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Starter bolt rifle

Discussion in 'Tilted Weaponry' started by Pixel, Feb 29, 2012.

  1. Pixel

    Pixel Getting Tilted

    Location:
    Missoura
    I'd really like to start target shooting and would like to get a good, but not expensive bolt action. Probably .223 or something. What would be your suggestions?
     
  2. Walt

    Walt Vertical

    What do you mean by "target" shooting? Informally punching holes in paper and banging away at tin cans or precision shooting?
     
  3. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    How important is the "not expensive" part, and can you quantify it?

    Is .22lr too small? Because that can be had dirt cheap, and is dirt cheap to shoot. Obviously you give up range and stopping power in exchange, among other things.
     
  4. Plan9

    Plan9 Rock 'n Roll

    Location:
    Earth
  5. MSD

    MSD Very Tilted

    Location:
    CT
    • Like Like x 2
  6. Pixel

    Pixel Getting Tilted

    Location:
    Missoura
    I would say plinking targets at 50 yards would be about my starting point. So I guess a 22lr bolt would be what I am looking for. I don't know if it has to be "dirt cheap", but that might be a good place to start.
     
  7. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    For cheap plinking at 50 yards, .22lr is a great starting point if you don't already have one.

    What other guns do you have? Any other uses you are looking to fill?
     
  8. Walt

    Walt Vertical

    Excellent. If you're looking for just plain ol' fun and high volume fire with the option of transforming your rifle in to a nail-driver later on, I would probably go with a base-model semi-auto Ruger 10/22. They're like the blow jobs of rifles in that even the shitty ones are cool as fuck. They're the worlds best selling .22LR rifle AND they're modular; you can pop off the barrel, stock, bolt group and trigger group with an allen wrench and a phillips screw driver. That means that there are literally hundreds of different parts manufacturers kicking out tens of thousands of aftermarket parts.

    EDIT:

    I think the MSRP for a new-in-box Ruger 10/22 is around $250. But, if you're so inclined, you can easily spend $1000+ in upgrades from companies like Volquartsen.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Dislike Dislike x 1
  9. Pixel

    Pixel Getting Tilted

    Location:
    Missoura
    Here's a question. Why are bolt action rimfire rifles more expensive than auto loaders? That seems counter intuitive on the face of it.

    Something just seems very satisfying about the action of the bolt.
     
  10. Plan9

    Plan9 Rock 'n Roll

    Location:
    Earth
    GUNS
    YER DOIN' IT RIGHT.​
     
  11. Seer666

    Seer666 Getting Tilted

    Well, I picked up a Savage MK II .22 bolt action for just over a 100 bucks, and slapped a $20 scope on it, and I put a couple hundred rounds into an area the size of an orange this weekend. Can't say enough good things about that gun. For 50 yard plinking, you should be able to take out dime no problem once you get some trigger time in.
     
  12. Pixel

    Pixel Getting Tilted

    Location:
    Missoura
    That's probably the route I'm going to go. Are there any good sources for used rifles? I usually check out gunbroker.com and I'm going to check out my local gun shops. Anything else?
     
  13. Borla

    Borla Moderator Staff Member

    Check pawn shops.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  14. MSD

    MSD Very Tilted

    Location:
    CT
    Good call. Clean the hell out of the barrel and bolt and see what you can hit, you might find that your rifle is much more accurate than you expected. One of the big perks of .22 is that you can use air rifle scopes, which tend to be more delicate but much cheaper than rifle scopes.
     
  15. Seer666

    Seer666 Getting Tilted

    Once you get about 200 rounds through it to break it in, the Savage MK II is a GREAT gun. I was hitting center target at 100 yards no problem with it. Just took a while to get the scope dialed in. Once I had it though, golden. I make no bones about the gun being more accurate then I am. In the hands of a real marksman, I'm willing to bet that thing would have bulls-eyed every shot. And you can do the airsoft scopes, but there are enough decent cheep rifle scope out there that it's not much more to get a more adjustable and durable scope for it.
     
  16. Pixel

    Pixel Getting Tilted

    Location:
    Missoura
    Going to try and make it to our local gun show this weekend. Maybe I can find a $22 .22 :)
     
  17. RogueGypsy

    RogueGypsy Vertical


    True about the .22/any scope will work. Not necessarily true about air rifle scopes. Spring air rifles will destroy a cheap scope in a matter of a few shots. They recoil in both directions, forward and back, wreaking havoc on cheap glass.

    If you're looking for decent glass that's not going to break the bank, check out Leapers and Simmons.

    Cheaper Than Dirt - America's Ultimate Shooting Sports Discounter


    Cheaper Than Dirt - America's Ultimate Shooting Sports Discounter


    As far as .22's go, although I think the Ruger 10/22 is freaking awesome to build and customize. Out of the box a Marlin or Mossberg will out shot a 10/22 for half the price. If you want an accurate beater, the Mossberg is hard to beat.

    On the other hand, if you're looking for a really nice shooter, CZ makes some outstanding rifles and they are tack drivers. You could spend $800+ customizing and accurizing a 10/22 and still not get close to a CZ out of the box.
    CZ-USA -> 455 Varmint Evolution
    CZ-USA -> Product Categories

    If you're looking for tons of fun and less concerned about accuracy, try a Henry lever.
    The accuracy of the AR-7 is a crap shoot, but they're an awesome little trunk gun.
    Henry Repeating Arms | Fine Rifles Made in America and Priced Right

    The standard Henry is a nice shooter.
     
  18. MSD

    MSD Very Tilted

    Location:
    CT
    Oh, the irony. Air rifle optics suffer the same fate as muzzle-braked .50BMG optics. In any case, you can get a cheap 4x scope at Wal Mart that will stand up to the ... uh ... pounding that .22 will give it for only a few bucks. I suspect that firing a shot or two out of a clamp to make sure it's still zeroed every trip or few hundred shots will keep cheap optics as accurate as you or more as long as a starter rifle will. That said, don't dismiss the fun of iron sights, just take your shots and move the target out every ceasefire or two and you'll be hitting targets at 100 yards in no time.

    Just make sure you clean the gun regularly, .22 is as dirty as the dirtiest of "your mom" jokes.
     
  19. Seer666

    Seer666 Getting Tilted

    If you really want to have fun with iron sight shooting, find a nice open spot and throw a golf ball out there to shoot at. Hops all over the damn place. Lots of fun.
     
  20. Pixel

    Pixel Getting Tilted

    Location:
    Missoura
    Yeah, I keep seeing all of these people saying "never clean a 22 lr", saying it doesn't get dirty enough to worry about it. I can't do that. I have to clean any firearm to feel secure about taking it out.

    Still looking to buy a bolt action, but just haven't found the right one yet. For now I'm using my dad's Mossberg New Haven. Things been around for as long as I can remember.