What do I do now?

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depicts said:
Myself, I like a gun for a specific use, not a "Multi" type gun, but they do the job and save some money getting into a few different kinds of shooting.
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Depicts is making sense here, so listen up. Now, if you find you have more than one gun for a given application, it simply means you haven't sub-divided far enough yet.

For instance.

You may own both a Ruger 10/22 and a Marlin .22 because the Ruger is clearly for shooting on cloudy days whereas the Marlin will excel on sunny days with low humidity. [smile]
 
Bando - go Green and get yourself to a Members Only Shoot! There will be a cornucopia of firearms there for you to try....If your parents are concerned about you "hanging out alone with older guys who are armed", then I feel sorry for you. Though I can understand their concern a little, it seems gone are the days when doing something like going to a gun range with older peers was mentoring....
 
Go green? Members only shoot? I'm a ignorant as to what you are referring to.If you are implying joining NES I have no credit card,and maybe you missed the part about me barely being able to afford a 10/22.
 
Bando_Red said:
Go green? Members only shoot? I'm a ignorant as to what you are referring to.If you are implying joining NES I have no credit card,and maybe you missed the part about me barely being able to afford a 10/22.
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I didn't miss anything...If you can't come up with $19.00 for a membership, (payable by check/money order and PayPal), then you can't afford a gun either... I was only trying to show you a way to get to try out more guns than you can fathom and we've all been "poor college students", but somehow I always found ways to buy beer, lunch and music. [wink]

if you look around here a little, (like right above the General Discussion forum), you'll find this:

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=39

Nineteen bucks is a cheap way to envelop yourself into the world of firearms. It's also a cheap way for you to meet some of the best people in New England and perhaps learn a thing or three....Only trying to help - carry on....
 
Uncle Duke, I'm sure you know this, but let me be more specific for the benefit of our new shooter.

If you want to shoot .22 and shotgun, you could buy a Savage over-under, .22/20 gauge gun that would do both jobs. I've owned one and I loved it. But now when I want a shotgun, I use a nice 20 guage pump or 12 gague pump depending on what I'm looking to shoot.

Sure, I could shoot trap and skeet with a Savage combi-gun, but it would be foolish. Extra weight, bad ergonomics ect. I could take the same gun shooting targets with the .22 and I have the same problem, extra weight for no good reason, single shot, break action... slow to work and cumbersome.

Likewise, a NEF rifle/shotgun/muzzleloader will do all the things I want with different barrels, and the ergonomics aren't bad. The gun will be too light weight to make shooting 12 gague comfortable, and way to expensive to use as a .22. These kinds of guns are great in countries where you can't own several guns. If you can only own one or two, you buy one that can be a shotgun, rifle, muzzle loader, turkey, bear, deer and hummingbird gun. (JK about the hummingbirds... I use pellet guns for that[wink]

On the other hand, get a decent .22 and use it to learn to shoot. Great for plinking and target shooting. More than one person has used one for defense in their home though I don't recommend it. That's $150.

A decent used shotgun for skeet, birds, deer in Mass, home defense, rabbits and ducks is great, but not so much for target shooting bullseye at the range. That's about $150 for a used Mossberg or even a Remington pump if you look hard enough.

Then for under $100 you can buy a Mosin Nagant centerfire surplus rifle that does all the things other medium game size rifles do, for far less money. It's also a great gun for defense in case of SHTF. Good for up to deer size game, and fun at the range. Plenty of power, and the ammo is relatively cheap.

After 50 years of shooting, while I have way too many guns, my basic battery would include a good .22 rifle, a decent 20 or 12 gague pump shotgun, a good quality lever or bolt action gun in .223, 243, or .308. I'd also want a good .22 pistol and a .357 pistol like a Ruger or a Smith.

After that, almost everything is a sub-catagory. You get into big guns, little guns, pretty guns, scuffed guns you don't care about dropping on the rocks, big shotguns for geese far away, small shotguns for woodcock, big center fire for elephants and Zombies, medium center fire for small game, small centerfire for varmints and target accuracy, and of course on big motha just to have to show you are tough. [wink]
 
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Bando_Red said:
I'm in the metrowest area.I'm just not sure how thrilled my parents are gonna be with me hanging out alone with older guys who are armed.I'm interested in hunting but not as much as I am in building up an armory and improving my skills.
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LOL!! well, I could see that! Didn't think of it quite that way! [rofl]

If you do pony up the $19 for the membership (you can mail it instead of CC, just pm Derek) you can come to a very public shoot with dozens of shooters and probably hundreds of guns. Bring your parents with you and make a day of it.

Again, Appleseed is a really great way to get an intro. Talk your old man into taking you out to one, make arrangements to borrow a rifle(s), and learn to shoot together. I was at an appleseed last weekend where a whole family was shooting together, doesn't get better than that - Mom, Dad, and ~12yo son shooting for two straight days! With luck there will be one more in MA before the end of the year.

Also, I don't know how old you are, but you might be eligable to join some of the youth activities through various clubs. Check out www.goal.org. I think you'll find some there.

Good luck,
Matt
 
bando Red,

I'm going to be shooting some skeet with a buddy in the morning (Sunday) in Metro west. I'll bring an extra shotgun if you want to shoot a couple rounds. You'll have to listen to a quick "lesson" on firearm safety from my buddy and me (just so you or I don't get hurt)

I'm not very good, but for about $20 it's a great way to spend a sunday morning. Let me know if you want to meet, and I'll give you some directions and a time to meet.

Joe



oh, if you want to take your Father too, we can share guns. I understand if he doesn't want you to be with us "old guys" (I'm 40)
 
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The Village Idiot said:
I'm sorry (no I'm not) but having read the part about your parents, I strongly suggest that you re-post this in about 10 years when your balls have dropped and your voice has deepened.
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To be honest, VI, if my 18yo son decided to hook up with some guy he met on an internet forum with which I was unfamiliar, I would have some concerns. I think the young man is showing respect for his parents, and he may want to introduce them to NES, if he hasn't already, so they can see that the people he is likely to meet here are on the up and up.

It would probably be best for him to attend an organized event at a club near home for starters, followed by joining the club.

A friendly invite would be better than a stern rebuke. [wink] See Post #16.
 
Come on now VI, so he is young. Give the kid a break. He is on "our" side. Bando, if you can afford gas and have a car, I'll let you try a few so you have an Idea what you want. As far as your parents fears of corrupting you at deer camp, that is a good possibility! They need to remember, you also have a Rifle and a brain. JP
 
Bando_Red said:
I'm in the metrowest area.I'm just not sure how thrilled my parents are gonna be with me hanging out alone with older guys who are armed.
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yeah, your parents are right. we get pretty out of control when we go to our shoots. usually 3-4 people are dead even before we start firing.
 
Guys, we all know that this is a great group of people here. Invitations had been offered for him to try out various firearms. My point is why bother asking for help in these forums if mommy and daddy will not allow it? Why post in a firearms forum at all? It's like saying that I need legal help but my parents don't trust lawyers.
 
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The Village Idiot said:
Guys, we all know that this is a great group of people here. Invitations had been offered for him to try out various firearms. My point is why bother asking for help in these forums if mommy and daddy will not allow it? Why post in a firearms forum at all? It's like saying that I need legal help but my parents don't trust lawyers.
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VI, I think you're over reacting a bit. You can get your FID in MA at 16. We don't know how old he is, and frankly who cares. He may have very anti parents, who knows, who cares. He's trying. I suspect he wasn't expecting these kinds of offers. IMO NES is pretty unique in that regard. He's a young guy who still lives under his parents rules and roof. That's no knock against him. My wife doesn't particularly like it when I go to meet someone from the board for a FTF transaction (but that may have as much to do with the $$ involved[thinking]).

Bando_Red, I hope that you will be able to take advantage of the offers. Again, include your parents; shooting is a great family sport.

Regards,
Matt
 
Bando_Red said:
I'm in the metrowest area.I'm just not sure how thrilled my parents are gonna be with me hanging out alone with older guys who are armed.I'm interested in hunting but not as much as I am in building up an armory and improving my skills.



yes I did.and I didn't even realize it.
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You didn't say how old you were but if the "hanging out with older guys with guns" thing is going to freak your parents out then going to an NES shoot is probably not the right way to get started. Since you said you aren't really interested in hunting at the moment I am going to repeat the recommendation for a Ruger 10/22 - or something similar.

Places like Bass Pro and others usually have sales where you can get a 10/22 for under $200.00. But if that is too expensive then there are other options for rifles that shoot .22LR that would work just as good for you. Even a bolt action rifle in .22LR is a good choice for a first rifle.

You have the right attitude if you want to start with "building up your skills". Again - you didn't say how old you were so I am going to make an assumption you are old enough to drive. If so getting a rifle in .22LR that you can afford - and then working towards getting a membership in local club where you can go to shoot - could keep you occupied for a few years and that .22LR rifle will teach you a lot if that is all you can afford. Go to an Applesee mini shoot and then apply what you learn by practicing.


If the parent thing is an issue ask your father - or mother, to come along with you when you meet up with somebody. There are people here who I am sure would be willing to do even that and teach the both of you something in the process. If your parents are irrational anti-gun moonbats you probably will not find somebody will to take that on, but there have been numerous threads here over the years from people who were interested in learning more about firearms who were eventually able to convince their mother/father/girlfriend/boyfriend etc. that guns were not so bad after all.

If it was me I would approach it from the "I want to learn more and be safe" angle.
 
The first thing you need to do is to pick what type of action you want. You stated that you've tried 5 types so pick the one which you prefer and then go from there. I would suggest a .22 to start with, that's what I use to start others with for a lot of reasons which if I ran them down would make this really long. What you may want to do, which is what I do, is buy a .22 in the same configuration as what your main rifle/pistol will be, this will really cut down on costs for practice and warm ups. Here's a couple of examples that I use that you can look-up on the net if you want. Pistols: S&W 617 4", S&W 686 4" and a 629 4". Rifles: (Seeing as you dislike levers) Marlin 39A, Marlin 336C and a Marlin 1895. All of which have Williams peep sights. I also have other levers inc. a Marlin 1894SS, Marlin 1894C and a mint pre-64 winchester but the stocks are straight, again with Williams peeps except the winny (that stays original) The last two Marlins are to have rifles that go with the same pistol calibers that I have. So: Rifle/pistol calber matches: Marlin 1894SS with S&W 629, Marlin 1894C with S&W 686, Ruger Vaquero, Marlin 39A with S&W 617, Ruger single six (two cylinder for 22Mag match-ups also) etc. I do have a modest supply of ammo for all my calibers but 95% of my shooting time is on .22's. I have many other match-ups in six shooters, semi-autos, pumps, bolts and Rifle/pistol calibers. What it boils down to is that you want to think about what you buy and why your getting it. Be practical and think of this as a hobby that can get very expensive. It's not only buying the firearm but you also need to feed it. Some of mine are now $75.00/10 for premium stuff. If you do get something, can you expand on it as in my case with match ups. Whatever you get, consider it a keeper. Hope this helps a bit.
 
My parents aren't anti,In fact my dad is fierce conserative (he took the hunter safety course with me and scored just 4 points under me) and my mom is too dumb to get involved in politics.It's just that I'm barely 18 and I just graduated high school.Still a little young.If my dad can come with me and it's relatively close (within an hour) I'm sure they would be fine with it.I didn't mean any offense by the "older guys with guns",but I look like I'm 14 and I'm sure a pedo would make a move on me if given the chance.I don't think you guys are pedos,but it's probably crossed my mom's head.

In terms of my first gun I have a few threads asking for advice if you'd like to chime in there.I'm leaning towards a single shot,but I've heard they aren't really good enough for appleseed and thats the skill level I'm shooting for [rofl] (I normally hate puns but I didn't notice until I type it).It's also kinda hard to find a .22 single shot with aperture peep sights.

note:I haven't decided I hate levers yet.I'm actually quite fond of them,they are so romantic and elegant.I think its the cowboy thing.it's just that my first encounter with one left a bad first impression.The guy was probably over-complicating it and he was very touchy about it.Didn''t want me dry firing it (even though there were dummy cartridges in it and the other instructors let us dry fire the other guns.I mean were learning how to operate them for god's sake)

PS: do I ramble?
 
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Bando, come to an Appleseed, use a loaner, talk with the Instructor crew on recommendations.

If you can't make it to a full Appleseed, try a Mini-Appleseed.

That being said, if you LIKE the Ruger 10/22, there's a good place to start.
 
Thank you so much depicts.I have thought about combo guns,but it's illegal to hunt in MA with a gun that has both a shotgun barrel and a rifle barrel at once,and I do want a true multitasker.

the shotgun/rifle/muzzleloader has also crossed my my mind,but They are a little out of my price range and they don't have many combos I like and most don't have .22 rifles.It also must be a pain in the ass to sight them in.

Mossberg is a possibility.
 
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Bando_Red said:
It's just that I'm barely 18 and I just graduated high school.Still a little young.

but I look like I'm 14 and I'm sure a pedo would make a move on me if given the chance.

PS: do I ramble?
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Anyone who quoted my post here, would you plese delete that portion of your post. I've been told I'm acting in an innapropriate manner, and I bow to those who disagree with me.
 
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Bando_Red said:
Thank you so much depicts.I have thought about combo guns,but it's illegal to hunt in MA with a gun that has both a shotgun barrel and a rifle barrel at once,

the shotgun/rifle/muzzleloader has also crossed my my mind,but They are a little out of my price range and they don't have many combos I like and most don't have .22 rifles.It also must be a pain in the ass to sight them in.

Mossberg is a possibility.

As a /k/ommando I have definitely considered the Mosin Nagant.I hear it's easy to build up a flinch if you aren't use to heavy recoil,and the biggest thing I've shot is a red ryder.
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Anyone who quoted my post here, would you plese delete that portion of your post. I've been told I'm acting in an innapropriate manner, and I bow to those who disagree with me.
 
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Another really fun shooter for a beginner is the Henry lever action 22s.

But I would probably opt for a 22 bolt first..
 
Doesn't CMP sell that Mossberg .22?

That said, I'd suggest an NEF for sure. They are inexpensive, and you can have a .22, as well as various shotgun and rifle barrels all with the same receiver/stock. You'd be good to go for a long time with a flexible platform to learn on. Otherwise, I'd say pick up a used .22 at your local shop.
 
matt said:
Wait, didn't you just dupe your own thread?

http://northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=42292
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I merged these together now.

Bando_Red: Please do NOT generate duplicate posts with the same
topic.

Beware of:

dupe.jpg


-Mike
 
Good grief, will you guys stop with the "have your testicles dropped" comments already? You really DO sound like a bunch of perverts.

The kid is young - are you all trying to tell me that YOU weren't? Remember, he hasn't met any of you yet, so he can't tell if you're joking or not. Just lighten up... or do you want to try and make sure that we scare off a potential Massachusetts shooter?
 
Bando_Red said:
Poor college kid who still lives with his parents here.Almost done with my Hunter Safety class,so I can get an FID soon.What should I buy? this would be easy except I'm looking for a gun with aperture peep sights.I want to at least get a gun to plink with so i can hone my skills,and if possible a muzzleloader or shotgun to hunt with. Suggestions?
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Find someone local to you and have them take you to the range and try out a few of what they own, talk to them in real life not online. They may be able to help you decide. Go into a local gun store and talk with the owner. Hold a few of the rifles and see what you like.

If you have a car and become a green member on NES we have a number of shoots each year where you can see a lot of different guns and can maybe determine what is best for you. Though there are usually a lot of people at them (50+).
 
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