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Lkwinnipesaukee

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Hey guys, I'm new here. I'm 16 years old[shocked], live in MA, except on weekends, I'm usually in NH. I plan on doing some plinking (ALL distances), no hunting or anything. I've been shooting airguns for about 5 years.

I just got back from my first gun show [smile] , and had a few questions:

So I did some research, and found I wanted a Remington 700 VLS in .308. Add a decent scope, and I have a really accurate gun.

However, after going to the gun show and handling some AR-15's (in .223) that are about the same price, I cant decide on which gun to get first (I have to have both eventually[rolleyes] , just which one to get first).

My question: Would I be better off starting with the iron sights and the milder .223 round? Or should I get the scoped Remington, and learn 'control' with a bolt action?

Thanks[grin]
 
How about a .22LR for your first rifle instead? They're cheap to buy and shoot, and with no recoil to speak of they're great to learn the basics on.

Oh, and welcome aboard!
 
Well Ross, the AR15 has almost no recoil and isn't a bad rifle to train on! [wink]

Only downsides are:

- Most indoor ranges won't allow .223 rifles,
- Ammo is a lot more expensive than .22LR,
- The gun itself is much more expensive than .22LR.

To the OP, welcome to the forum! Hope you enjoy it here.
 
Lkwinnipesaukee,

Welcome aboard!

I don't know about you, but when I was 16 I was scraping together pennies to feed my car. The nice thing about a 22 is you can feed it on pennies. Definitely a great place to start.

And lest you think we are saying "get a .22" because you are 16, search threads for "first gun" or such, and you'll see that is a nearly universal recommendation.

Now, that said, I ignored this sage advise. However, my second gun was a 22, and I spend alot of time with it working on fundementals and much less time with my 9mm.

Also, if you want to compete, I think most junior competitions are in .22LR.

Is one of your parents liscensed?

Matt
 
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Winnie,

I'll throw my hat into the .22 ring as well. If you don't have a lot of cash, a .22 is cheap to shoot. If you have a lot of cash, get one anyway; a good .22 is a lifetime gun. Stay away from crap like the Marlin/Glenfield Model 60 (no offense to owners of these) and get a good one. You'll have it forever.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. I plan on getting a 22 rifle as well (and I also fell in love with the P22!!). I have another thread open about it. A friend is selling his .22 VERY cheap. I have another thread about it.

Yes, My father has his LTC, and I have an FID card (and have taken a safety course).
 
I'll ask the obvious.... At 16 how do you expect to buy a gun???

You still have quite a few years before you can. Hopefully your parents support this hobby and will help you out. The AR platform is great. A .223 rifle doesn't recoil much at all. However, for short money you can buy a .22 rifle like a Ruger 10/22 and feed it all day long like others have mentioned.
 
PistolPete said:
I'll ask the obvious.... At 16 how do you expect to buy a gun???
Click to expand...

My father would buy it and I would pay $600 worth of cell phone bills[rofl]

I have another question-
With my FID card, I can only possess a 'non large cap rifle'. What exactly does that mean? That I can only use a 10 round magazine in an AR? Or is the entire AR off limits because it is capable of accepting a 10+ round magazine?

Regardless, I will be doing everything with my father... so I dont believe that would be an issue
 
If you are with you're dad, you are fine.

The FID would prohibit you from owning/possessing the AR on your own though.

Your Dads LTC (A or B) covers large cap rifles.
 
If I may throw in my two cents' worth......
Buy the best bolt action .22 you can afford. The .22 is fairly inexpensive to feed and is very accurate. Practice, practice, practice......learn to shoot it well.
Get in with a Jr. program if it's at all possible. Having the chance to learn with other like-minded people is a lot of fun and will be a tremendous help.
When the time comes, you can find yourself a nice .223 to shoot in most any way you'd like to compete.
There are plenty of kids in their teens and 20s out there doing wonderful things with an AR15 out at 600yds. (How I wish I started earlier!)
The best thing is you're getting started in something that will keep you busy and active in the hobby/passion/lifestyle for the rest of your life.
Welcome aboard!
 
I'd go with a .204 Ruger, much more accurate than a 22LR or a .223, with less recoil than the .223. 1000fps faster to boot.
 
I would go with the AR-15, that was my first rifle (at age 6 my dad designated a Colt AR-15 SP1 as mine although it didn't become mine til last year). Pick up a .22 conversion kit for it and you're all set.
 
I’ll through this out there even though it is off topic. If I was you, I would save your money right now. You are going to have to get a car at some point and they are not cheap.

As a 16 year old you have lots of opportunities to do a ton of shooting and get some great instruction as well for cheap money. Get involved in a junior shooting program. You can shoot AR-15A2 rifles that the clubs or state associations have. I’m pretty sure that Reading or GOAL still has a state Junior High Power team. They did when I was your age and they had a team shoot at Camp Perry this year.

Here are some pictures of the USMC Junior HP clinic at Camp Perry.

http://www.odcmp.com/Photos/06/USMC_HPClinic/index.htm
 
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