't matter.

I got another question. For target practice, should I buy solid or hollow point bullets? I am guessing solid because hollow point was designed to do damage to tissue. Only problem is I can never find solid .22, only hollow point.

The best ammo to use is the ammo that shoots the best in your rifle. There are so many types of rimfire ammo, most of it fairly inexpensive, that half the fun of a new rifle is seeing which ammo it likes best.

Winchester Power Point ammo has been a pretty consistent performer in the rimfire rifles, and even pistols, that I shoot. You could probably do a lot worse than to try a box of it. As far as rock bottom cheap ammo, the kind that allows lots of practice for little money, the CCI Blazer stuff is decently accurate. I think I paid $89 for the last 5000 round case I purchased. It will hit a clay pigeon 100% of the time at 100 yards from my 10/22 if I do my part on the trigger...near as I can tell since I'm not 100% on the shooting end.

Alright, I will try a few small boxes to see which ammo my gun likes most, thanks.

Defiler,
You haven't mentioned how much experience you have with firearms, but I would suggest a hunter's safety education course and some one-on-one instruction from someone involved in the shooting sports. Since you are shooting at a range, there are probably several range officers that would help get you started in proper shooting form and safe gun handling practices.

Just a few thoughts that will make your journey down the shooting sports path more enjoyable.

As I said in my first post, I do not know a whole lot about guns. I do have a few questions of gun laws in Texas. I know you do not need a license to own or shoot any rifle or shotgun, but I am wondering about carrying it to the field. I heard that you either need to store it in a case or keep it in plain view. Since I will probally be riding in a pick up, can I just place it in the back window and it will be okay? I will eventually be buying a case, but I am going to be buying the rifle first.

I just purchased a TC Benchmark and am pleased with what it can do.

I dont live in Texas so I dont know the laws there,go to the Game and fish web site in your state and look,or get a hunting regulation book.As far as carrying the gun in the window of your truck,I wouldn't.We quit that practice here 15 to 20 years ago because its to easy for people to steal them.

I had a hunch with that window in the gun rule, I kept thinking to myself that it would cause panic.

Alright, I will try a few small boxes to see which ammo my gun likes most, thanks.

hey! defiler,
i just happened to run across your message about .22's and was wondering how your'e making out?
my first gun i purchased thirty some years ago was a browning t22 bolt action. the bolt has a short throw and is straight back and then forward. its got real nice wood and high blue on the metal. i paid around $200.00 back then and always thought it was too pretty to shoot. ( still got it )
i've had several .22's since then and have enjoyed them all. one of my favorites is an old stevens pump action with a tubular feed. i think i was about 8 years old when i first fell in love with the .22 rifle while paging thru the old sears catalog and dreaming about my first rabbit hunt. it was thirteen years later when the dream came true and i bought my first, the t22.
thats really why i've kept it all these years.
good luck and good shooting........wayne-o

The CZ 452 seemed to expensive for me. I probally should save up more and pay a little extra for the quality though.


The CZ is worth the price. You will never outgrow it...it will last for the rest of your life and beyond if well cared for..is accurate and fun to shoot.

Just purchased a CZ 452 varmint in.22 and am delighted with its accuracy. I did put an Eric Brooks trigger kit in($12us) which transformed the trigger pull from reasonable to really good. It will shoot one inch groups at 100 yards which is far better than most of my other 22s will do. All in all, a really good gun